Shadow paths are paths you are walking that do not lead to mastery or fulfillment. They are paths you are walking that you did not initiate, do not serve you, or a path you do not desire to be walking down.
Shadow paths are conscious and unconscious addictions.
You may be aware you are walking a shadow path, or the path may be hidden from your awareness. A shadow path damages Body, Mind, and Spirit(BMS) because when you are off your paths, you are not pursuing mastery, so you are not finding fulfillment.
Multiple shadow paths pull you in many directions. You do not make progress, you live in hell. Progress is heaven.
You must identify your paths so you can be aware of when you are on or off path; we want to spend the majority of our lives on the path.
Shadow paths include pursuits of pleasure. The most common form of a shadow path is a pleasure pursuit.
We know the pursuit of pleasure is hell because pleasure is impossible to fulfill and contains no aspect of mastery. You can be a master chef, you cannot be a master of eating cake; there is no mountain to climb.
Common examples of shadow paths:
- Salary from a job that provides currency but not fulfillment
- Alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs
- Be extraordinarily cautious of substances that damage your ability to walk the path in the days following.
- Adult content and self-stimulation
- Obsession with the other sex
- Obsession with any “other”
- Eating routinely for pleasure instead of eating for fulfillment
- Entertainment addiction
This isn’t to say you don’t allow yourself pleasure. Understand that pleasure is a reward given for loyalty to the path. Pleasure is the inn at the end of a five-day journey of walking the path dutifully.
You stay for a day or two to rest and recharge. When you are staying at the inn, there are parts of your day/night that are productive, and parts that are not. When you know you are close to leaving the inn, you may make preparations–the setup routine–so that you are prepared to journey again.
Then you journey again, leaving the inn for the path, only to return when exhausted again.
This is a lifestyle you can carry until your last day.
Awareness of ALL Things
It is crucial to be grounded so you may be aware of your paths and how you spend your time. Starting with a morning primer ensures you begin the day grounded.
- 6 Indicators of Being Grounded in a Meditative State
- A Primer on DAILY MORNING ROUTINES With 10 Persona-based Examples(4,000 WORDS)
Identifying your paths and labeling them provides awareness of when you are walking down a shadow path so you can stop yourself.
Humans label what they understand. Things we understand have names.
Shadow paths must be labeled so you can understand and be aware of them.
Finding awareness is the first step to stop walking down a shadow path. It is the chronic-drinker saying, “I might have a problem”.
Stating you have a problem creates awareness of the shadow path. Then when we feel our focus moving towards the shadows, we can correct our focus to move to the paths in the light. Or, at least there will be guilt associated with walking the shadow path which will encourage alternative behavior.
If you know your paths, you can pivot when you are doing something wrong.
Say this is your mastery layout:
- Body – Tennis
- Mind – Engineering
- Spirit – Christianity
If you find yourself looking at adult content, or day drinking when you should be playing tennis, you have the awareness that you are not being loyal to The Way. You are cheating on The Muse.
“When we sit down each day and do our work, power concentrates around us. The Muse takes note of our dedication”
Steven Pressfield – The War of Art
Vow to be loyal to your paths and The Way.