Monsters, giants, wicked witches, evil kings and other nasties of many kinds appear in stories and legends throughout time. They are often isolated, attacked, destroyed, tricked, captured, transformed or killed. There is an other-ness about them that is rejected or feared by the protagonist and their associates. However, monsters of all kinds are so important exactly because they are NOT other - they are us, or part of us, just as much as any hero, heroine or simple fool. Perhaps the wisest stories are the ones in which the monster is not killed, but transformed. Symbolically, the power, insight and self knowledge the monster holds for us is then not suppressed or distanced, but integrated and harnessed to create a fuller self. Instead of making ourselves lopsided by killing off our fears, weaknesses and limitations - and only acknowledging our strengths - we become more whole, human, humble and compassionate when we are able to identify and embrace our inner monsters. When we dialogue with them and seek to understand them, they lose there fearful qualities - the Beast becomes a Prince! I love this lonely monster by Alexander Jansson! He says to me, visually, how much he has to share, but is isolated and misunderstood. In a world full of narcissistic grandiosity, full of pumped-up heroes and heroines, a little social time with our monsters might just bring us down to earth and blow apart some of the illusions the economy-driven media would have us believe are realities. At the same time, by harnessing the energy of our own monsters and clearing our vision, we may be better at discerning our true enemies and those who need us to reach out to them with compassion.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 23:08:06 +0000
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