I talk a lot on this blog about the shadow side, introspection and healing, but it dawned on me the other day that I haven’t written much about it. With Halloween approaching, I’ve been munching on popcorn and watching a lot of movies- Last night I watched the Night House and it did not disappoint, it certainly touches on the supernatural and the shadow side.
It really got me thinking though, last year saw me dive into inner healing. I think it would be fair to say that I have been on the path of self-acceptance and finding inner confidence for some time, but last year was different.
I learned about so many things to do with the shadow self, the dark night of the soul, introspection and healing.
As the foundations of my life crumbled around me and I had to rebuild, ultimately I realised my support was not strong, so I learnt to let go of what no longer served me, give up on material wealth and most importantly how to accept myself.
I got in tune with myself and started to listen to my intuition. I slowed down and gave myself a chance to heal. I started to see the value in nature and appreciate what I had. I didn’t need to want anything new, I had all that I needed. I saw the beauty in life behind the facade of the ego and most importantly I started to breathe.
Try it. Take a deep breath in now. Don’t you suddenly feel humbled that you walk this earth?
A shadow side is the part of us that we don’t want to admit to having. The shadow side reflects that parts of us we both don’t like having and those qualities we often don’t like in others. It is also very much subconscious.
It is only with self-awareness and inner work that we can become aware that it is there. If we can acknowledge the shadow side then we can love ourselves, truly.
The shadow side appears when we are having a difficult time dealing with stress or coping with problems.
“We are always, thanks to our human nature, potential criminals.”
Carl Jung, Living at the edge of a volcano.
Carl Jung made the term ‘shadow self’ popular, but he also pointed out that within societies we have a collective shadow. A collective shadow is dangerous as it removes us from grounded thinking and encourages us into things such as narcissism.
Something I have been talking about recently is the shadow side of social media.
"It is certainly a good thing to preach reason and common sense, but what if you have a lunatic asylum for an audience or a crowd in a collective frenzy?"
Carl Jung, Living at the edge of a volcano.
Shadow work is introspective psychology. It’s an examination of who we truly are. When working with the shadow we often have moments of awakening that lead us into more fulfilling lives. Spiritual awakenings are rarely love and light, but they usually end that way.
When doing shadow work, it can encourage us to better ourselves, our quality of life and to help others. Once you have completed shadow work it will lead to greater authenticity, emotional freedom and often a freer expression of creativity.
A Shadow Side
As I looked into the mirror,
There was just an empty void,
A black abyss of nothingness,
There just staring back at me,
I felt it in the pit of my stomach,
An aching and a thirst for more,
My shadow side had emerged,
I told myself, ‘just ignore it,’
But once I’d seen it I couldn’t,
And it stood there once more,
As time went on it grabbed me
Tightly by the hand to show me
That we all live in an asylum,
We all have darkness and light,
On the brink of sanity, I turned,
I faced it and asked it to leave,
But instead, It only shook its head,
It said, ‘I’m not going anywhere.’
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