„How can I be substantial if I do not cast a shadow? I must have a dark side if I am to be whole”. ~ Carl Jung
The Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung introduced the concept of Archetypes, as universal models of behaviors, or personalities, that play an essential part in influencing human behavior.
Jung suggested these archetypes were aspects of the collective unconscious, some primitive forms of inborn human knowledge inherited from our ancestors. For Jung, our ancient experiences became the foundation of the human soul, influencing our present behavior.
To understand the concept of Shadow, we must have an insight into the Jungian archetypes.
Jung paid special attention to four archetypes, labeled the Persona, the Anima/Animus, the Shadow, and the Self.
Persona is our conscious personality, the outward face we present to the world. The term is derived from the Latin word persona, meaning mask, character. This is our social face, a role we offer to others as someone different from who we are.
The Anima/Animus is the mirror image of our sex, the unconscious feminine aspects in males, and the masculine aspects in women.
The Shadow represents the unconscious, animal aspects of our personality, and it is the origin of both our creative and destructive energies.
The Self represents the unified conscious and unconscious mind. For Jung, the state of selfhood means psychological wholeness, the ultimate purpose of each of us.
Our disowned parts
The ancient Greeks knew how to honor all the parts of the psyche (Greek: “Soul”). For them, these parts were valued as independent gods and goddesses. In the Greek conception, a god or goddess they ignored became the one who turned against them and eventually tore them down.
Any element we disown within us turns against us. The personal shadow is composed of all these disowned parts.
The Shadow is the dark side of consciousness, often deemed “evil or sinful”, that operates beneath the surface of our awareness. In the context of Jungian theory, this Shadow has developed as a self-defense mechanism against unwanted thoughts and feelings, and it carries suppressed emotions such as hatred, anger, envy, greed, jealousy, or deceitfulness.
We often handle characteristics we don’t like about ourselves through projection, which plays a central role in how shadow operates.
The projection comes into play when we call out a specific feature or behavior in someone else while overlooking how it takes place in our own life. We’re hiding these negative traits, not only from others, but also from ourselves.
We tend to condemn others to ensure our attention doesn’t fall on our flaws and negative behavior. Most of us strive to protect our self-image from anything unfamiliar or unflattering. And it’s more comfortable to focus on another’s dark side before admitting one’s own shadow.
Therefore, we’re building psychological defenses to ensure our troublesome traits don’t come to light, and therefore, these aspects are shoved deep down into our unconscious.
Our shadow self might reveal itself when we are triggered, in our relationships, or through difficult, stressful situations. And when this outwardly dark trait shows up, it means that some aspects of our personality are worth a closer look.
Shadow work
Shadow work is the process of identifying the features we repressed and reintegrating them into our conscious personality. Through Shadow work, we can free ourselves from the chains of the uncontrolled and irrational power of our shadow self. By looking into how we have created this dark zone inside us, we’ll be able to uncover hidden fears and heal past traumas.
Rather than striving for perfection, we should aim to become a whole person, with all that it implies. Being whole involves both light and darkness, positive and negative, and this calls for integrating our shadow aspects into our conscious life.
By bringing the unconscious and conscious sides together, we can reach our full potential.
The first step to integrating your shadow self is to approach it in a conscious way. This is the identification stage.
Before starting your Shadow work, you must be aware that it is not a straightforward process. Exploring your shadow is a bit like Dante’s Inferno.
Prepare yourself to put your shield down for good and go through soul surgery. Facing and acknowledging your dark side can be challenging. Basically, we’re never ready for Shadow work. We’re not ready to shed light on our negative traits, instead of pretending to be all positive.
Most of us are not ready to look within because we are too engaged with outside life. At the same time, we are ‘terrified’ of what we might find in there. But in the end, it’s worth the pain.
How to do it
Start by preparing the landscape.
Put yourself in a quiet space and time to fully absorb the process. Create a cozy ambient where you feel comfortable and relaxed. This can be in your room with candles, soft music, tea, and incense.
Begin by spotting your bad habits. What negative behavior patterns do you replicate in your life? Some examples of negative behavior patterns are criticizing, playing the victim, unjustified screaming, bullying, being sarcastic, pushing workload onto others, or taking on too much at work. These repetitive patterns are trying to tell you a story. Listen to it. It is a story about you. There are parts of you that are crying for attention and need to be healed.
If you want to work with pre-made shadow worksheets, questions about self-love and self-esteem, and mindfulness-guided meditation, you can find them here.
Write the habits that bother you the most. E.g., I’m complaining a lot, etc. Then write your most annoying flaws. For example, I’m too fat, I’m a coward, etc.
Then, think of a person you strongly dislike, whose behavior usually makes you angry and upsets you. Describe all the things that bother you about this person.
“To the degree that you condemn others and find evil in others. You are to that degree unconscious of the same thing in yourself, or at least of the potentiality of it.” ~Alan Watts
Be aware that all the things you have written stand for an unconscious part of yourself that you reject, hate, or fear. Notice how often you have attracted into your life persons and situations that show these shadow features. Don’t judge, just observe.
Excerpt from the book From Shadow to Glow
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