​By Itzhak Beery

In many spiritual and progressive circles today, there is an overwhelming emphasis on love, light, compassion, non-judgment, and unity. These are beautiful and essential values. But when taken to an extreme or misunderstood, they can become a shield against reality rather than a guide through it.
There is a growing pattern—one that concerns me deeply—where spiritual seekers deny or minimize the existence of evil and the darker forces that shape human life. In their attempt to transcend suffering, many end up bypassing it altogether.
Why is it so difficult for some to face the dark?

The Aversion to Duality
Many progressive spiritual paths are rooted in non-dual philosophy—the belief that all is one, and that good and evil are illusions of the ego. While there’s deep wisdom in this view, it can easily be misunderstood. Labeling something as “evil” or “wrong” is seen by some as slipping into judgment or low vibration. But let’s be clear: discernment is not judgment. It is not unspiritual to name harm when we see it. Quite the opposite—it is a necessary act of spiritual maturity.

Spiritual Bypassing: The Seduction of Light
People often come to spirituality seeking relief from trauma, injustice, and emotional pain. In that search, many find comfort in teachings that emphasize positivity and peace while avoiding discomfort. “Stay in the light” becomes a mantra that subtly encourages avoidance of grief, rage, and fear—the very emotions that, when worked through, lead to wisdom and resilience. Without facing the darkness in ourselves, we risk becoming fragile in the face of darkness in the world.

The Façade of Fake Light
One of the most troubling patterns is the use of spiritual language and imagery to mask unhealed pain. This is the façade of fake light. It appears enlightened—glowing smiles, soft voices, radiant words—but underneath it often hides suppressed anger, fear, narcissism, or spiritual superiority.
This false light avoids shadow because it fears losing control or status. It prefers performance over transformation, illusion over truth. But there can be no true light without shadow. Real light illuminates the whole self—not just the parts that look good on Instagram.

The Fear of Becoming What They Oppose
Some spiritual seekers are afraid that by acknowledging evil—especially in political or cultural realms—they will become angry, bitter, or “negative.” This fear leads to denial or rationalization. But we can look darkness in the eye without becoming it. Courage and clarity are not the opposite of spirituality—they are its backbone.

The Misuse of Karma and Manifestation
Ideas like karma, attraction, and vibration are often misapplied to avoid hard truths. People are told they create their own reality, so if something bad happens, it must be their fault—or their soul’s “lesson.” Others avoid discussing evil altogether for fear that focusing on it will “attract” more of it. This mindset not only leads to victim-blaming, but also shields perpetrators of real harm from accountability.

Finding Scapegoats to Fit the Narrative
When reality doesn’t align with the utopian worldview, some spiritual people unconsciously seek scapegoats. They project evil onto those who don’t conform—skeptics, scientists, materialists, governments, or entire cultures. This preserves their worldview without requiring them to confront contradiction or complexity. Ironically, in the name of tolerance, they become intolerant. In the name of unity, they divide.

The Pressure to Stay “Positive”
There is a subtle but powerful pressure in many spiritual communities to always appear “high vibe.” Expressions of pain, outrage, or grief can be met with polite discomfort or spiritual platitudes: “Trust the Universe,” “Everything happens for a reason,” “Don’t lower your vibration.” While these phrases can sometimes offer comfort, they can also act as a form of spiritual gaslighting—minimizing real suffering and shutting down meaningful dialogue.

No Training in Shadow Work
In traditional shamanic and indigenous teachings, the dark is not denied—it is honored and confronted. Curses, soul loss, predatory spirits, and the need for protection are real teachings, not metaphors. These traditions offer rituals, tools, and communal frameworks to work with the shadow. Without such grounding, modern seekers are left with light talk and no lantern.

The Shamanic Understanding of Darkness
Unlike many modern spiritual teachings that seek to ignore or transcend darkness, shamanic traditions—especially in South America and among Indigenous peoples—acknowledge the presence of two opposing forces: light and dark, healing and harm. These are not abstract ideas, but living energies that interact with human souls.
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Shamans are trained to recognize these forces and develop precise methods for dealing with them. Through plant medicine, ritual, and spirit alliance, they clear evil attachments, remove curses, and guide people back to wholeness. This work is not fear-based—it is based on restoring balance. To acknowledge the darkness is not to empower it, but to disarm it. 

In these traditions, the goal is not to escape darkness but to walk with it wisely. Denial is not an option. Only through confrontation and healing can harmony be restored.

As my Brazilian shamanic teacher Ipupiara once explained (paraphrasing): Negative energy is like a heavy, slow-moving frequency that seeps through the cracks in our energetic shield. Once inside, it chokes or drowns the free-flowing river of light—the vibrant current of positive life-force energy that sustains and protects us. When that inner river is blocked, we lose vitality and direction. That’s why energy hygiene, protection, and healing are not optional—they’re fundamental.

Darkness, in this view, is not an abstraction. It is a living presence. But it can be cleared, redirected, and transformed when met with courage, ceremony, and wisdom.

When Evil Declares Itself—Believe It
There are times when darkness does not hide. It speaks plainly. When a terror organization writes into its charter the intent to annihilate a race, a religion, or a people–believe them. That is not metaphor. That is not ideology. That is evil revealed.
And yet, some spiritual communities—uncomfortable with the language of evil—instinctively look away. They seek abstract explanations or blame the victims. “What did they do to provoke it?” “What karma are they carrying?” “How did they attract this suffering?”
This is the oldest pattern of denial: blaming the wounded for their wounds. It allows us to keep our worldview intact without doing the hard work of facing horror. But evil does not need a reason to act—it only needs opportunity. And our refusal to name it becomes complicity.
To love truthfully is to protect what is sacred. To stand in the light is to confront the dark.

Light Without Shadow Is Not Whole
True spiritual power does not come from pretending everything is love. It comes from facing the full spectrum of human experience—with courage, humility, and compassion. Love that refuses to see suffering is not love—it is denial. Light that cannot tolerate shadow is not illumination—it is pretense.
As Carl Jung once said,
“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”
To truly heal ourselves and our world, we must tear down the façade of fake light. We must be willing to sit in the dark and light a real fire—not a projection, not a performance, but the kind of warmth that heals.

A Call to the Truly Awake
If this makes you uncomfortable—good. Discomfort is the fertile soil of transformation. Now is the time to step out from behind the mask of light and into the fullness of truth.
Do your shadow work. Seek elders who know the path. Face the grief, the rage, the confusion. And from that raw place, begin again—with peace for coexistence ceremonies, oneness rituals, open real shaman’s eyes, real heart, and a light that burns because it knows the dark.