Shadow

representation-
The 'dark' side of your psyche.
the primitive and negative side of ones personality.
It is instinctive and irrational. positive aspects rarely perceived. but more co
mmon in people with low self-esteem, anxieties and false beliefs)
-in spite of its function as a reservoir for human darkness or perhaps because of
this the shadow is the seat of creativity
-The shadow contains, besides the personal shadow, the shadow of society ... fed
by the neglected and repressed collective values
-a layer of collective unconscious behind direct personal experiences.
Individuation
temptations of the shadow
-projection: perceived as something evil, so most choose to disown them by proje
cting them unto others (what leads to racism and prosecution) shadow acknowledge
d but not accepted.
-The shadow personifies everything that the subject refuses to acknowledge about
himself. If and when 'an individual makes an attempt to see his shadow, he beco
mes aware of (and often ashamed of) those qualities and impulses he denies in hi
mself but can plainly see in others such things as egotism, mental laziness, and s
loppiness; unreal fantasies, schemes, and plots; carelessness and cowardice; ino
rdinate love of money and possessions ...[a] painful and lengthy work of self-educ
ation
-suppression: locking it behind the doors of the subconscious. rejection of ones
total self means that full personal growth cannot be achieved.
character shadow symbols
-allegorical account of a woman overcoming her fear or sex. acceptance of the sh
adow results in the manifestation of its true nature; bearer of one's true selfh
ood.
-the more consciousness gains in clarity, the more monarchic becomes its content
. these individuals begin to suffer from a deadly boredom that makes everything
seem meaningless and empty.
- Even a dead mother may live on as a forceful presence within your unconscious.
appears with possessive or devouring characteristics.
-drown in unconscious depth, (could not maintain consious control)
Themes
-conversion as a means of joining
-partial self as an obstacle for the appearance of the whole self (partial must
be desolved)
-joining of conscious ego and shadow
-suppression of anima and animus.
tier 4
-the discovery and unfolding of a new dimension of yourself; new powers begin to
work for you and you begin to experience 'newness of life
- learn to integrate the dark side of yourself, which means accepting it and all
owing it to proper expression under the control of your conscious mind. It will
then cease to be dark and terrifying and hostile; instead, it will enhance the q
uality of your life, advance your personal development and increase your happine
ss.
-others are living below their own levels.
-have to retain awareness of the shadow, but not identify with it. Non-identific
ation demands considerable moral effort...prevents a descent into that darkness
(falling victim to the shadow)
-conscious and unconscious are no longer seen as opposites, but as two cooperati
ng and complementary parts of one and the same psyche.
Soul-Image
-For a man this is the 'anima; for a woman, the animus. The anima is the feminin
e aspects of a male psyche: for example, gentelness, tenderness, patience, recep
tiveness, closeness to nature, readiness to forgive, and so on. The animus is th
e male side of a female psyche: assertiveness, the will to control and take char
ge, fighting spirit, and so on.
-Every man has a feminine component in his psyche; every woman has a masculine c
omponent in hers. Unfortunately, for centuries, and particularily in the western
world, it has been considered a virtue - 'the done thing' - for men to suppress
their femininity; and until very recently women have been socially conditioned
to think it unbecoming to show their masculinity. One result of this has been ma
n's bad treatment of women. Man's fear nad neglect of his own femininity have ha
d dire consequences. Not only has he repressed the femininity in himself; but al
so, being frightened of women - who are 'the feminine' par excellence - he has s
uppressed them, kept them subordinate and powerless.
-The further consequence of this suppression of femininity in a world dominated
by men is war. Wars are the result of the lopsided development of men whose aggr
essiveness has not ben balanced by love and patience and a feeling for harmony:
that is, whose anima has been kept under lock and key. The macho male is violent
and destructive.
-it is imperative, both for individual and for social progress, that we lear to
acknowledge and integrate our anima or animus, our soul-image.
Your soul-image will led your conscious ego safely into the unconscious and safe
ly out again. When Theseus neded to penetrate the labyrinth in Crete in order to
slay the monstrous Minotaur, the fair Ariadne, with her thread, enabled him to
go in and find his way out again. If we follow Jung and translate this story int
o psychological terms, the labyrinth is a symbol of the unconscious, the monster
is the frightening and threatening aspect of whatever in our unconscious has be
en neglected and has therefore 'gone wild'; the slaying of the monster means 'ta
ming' that wild, unruly force and bringing it under conscious control. The 'slay
ing' can be accomplished, however, only by love (Ariadne - the feminine) - only
by accepting the neglected thing, honouring it and welcoming it into our unconsc
ious.
-the soul image is what establishes communication between the conscious ego and
the unconscious and reconciles the two.
-Your soul-image has characteristics which are the opposite of those possessed b
y your persona (the self-image you have constructed for the specific purpose of
relating to the external world and for 'making your mark' in that world). For in
stance, if your persona is an intellectual one, your soul-image will be characte
rized by sentiment and emotion; and if you are the intuitive type, your soul-ima
ge will be earthly and sensual.
-you project your soul-image on to members of the opposite sex, you may be led i
nto disastrous relationships. For example, an emotional man may choose a blue-st
ocking for his partner; or a sensitive woman may be irresistibly attracted by be
arded intellectuals.
-Accept your soul-image, respect it and welcome it as a creative contributor to
your personal growth

references - freud, jung