“Filling the conscious mind with ideal conceptions is a characteristic of Western philosophy, but not the confrontation with the shadow and the world of darkness. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light , but by making the darkness conscious.” (Carl Jung)

The two pictures above play with this idea of Light and Shade. The National Galley in London has been running an exhibition on Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “Virgin of the Rocks”. It was a delight. I wish I’d gone sooner than I did. But I went in the end! The two figures are the same head with different lighting. It is an interactive part of the display where one can control the amount of light shining in the booths. It picks up on one of the central themes about Light and Shadow. (You can see why this interests me as a psychotherapist!) The exhibition has a quotes from Da Vinci writ large on one of the walls. It says “He who avoids shadow avoids what is the glory of art.” I wanted to change it to “He who denies shadow avoids what is the glory of humanness”. 

Freud observed that the point of psychoanalysis is to make conscious the unconscious. Jung suggested that “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making darkness conscious.” The work of therapy isn’t necessarily to make us happy. It is to make us conscious. Or as Freud so cheerfully put it “To turn neurotic misery into ordinary unhappiness.” Having spent many years of my life trying be Good and a Christian and to allow that I might be “a miserable sinner”, it is now a great relief to simply get on with being Human. One of my many difficulties with Christianity was that I never could see myself as a Sinner. (And, mostly, not as a miserable one!) I always found this a most unhelpful idea. Particularly when working in mental health where so many of our patients were already feeling beaten and persecuted by Life. To then come along and pronounce them “Sinners” always seemed at best unhelpful. At worst, cruel.

So, where does this link with Da Vinci and the lovely exhibition of his painting? Simply the awareness of the value of both light and shadow. It is not possible to have one without the other. Light gives Shadow. Shadow gives Light. The interactive heads are fascinating because as one changes the light, so the head appears different. As the light increases or decreases, aspects of the head change. As does its shadow. It is one of the challenging elements of the work of therapy. We all enjoy hearing about our generous, healthy, loving side. We less enjoy hearing about our greed, our rage, our hatred. Yet the task of a therapist is to bring to our patients’ awareness both sides of their personality. (It’s one of the reasons why, as therapists, we all have to have had our own time in therapy. It can be painful, distressing, liberating, healing, but in any event, absolutely essential!)

I recently quoted the pilgrim father, John Robinson’s words to one of my patients. We were reflecting on the work they have so far done in their therapy with me. Robinson said, of the Bible: “the Lord hath more light and truth to break forth from His holy word.” I commented that this seemed like a good description of our work together and of our future work. They agreed. 

If I had a glass in my hand I would now propose a toast “To Light and Shade!”