What are we doing when we’re purposefully attempting to trick others into greater awareness? On a conscious level we’re attempting to use our sphere of influence to affect another’s sphere of ignorance. To touch them emotionally in a way that will transform them, by tricking them into seeing life in a more holistic way. Allowing them to see through a new lens of perception previously hidden to them.
Our intentions and the level of awareness of our own shadows will determine whether we end up doing it to help them or hurt them. To benefit them or benefit ourselves, either positively or negatively, but unavoidably affecting both. Human beings are inescapably bound to their egos and shadows. Both serve to protect and help us further unravel ourselves as we interact with each other. To explore, evolve and build stronger bonds are some of the core motivating factors.
—It is impossible to separate the saviour from the victim from the perpetrator. The beauty in truly understanding this is the gift of acceptance and unconditional love.
The shadow of the trickster is the key element in this article because as we attempt to trick one another through consciously plotting, we inadvertently push forth any shadow elements hidden within our own subconscious minds simultaneously. This is the sacred dance that takes place within the self while any individuals or groups of people attempt at helping each other grow, tricksters or not.
Either way we’re part of a vast network of consciousness that wraps itself around the globe. Every interaction between individuals or within small groups affects the whole. The awareness of this process is what co-creates responsible conscious global contributors. This includes tricksters and transparent shadow hunters alike, as well as sacred clowns and Heyokas.
So lets break this down. Let’s say I want to help my friend become free of a limiting belief, such as, “I am powerless to my circumstances”. The trickster mode of operating would attempt at tricking her into becoming responsible for her actions by trying to emotionally pin pointing the root cause of her powerlessness and then ‘cornering’ her psychologically into a situation where she would have to face and deal with it head on. Creating a situation that would bring her into greater awareness of the root cause of her feelings of powerlessness.
Once something is brought into awareness it can no longer be shoved back down. This is the goal of doing shadow work. Once something is exposed it must be faced or it will eat you alive from the inside out. If you’re aware of your shadows and still choosing not to face them, no trickster or therapist can trick you into anything. But, if you’re not aware of them and you’re tricked into their discovery, perhaps you’ll choose to face them and grow.
The big question then becomes: to what degree is this type of interaction healthy for the individuals at play? This is the difference between allowing nature to naturally assert itself without trickster interference, verses consciously plotting to push a person into evolution before they might be ready.
The difference here is consent in the sacred light of truth and transparency. Such as why we have underlying agreements between people that if someone is not specifically asking for help, we should not attempt at helping them. I had to learn this lesson the hard way, we all make this mistake at one point and we end up paying the price for it. It creates even more feelings of disempowerment within the person(s) we are actually trying to help.
More interestingly, how many of our trickster actions towards others actually end up influencing our own reality more? Tricking our own shadows into the forefront?
Everything is connected in this universe and nothing is isolated. What are we attempting to do when we’re consciously trying to influence the actions of another? We’re in some way trying to change our emotional state vis-a-vis an internal feeling or external situation. This is why all people are transformed in one way or another when donning the trickster archetype, including the tricksters themselves.
This is especially true when you look at it thought the cosmic law of correspondence. I wrote an article entitled “The Evolution of a Spiritual Warrior & Slaying the Metaphorical Dragons”. The article describes the inner process that takes place after realizing that we only have control over our internal reaction to outside situations, no matter how unfair they might be.
Our sphere of personal power over any given situation is limited by our ability to manage and respond to it internally. Whether that be an abusive online spiritual teacher, a lying lover, an unhealthy parent or the unjust society and culture we live in.
–From this understandings comes forth the more self-inflicting psychological reasons we would adopt the role of trickster into group interactions, albeit in a consensual and responsible way.
What we discover through our conscious attempts to both trick and assist others into growth are the subconscious needs we are trying to meet within ourselves. The internal shadows that are driving our trickster energy into conscious motion. If it weren’t for these hidden reasons we wouldn’t be magnetized to an underlying trickster energy in motion bringing certain people, situations and lessons together.
The Many Shadows of the Trickster
Why would someone try to trick another into a state of self-empowerment? The motivating shadow factor is to feel empowered oneself. Attempting to help another realize they are worthy of greater love is a shadow longing to feel and be seen as lovable. Any attempt at tricking another into realizing they’re energetically hoarding people is a subconscious longing to realize one’s own independence. Tricking someone into confronting their fears of abandonment, is a subconscious longing to feel a greater connection to one’s own pain around emotional disconnection.
Finally allowing oneself to become a pawn to someone else’s trickster play is simultaneously desiring to connect with a larger community (feel a sense of belonging) and wishing to establish a greater sense of sovereignty within oneself.
It took me a while to grasp the scope of the online network of people contributing to each-other’s shadow work. The more I extended my search, the less definable the boundaries became in this co-creative collaboration. Soul families with similar wounds tend to gravitate towards each other. Producing and consuming material that contribute to specific themes. The themes grow relative to the groups growth of awareness. Using a similar vocabulary and vernacular understood by only that specific cultural group.
So for example, members might use words and terms relevant to the New Galactic community. The forward thinking movement might use traditional psychology and archetypal lingo to do so. Other spiritual communities might use more ancient spiritual teachings to create their language of play. Finally the dark web uses political, economic and military lingo to attempt at tripping each other up into becoming more aware of self while increasing cooperation towards greater end goals.
The things we’re discussing at this point in our human evolution are based on the same simple problems we’ve been facing from the beginning of time but now wrapped up in a new timelines with updated language.
Solutions to problems like sovereignty and freedom from tyranny. Human rights, prejudices caused by our religious and cultural beliefs, those which creating war and famine. The implications of economic, political and technological advancements in our daily lives and over the health of the planet. How evolutionary biology, science, philosophy and psychology are driving social interactions, etc.
More recently how the study of quantum physics and the growing use of AI is affecting the evolution of consciousness. Such as described within the concepts of memetics, epigenetic and advanced forms of quantum hypnosis. They all determine the extent of the placebo effect at play within the universe. The placebo effect is the main tool of the trickster for provoking change within the world.
Still leading the way in this discussion is where does morality fits into it all? A few people in New York have taken the concept of the trickster at play and turned it into a online business and community. Taking what’s naturally occurring beneath the psychological surface of our lives and bringing it into full throttle within the light of day. One of the most brilliant ideas I’ve come across in a long time!