A Lesson from the Shadow Idealist

The Shadow of the Idealist archetype inverts positive Idealist traits.  One so affected might feel at odds with dominant worldly values and priorities, focusing on selfish or predatory ambitions. Two days ago I was beset by a group of Shadow Idealist types who aimed to scam me out of my financial stability by stealing everything I have in my bank account and more. I’m the sort who banks (pun) on positive Idealist values. I want to trust and am surprised whenever trust turns out to be misguided.  Without describing the scam let me admit they almost succeeded. Were it not for the intervention from a vigilant Moneygram authority and my own fortunate choice not to lie or be deceptive to that authority, I would have been robbed of all of my account holdings plus funds from credit.

I feel entirely humbled by this experience.  I would have thought I would never give out my account information online. I would have expected I would have declined the fraudulent offer to “reimburse” me for a service from two years ago that was really a prelude to deceive and betray my trust.

I am grateful for the intercession of the Moneygram authority. When later I called to cancel a Western Union account these low life perpetrators set up to further defraud me, the woman who  helped me had a wonderful last name of ANGEL.

If these Shadow-stricken thieves would turn their intelligence to doing good or altruism rather than invasive attacks on decency, the world might be a better place.  Meanwhile I can only express gratitude for the test and the lessons learned.  I am so glad that when it came to it, I would not lie. But I am dismayed that my human desire for material gain (the “reimbursal”) led me down a path that could have interfered wth my capactity to meet my immediate financial obligations.

images from pixabay.com

Humility takes on a new meaning for me from this experience. It comes from realizing how Spirit intervenes despite my own weakness or naiveté. It teaches that living by one’s higher ideals (honesty, faith, and humility itself) can trump deception, any day.

Celebrate the Idealist / Amelia Earhart

This week I heard a news account about Henry Worsley, a man who aimed to cross Antarctica alone and on foot. He completed all but thirty miles of his arduous journey, then he succumbed to the effects of a brutal infection he had been battling and perished.  So close, I think almost all would agree that Henry achieved his goal.  People like Worsley who aim for the highest achievements possible to test their own human endurance and capabilities—people who climb Mt. Everest or set out to achieve world records of any form—embody and express their Idealist nature. These bold individualists often set the standards of being a Dreamer higher for us all.

This month we explore and celebrate the IDEALIST Archetype persona. To start us off on our adventure, let us envision the life and success and the fateful final voyage of Amelia Earheart. The History channel over the past couple of years has broadcast a biopic of Amelia including what is now known or surmised about her final days.  Experts now believe that she crash landed with her mechanic, Frederick Noonan, near a small island in the Pacific and perished there.  Amelia’s jacknife nd some other probable pieces of evidence have been identified. The details are not so important here; apparently Amelia endured a gruesome death succumbing to crabs on the beach that may have ultimately claimed her body. Noonan perished sooner from an injury incurred during the crash landing in the waters near the island.

Because Amelia Earhart fully embraced her inner Idealist; because she broke the mold of what women could expect to accomplish in her day; because she presented herself as a fearless adventurer for whom the Sky was No Limit, I cannot myself but imagine Amelia on that tropical beach finding serenity and finally welcoming her transition into the afterlife Beyond. Perhaps how Spirit took her was ultimately her own Better Ending: alone on a beach, with several days to reflect, to contemplate her life and to prepare for the Beyond. Let us collectively imagine Amelia finding fulfillment and aiming even further on that beach than what one meager lifetime has to offer.

images from pixabay.com

No human experience is wasted, of this I am sure. We accomplish what we have come here to experience (whether planned for or not), and we take the lessons, the insights and wisdom and strength of character forward as we continue Soul’s Journey of eternal proportions.

So please join me in celebrating the IDEALIST–in you, in the collective consciousness–this month.  Who are some Idealists whose stories inspire and encourage you to reach for the Stars and Beyond? What have been some of your own Idealist moments when you have aimed high and achieved your goals? How can you inspire others to never sell themselves short; to envision and to manifest their own Better Endings?

I welcome YOUR insights and stories!