The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you really are.
Carl Jung
The shadow self, also known as the dark side of the personality, resides in all of us. It may not be a popular topic to discuss because, let’s face it, who wants to own up to their character flaws, hate or nastiness? But, what is it and how important is it to know your shadow self?
The shadow self was first coined by Carl Jung, a renowned 20th-century psychologist from Switzerland. In his field of psychology, often referred to as Jungian psychology, the word “shadow” refers to the hidden parts of our psyche. Conceivably, the parts of us that we are not conscious of or that we try to repress because they make us feel vulnerable or wounded.
The shadow self consists of primitive, negative human emotions, such as, hate, envy, greed, rage, insecurity, co-dependency and/or thirst for power. This is an aspect of the self that most people go through great lengths to hide because it is most unflattering. Thus, it is easier to observe another’s shadow before acknowledging one’s own shadow.
Why Should You Do The Shadow Work?
Essentially, confronting your shadow self can free you to live out a fuller more expanded version of yourself. If you only focus on the “light” side of life, that which feels good and easy, life could feel one sided, somewhat artificial, flat and lacking in depth.
I am beginning to understand more fully the importance of doing the shadow work. While it is uncomfortable having to face your vulnerabilities, fears, anger; it can lead you to live a more authentic and creative life. Most importantly, it can foster a greater personal awakening of your—being. The shadow work clears a path that allows you to evolve more consciously.
Whatever qualities we repress or deny in ourselves, we see in others. In psychology, this is called projection, meaning that we project onto others what we bury in ourselves. However, the process of projection doesn’t happen consciously. The ego uses this mechanism to protect itself and to defend how it perceives itself. Consequently, the ego prevents us from connecting to our shadow self.
According to Robert Augustus Masters, in his book, Bringing Your Shadow Out Of The Dark, when we uncover the shadow self and work in-depth with it, we begin to free ourselves from its control. Additionally, we gain the opportunity to put its contents to work for us instead of allowing them to work against us. He also shows us how to navigate the full terrain of our emotions, drives, needs, and depths of who we are.
The more unaware we are of our conditioning, the more it influences us and controls us. Whereas, the more aware of our shadow we are, the more skillfully we would be able to work with it.
The Benefits Of Doing The Shadow Work
While, I certainly prefer to engage with the “lighter” side of life, I also understand that we are energetic beings and that everything in this universe is made up of energy. At a glance, the shadow work seems counterintuitive, especially if you follow the law of attraction which calls for a focus on “exuberance” for manifesting your desires.
However,the shadow work can lead you out of the murky waters of the unconscious and get you more vibrationally aligned to your purpose. For instance, clearing some of the low vibrational feelings and emotions will help you raise the energy for manifesting.
The shadow work is a form of self examination that can lead to greater self awareness and greater emotional freedom. Below I’ve highlighted some additional benefits of going in-depth with your shadow work.
1. Improved Relationship
When you understand and accept your shadow side, it is easier to accept the shadow in others. Also, you won’t be easily triggered by the behaviors of others. As a result, you become more grounded and whole.
2. Improved Health and Physical Energy
As you let go of the baggage and all those things you have suppressed and don’t want to face in your adulthood, you liberate a vast reservoir of energy. This renewed energy that you have released can transform your life in improved physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health.
3. Psychological Integration
Integrating the shadow self is what will bring you a sense of wholeness and balance. As long as we deny or repress certain parts of ourselves, a sense of unity is elusive.
The shadow work can bring you inner strength and a greater sense of balance to take on life’s challenges more optimally. Furthermore, you become more peaceful, wise and comfortable with yourself.
4. Greater Creativity
If you want to unlock more of your creative potential then doing the shadow work is key. When you transcend the ego, even for a second, you can access that flash of light that translates to a vision, perhaps your greatest idea or creation.
5. Clearer Perception
When you are self-aware, you can assess your surroundings, your environment more accurately. Also, you will be able to perceive yourself in a more balanced way, not too big (inflated) or too small (deflated).
Understanding Your Shadow Through Archetypes
A way to expand your knowledge of the shadow self is through the understanding of the archetypes. The great philosopher, Plato, was the first to speak about it, but he called them Forms. According to him, there were two realities, the physical one we live in and the non-physical realm where the Forms exist. For Plato, the forms or archetypes are ideal, pre-existing blueprints or templates with characteristics such as, roundness, softness, blackness and so on.
In our modern time, Carl Jung, made us aware of the archetypes—the shadow self. Since archetypes reside in the unconscious, they influence everything we’re doing, thinking and feeling and influencing everyone else in the same way. Archetypes are the hidden forces behind human behavior.
So how can understanding and working with your archetype help you?
When you can observe an archetype operating within you, you have essentially differentiated yourself from the archetype. Therefore, you can separate yourself from it and its influence, thus, erasing its’ harmful or damaging ways.
One of the reasons I appreciate the works of Carl Jung and archetypal psychology is because he has given us a powerful way of getting to know our psyche. Also, a means of understanding the motivations of others. Hence, the more you can identify the archetypes in others, the more you can identify them in yourself and vice versa.
The goal in doing the shadow work and identifying your shadow self or archetype is to liberate yourself from being dominated by any archetypes and remain centered in the Self. The Self being in this case, the organizing principle that maintains balance or psychic order.
What Do Archetypes Do?
There are three roles that archetypes play in your life.
- They Influence Behavior
- Trigger Emotions
- Provide Meaning
Archetypes are essentially patterns of behaviors that are collectively shared by humanity. Thus, a particular archetype can influence your behavior in a predictable way just like a program. If you assume the role of the Hero, certain archetypal behaviors associated with that archetype will arise, both positive and negative, passive and active.
Different archetypes evoke different emotions, for example, warriors are courageous, Lovers are passionate. Consequently, when you experience an emotion, you are expressing an emotion of an archetype.
Every human being has an inner world. This is the home of your thoughts, feelings, imagination, emotions, fantasies, etc. Your archetype taps into your emotions and your inner world to give life a sense of personal meaning.
Project Archetypes
Drawing from the works of Dr. Carl Jung and combined with new discoveries, Project Archetypes has come up with a highly researched program to identify your archetype. The 12 archetypes are the Lover, Jester, Orphan, Caregiver, Ruler, Creator, Innocent, Sage, Explorer, Outlaw, Magician and Hero.
If you want to explore Project Archetype, you can start by taking a small quiz . It asks questions pertaining to four core areas; personality, relationships, strengths and your life’s purpose.
- Your Personality-Your personality, the first layer, is your foundation. It looks at your successes, your failures, your thought, and your patterns. According to the program, in order to move forward, you must understand what held you back. To break barriers, you must understand why they are there in the first place.
- Relationships– This second layer is the study of you and your relationships, of your archetype and your archemates. As an example, being with the right person can ignite a flame and help you become an unstoppable force and conversely, being with the wrong person can weaken you and dull your light.
- Talents and Strengths-The third layer looks deeply into your talents and strengths. And, not just the ones you are aware of but all your God-given talents and gifts.
- Your Life’s Purpose– The fourth is your final layer. After reading about your deepest desires, motivations and beliefs, you may finally uncover what you are meant to do. Thus, arriving at information that will set you free, spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
If you want to delve deeper, you can purchase the program which includes your in-depth archetype report. The report consists of over 100 pages of personalized and detailed insights, all about you, your life, and your future. In addition, you will get the archetype active imagination technique, the archetypal dialoguing technique and the archetypal dreamworking technique. Essentially, you will have a complete blueprint of your entire life to work with all based on the work of Dr. Carl Jung.
