The shorter days and growing darkness of fall are a natural time for reflection and work with our own inner darkness: our shadow.
What is the Shadow?
According to depth psychology, the shadow is that part of us that we do not see or know, the part which is unconscious. Its counterpart is the light and conscious side of us. While the shadow contains positive aspects such as unconscious inner wisdom, it is most often seen as negative as it is the storehouse for all those unwanted aspects of our personality that we disown, as well as emotions, thoughts, desires, and experiences that we reject. We all carry a shadow within us and the less we are aware of it, the denser and blacker it will be. The shadow manifests in various ways: as a low sense of self, loneliness, boredom, lack of meaning, psychosomatic illness, anxiety, depression, or nightmares. If the shadow accumulates enough energy, it may erupt in an overpowering rage or a breakdown, or we may suddenly storm out of a job, breakup a relationship, or have an accident that seems to have its own purpose.
How the Shadow Originates
All of us are born whole, but early on in our life journeys we are exposed to a culture that divides things into good and bad, and we begin our shadow-making process. We live in a culture that overvalues the mind while it tends to repress behaviour and emotions. Children are socialized to be “good” and end up having to constrict their feelings and way of being. For girls and women, the culture mandates that they become beautiful, slim, submissive, vulnerable, maternal yet sexual. Women are socialized not to express feelings of anger, while men are taught to suppress sadness and fear. We are all probably familiar with the saying boys don’t cry. Men’s self-esteem in our culture is based on achievement, having power over others, stoicism, and strength regardless of life difficulties.
By the time we arrive at adulthood we have a clearly defined shadow which has accumulated our society’s system of right and wrong, and our subsequent experiences that we have hidden away from ourselves based on this value system.
The Path to Wholeness
Shadow work releases and integrates the energy that has been bound up in the darkness. It has the potential to bring more joy into our lives, renew our sense of meaning and purpose, and create a more authentic, enjoyable, and balanced inner and outer world.
Wholeness is created by bringing the light of conscious awareness to our shadow. The place where light and dark begin to touch is where healing takes place. Awareness is the state of being fully present in the here and now. By observing ourselves consciously – our thoughts, emotions, behaviours, sensations, the words we use – we become aware of our shadow. Yoga and meditation are great for cultivating this present moment awareness.
If you are reading this right now and would like to experience this awareness, simply bring your attention inwards. What do you notice as you scan your body? Is there an experience of expansion, or tightness, or perhaps a feeling will be present, or an image will spring forth. What is occupying your mind right now? Is there a thought that perhaps keeps circling in your head? Take a moment and notice – it may help if you close your eyes.
So what happens if, for example, you become aware of sadness that resides in your chest? If you are in a safe place, allow yourself to feel the sadness without judgement and express it in a way that feels most natural to you in the moment – by shedding tears, by dancing, drawing, sculpting, writing, or however it wants to be expressed. Allow yourself to be creative and to be guided by your inner wisdom. It is very important that the expression of any emotion or shadow material that arises be done in a way that is safe and compassionate, and does not harm you or others. Also, if you are ready to embark on a deeper shadow process, or if you have a history of abuse or trauma, please seek the help of a professional that can guide you and hold space for you safely.
By practicing awareness and allowing the space for what naturally wants to come up to surface we are embracing our shadow and expanding our light. This process makes the unconscious conscious and the integration that is created produces a light that has no shadow, no opposite. Since shadow and light come from the same source, when we transcend this duality within us of right and wrong, light and shadow, we reach a place of oneness, of union, of ananda or bliss. Embracing our shadow is a profound spiritual discipline and a lifelong evolutionary journey.
What is the Shadow?
According to depth psychology, the shadow is that part of us that we do not see or know, the part which is unconscious. Its counterpart is the light and conscious side of us. While the shadow contains positive aspects such as unconscious inner wisdom, it is most often seen as negative as it is the storehouse for all those unwanted aspects of our personality that we disown, as well as emotions, thoughts, desires, and experiences that we reject. We all carry a shadow within us and the less we are aware of it, the denser and blacker it will be. The shadow manifests in various ways: as a low sense of self, loneliness, boredom, lack of meaning, psychosomatic illness, anxiety, depression, or nightmares. If the shadow accumulates enough energy, it may erupt in an overpowering rage or a breakdown, or we may suddenly storm out of a job, breakup a relationship, or have an accident that seems to have its own purpose.
How the Shadow Originates
All of us are born whole, but early on in our life journeys we are exposed to a culture that divides things into good and bad, and we begin our shadow-making process. We live in a culture that overvalues the mind while it tends to repress behaviour and emotions. Children are socialized to be “good” and end up having to constrict their feelings and way of being. For girls and women, the culture mandates that they become beautiful, slim, submissive, vulnerable, maternal yet sexual. Women are socialized not to express feelings of anger, while men are taught to suppress sadness and fear. We are all probably familiar with the saying boys don’t cry. Men’s self-esteem in our culture is based on achievement, having power over others, stoicism, and strength regardless of life difficulties.
By the time we arrive at adulthood we have a clearly defined shadow which has accumulated our society’s system of right and wrong, and our subsequent experiences that we have hidden away from ourselves based on this value system.
The Path to Wholeness
Shadow work releases and integrates the energy that has been bound up in the darkness. It has the potential to bring more joy into our lives, renew our sense of meaning and purpose, and create a more authentic, enjoyable, and balanced inner and outer world.
Wholeness is created by bringing the light of conscious awareness to our shadow. The place where light and dark begin to touch is where healing takes place. Awareness is the state of being fully present in the here and now. By observing ourselves consciously – our thoughts, emotions, behaviours, sensations, the words we use – we become aware of our shadow. Yoga and meditation are great for cultivating this present moment awareness.
If you are reading this right now and would like to experience this awareness, simply bring your attention inwards. What do you notice as you scan your body? Is there an experience of expansion, or tightness, or perhaps a feeling will be present, or an image will spring forth. What is occupying your mind right now? Is there a thought that perhaps keeps circling in your head? Take a moment and notice – it may help if you close your eyes.
So what happens if, for example, you become aware of sadness that resides in your chest? If you are in a safe place, allow yourself to feel the sadness without judgement and express it in a way that feels most natural to you in the moment – by shedding tears, by dancing, drawing, sculpting, writing, or however it wants to be expressed. Allow yourself to be creative and to be guided by your inner wisdom. It is very important that the expression of any emotion or shadow material that arises be done in a way that is safe and compassionate, and does not harm you or others. Also, if you are ready to embark on a deeper shadow process, or if you have a history of abuse or trauma, please seek the help of a professional that can guide you and hold space for you safely.
By practicing awareness and allowing the space for what naturally wants to come up to surface we are embracing our shadow and expanding our light. This process makes the unconscious conscious and the integration that is created produces a light that has no shadow, no opposite. Since shadow and light come from the same source, when we transcend this duality within us of right and wrong, light and shadow, we reach a place of oneness, of union, of ananda or bliss. Embracing our shadow is a profound spiritual discipline and a lifelong evolutionary journey.
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