The Shadow within us
According to Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, all of us carry a shadow within ourselves, but rarely anyone is aware of it. To become conscious of your shadow, you need to put in a moral effort, and to accept the dark aspects of your personality. So, Jung says that we have a dark and light side. He called the ”dark side” – Shadow, explaining that the less conscious we are about its existence, the blacker and bigger it is.
The ego imagines that we are inherently good and that nothing negative can exist within us
Jung points out that we, as humans, are vulnerable to negative emotions that can stimulate the secretion of negative hormones in our body. The ego thinks that we are good by nature, but, we all know that this is not true. For example, when we are hurt or rejected, we instantly feel angry and bitter. When we fail, we suddenly feel afraid or confused. When others point their finger at us, we may feel guilty and worthless. When we are faced with negative experiences in life, we consciously or unconsciously activate our defense mechanisms in order to protect ourselves and our identity.
In the last couple of years, neuroscientists proved that human thoughts have some frequencies that influence our behavior. All the feelings that you have experienced, like vulnerability and anger, and never expressed them, got buried in your shadow. With time, these feelings come out in the form of insecurity and trigger negative actions.
The world around you is a mirror that reflects your inner state
The world around us is a mirror that reflects our inner state. If you feel love for yourself and the people around you, they will feel this love too and reflect it to you. But, if all you see in other people and the outer world is anger, resentment, and disharmony, then you will probably face even worse battles inside you.
Embrace your shadow
If you don’t want to be a victim to your shadow, you need to accept your darkness and to deal with it. Otherwise, due to your unstable and insecure self-image, you will need to control others, to display supremacy, and to exert power. If you don’t become conscious about your shadow, it will project itself onto others, causing many troubles.
Therefore, if you want your body and mind to be healthy, you need to face your shadow entirely. You must be able to own your shadow to achieve wholeness. What does that mean? The ego doesn’t want you to become aware of your shadow, so it intervenes every time you are on the path to figuring out what weighs you down. But, if you are persistent and introspective, you can discover your shadow through self-observation.
Start by making notes of negative feelings
You can start by making notes of your negative feelings. When you find out what is the root of the feeling, you can convert it into something positive. When you become aware of your unconscious fear or anger, negativity will no longer have control over you. The shadow must be diverted to be released from the chains.
