- the shadow is made up of all repressed elements of ourselves, and things “not yet ripe for consciousness”.
- repressed as in not expressed.
- some things relegated to our shadow are there because our consciousness is not ready to hold them.
- these can be experiences, desires, traits, stories, wants, needs, memories.
- because the conscious and unconscious are constantly informing each other, when the shadow is not expressed consciously, its elements often become symptoms driven by the unconscious.
- it is common to see these symptoms as the shadow itself – often things like anger, codependency, being controlling.
- this is a “mistranslation” of the shadow trying to express itself.
- symptoms have a cause, but also a purpose.
- knowing the historical context of a symptom can act as a catharsis that reduces the emotional charge of the symptom.
- but we cannot get stuck investigating the past.
- we must also understand how our {1.5a} conscious attitude and behaviors perpetuate destructive patterns and narratives.
- importantly, the shadow is neutral.
- it is not made up of the things you don’t like about yourself, or what other people may not like.
- it is not something to fix, get rid of, or overcome.
- the shadow is a kaleidoscope of parts of you asking for a light to shine upon it.
- we must integrate the shadow to take responsibility for our lives and write new stories.