Trumpitis: The Yin and Yang of Healing Through Tyranny

February 13th, 2017

Contributing writer for Wake Up World

We are in the early stages of a collective inflammatory condition called Trumpitis. Many of us, American or not, are annoyed, angry, afraid, overwhelmed, and deeply saddened by the actions of our new president.

I think it’s a good sign that we’re up-in-arms about all this; I appreciate what my friends and loved ones have to say, and how they feel. I am heartened that so many people are taking an interest. I also think we will settle down some, in a good way, to find solutions to the symptoms of Trumpitis, and to channel our upset and worry into action.

I think to some degree, what we are witnessing now by the election of Donald Trump is our collective shadow, our inner darkness becoming visible and outwardly active. The archetype of the Yang is in our face now: the scary and ruthless father figure, the tyrannical and malevolent dictator, the fundamentalist and closed-minded masculine. So is the desecration of the feminine principle: nurturing, openness, welcome, fertility, and safety. We are appalled by what we see, as we should be. And, if we have sat through any long nights with our own shadow, and come out the other end, I think we will be better prepared to deal with the shadow of masculine tyranny now emerging in the White House.

This is not empty theory but a call to inquiry; inquiry, which shines light on the fears that heavily shape our beliefs and inform our actions. And if we are not conscious of our fears and beliefs, they indeed govern our actions, rendering them unconscious and often ill-guided. Knee-jerk, unconscious reactions are dangerous if not buffered by self-awareness and restraint. Sometimes knee-jerk is important to save our lives, but not when it justifies engaging short-sighted, immediate comforts.

We can choose to ignore what’s going on now, but this choice might preclude our future freedom, including our ability to choose later. Living in the moment isn’t always such a good idea.

The Masculine Shadow

A commenter on my blog recently said:

“The US is seeing the shadow of itself playing out in DC — and the shadow revealed is frightening when it’s running the show unbridled — isn’t that what we all ultimately fear in ourselves? That’s where the love comes in.”

I think she hit the nail on the head. On some level we know that when our destructive, hurt, shadow-self runs the show, it is a recipe for disaster. I imagine most of us have seen ourselves get triggered and watched our own hurt act out unexpectedly and unnoticed, in relationships of all kinds.

Our work to become better human beings is to notice our shadow, make amends, make changes, and forgive ourselves and others as best we can. We can engage the Yin qualities of awareness, honesty, humility, and self-reflection, as well as the Yang qualities of self-control, awareness, good thinking, changing our actions, and seeking help and support.

There is a time to go with the flow and relax (Yin) and a time to resist (Yang); leave out either at the wrong time, and we are less effective.

I don’t imagine Donald Trump and his friends engaging in any of these self-corrective measures. But we can. And this is where the love comes in… and I think this love is optimal in both Yin and Yang forms: as feeling and as action, as resistance and as nurturing.

We are now witnessing our shadow in a way that affects us all: in the narcissistic, impetuous and unhinged agenda of the president and his cabinet and appointees. Granted, we may not be so unconscious of our own capacity for danger as Donald, so we must be vigilant of projecting and displacing our hate onto him, while at the same time not tolerating but resisting his actions and agenda.

Since Trump robustly represents the shadow in all of us, let us not follow his footsteps. Let us also not simply do the opposite in knee-jerk reaction, which is to be ruled by him just the same. Let us heal where he and his ilk likely won’t. Let us own our ‘stuff’; let us be fair and kind, yet speak boldly and truthfully as needed. Let us not retreat by denying the need and sustainable value of masculine power, and let us not act out in uncontrolled masculine hatred due to being hurt by his perverse masculine power, or that of our own pasts.

Instead, let us remember that inflammation signals healing, and work to embrace both Yin and Yang: fight and nurture, skillfully resist and compassionately foster — for ourselves and others.

Our Cure

None of this is an either-or game. We can, we must, work both on ourselves and in the world. We can check our facts, our thinking, our assumptions, our heart’s guidance. We can ask if we are being honest with ourselves, for it’s with honesty that all healing begins, and proceeds. We can seek help and support from others; engage in valuable conversations; vent, brain, and heart-storm with friends. We can feel our feelings (or else they stagnate and derail us) and share them in sacred space. We can make phone calls to our Congress people (please do) and legislators; the links are all over the internet and Facebook.

Women are scared, and the feminine principle in men is scared. This is a heartless onslaught on the feminine principle: women themselves, health care, reproductive and birth rights, Mother Nature and the natural world, the beauty and healthy sensuality of women (and men), the safety and warmth of family. It also is an attack on the psychic safety that nurtures the virtues of vulnerability, humility, freedom, and safety.

Father issues are boiling up in men and women: issues with power- and authority-figures, over-control, not being seen or heard, feeling demeaned and subjugated, unfairness, and being manipulated. This is especially a time to deal with Father wounds, and to be mindful if you are reacting to the upheaval in an unconscious, knee-jerk reaction to your own past hurts – if you just want to run away from the pain, fear, and helplessness that is surfacing, or, if you want to kill it with your rage.

So in the panic, take pause, take deep breaths often, acknowledge the wounds triggered. And via the Good Mother in you that Trump and Co. cannot take from you, hold your hurts and fears, be kind to yourself and others who are scared, especially if their fear shows as anger, hostility, neglect, or despair. Or even glorified denial.

We are all trying to find our place, our voice, and what’s most likely true. We are all trying to manage our fear and anger the best way we know how. So, try to bring your best self forward and pause to be kind, and not act like our disgraceful president. This is to heal and to be a healer in the midst of chaos and injury, in the midst of a fiery and inflammatory bout of Trumpitis.

Ask for help, strengthen your support networks. Then, bring your adult self to the forefront so the inner child does not govern your actions, and a more regulated self can address the current onslaught to our liberties. Recruit your love as both Yin and Yang:

Yin: compassion and empathy, grief and sorrow, restoration and rest.

Yang: outrage and action, firmness and commitment, good thinking and skillful force.

As Khalil Gibran said, “Work is love made visible,” which is the amalgam of Yin-feeling and Yang-action.

So much seems up in the air, in upheaval. After the shock settles, we will find our way through this mire. I hope our casualties are fewer than what the current picture portends. Actions and solutions will become clearer. Hang on. Let’s join together so we can rise to the occasion that necessitates our collective goodness. We’re all in this together. And if you aren’t, we can carry you until you are ready.

And if you are overwhelmed by everything, it can all boil down to just taking action in a way that supports what you think and feel is right.

Thank you for reading. Please share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, or join the conversation on Facebook.

Editor’s note: Although this article centers on President Trump, neither Wake Up World nor the author supports the alternative presidential nomination, nor do we support the political parties, interests, principles or values they represent. Rather, we encourage the American people to heal the emotional shadows that brought us to this point, and to stand up, and work to reform and reclaim what is, unquestionably, a broken electoral system.

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About the author:

Jack Adam Weber, L.Ac. is a Chinese medicine physician, author, celebrated poet, organic farmer, and activist for body-centered spirituality. He is also the creator of The Nourish Practice, an Earth-based rejuvenation meditation, and Healing from Heartbreak, the first installment in his “Emotional Transformation” series.

Weber is available by phone or online for medical consultations and life-coaching.

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The Masculine Shadow

Our Cure

The Nourish Practice

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