Pulling in the harpoons…

“So long as we are seduced by the projection and occupy ourselves in fighting it in it’s projected form, that is, in blaming the other for the difficulty, we are shut out from real life, the problem sucks all the libido into itself and in consciousness we are left in an arid state of misery.” M. Esther Harding, The Value and Meaning of Depression, pg. 30

Projection is a slippery sort of psychological reality that only catches us unaware.  Resentments tend to be the breeding ground of projection, as well as all those falling in love at first sight moments. Basically, a projection is an alignment of an unconscious aspect of our self with the same attributes in another.  Because it is unconscious, we are not at first aware of the connection.  But any overly sensitive reaction can be a clue that some sort of projection is at work.

There are some folks, we become convinced, that are purposely pushing our buttons.  While this may or may not be true in any given situation, it’s those buttons that the projections issue from.  The task is to dislodge the harpoon that is darted at the outer target and to slowly draw in the line so as to discover where the button is hidden within.

Call it reverse whale hunting…for it’s the whale of the Self within that begins to take form.

Thar, thar!…to the leeward!…thar she blows!…