Casting Shadows On The South Platte River: Reeling in Projections

I remember thirty years ago my first adventures up into Cheesman Canyon. I quickly noticed how if I cast my shadow over the fish they were gone. Spooked.

Over the years I have done my share of spooking fish by carelessly projecting my shadow on to the waters I fish. I continue to do so. I have also done my share of casting shadows on people and have scared some folks away.

Projecting my own shadow on to others quite simply means I take what I don’t like or accept in myself and cast it on to someone else. Many of us are pretty good at this and we don’t even know we do it just as often times we don’t know why the fish have moved out of a particular run.

The Christian church (and I include myself), has done its share of projecting. We all have. Show me a group of any kind and chances are they project their disapproval on to others. What bothers me the most is not that the Christian church projects but rather we seem to largely be unaware about the issue in spite of some rather strong teachings from Jesus. Maybe this is because Christians are often paranoid of forms of psychology. Some times I get the feeling that if I were to start talking about casting shadows, projections or mention the name of Carl Jung that people would think I was being “unbiblical”.

Yet, ironically, I find no better argument on this topic than in what Jesus said. He spoke of first taking the log out of our own eyes so we can then see clearly. He spoke of the fact that when we judge others we will be judged with the same measure.

How could I be judged with the same exact measure? I have wondered what this verse really means.  I don’t think this verse means that God will personally judge me “back” or that people will judge me back with the same measure in which I judge others. That sounds too petty of God. Perhaps what it means is that the same measure will be used to judge myself because IT IS I WHO IS DOING THE JUDGING ON MYSELF WHEN I JUDGE SOMEONE ELSE.  I am really judging myself. I am really disliking myself. I am really disgusted with my self and I don’t even know it. But I am doing it with the ‘same measure’ because when I point my finger at you I am really pointing it at myself. It is in exact measure. Insult for insult; condemnation for condemnation.

In some sense I know this is not rocket science but why is it so difficult to pull back the projections. Why is it so difficult to reel it in? Why is it that 30 years later I am still casting shadows all over the place?

And why can’t I approach that pool with big rainbows laying on the bottom with out my shadow being cast all over the water?

We need a different approach. Anyone have any ideas?