Everyone has a shadow-self. It’s the unseen part of you. The unconscious. Where all the repressed parts of your nature reside. Aggressive and sexual tendencies. Behaviours, thoughts, and emotions deemed shameful or unacceptable. But that’s not all! The shadow also contains hidden gifts. Your unique strengths and talents; the key to a more meaningful life.
The Shadow-Self and The Ego
Psychoanalyst, Carl Gustav Jung, defined the ‘shadow self’ in 1945.
‘The thing a person has no wish to be,’
Carl Gustav Jung
The shadow-self is a metaphorical dumping ground for all your disowned thoughts, memories, beliefs, behaviours, and traits. It stands side-by-side with the ego. Together the shadow-self and ego make up your identity.
In early childhood, certain behaviours got you in trouble. Your caregivers didn’t approve. And through fear of rejection, you suppressed them. Hid them out of sight. Like a sponge you continued to soak up subtle signals from those around you. What’s acceptable and what’s not?
Eventually, you no longer had to consciously hide the unacceptable parts of yourself. You repressed them. Merged them with the shadow-self and forgot about them.
And so, as life goes on, the ego becomes more refined. Shaped not only by our parents, but by peers, colleagues, society, religion, and culture. And then we go to great lengths to convince ourselves and others: this is who we are!
All the while, the shadow collects more and more parts of us that we’d rather not face. Down they go, below the surface. Into darkness.
But what exactly is lurking in the shadow self?
Your Personal Shadow-Self
Each of us has a personal shadow-self, influenced by family, society, culture, and religion.
Most of us repress our primitive or animalistic natures: aggression and sexual desires. Other ‘undesirable’ traits are also often repressed: selfishness, laziness, greediness, jealousy.
Traumatic memories of abuse, humiliation, and pain. Emotions we were reprimanded for expressing such as anger, sadness, and fear. Beliefs that go against ‘the grain.’ They’re all repressed in the shadow-self too.
Although we may have some similar traits hiding beneath the surface, they’re attached to different memories, trauma, and emotions. Our own individual life experience. And so, each personal shadow-self has its own ‘flavour’.
In the following example, let’s consider why one person would repress a specific behaviour that another person doesn’t.
One child is scolded for having bad table manners. Shame and embarrassment cause him to repress the behaviour, memory, and related emotions. They become part of his shadow-self.
Another child exhibits the same behaviour, but he’s encouraged. Praised for enjoying his food. This child has no need to repress the trait. And he likely incorporates it into the ego, the conscious part of the identity. He identifies as someone who ‘eats well.’ Enjoys his food.
We can see clearly how the shadow-self is moulded by reactions of those around us. A certain trait may be repressed by one person and expressed openly by another.
But that doesn’t tell us how strengths or talents also end up hidden in the shadow.
The Golden Shadow
Our highest potential lies in the ‘golden shadow’. This isn’t some other separate part of our identity. It’s another label for our shadow-self.
We repress our ‘gold’ as much as we repress our ‘shameful’ or undesirable traits.
Strengths, talents, and unique gifts can provoke jealousy, envy, and fear in others. Make them feel inferior. But only because they’ve repressed their own ‘gold’ and can no longer see their own best potential.
So again, fear of rejection causes us to disown our greatest treasures. To hide them away in the shadows.
Let’s imagine the following:
You were born with an inherent gift: the ability to cut right to the centre of an issue. You were incredibly inquisitive. Curious about everything.
But this threatened people; made them feel uncomfortable. Your family criticized you for asking too many questions. Punished you for being nosey. Being too personal.
So, to make others feel at ease you repressed your ‘nosey’ nature. Instead, you stayed quiet. Became indifferent. You even began to despise others for their inquisitive nature.
That strength waits in the shadows for you.
How much potential do you have hidden away in your shadow-self?
Why It’s a Good Idea to Know Your Shadow-Self
So, why should you bother with your personal shadow-self? You’ve got this far in life without acknowledging it, right?
Well, here’s the thing. When you repress parts of yourself, make them unconscious, they take on a life of their own. And you don’t know they exist so how can you keep them in check?
You can’t! These parts of you are out of your control.
When you ignore your shadow-self, triggers come thick and fast. You’re a ticking time bomb. Something seemingly insignificant triggers you and the darker, unseen, out of control side of you bursts forth.
And because you don’t do the inner work, other people quickly learn how to ‘push your buttons.’ In a flash you react, and then regret it. Repeatedly!
Do you see how ignoring the shadow-self is equivalent to handing your power over to other people?
And it’s not just other people you need to worry about. Because the shadow-self has enough power of its own. And it runs the show! Pulls your strings from behind the scenes.
Your outer life mirrors your inner life. The chaotic nature of all that runs amok in the shadow-self reflects in messy circumstances and unfortunate accidents. There’s no-one outside of us to blame; we must get to know our shadow.
Do you have bad luck in friendships or romantic relationships? People in our life also show us what the shadow-self is made of. They’ll outwardly express all the traits you unknowingly despise about yourself.
Again, getting to know your shadow-self and accepting those things in yourself is the only way to break the chain of ‘bad relationships’.
The Collective Shadow
We’ve discussed what your shadow-self is and why you should get to know it. I want to give you even more cause to understand your own shadow.
There’s a much scarier prospect than our own personal shadow-self. That of the collective shadow. Humanity’s shadow.
Repressed within it is everything that goes against moral, societal, and cultural values. Untold trauma from a long history of discrimination, persecution, war, and genocide. Painful truths that we’d rather not face.
And the more we deny it. Try to ‘leave the past in the past.’ It gets denser. The shadow gains more power. Then it’s triggered and the evilest atrocities take place. Again. We’re repeating history. Adding to the immense trauma that will eventually be repressed into an ever-increasing collective shadow.
This is what happens when we refuse to face our own personal shadows.
By not taking responsibility for our own dark side, we add it to the collective shadow. And unknowingly, we become partly responsible for all the horrific acts that originate from it.
To take responsibility for our personal shadow is to also become conscious of the collective shadow. Therefore, when the collective shadow next reveals itself, you won’t be unconsciously swept along by the tidal wave that ensues.
The more of us that commit to facing painful truths about ourselves, the greater the hope for humanity in the future.
Shadow-Self and Your Soul’s Evolution
Reintegrating your shadow-self is how your soul evolves.
In evolutionary astrology, the soul is faced with two conflicting desires: 1) To individuate and separate from the creator. 2) To return to the creator and remerge with it.
Eventually the desire to become ‘one’ with the creator wins.
The same can be seen in the separation of the identity into the ego and the shadow-self. Followed later in life by the desire to reintegrate the shadow. To become whole again.
To remember, we must first forget who we truly are.
Victoria Jane, Plutonian Soul Evolution
Knowing our shadow-self is the first step on the spiritual path. What must follow is a lifelong commitment to our own shadow work. And in facing the darker parts of our nature, we will find the gold we’re searching for!
Our soul continues to evolve, and life becomes more meaningful!
Embrace Your Shadow Self
The shadow self isn’t a monster to fear and run away from. You can’t run from it; it’s part of you. Sure, you could try to ignore it. But then you’re denying a large part of yourself. One that holds not only unpleasant aspects, but also your strengths, personal values, and unique gifts.
Get to know yourself fully. Embrace your shadow. In doing so you’ll improve not only your own life but the lives of others around you.
Together we can make a difference in the collective shadow. Bring hope for a better future. Take back our power!
Did this content help? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Keep evolving beautiful soul.
‘From the ashes, we all rise together!’
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Do you feel called to break karmic cycles in this lifetime? Are you a cycle-breaker, a change-maker, or an alchemist?
We’re passionate about empowering awakened souls, like you, to embrace and interpret their cosmic blueprint. Let the planets guide you into conscious action – break free from old karma and pave a new path toward your soul’s evolution.
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