Realisation of the Shadow
“To confront a person with his shadow is to show him his own light”
- C. G. Jung
There has always been some confusion over the precise meaning of the term ‘The
Shadow’ in relation to its role in the Principum Individuationis of Jungian
Psychology. An exasperated Jung once chided his pupils’ inflexible
interpretations of it by declaring “This is all nonsense! The Shadow is simply
the whole unconscious.”[1]
Although this is the simplest explanation one is likely to find, an elaboration
of that explanation is necessary if one is to take steps towards the Realisation
of the Shadow. To do this, it is firstly necessary to briefly examine the
broader context of Jung’s work.
The core process in Jung’s theories for the development of the Self is that of
Individuation. Like The Great Work of Aleister Crowley, or the Fourth Way
methodologies of G.I Gurdjieff the essential task of Individuation is to reach a
state of psycho-spiritual Totality - a self-achieved state of holistic
consciousness. Whether the sum of this process is labelled as Self Unification,
gaining knowledge of the Holy Guardian Angel, or Individuation, it still
represents the same thing; fulfilling the psyche’s desire to
Come into Being by obtaining a complete awareness of the nature and
capability of the Whole Self. In undertaking such Work it is simultaneously
realised that total consciousness is also the key to understanding and
manipulating the macrocosmos. This duality is that communicated through the
Hermetic formula of the Emerald Tablet of Thoth: As Above so Below.
Individuation is an entirely internal process of change, and thus according to
this model it is entirely through the Self that one gains understanding of the
universe.
In The Seven Sermons to the Dead[2]
Jung reveals the central importance of the Self to the goal of Individuation
with the words:
At bottom, therefore, there is only one striving, namely, the striving after
your own being. If ye had this striving ye would not need to know anything about
the Pleroma[3]
and its qualities, and yet would ye come to your right goal by virtue of your
own being.
The relevance of such values to the Left Hand Path Initiate is quite obvious,
especially in consideration of another entry in this text that states:
What is the harm, ye ask, in not distinguishing oneself? If we do not
distinguish, we get beyond our own nature, away from creatura. We fall into
indistinctiveness, which is the other quality of the Pleroma. We fall into the
Pleroma itself and cease to be creatures. We are given over to dissolution in
nothingness. This is the death of the creature.
To formulate a deeper understanding of the Self, Jung theorised the existence of
Archetypes as infinite well-springs behind the psychic processes of both the
Individual and Collective Unconscious. In simple terms, these Archetypes can be
defined as the instinctive trends of unknown origin that manifest in the
unconscious mind in symbolic form[4].
The archetypes of the human unconscious are identified as having certain
recognisable, anthropomorphicised forms, each of which acts a potential key to
understanding the Subjective and Objective aspects of our human nature, our
psyche and our relationships.
Examples of these archetypes include:
· The Self
· The Shadow
· The Anima/Animus
· The Trickster
· The Hero
· The Superman
· The Syzygy (Twins/Lovers)
· The Child
· The Great Mother
· The Wise Old Man
In Archetypal symbolism the Shadow represents the unconscious, unknown aspects
of the Psyche. To Realize the existence of the Shadow is an important step in
acknowledging its unseen influence in your thoughts and actions. Realizing the
Shadow is also a vital step on the road to Self Unity, as when the unconscious
aspect of the Self eventually becomes fully integrated with the conscious part,
a fuller understanding of the Self’s divine nature occurs.
To Realize The Shadow one must firstly grasp the forms in which it manifests
within us. Jung once stated that “to become conscious of it involves recognizing
the dark aspects of the personality as present and real”[5].
A good place to begin the search for the signs of your own Shadow is in your
perceptions of the faults of others in interpersonal situations. When a person
displays characteristics that resonate with our own Shadow nature we may find
ourselves becoming unfairly critical and negative in our assessments of them.
Because their behaviour may remind us of the shame and negative emotions we feel
when we display those same characteristics we begin to project our negative
emotions about ourselves onto them. This is known as the ‘Projection of the
Shadow’, which Jung refers to as the principle that “[changes] the world into a
replica of one’s own unknown face”[6].
Another way in which The Shadow may express itself through interaction can be by
seeping through the cracks of our self-control in outbursts of temper, or
unnecessarily belligerent comments and actions that we may seem unable to
restrain ourselves from committing. By simply identifying the nature of such
uncontrolled thoughts and behaviours we are taking a step towards Realizing The
Shadow, and thus further the understanding of the Self.
Dreams are another avenue one may consider in the search for ones Shadow.
Dreaming enables us to “become acquainted with aspects of one’s own personality
that for various reasons one has preferred not to look at”[7].
In Jungian Psychoanalysis dreams are seen as the expression of the unconscious
communicating in the form of Symbols. That so many unconnected human beings’
unconscious minds express themselves using such similar imagery is explained
through the theory of a ‘collective unconscious’ that emanates “from primeval
dreams and creative fantasies” with an origin “so far buried in the mystery of
the past that they seem to have no human source”[8].
The Shadow is frequently symbolised in the form of an entity of the same sex as
the dreamer, though sometimes it may take animal form, the shape of a familiar
person, a shadowesque figure, or even a double of the dreamer. Whatever its form
it displays opposite qualities to those that the subject deems to be his or her
own, and is therefore often the manifestation of some unconscious conflict,
delusion or compulsion. As this is so, it is not always necessarily the case
that the Shadow is solely comprised of negative elements, but it is however
composed of elements that are antonymical to our day to day personae.
Another vital medium for the Realisation of the Shadow is that of creative
expression. Whether this is through your own creative processes in the form of
writing, poetry, art or music, there remains a pure channel between creativity
and the Shadow. Such vessels are means to give physical form to the dark, unseen
impulses that lie within by externalising deep-rooted unconscious processes that
yearn to be revealed, so that we may become aware of the scope of the hidden
Self.
The Shadow may also be Realized through the resonance of its expression in the
work of others. When an artist, writer or musician pours their Shadow into their
work, an appreciative consumer may often find personal relevance in that
expression. This again bears testament to the concept of the collective
unconscious due to the universal similarity in the ways The Shadow can be
revealed and recognised. Despite this, it still remains the case that expression
and recognition of the Shadow, be it through ones own creativity or through ones
preferred aesthetic inspirations, is still largely comprised of subjective
interpretation.
Jung postulated that religion, mythology and folklore are other important media
for archetypal expression. One of the most striking personifications of The
Shadow through this medium can be seen in the character of Loki in Northern
Mythology. Although he is remarkably similar in many ways to the symbol of The
Self that is Odin, being a cunning magician, a shape-shifter and also his
blood-brother, he would seem to be a representation of Odin’s Shadow; he is the
alter-ego and dark twin of the All-Father added to the Northern Sagas relatively
late as a possible means of externalising the aspects of his Shadow. In the
story of Aegir’s feast we see Loki’s most overt Shadow characteristics on
display in his role as the bearer of the ugly truth about the gods, and as the
destroyer of their self-congratulatory delusion by “taunting [them] with their
weaknesses or shortcomings, dwelling maliciously on their physical
imperfections, and deriding them for their mistakes”.[9]
As is often the case with the human perception of one who wears the Shadow
openly, Loki’s annoying habits become intolerable to the gods who drive him out,
and thus fail to integrate with the necessity of his nature. Because of their
denial of his place in Asgard (the Fortress of Consciousness), they face
destruction at his hands through the armies that he will lead with Hel at the
culmination of Ragnarok. In accord with the paradoxical nature of the Shadow, we
can see that although Loki was the destructive, Trickster element of Asgard
(Trickster archetypes such as Loki appear to be ones that are entirely
integrated with the Archetype of The Shadow), it was the events that he brought
into being through Realizing his Shadow that gave the Aesir any kind of chance
to defend themselves against the insurmountable odds of Ragnorok. By remaining
true to his Will and addressing his unconscious desires instead of repressing
them, Loki enables the successful construction of the fortress of Asgard and
obtains the array of fantastic magical weapons, including Mjollnir and Gungnir,
from the dwarfs.
Ironically these actions give his future enemies the chance to defend themselves
from the forces of death that he will later bring to them. Thus his paradoxical
role as bringer of both hope and doom to the gods make him implemental to the
completion of the cycle of Ragnarok. In this context the process of Ragnarok can
be seen as a symbol of Becoming and transformation through the painful proddings
and psychic trauma of Realizing the Shadow. Despite this process being one of
ordeal and upheaval its ultimate result is that of rebirth and renewal.
In a more modern context the Realisation of the Shadow has been mythologized in
tales such as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, in the relationship of Gandalf and Saruman
in The Lord of the Rings, and in the transformation of Anakin Skywalker into
Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies. In the latter example we see the young Jedi
becoming gradually possessed by his Shadow. It first bears its teeth through
emotional trauma and anxiety, and is then fuelled by the Archetypal Shadow in
the form of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. Anakin eventually becomes his own
Shadow (which is not the positive thing to do – it should be Realized and tamed,
not given free rein to dominate the Ego), although when this occurs he is not
then without a Shadow. Instead, it has become a positive manifestation of his
psyche as opposed to a negative one. His Shadow now represents his ‘good’ side,
which is eventually Realized shortly before his eventual death. M.L. Von-Franz[10]
discusses the idea of the ‘Positive Shadow’ in her analysis of Hedwig Boyé’s
Menschen mit grosse Schatten (People with a Big Shadow), in which accounts
are relayed of how particularly brutal murderers appear to display very positive
Shadows beneath the layers of their psychotic exteriors, showing tendencies
towards sentimentality and idealism in their communications and correspondences.
Whatever form your Shadow takes, pay heed to it but do not let it possess you.
It must be absorbed into the waking consciousness through Realisation, Will and
creativity rather than encouraged or avoided. The more of the Shadow's darkness
that rises to the conscious level the greater the nucleus of the atom of the
Psyche - the Self - will become.
[1] Von Franz, M.L., Shadow and Evil in Fairy Tales, p.3. Revised Edition,
1995. Shambhala.
[2] ‘The Seven Sermons to the Dead, written by Basilides in Alexandria, The
City where the East toucheth the West’ was a pseudo-Gnostic text ‘transcribed’
by Carl Jung in 1916, after four years of dreams from which the text is
inspired. The use of the name Basilides of Alexandria, reveals Jung’s knowledge
of the Gnostic tradition of attributing ones own work to a superior scholar, in
this case, that of a 2nd Century CE Gnostic. When the text was completed the
dreams stopped.
[3] Gr. ‘Fullness’. Relates to ‘the Heavenly Realm of God’ in Gnosticism.
[4] Jung, Carl, Approaching the Unconscious, p.58, in Man and His Symbols:
Conceived and Edited by Carl Jung. Picador. 1964.
[5] Collected Works of C.G. Jung: Aion - Researches into the Phenomenology
of the Self v. 9, Pt. 2, p.14. Princeton University Press.
[6] Collected Works of C.G. Jung: Aion - Researches into the Phenomenology
of the Self v. 9, Pt. 2, p.17. Princeton University Press.
[7] Von Franz, M.L., The Process of Individuation, p.174, in Man and His
Symbols: Conceived and Edited by Carl Jung. Picador. 1964.
[8] Jung, Carl, Approaching the Unconscious, p.42, in Man and His Symbols:
Conceived and Edited by Carl Jung. Picador. 1964.
[9] Guerber, H.A., Myths of the Norsemen from the Eddas and Sagas. Dover.
1909.
[10] Von Franz, M.L., Shadow and Evil in Fairy Tales, p. 146. Revised
Edition, 1995. Shambhala.
