The Desires You’ve Been Hiding

Eleven questions. Nine of eleven passes, and you can take it again as often as you like.

How does the chapter describe the origin of shame around certain desires?

As a learned adaptation to messages about what was safe to express As clear proof of a moral deficiency in the person, when taken at face value As an inborn trait of character that cannot change As a sign of spiritual immaturity that must be outgrown
What happens to desires that are hidden or suppressed?

They become harmless once ignored long enough They transform on their own into spiritual qualities, as commonly assumed They move into shadow and influence choices unconsciously They disappear completely over time
Someone who suppresses anger often feels low and turns frustration inward. What does the chapter suggest may be happening?

They simply have a calmer temperament than most people They have successfully transcended anger through practice Their anger has been fully and finally resolved Suppressed anger may be expressing itself unconsciously
Which metaphor does the chapter offer in place of confronting or battling your shadow?

Containment: locking unwanted desires away Reclamation: welcoming exiled parts home Conquest: defeating the lower nature Purification: burning away impure desires
What are the three steps of Shadow Desire Alchemy?

Confess the desire, renounce it, then replace it with a better one Act the desire out fully, reflect on what happened, then move on Identify a judged desire, name its quality, honour it through your values Analyse the desire, trace its original cause, then eliminate it
In the chapter's examples, what quality often lies beneath a desire for luxury?

Visibility and acknowledgment Beauty and sensory richness Restoration and ease Agency and influence
What underlying quality does the chapter link to a desire for power?

Agency, the capacity to create change Domination and control over others Rest, ease and withdrawal from activity Beauty and refined aesthetic pleasure
Does integrating a hidden desire require acting it out in its original form?

Yes; integration only happens through full outward expression No; integration simply means suppressing it more skilfully Yes, but only in private, where no one else can ever see No; it means honouring the quality through value-aligned choices
A person feels guilty for wanting rest and keeps procrastinating and falling ill. What does the chapter suggest?

The illness is unrelated to any desire for rest They need more discipline in order to overcome laziness The suppressed need for rest is finding its own way out Rest should be earned only after all the work is done
How does the chapter describe anger itself?

As protective, boundary-setting intelligence As destructive energy that damages relationships As a feeling spiritual people no longer have As evidence of being unhealed or unevolved
What often happens to a hidden desire's compulsive charge once its underlying quality is honoured?

It disappears along with the underlying quality itself It grows stronger and becomes harder to manage It stays exactly the same regardless of what you do, by a more surface reading It softens, since an acknowledged need stops driving you

The Desires You&rsquo;ve Been Hiding