Why The Shadow is NOT Your Evil Side - And How it can be Positive
Expanded view of the Jungian Shadow
Workshop “Overthinkers Guide to Creative Consistency” announcement at the end of the text.
The shadow is one of the most intriguing concepts in Jungian psychology, but it's also the most misunderstood.
What follows is not a comprehensive overview of the concept (I’m in the process of writing one), but a reflection on what most people misunderstand or overlook about the shadow.
The shadow is NOT that which is evil in you. It's not your "dark side."
The shadow is that in you which, when brought to consciousness, you find troubling, problematic, threatening, or contradictory to what you claim your values are.
Yes, our capacity for evil is often included in the shadow. But the overall theme of the shadow is our resistance to aspects of our psyche. It’s something that makes the ego consciousness uncomfortable. Something that the ego would prefer not to have to deal with.
As the great Jungian analyst James Hollis said, paraphrasing Jung, our biggest shadow issue is not that we are evil but that we live lives that are too small.
What Hollis meant by this is that most people lead lives defined by fears, defenses, and a desire to fit in.
The ego prefers certainty, security, and control. On the other hand, change, ambiguity, and uncertainty cause anxiety. And that's how the shadow is often formed—as a defense against what causes us anxiety.
Because of the need to avoid challenging the status quo, sticking out, or rocking the boat, we suppress and push some of our best capacities into the unconscious. That's why, as Hollis said, there is such a thing as a "positive shadow."
The positive shadow is those aspects of your personality that are creative, developmental, and constructive, but are at the same time dangerous because they take you on a journey that brings challenges, discomfort, pain, and even isolation.
To make the first step toward recognizing your positive shadow, I leave you with two questions asked by Hollis:
Did you ever step into the fullness of your journey?
Let's think of shadow as our summons to accountability. What is it that I'm not addressing in my life?
I hope you take 5 minutes out of your day to sit with these questions.
Thank you for reading.
P.S. This Sunday, December 29th, I'm hosting a workshop to celebrate my fifth anniversary of writing online every day.
📅 [29.12.2024] 🕒 [8:30 am EST / 2:30 pm CET]
*Recording available after the live event.
Whether you’re a writer, an artist, or anyone who feels they have something to share with the world, this workshop will show you how to start creating despite insecurity and feeling overwhelmed, stay consistent, and find fulfillment in the process.
(click here for the workshop table of contents)
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Thanks for those insights and sharing resources. I will try to read those and share my feedback if any.