Rage...jealousy...lying...resentment...blaming...greed...These forbidden feelings and behaviours arise from the dark, denied part of ourselves-the personal shadow. Everyone has a shadow, which begins to develop in childhood as a result of stuffing away negative feelings in order to build a proper ego. We encounter our shadow when we feel an unexplainable dislike of someone, when we uncover a long-buried, unacceptable trait in ourselves, or when we feel overwhelmed by anger, envy, or shame. But the shadow is not only an individual problem. Groups and nations have a collective shadow, which can lead to dangerous actions, sucha s racism...scapegoating...enemy-making...and war. In a collection of 65 wide-ranging articles, Meeting the Shadow presents an overview of the dark side of human nature as it appears in families, intimate relationships, sexuality, work, spirituality, the New Age, politics, psychotherapy, and creativity. It also offers tools for individual development by teaching shadow-work, which enables us to
-achieve a more genuine and complete self-acceptance
-defuse the negative emotions that erupt in daily life
-release the guilt and shame associated with negativity
-recognize the projections that color our opinions about others
-heal our relaitonships through deeper authenticity
-use writing, drawing, and dreams to reclaim the disowned parts of ourselves. Although we think of the shadow as containing only darkness, as Jung stated, its essence is "pure gold". |
