“Evil is a reality with an agency of its own.” Robert L. Moore’s *Facing the Dragon* encourages us to explore the darker aspects of our psyche where harmful forces reside. Moore examines human evil, urging us to confront the grandiosity, narcissism, and denial that drive personal and societal dysfunction.
But this isn’t a journey for the faint of heart. It requires courage, self-awareness, and a willingness to engage in what Moore calls “spiritual warfare.” Let’s explore the key insights from Moore’s work and how they can help us navigate the dark forces within ourselves and the world around us.
The Dragon Within: Evil as Part of the Human Psyche
Moore’s central premise is provocative: evil isn’t just an external force—it’s deeply embedded in the human psyche. Drawing from Jungian psychology, he compares inner darkness to a dragon, an archetype that symbolizes destructive forces like grandiosity, narcissism, or hatred.
Moore believes one major barrier to facing this challenge is the Lucifer Complex, which is our tendency to deny evil exists in ourselves and the world. This denial, seductive and pervasive, blinds us to the destructive patterns shaping our behaviour.
Action Step: Take time to contemplate instances where you've shied away from confronting uncomfortable truths about yourself. Begin journaling about these patterns to bring them into awareness.
Regulating Dragon Energies: The Need for Integration
Unchecked, these dragon energies can wreak havoc, both personally and collectively. Moore warns that modern secularism, by diminishing the sacred, has increased narcissism and social fragmentation.
The solution isn’t to suppress or eliminate these energies but to integrate them consciously. This requires channelling destructive impulses into constructive actions through ritual, creativity, or service.
Moore highlights the archetype of the warrior as a model for this integration. The warrior embodies discipline, courage, and a commitment to protect life—not destroy it.
Action Step: Identify one area in your life where destructive emotions (like anger or envy) arise. Explore ways to channel that energy into something positive, like physical activity, art, or advocacy.
The Mythic Realm: Rediscovering Meaning in Modern Life
Moore argues that modern society has lost connection with the mythic realm, which includes the archetypes and stories that help us understand and face life's challenges. This disconnect leaves us vulnerable to being overwhelmed by the archetypal energies that myths once helped us contextualize.
To face the dragon within, Moore urges us to reconnect with myths and symbols as tools for self-discovery and growth. Myths provide a map for understanding the archetypal patterns influencing our behaviour and offer guidance for integrating them into a balanced psyche.
Action Step: Dive into a myth or story that resonates with you. Reflect on its archetypes and how they might relate to your own life challenges or inner struggles.
The Role of Faith and Sacred Connection
One of Moore’s most compelling arguments is that the loss of a connection to the sacred has left humanity adrift, amplifying grandiosity and narcissism. He draws on the work of Carl Jung, Edward Edinger, and others to emphasize the need for a spiritual anchor—something greater than ourselves to temper the destructive forces within.
Faith, Moore suggests, isn’t about dogma. It’s about cultivating a relationship with the divine, however you define it. This connection provides the strength and guidance needed to resist the allure of grandiose or destructive impulses.
Action Step: Create a daily ritual—whether it’s meditation, prayer, or time in nature—that connects you to something larger than yourself.
Therapy as a Battleground: Confronting the Archetypes
In therapy, Moore highlights the challenges of working with grandiosity and narcissism. Archetypal energies can activate powerful dynamics between therapist and client, such as transference and countertransference. Recognizing and addressing these dynamics is essential for healing.
For those not in therapy, the same principles apply to our everyday relationships. Becoming aware of how these energies influence our interactions can help us navigate conflicts with greater empathy and self-awareness.
Action Step: Pay attention to recurring patterns in your relationships. Are there moments when grandiosity or defensiveness takes over? Reflect on how these patterns might stem from unresolved inner conflicts.
Spiritual Warfare: The Fight for Consciousness
Moore doesn’t shy away from the term “spiritual warfare.” For him, this isn’t about external battles but the internal struggle to confront and integrate the shadow. It’s a fight to stay conscious, to resist the pull of denial, and to temper destructive impulses with love and wisdom.
Henrik Ibsen, quoted by Moore, captures this struggle perfectly:
“To live is to war with trolls in heart and soul.”
Action Step: Commit to a practice of self-reflection, whether through journaling, therapy, or meditation. Regularly confront your “trolls” to prevent them from taking over.
Building a Framework for Transformation
Moore’s work is a call to action—a guide for navigating the dark forces that shape our inner and outer worlds. Here’s how you can begin facing your own dragon:
- Acknowledge the Shadow: Denial is the enemy of growth. Start by recognizing the parts of yourself you’d rather avoid.
- Integrate, Don’t Suppress: Channel destructive energies into constructive outlets. Creativity, service, and ritual are powerful tools for integration.
- Reconnect with Myths: Explore stories and archetypes that resonate with your challenges. Let them guide your journey.
- Cultivate Faith: Develop a spiritual practice that grounds you and offers perspective on life’s challenges.
- Engage in Spiritual Warfare: Commit to self-awareness and conscious action. The fight for consciousness is ongoing—but it’s worth it.
The Call to Consciousness
“Everything now depends on man,” Moore writes, quoting Jung. The power to destroy—or transform—lies in our hands. Facing the dragon within isn’t easy, but it’s essential. By integrating our shadow, reconnecting with the sacred, and embracing the mythic, we can move beyond denial and grandiosity into a life of wisdom, love, and purpose.
Glossary
Archetype: A universal, primordial pattern of thought and behaviour that exists in the collective unconscious.
Collective Unconscious: A concept in Jungian psychology referring to a shared reservoir of unconscious experiences and images common to all humans.
Combat Myth: A recurring narrative across cultures that depicts a hero battling a monstrous dragon or serpent, representing the struggle against evil and chaos.
Diamond Body: Moore's model for understanding the structure of the archetypal Self, consisting of eight basic configurations of king, queen, magician, warrior, lover, and their opposites.
Dragon Energies: Powerful, instinctual forces residing in the unconscious that can manifest in both creative and destructive ways.
Ego: The conscious part of the personality that experiences the world and interacts with others.
God-Complex: An inflated sense of self-importance and a belief in one's god-like status, often associated with pathological narcissism.
Grandiosity: Exaggerated self-esteem and a sense of entitlement, often leading to destructive behaviours and interpersonal conflicts.
Great Self Within: A term used by Moore to describe the archetypal Self, often mistaken for the ego and leading to the Lucifer Complex.
Lucifer Complex: The temptation to identify with the Great Self Within as a grandiose, god-like self-image, leading to destructive and narcissistic behaviours.
Malignant Tribalism: The formation of exclusive social groups and ideologies based on shared grandiosity, leading to hatred, violence, and the demonization of outsiders.
Narcissism: Excessive self-love and preoccupation with one's appearance, achievements, and needs.
Personal Shadow: Repressed or denied aspects of the individual personality that can manifest in negative behaviours and projections.
Ritual: A symbolic action or ceremony with a specific purpose, often used to contain and channel archetypal energies.
Sacred: That which is set apart as holy and deserving of reverence.
Secularism: A world-view that emphasizes reason, science, and human values over religious beliefs and practices.
Self: The central archetype of the psyche, representing wholeness, unity, and the potential for individuation.
Shadow: The unconscious aspect of the personality that contains both personal and archetypal material.
Spiritual Warfare: The inner struggle to confront and regulate destructive energies both within the individual and in the world.
Transcendent Function: The process of integrating conscious and unconscious contents, leading to greater wholeness and psychological development.
Transference: The unconscious projection of feelings and expectations onto another person, often originating in early childhood experiences.
Tribalism: A strong sense of identification with a particular group, often leading to exclusionary and hostile attitudes towards outsiders.
Warrior Function: The capacity to discern, confront, and regulate powerful internal forces, essential for engaging in spiritual warfare.