Temet Nosce – Ex Tenebris Lux (Know thyself; from darkness comes light)
Alone in this place
During a break prompted by burnout, while practicing meditation, I repeatedly encountered sinister figures. Frightening yet fascinating (though unreal), these visions revealed how deeply we can explore our inner world — observing our shadows and fears. More importantly, they taught me to accept and embrace them.
In this illustration, the demon — obsessed with persistent souls he seeks to grasp — is not merely a jailer. He is lonely and afraid. Desperate to connect, he traps souls to capture their attention, mistaking possession for companionship. And yet, rather than clinging to others, he should face his own fears in order to break free and move forward.
You are not alone. You can be so much more than this demon — your own inner demon — that drains your energy.
Carl G. Jung wrote:
"The devil is a variant of the shadow archetype, that is, of the dangerous aspect of the unrecognized dark half of the personality."
"One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious."
Also worth watching: the series Evil. Evil.