“Renounce! Renounce!” I screamed at the witch who had just tumbled from her broom. She was huddled on the floor shaking to her bones. The cathedral shook with the frenzied shouts I’d stirred up: “Renounce!” If this one witch denied everything she held true, I knew the rest of us would be saved. “Renounce! Renounce!” I coaxed the crowd. Time was running out. If she didn’t renounce soon – the rest of us were done for. But she wouldn’t renounce. This terrified, ornery witch laid on the floor in despair and failure and clung to her beliefs. So, I bit the bullet. I took one for the team. I fell to the floor and renounced my truth, the groups beliefs, and shattering my identity -- indeed destroyed my life…
This was a dream I had a few weeks ago…I was a witch and I was in a coven stirring up witch fights to find a scapegoat to “die” so the rest of us could be saved. When I unraveled it in my dream journal, I discovered something that really surprised me…
The Scapegoat Theory. We all know that life is a mirror of what is inside us. And that we project the “unlikeable” qualities onto others so we can deny them in ourselves and keep our ego fresh and happy, BUT did you also know, that we do this as a culture on an energetic level?
We actually project our negative energy onto the lowest man or woman on the totem pole so that we may feel sparkly and clean and good inside. Energetically. We cast our hatred, anger, disappointment onto one poor shlub so that they can die of humiliation and failure (overwhelmed by negative energy) and so that the rest of us may rise in glorious victory.
I’ve been the shlub. I’ve also watched others be the victim of the aspersions. There are also people who naturally cast themselves as the victim and therefore ask to take the crap. There are also kids who are loving and energetically open who end up biting someone because they are on negative-energy overload.
As we know, like attracts like. If you have been the victim in the past, you probably have a negative energy opening and when people sense that, you will be the prominent choice.
But I am here to tell you…an environment of Scapegoating is inherently unstable. The strongest members will cast aspersions, make fun, delight in condemning the work of one particular person. That person will suffer from depression and low self -esteem that is continually reinforced by nothing they do ever being “good” or “right.” Finally, the shlub will cave under the collected projection of worthlessness. And they will quit or be fired. And here’s where the instability is: the powers that be need a new scapegoat. They need someone to take their criticism so they don’t have to integrate it into themselves and bring down their “winning” vibration (I saw this on several TV shows I worked on...one year 2 showrunners were fired, 8 writers and countless others.)
So, the powers that be will turn to the next victim. And so on and so on. And really, how long can you dodge that bullet?
Scapegoating is the type of activity that causes teenagers to kill themselves. The pack has discovered a wounded animal. They take all their negative feelings and cast them onto that person. That kid, believing that the thoughts and feelings are real, cannot take the pain of the collective hatred and feelings of worthlessness and ends his/her life. They take one for the team. Like Jesus did.
But I am going to suggest something radical. Really radical. You’d better sit down. Or stand up. I am going to suggest we stop projecting! That’s right!
We stop castigating that person for being the offensive one or that person for being spoiled or that person for being incompetent. I suggest (and I am learning and changing from it as I write this) that instead of seeing an easy target for your negative thoughts and feelings, that you transmute them yourself.
What does this mean? It means…take responsibility for the trait you are seeing in another and set that trait free within yourself. It’s super easy and no one has to bear your burden for you. (Though, a big shout out of “thanks” for those who have been!)
What does this look like?
I see that someone is judging another person. Instead of judging that person for judging, I say “I take responsibility for that part of myself that judges others and I release it back into the nothingness from which it came.” Or…
I see that person is addicted to smoking. I take responsibility for my addictions and I set my pattern of addictive behavior free within myself. Just through intention.
The transmutation can occur instantly or it can take some time to release the negative feelings. Once you feel them, it is really easy to let them go. The point is…you are doing your part. You are taking responsibility for your subconscious. You are righting the wrong of unconscious projection. You become a hero! Yay for you! You become the warrior who will not allow another to be abused in your presence.
You prevent the kid from killing himself. You set the example for easy transmutation of the shadow side. You also create an act of profound self-loving at the same time. You are allowing yourself to be wholly, fully, all that you are, worts, failures and mistakes allowed and accepted. Full acceptance means full integration of all that you are. You love yourself no matter what. You accept yourself if you are sick, lonely, without a job, without a friend or wearing plaid pants. ALL OF IT! Integrated into one!
Do you feel your divinity showing? Cuz it is.
