Archetypes - the Shadow

We all have a variety of archetypes that live within us. In fact, according to Carolyn Myss, in the Sacred Contract we have twelve of them. Four are standard - the Victim, Inner Child, Prostitute and Sabotuer. We will get into these more deeply as we go along.

With each archetype we have a light side (positive) and a dark side (negative). These are givens in who we are as humans. The dark side - negative - or shadow is based on fear and anger. Without the shadow, you as a human being aren't complete. If you are unable t see your own shadow, it's time to find it. We all have failed dreams that, at the time, seemed like a perfect solution to whatever challenges we were working, Each one of those solutions match an aspect of your shadow.

 You may be wondering what I mean about the dark side of our personality, so I'll use a couple of examples: Addiction, anxiety, depression, out - of control rage. People can take personal responsibility for these behaviors by going into recovery programs, visiting psychiatrists or attending anger management classes. Yet, if you look at these issues logically, these shadow aspects remain undefeated.

We all must acknowledge our own shadows and the power our shadow has over us. When Carl Jung, a well-known psychiatrist from Sweden, spoke of the archetype of our shadow he stated "The shadow creates a fog of illusion that surrounds the self." The more we avoid our own shadow, the more we become trapped in this fog. And in doing so we give our shadow more and more power over us.

Take for example, someone who has been dieting and has lost a lot of weight, Within a year or two he/she has gained all of their weight back. his happens over and over. When you live in this fog, you are unable to see your self-destructive impulses. "One little cookie won't hurt me" or "I can't wait a couple more hours for a meal, so I'll just have a couple of potato chips." Even as irresistible and fun our impulses may be, they are extremely harmful to us.

We witness the shadow side of our world on a daily basis. The news portrays almost nothing but the shadow side of human nature, day after day, minute by minute on some channels. Mother nature can turn in an instant with tornadoes, earthquakes and tsunamis - destruction at its finest. The death of a loved one - interrupting their life in its prime or before they've even started, Isn't it a wonder we'd rather put on the blinders and step into the fog. Facing the darkness 24/7 is unbearable, but if you look beyond the news and the destruction, you are still able to find peace and freedom from the shadow side of life. Each one of us has that power to move into the light, to see beyond the dark.

The answer lies in our higher consciousness. I know some of you may be shaking your head and saying, "Yeah right." Others are nodding exuberantly saying "Absolutely."

One thing I have discovered a long my own journey is that in order to defeat my shadows, I have to give up on the idea of defeating them. The moment I talk about eliminating my shadow - beating it - I've already lost the battle,

Look at what's going on in the world. Human nature's dark side thrives on war, struggle and conflict, The United States is ready to jump into everyone elses challenges, Making them "our challenges". Our country's energy is caught up in the battle of good and evil somewhere else and avoiding it's own challenges on the home turf. Just as you, as one human, are caught up in the struggle between what you know is right and the impulse that will cause you anger, guilt, and shame.

When the world bursts in mass violence, individuals burst into personal violence. You have to shove the impulsive "bad" part of you into a dark cage if you "the good" part chose to live in a peaceful loving way,

If you repress this anger, fearful, insecure, jealous part of yourself, your shadow gains more power for its own cause. The power can become destructive and appear in physical or emotional illness or pain. Repressing your shadow creates dis-ease within your physical body. When your shadow turns on you all "hell" can break loose.

People who have addictions - food, alcohol, drugs and gambling cannot separate the "good" me and the "bad" me. The dark impulses preoccupy their thoughts and behaviors without the checks and restraints of a non addict, The inner gremlins or "monkey mind" will spoil any pleasure you've derived from your day of freedom by mocking your happiness and repeatedly reminding you of your weakness and pushing temptation in your face, One very crucial aspect you need to remember in an addicts life is the part that habit plays. There are probably some genetics involved, but I am not going to address those issues.

If you split your "bad" side - the one who overeats, drinks too much, or takes one too many pills, from the "good" side - the one who is able to say no and walk away, the "bad" side loses touch with the core of the self - our good side because there is no longer any violence, anger and fear.

The more you repress your shadow, it becomes easier to construct a "persona" or character that shines with a good light. This is when people say "I can't believe he or she did that, he/she is such a nice person."

Addicts are trapped inside the fog with nothing but their cravings and fear of not getting the next morsel, drink or pill. Once the addict starts to think and believe that they are more than their addiction and they don't want to lose everything, their fear can be overcome. They will tell themselves that it's time for this to end. Once they become clear in that moment, the healing power comes from that clarity.

Once the shadow loses it's power than your consciousness stops being divided. You are no longer split and there is only one self to see.

Until tomorrow,

Namaste

Sue