The Sacred Speaks 102: Connie Zweig – Meeting the Shadow on the Spiritual Path
11 snips
Oct 8, 2023 
Connie Zweig, a psychologist and author known for her expertise in shadow work, dives deep into the complexities of spiritual paths. She discusses the phenomenon of holy longing and projection onto spiritual teachers, revealing the trauma that can arise when these figures falter. Zweig emphasizes the importance of recognizing denial within communities and the need for healthy boundaries, especially in the context of psychedelics. Through real-life examples, she advocates for creating ethical containers for spiritual practices while asserting that meeting the shadow is essential for true spiritual growth.
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Holy Longing Fuels Projection
- Holy longing describes a soul's restless yearning for something beyond ordinary life, often projected onto people or states.
- When that longing lands on fallible teachers it creates shock, betrayal, and sometimes trauma when they fail.
Shambhala's Multigenerational Trauma
- Connie recounts denial in Shambhala around Chogyam Trungpa's alcoholism and sexual abuse across generations.
- She describes intergenerational shadow repeating with successors continuing harmful behaviors and communities wrestling with trauma.
Culture + Authority Invite Abuse
- Cultural clashes and lack of moral development in charismatic teachers create conditions for abuse in Western spiritual communities.
- Institutional rules and unexamined authority often collude with teacher shadow to allow harm.
