shadow work

Carl Jung expounded on the idea of the shadow self, a term he coined for the parts of the self that are hidden in our consciousness.  We all present an image of ourselves to the world that is as we want ourselves to be, but buried in our unconscious mind are other aspects of ourselves that are equally potent but not to our liking.  This is the shadow which is made up from our repressed desire, ideas, instincts, weaknesses, shortcomings. The way to achieve a better self is not to keep polishing up our ego ideal, to use Jung’s term, but to tackle what lies in our unconsciousness. This requires work. Shadow work.

The danger of the shadow is that it can leak into our thoughts and actions without us realising it.  It can produce self-destructive behaviours. Recognising the shadow and learning how to assimilate it and direct it to positive outcomes is the goal of shadow work.