Shadow is a term that was used back in the days of Jung and refers to “that which we do not know,” or "that which we hide, repress and deny.” However, long before the days of Jung and throughout known history, humankind has been acknowledging shadow within, no matter what label was used to give it definition.
According to Thaddeus Heffner, there is often a misunderstanding that shadow is equivalent to something bad, dark, or sinful. However, nothing could be farther from the truth, explains Heffner. Again, shadow is what we are unaware of. Each of us is capable of being unaware of the darkness that is within us, just as much as we might hide or repress the gold and goodness that is within us.
Picture yourself standing and directly facing the sun. Your shadow would be cast behind you and you would not ever see it from that vantage point. It is when the Earth rotates just enough on its axis that we slowly become aware of what we once could not see.
This is shadow. Once we become aware of it we can then choose to integrate into our self, hopefully with the intent of becoming a much more whole person.
I have heard of shadow also being described like carrying a heavy sack over ones shoulder. Within the sack is our shadow that, unbeknownst to us, weighs us down. Every now and then we fling the sack on the floor in front ourselves and open it up, taking a piece of our shadow out to look at. By doing so we are becoming familiar with a piece of our being, soul, or spirit, that up till now had remained hidden, and thus we integrate this piece into our conscious self.
This begs the question, “If I am unaware of my shadow how am I to become aware of it in the first place?”. There are many ways in which our shadows, both good and bad, can be brought into our consciousness. Have you ever had a good intentioned friend bring something to your attention about yourself that perhaps didn’t exactly accentuate your best self? What was your response, or better yet, your reaction? Did you snap at them? Did you walk away frustrated and wait several days before you would even speak with them again? These may be telltale signs that your friend may have just made you painfully aware of some of your shadow.
The same can be true of gold and virtues that are within. Have you ever been complimented or praised and found yourself surprised at the acknowledgement? Have you ever tried to shy away from such a spotlight? Ask yourself why? Were you even aware that you had such gifts or character? And now that someone else has pointed it out to you, do you believe it? What the world needs more of is people stepping into the fullness of who they are, and the gifts that they uniquely bring.
We are greatly blessed and greatly flawed, often dancing somewhere between the conscious and the unconscious self. We come into this life with a giant of a shadow, Hopefully, if we are willing to look this giant in the eyes when we can see it, we will leave this life with a little more light cast on the shadow, and a more integrated life.
Posted byThaddeus Heffner, LMFT – March 30, 2013
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