Dark Emotions

“A man who has not passed through the inferno of his passions has never overcome them.” - Carl Jung.

We, Dark Pagans, love to talk about the Shadow. You’ll find it in nearly every dark pagan book, mine included. However, we must understand that the term “Shadow” applies to a narrow aspect of a personality. According to Jung, who created the concept, the Shadow is always unconscious. If we become conscious of the emotions and desires buried within our Shadow, they are no longer part of it.  

We all have dark emotions and desires that we’re conscious of and therefore aren’t part of the Shadow. Anger, lust, greed, and pride are just a few of these dark emotions. 

 

Many religious leaders and philosophers are critical of these dark emotions. Anger, in particular, gets a lot of negative attention. Gautama the Buddha is to have said, “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” And the Roman Statesman Lucius Annaeus Seneca said, “Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.”

Dark Pagans see this issue differently. Such emotions are natural and healthy. In fact, they’re essential for life. Lust is necessary for the continuation of the species. Greed helps us set goals by which to better ourselves. Pride is needed for self-respect. And anger, as the Catholic priest and historian Bede Jarrett wrote, can motivate one to act against evil.

Dark emotions and desires aren’t wrong and shouldn’t be denied. They’re an essential part of our humanity.

Dark Moon

“There is no dark side of the moon, really. Matter of fact, it’s all dark.” – Pink Floyd.

Today, June 18th, 2023, is a Dark Moon or New Moon. This Dark Moon is the closest since 1030 C.E. It won’t be this close again for another 345 years. While the Full Moon is the subject of many spells and rituals, we sometimes fail to consider the power of the Dark Moon.

A domain of the Dark Moon is the Shadow Current. The Shadow Current is a magical current or flow arising out of the collective impact of our individual Shadows. Because of this, the Dark Moon is an excellent time for Shadow Work. It’s great for spells and rituals to cultivate the Self. It’s also a perfect time for working with ‘dark deities.’ 

For Dark Moon magick, I highly recommend Of Blood and Bones by the Dark Pagan author Kate Freuler.

 

Angela’s Symposium

I’ve mentioned that we’re in a golden age of Pagan publications. We’re also in an excellent time for online video productions about esoteric subjects. One of the great video channels is “Angela’s Symposium” by Dr. Angela Puca.

Dr. Angela Puca

She describes her YouTube channel as: “Academic study of Esotericism, Paganism, witchcraft and the occult.” Dr. Puca is the real deal in academia. According to her YouTube biography, she holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Philosophy as well as a PhD in Anthropology of Religion from the University of Leeds. Dr. Puca’s research focuses on magic, witchcraft, Paganism, esotericism, shamanism, and related currents. She’s the author of several peer-reviewed publications as well as co-editor of the forthcoming ‘Pagan Religions in five minutes’ for Equinox.

 

Dr. Puca has a wide variety of videos on her channel. She’s covered topics such as Freemasonry, astrology, Anthroposophy, Eleusianian Mysteries, Theurgy, and more. 

Dr. Angela Puca’s YouTube videos are informative, with solid academic support, and very entertaining. I highly recommend Angela’s Symposium. You can support her through Patreon https://www.patreon.com/angelapuca or Paypal https://paypal.me/angelasymposium.

Pride

“Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves; vanity, to what we would have others think of us.” - Jane Austen, British Author.

Most know that June is recognized as Pride Month in the US and many other countries. June was chosen to celebrate LGBTQA+ individuals because the Stonewall Riots, which started the Gay Rights movement, occurred at the end of June 1969. 

 

Pride Month is closely connected to the Dark Pagan principles of Self-knowledge, Self-Acceptance, and Autonomy.

Thousands of years ago, etched into the walls of the Temple of Delphi in Greece were the words “Know Thyself.” It is with this ancient Pagan wisdom that Pride begins. Understanding one’s identity, both gender and sexual, is an essential part of self-knowledge. 

It’s well established that some people’s hatred of LGBTQA+ individuals arises from subconscious gender and sexual identity issues. While this isn’t true for all who express such hatred (for some, it’s just a character flaw), this lack of self-knowledge is the source of anger for many.

Building on Self-knowledge, Self-acceptance is the next critical element of Pride. Once a person understands themselves, the next step is to accept themselves. Self-love rests at the heart of self-acceptance. 

However, there are forces in our society that teach against self-love. Many religious institutions tell us that we’re fallen and need salvation. This self-hatred often is turned outwards, creating Others who are seen as different and dangerous.

The final Dark Pagan principle that applies to Pride is Autonomy. The Stonewall Riot was an example of courageous individuals who confronted institutional homophobia and bigotry. It was a declaration of autonomy that they wouldn’t cave into the demands of the herd.

Ironically, the homophobic and transphobic voices of today often wrap their opposition to autonomy into claims of personal liberty. In an example of Orwellian thought, they twist laws meant to remove the rights of LGBTQA+ persons as being to enhance freedom.  

Pride is a Dark Pagan value.