Shadow of Dullness
Gene Key’s 15th Shadow is Dullness, which amounts to how an individual perceives their life. It can best be summarized by these memes. Life is all about your attitude and perception.
“One of the greatest fears of the 15th Shadow is… to be locked into a repeating rhythm that never changes.” We all experience life differently. The dullness that comes with this Shadow is one in which there is no polarity. There are no extremes. Yet, to move through this Shadow, one must embrace the dullness so thoroughly that it no longer resembles anything dull. Rudd mentions how a dog will sit looking outside and how things do not appear to change, yet the dog is happy.
The Repressive Nature of the Shadow of Dullness is Empty. Empty in this case is less about boredom and more about a “negative acceptance or resignation.” It can look a bit like depression and likely leads to depression according to Rudd. “Such people can only escape these states when they discover the fear that is preventing the emptiness from moving deeper inside them”
The Reactive Nature of the Shadow of Dullness is Extremist. This is one that I am very familiar with. Extremists “nature is to escape through denial.” It goes on to say: “Being extremists they can find themselves in all kinds of diverse situation and places, but again, with no real directed sense of passion. These people are always on the move, never really able to commit to anything or anyone - running from their own shadows.” They rage against tedium, which prevents them from being with others for very long. I recognize in me how much I traveled and moved around. I was never in one place for too long and if I was, I would get ansty. I was constantly chasing a feeling, though, really, it was me running away from feelings altogether.
“One of the greatest challenges for modern humanity is to learn how to slow down.” - Richard Rudd
Tips for working with this shadow:
Learn how to sit with and be with your feelings. Whenever you start to feel something and you go reach for your phone, tablet, TV, game console to escape, wait. Maybe even just 30 seconds at first. Keep pushing yourself to sit in whatever discomfort is coming up that is causing you to want to escape into your electronics. Dissassociation can have a place and a purpose. It helps, though, to learn about about what you are running from.
Find time where you can just be. Don’t do anything. Think of that dog that can sit staring outside for hours. Give it a try for 5 minutes. Find pockets of time where you aren’t just rushing off to the next task, chore, craft, hobby, electronic.
Give nature a try. Go for a walk or a hike. If you’re not into nature, go for a walk around your neighborhood. If you have a backyard, maybe put out a blanket or towel and hang out there.
Set a timer for your electronics. Once the time is up, set it down for the day. Or delete apps your spend the most time on for a day or weekend. Break up the habits that keep you coming back time and time again.
Not sure how to work with this? Check out this Blog Post here to see how to work with the Shadows. Also, feel free to check out my courses Honoring Your No and Owning My Sh*t here to help work on that self-awareness piece.
Disclaimer: What I find unhelpful with the Gene Keys text is that it is more spiritual than realistic, especially when these states are resulting in mental illness. Maybe all mental illness has a root in shadow, but that isn’t for me to say and it is super invalidating for people who experience these states. So as you read through this, or any of these shadows, know that your own experience is valid regardless of impersonal spiritual texts. This goes for Gene Keys, Human Design, and any other spiritual text even from world religions. If these texts invalidate a person’s humanity, then it’s the text that is the problem and not the person. Always use personal discernment. More of my two-cents on spiritual and religious dogma, modalities, and texts here.
