Owning the Darkest Recesses of the Mind

It is time to have some fun, to explore the regions of the mind that are remote and to give them what they need, attention. Though often invisible to us, these remote regions set the pace for much of our growth as humans. I refer to the darkest corners of our mind, where much lies hidden from view: our darkest thoughts and fears and even sometimes hatred.

In these corners lie much of what we deny about ourselves, our “darker side”, the parts we are taught to deny, in fact. It is here where “sin” is born and resides, or rather those aspects of human behaviour that are often seen as sinful, our animal instincts for pleasure and satisfaction, dominance and control. To deny these feelings exist is to deny one’s true self, or at least a part of it, for we are, after all, animals and this aspect of our humanity is important: it feeds us, protects us and leads to procreation. Without it we are incomplete and any attempt at self discovery and fulfilment is nigh on impossible.

So, why deny ourselves a part of who and what we are? Better to face who we are head on and then to make real choices based on what feels right for us (not necessarily what is pleasurable). For example, in an instant of animal attraction lies a choice between fulfilment of that base desire and other things we hold dear such as a commitment to an existing loved one. In that moment we are free to choose. We can either “give in” to our base desires or not. Neither choice is “wrong” of itself in all circumstances: therefore, it is the circumstances that will set what feels right for us.

So, the “sin” is to deny the choice and thereby maybe to feed the hunger; the “sin” is not to be aware of our basic needs and desires. If we make poor choices for ourselves we suffer the consequences and the tool we have to help us make the right choice is our guiding light, our inner feelings of what feels rights for us in the moment, not some imaginary universal rule book that limits our choices and judges what we sometimes appropriately want to be “wrong”. Deny the desires and we are prevented from being free to make informed choices and the buried or denied feelings lie there gnawing at us.

So, next time a “bad thought” or “base desire” comes to mind, own it. Admit your feelings and desires. There is no need to wrestle with those thoughts. Cast them aside if you are clear in your choice or, if in doubt, apply the litmus test of what feels right, then make a clear choice as an adult enjoying true freedom, not as an overgrown child mollycoddled and imprisoned by other people’s rules.