Society Mark Pirtle Society Mark Pirtle

Shadow Work at Scale

Many people associate shadow work with personal healing, but what happens when an entire culture or country refuses to face its past? In this post, Mark reflects on the 50th anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam as a powerful example of avoided reckoning. He explores how the absence of public reflection mirrors unprocessed shadow—leading to repetition, division, and silence. Mark invites readers to view shadow work as a communal and national responsibility, not just a personal one, and offers retreats as a space to begin this deep and necessary work.

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Society Mark Pirtle Society Mark Pirtle

A Call for Evolution

The tragic story of Brian Thompson and the disturbing reactions it sparked highlight the need for shadow work. Shadow work uncovers the unconscious values and biases driving our actions and helps us align with a vision of equity and sustainability. To change broken systems, we must first evolve within ourselves, choosing mindfulness, compassion, and personal transformation over violence and blame.

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