Is it possible we need evil?

Last winter when I was in the throes of my SAD I decided to incorporate prayer into my life.  I had remembered being told about The Great Invocation so I hunted it down so I could learn it and work with it.  I didn’t realise how much I would learn from it.

For the most part I don’t have any issues with it. The first 3 verses resonate well with me;  I like the idea of light streaming down to me and humanity, I would love for my personal concept of Christ to return to earth and I do believe that there is a greater purpose that we serve, that we may not be aware of.

It is the last line of the 4^th verse that I struggle with; “And may it seal the door where evil dwells”.

So, what is wrong with this line?  Surely we want rid of evil don’t we?

Firstly we have to consider what evil is. This sounds easy until you look into it deeper.  For some evil is the devil’s work, it is external to us and is here to lead us astray.  To others evil is the human ego when it has become out of control.  The difference between the two is free will and personal choice.  An external source of evil implies we are being controlled whereas we have choice when it comes to our ego.  So where do we stand on this?

After we have answered the question of what evil is, we have to look at its context in life.

On a small scale there have been people in my life that could have been considered more on the side of evil than of good.  My first boyfriend treated me very badly and I was in a place where I could not stand up for myself.  The abuse was mostly very subtle but at other times not so much.  I came out of that relationship quite damaged and spent a fair amount of time a victim of that damage, allowing it to rule my life. 

However, after a few years I was spurred to start dealing with the scars left by his treatment.  I can now say that my crusade to heal myself has led to enormous healing and some of the most profound experiences in my life.  Being with that person was the first step on my spiritual path.

Look at this on a greater scale.  As controversial as it may be there are many people who believed that the US president George W Bush was evil.  Some of the choices he made caused the death or suffering of thousands of people.  Many people railed against him and his policies.  However one thing he did was cause people to think about the end results of his policies.  It is possible that the “Occupy” movements of 2012 stemmed from these protests.  He shone a light on what a number of American politicians believed and brought it to the attention of the world.

Again, can we consider him evil if he is the catalyst for great change?

Looking at these 2 examples, both big and small, we can start to question whether evil is so bad after all.  Would I have strove to learn so much about myself and healing methods if I had not been through those experiences?  Would the world now be looking at politicians with a wary eye if Bush had not been president?

One thing evil does is force us to react.  We can curl up in a ball full of self pity and been beaten, we can return with greater evil, or we can pull together and grow. 

Going back to the line in the prayer; “And may it seal the door where evil dwells”.  Are we ready to not have evil in the world? 

Maybe in time humanity will see that it is to our benefit to learn the necessary lessons without the hand of evil in our backs pushing us forward... until that time I think evil will be around for a little longer yet.

Visit my website to learn about my healing practice  

http://www.crystaloak.moonfruit.co.uk/