Given the number of number of personal attacks appearing on the site recently, I thought I'd introduce a new approach to dealing with provocation based (loosely) on, of all things, Jungian psychology. But first, I'd like to acknowledge that it's possible that only two or three people are involved in the most recent round-robin of flaming incidents, so those of you not involved, understand that I'm not talking to you. Although I think the Trickster archetype has much to offer all of us, so I hope everyone will read on.
The archetypal Trickster appears to teach us valuable lessons about getting along spiritually and in the world. According to Carol Bridge, author of the Medicine Woman Tarot, the Trickster literally tricks us into being better people, showing us the futility of our usual responses and helping us to gain self-control and compassion.
Here's an example based on something near and to dear to our hearts: iBrattleboro. Imagine that you have commented on a thread and your comment wasn't even that controversial -- in fact, it was downright innocent. Suddenly, the Trickster appears making a sarcastic remark about your post and maybe calling you a name. What does the Trickster want you to do? Well, superficially, the Trickster wants you to react to his post. He wants you to call him a name back -- because if you do that, then he gets to respond and keep the flaming thread alive. Better yet, he'd like to get you to call him a name without actually calling you a name himself. That way, when you cave in and attack him, he can blame you. How awful the Trickster is! But here's the trick to the Trickster: the minute you stop reacting to the Trickster's provocation, his power is destroyed. He needs fuel and only you can give it to him.
Viewed this way, we can actually be thankful for the Trickster and her barbed comments. She forces us to notice the things that push our buttons and learn ways to defuse them. By systematically removing our armor and our pre-conceived ideas and reactions, we become much more flexible and effective in our lives. No longer are we blown around on the winds of our emotions. We are in control, and can't be incited or manipulated -- which is a useful warrior virtue to attain, especially in troubled and challenging times like these.
After enough practice, it becomes relatively easy to pick up on the presence of the Trickster and thus elude his snares. Here are a few characteristics: first, the Trickster is sneaky and doesn't play fair. Nothing makes people madder than people who don't play by the rules, especially when they cloak their true motivations as the Trickster often does. Sometimes the Trickster generates attack thoughts in us. We can feel violent reactions, almost visceral in their intensity. We may at times want to kill the Trickster. He frustrates us and make us angry. When the Trickster's around, the pace of interaction picks up as he puts out a powerful wave of confusion. All of these signs are noticeable as they happen, and if we catch ourselves, we can fend off the reaction. But often we get caught up in emotion, and forget our true purpose, whatever that happens to be.
I, for one, hate to be bested by the Trickster. I know she's gotten me when I find myself making snippy comments, thinking nasty thoughts, writing harsh emails, or giving way to unfriendly gossip. The Trickster thrives on pettiness. Thinking small makes us vulnerable -- take the long view, and you'll probably miss her altogether. The devil is, after all, in the details.
I've found that the best thing to do when confronted with a Trickster is to stop whatever I'm doing the moment I realize the Trickster is present. That stops the spiraling process and gives me breathing room. Then I'm free to cool off, or rethink, or whatever it is I need to do. In the case of iBrattleboro, I can stop reading the site for a bit or avoid a certain party's posts.
Once you get to the point where you can recognize the Trickster the moment he appears and pass each of the tests he places in your path, then you'll probably be able to take over the world because your personal power will be so great. And even then, you will still meet the Trickster from time to time.
But in the great role-playing game called Life, passing the lower tests gets you to new levels and more interesting and challenging puzzles. The longer you play, the higher you climb and the more honed your skills become. In short, when we treat life like a game, the Trickster becomes nothing more than a funky adversary -- and then the fun really begins.