Navigating Spiritual Bypass

In this episode I am once again joined by Mary Shutan: author, occultist, and spiritual teacher. Mary discusses her new book “Shadow Work for the Soul”, shares her lifelong fascination with the psychological power of dark fairytales, and explains the function of social masks and personae. Mary remarks on a notable increase in spiritual emergencies, a rise in nihilism and the “dark feminine”, and offers advice for those facing spiritual crisis. Mary then takes a deep dive into shadow work, challenges common misconceptions, and offers surprising reflections on both new age masculine-feminine trends and “The Work” of Byron Katie. Mary also reveals how to perceive the shadow in popular culture, warns about the danger of spiritual bypass, and explains how to identify and disarm the ego defences to go beyond one’s limitations. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep294-shadow-work-for-the-soul-mary-shutan Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
 … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:03 - An notable increase in spiritual emergencies 03:51 - Nihilism and other trends on the increase 05:30 - Collective shadows and the dark feminine 07:25 - How to work with nihilism 08:27 - Mary’s advice for those in spiritual crisis 09:39 - The psychological power of myths and fairy tales 11:26 - What can myths and fairy tales teach us? 12:19 - Archetypes and mythic figures 13:18 - Princess and the Pea and Sisyphus 15:21 - Seeing oneself reflected in myths and fairy tales 16:50 - Trauma isolates 18:00 - What is the shadow? 19:43 - What is shadow work? 20:08 - How concepts change when they become mainstream 21:36 - The evolution of acupuncture 23:51 - Limitations of the pop-culture version of shadow work 26:58 - Comments on Byron Katie and “The Work” 31:27 - The healthy ego and ego defences 33:33 - How to identify the ego’s defence mechanisms 34:33 - Intellectualisation vs embodiment 35:32 - Superiority/inferiority loop 37:09 - The world as a mirror 40:02 - Pop culture and politics 41:29 - Dangers of spiritual bypass 45:50 - Masks, personae, and perfectionism 47:36 - The importance of mentors 48:47 - Self enquiry traps and the dangers of labels 50:47 - Identifying with spiritual attainments 53:30 - When did Mary call off the search? 55:35 - Letting go of the high-achiever identity 58:03 - Anima, animus, and the masculine-feminine continuum 59:34 - Masculine and feminine dynamics in the occult 01:02:13 - Identifying collective shadows through pop culture figures 01:04:12- Today’s cultural focus on narcissism 01:05:41 - Noting your personal reactions to celebrity 01:06:02 - The cultural phenomenon of Taylor Swift 01:08:36 - Shadows of light 01:10:02 - Dark feminine rising 01:10:56 - Why “dark feminine?” 01:12:48 - How do we emerge from times of change? 01:14:48 - Mary’s view of the future … Previous episode with Mary Shutan: - https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=shutan To find out more about Mary Shutan, visit: - http://maryshutan.com/ For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James