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This game is a fun thing you can do alone or with any number of people in a group, though I think it would work best with a smallish group of no more than 6 to 8 people. As a caveat, I would recommend that it be played only with people you know, like, and trust.
The game came about when three other women and I were visiting and I was showing them the Gods and Goddesses deck of cards I had recently purchased from Mandala Publishing in San Rafael, California. You will need that deck of cards in order to play this game.
The Gods and Goddesses deck comprises 52 gorgeously illustrated cards, each of which illuminates one of the gods or goddesses in the Hindu pantheon. The cards are double-sided; in other words, instead of having one side the same as all the others, each card is unique. On one side is a full illustration of the god or goddess who is the subject of the card, and on the other are a prayer, a brief explanation of what this god or goddess is about, and a list of blessings given by this god or goddess.
Some of the gods and goddesses represented are avatars of other gods or goddesses. An avatar is the earthly incarnation or embodiment of a powerful being, such as a god or goddess. Thus, for example, though this isn't generally the language used, from the Christian point of view, Jesus was an avatar God.
The deck of cards has many possible uses. You can enjoy the beautiful artwork. You can learn something about the HIndu pantheon and religion. You can use the cards as inspiration or to draw guidance, such as by drawing one card each day and thinking about its message. It is this last use that led to the game.
The game came about while I was showing this deck of cards to my guests. I received the instructions step-by-step as internally heard suggestions from my spirit guides; not "heard" as a voice in my head, but as internally received sentences. Here is how the game goes:
It is okay for two or more people to choose the same card, so if someone has already taken the card you are most drawn to, just say that that card is also your choice. Our experience, however, was that each of use chose unique cards.
Also, at first you may find yourself drawn to a large number of the cards. That's okay! But narrow it down by comparing two cards side by side, choosing the one you like best each time, until you have one or just a few cards.
The reason I call this game “Light and Shadow” is that it reveals what Carl Jung called your shadow. Your shadow is made up of all those characteristics about yourself that you are unwilling to admit are true about you.
Many people have heard about Jung's concept of the shadow; unfortunately, most people hold a very common misconception about this concept. The common misconception is that the bits of you that are in your shadow are universally unpleasant, bad, wrong, ugly, and otherwise things to be ashamed of. Although this is definitely a large part of the shadow, Jung also said that your shadow can hold pleasant, noble, even powerful truths about yourself that you are unwilling to accept. For example, someone who might make an excellent leader, but is afraid they would do poorly, might be unaware of the fact that they in fact have true gifts of leadership. Their shadow, therefore, holds these gifts of leadership.
This game helps bring to light those positive things about yourself that you have hidden in your shadow.
The shadow. according to Jung, is a powerful source of wrongdoing in the world. One practice that arises out of not confronting and acknowledging your own shadowy aspects is what is called projection. Projection is where you see in others the demons that actually reside in your own psyche.
To illustrate the concept of projection, let us invent a woman named Judy. Judy sees herself as a kind, caring, and loving person who only wants to help others. Unfortunately, the truth is that she is bitter and mean-spirited, and often makes remarks to others that are designed to make those others feel bad about themselves. Most of those around her buy into this lie. But when someone comes along who threatens this false self-image, Judy lays into them, accusing them of being unkind, uncaring, and unloving; accusing them of trying to make her (or those around her) feel bad about themselves. In short, she accuses the other person of being and doing what she herself is and does. That is projection in a nutshell.
Fortunately, not everyone uses projection as a way of dealing with their shadow.
Jung didn't just identify the problem of the shadow; he also suggested the path into light. One of the bravest and hardest things a person can do is to reclaim their shadow, whether it is good or bad, so that they stop projecting that shadow onto others and instead have all those traits and characteristics under conscious observation. By making the shadow conscious, it loses a great deal of power immediately, and also comes more fully under conscious control. As Jung said,
If you imagine someone who is brave enough to withdraw all his projections, then you get an individual who is conscious of a pretty thick shadow. Such a man has saddled himself with new problems and conflicts. He has become a serious problem to himself, as he is now unable to say that they do this or that, they are wrong, and they must be fought against. He lives in the “House of the Gathering.” Such a man knows that whatever is wrong in the world is in himself, and if he only learns to deal with his own shadow he has done something real for the world. He has succeeded in shouldering at least an infinitesimal part of the gigantic, unsolved social problems of our day. (source)
In short, when you work on seeing and acknowledging your shadow, you start to accept full responsibility for yourself. You stop blaming others. You stop being a victim, and instead start taking charge of your life. You may already be on this path, which is wonderful. Even if you are, and especially if you are not, the gentle nature of this game can help you move further along.