EVIL

History suffers from no shortage of evil figures. Amongst the most cruel and appalling must be numbered such figures as Genghis Khan, the leader of the pitiless Mongol hordes who swept across Europe from the East. Another is Tomas de Torquemada, whose name is synonymous with the Christian Inquisition’s horror, religious bigotry and cruel fanaticism. Of similar repute is Ivan the Terrible, the grand prince of Moscow and the first to be proclaimed Tsar of Russia. Through cruelty and torture, his reign saw the completion of the construction of a centrally administered Russian state and the creation of an empire that included non-Slav states.

Perhaps unequalled in the annals of human depravity is the name of Adolf Hitler; a symbol of insanity, pure evil and Machiavellian cynicism, if he appears in your dreams, it is worth asking what, or whom, is being tarred with one of the blackest names history can produce.

If you dream of Adolf Eichmann, a man responsible for organizing the shipping of Jews to the extermination camps in Poland in World War II and a powerful symbol of a fanatical obedience to an unjust cause, it may be that you are doing something for someone else that deeply toubles your conscience.

Mao Tse-Tung was responsible for the deaths of millions of his countrymen and his ‘Cultural Revolution’ led to the destruction of much of China’s cultural heritage and the imprisonment of a huge number of Chinese intellectuals, amongst other social chaos.

If he makes an appearance in dreams, it may be a warning against the dangers of personality over substance, and the total disregard for tradition and experience.

The final member of the triumvirate of hugely powerful and hugely evil leaders in the twentieth century is Joseph Stalin, who brought about the deaths of more than 20 million of his own people while holding the Soviet Union in an iron grip for during the middle part of last century. As with Hitler and Mao, Stalin is potent symbol of negativity, repression and cruelty.

(see also Devil)

Evil manifestations in dreams will nearly always represent something in yourself. Don’t be offended: there is evil in everyone. What needs to be understood is that the same psychic forces may be good or evil - that is, they may work constructively or destructively.

Evil (destructiveness) rises up from the unconscious, where we bury the parts of ourselves that have at some time frightened us or caused guilt-feelings. We mostly project these repressed psychic drives or qualities on to other people, and this may be what your dream is saying you are doing.

Anger, hatred, and all other destructive tendencies can be dealt with only in oneself. The key to success in dealing with this evil within ourselves is to realize that what is evil is potentially good. Accept the neglected and feared things in yourself, let them assume their proper destined role in your life, and they will then be a power for good. Ev il may reside even in what we call our ‘conscience’. Conscience may be of two kinds: a repository for socially accepted norms of behaviour, including notions of right and wrong picked up from parents in our early years; and a medium by which the conscious ego can receive promptings and warnings from the centre of your being. The latter may sometimes conflict with the former - what your ‘destiny5 calls for may be at odds with what society demands - and courage may be needed to

remain true to your inner self. Since we are all in process of evolution, we cannot properly expect perfection in ourselves or others. An unbending perfectionism is a neurotic condition. The essential thing is to be aware of the evil in ourselves. Only thus can we control it; otherwise, it will control us. Beware of the person who thinks he or she is perfect! Self-knowledge is the first step towards solving the problem of evil.

Example: ‘At the top of the stairs is a small door, half opened as if inviting me to go up. I get an overpowering sense of something evil beyond the door just waiting for me’ (Charles M). Usually refers to some of our own urges which we have judged as wrong because of moral values, and thus denied expression. Charles probably feels that what he identi­fies with as himself—his established values and beliefs—is threatened by what he senses beyond the door. Whatever threatens our T or ego is often felt to be evil, even if it is natural urges.

The unbalanced and real evils in the world, such as terrorising of individuals and minority groups, can of course be shown as the feeling of evil.

Example: %I am lying on the floor in my bedroom with a towel over me. I am trying to hide and protect myself because I am terrified. There are four devils trying to get into my body and take over. My bedroom is going like a whirlpool around me, like evil all around me. I wake in a hot sweat and am terrified to go back to sleep’ (Joanna). Joanna is most likely in conflict with her sexuality—the bedroom. When we fight with our own urges they often feel like external agencies—evil forces—attacking us. Sometimes refers to repressed emotional pain.

See aboriginal; devil under archetypes.

See also active/ passive.