By Castle's Light

“By Castle’s Light” began as a poem written during a traumatic period of ego dissolution—an experience I came to understand through the Jungian lens of shadow work and individuation. As my sense of self came apart, the memory of a girl I once knew became a point of orientation. Her kindness reminded me that my past held more than pain, and that the boy I had spent decades distancing myself from was worth returning for. When I felt close to losing my grip on reality, that memory helped me find my way back. This Americana ballad tells that story through a voyage across dark water: a man who fled his wounded childhood finally turning toward the shore. Castle was her name. In this song, her remembered kindness becomes the light guiding him home. It wasn’t until after this unsettling experience that I learned of Dr. Jung’s “Night Sea Journey.” Lyrics: Several decades ago, I fled out to sea, Running from a broken, unlovable me. I thought I could leave all the hurting behind, But left a boy stranded, forgotten, confined. I’ve sailed for so long through perilous night, The boy and the shore have faded from sight. But wounds can’t mend without healing the child— How to return to a place so reviled? Without a compass, without a light, Lost among the waves and swallowed by night. There’s a boy on the shore I left on his own— How can I turn this ship toward home? Surely it’s safer to continue to run, Leaving the past in the past—what’s done is done. The demons still lurk in the shadows on land, How could a return course even be planned? But somewhere back there, before I withdrew, There once was a girl, and her kindness was true. I fled from the hurt, but I fled from her too— Now her memory troubles the story I knew. Without a compass, without a light, Lost among the waves and swallowed by night. There’s a boy on the shore I left on his own— How can I turn this ship toward home? Yet over the water, a whisper remains, Soft as the hush of a long-lost refrain. Not forceful or pleading—just steady, just there, The memory of someone who once showed me care. Not all that I fled was shadow and pain, Somewhere back there, her kindness remains. If she could see good in the boy I denied, Perhaps there’s still something worth finding inside. Then a glimpse of a glimmer, piercing the night, A kindness remembered becomes a new light. So I breathe, listen, and loosen my grip, Take hold of the oars and turn back the ship. I’m not sailing back to make her my home, I’m finding the boy I abandoned alone. I can’t change the years that he waited for me, But I can return to the place I must be. What the darkness once stole may now be reclaimed, By the burning glow of a friend’s gentle name. The cast-away child need not fear nor roam, For Castle’s light now leads me home. There’s a boy on the shore, And I won’t leave him behind. I’m making my way home By Castle’s light Credits: Original poem and lyrics: Echoes of Almost Lyrics: Adapted with assistance from ChatGPT Music and vocals: Generated with Suno Artwork: Created with OpenAI image generation Inspiration: Creative work inspired by memories and personal reflection. #DRC #EDHS01 #ByCastlesLight #EchoesofAlmost #Americana #ShadowWork #InnerChildHealing