How Shadow (the Shadow Self) is a Function of Light
Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash
When all else fails, we are destined to consider that the answer to the problem lies within.
Last week, I wrote about Carl Jung’s “shadow self.” After some of the comments I received, I researched deeper into the distinction, beyond Jung, into how it shows up in the world today.
One comment from a friend and associate who is dedicated to the work of the Mankind Project shared with me how they talk about the shadow self in their programs:
We define shadow [self] as that which we “hide, repress and deny” about ourselves, and we distinguish between shadow beliefs and behavior that is driven by those beliefs. We say that as long as shadow is behind us (hidden, repressed, and denied), it has power over us. But once we are aware of our shadows – put them where we can see and examine them – they lose their power. We would add…and have potential benefits beyond awareness.
Robert Louis Stevenson, in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, uses the characters as a metaphor for his assessment that, like Jung, “Man is not truly one, but two!” (Jekyll representing Jung’s outward persona and Hyde, the “shadow.”)
A quick recap from Jung: We have two aspects – our outward persona side and our shadow side. We prefer to emphasize our persona and suppress our shadow. It becomes “a bag” we drag around.
According to Wikipedia, the shadow contains our inferiorities, real and imagined, which we want to ignore and hide from others – our ego's blind spot.
Exposed to light, the shadow self contains a rich vein of potentially positive attributes; they just have to be mined. This takes us back to considering, the answer may be within. Personally, the fear “of what I might find” often keeps me from looking.
Light shined dissipates the dark, but the same light creates a shadow when we are in between the light and its path.
Maybe that sums up humanity, “the in-betweeners?” We look forward, we see light, we look back and there is the shadow stalking us. Often, we go forward looking back.
In fairness, looking inward, introspection, is all scary business. We want to know the source of our particular anguish, yet we are hesitant, fearing confirmation of our worst fears about ourselves.
I learned a couple of nifty, relevant words this week:
Enantiodromia -- the tendency for things to change into the opposite. Back to my opening again, “When all else fails, we are destined…” When enough anguish arises out of my repressed unconscious (Freud and Jung), I will look in for answers, in desperation.
Egregore – Contemporarily, it refers to a psychic manifestation, or thoughtform, occurring when any group shares a common motivation that is both comprised of and an influencer of the thoughts of the group. Corporations come to mind, as do memes and of course our current state of politics. I would call “confirmation bias'' a fuel for egregore. That is the shadow pulling the strings at a very deep and unconscious level.
A softer thought: My imaginary friend from childhood with whom I gleefully got into mischief would also be an egregore. (Thank you, Jamie Wheal, for egregore! His blog on this is worth reading.)
One Wikipedia reference calls the shadow “blind spots of our ego.”
Our behavior is shaped by our ego; ego is what we present to the world, but it is not “us!” After years of working through blind spots with clients, we have a deep appreciation for the need for external feedback. That feedback prompts us to fully appreciate what our blind spots are, how they thwart us and affect others, and how to evaporate them.
We need feedback for effective correction, not because it is necessarily the truth, but because it gives us a different view – one from outside our own perceptions of reality. This allows our worldview parameters to expand. Feedback gives us the chance to view ourselves, our behavior, through separate lenses. Taken as a gift, it gives me the chance to look inward and ask, “What about me would have them see me that way?” Or I can defensively explain it, and the shadow has once again carried me away.
A society can likewise have a shadow.
Looking at the world today, we can see it in action. It is deeply anchored; we are all pointing a finger at something else damning it/them for creating havoc and misery in our lives. That is how the shadow works: we point to something else as a cause, relieving us of any accountability. There we are, the “in-betweeners.”
With that cheery note, I will say, have an introspective week and shine some light.
Blessings,
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