Owning the Shadow

Before delving in I just want to make clear that my intention here is not to expand so much on the specific ways in which the shadow manifests itself in the psyche and in the dreams of the individual as is the common Jungian approach. My intention is more to present the concept to the layman and also tie it more to the art of energy healing. Whilst, in my view, it is very important to have a grasp of the psychological manifestations of the shadow in all of its myriad forms, It can also very quickly digress into too rigid a discourse. Blog post Shadow 2.0 may be where the specifics come out. But for now lets dig in…

The shadow work and integration is the inevitable and possibly more challenging part of the work. It is the ugly, difficult, painful, shameful, guilt filled part which requires an iron will and capacity to see things as they really are instead of how we simply wish them to be. In the energy healing sessions this often translates as “oh...I actually need to start taking responsibility for these aspects”. Energetically speaking these aspects are autonomous agents lodged within the body (physical, subtle and astral) forming tight knots of energy referred to by Jung as Complexes, which in turn have their basis in archetypal energies but have since become distorted. In other words they are instinctual and foundational patterns of energy that over time, through cultural adaptation, are gradually repressed and relegated to the unconscious where they subsequently become distorted knots of energy in the collective psyche and in the individuals personal psyche. These energies are desperate for the integrating touch of consciousness. They pine for wholeness and will stop at no lengths to become known. The way we were conditioned by the early life influences of family and culture, coupled with past-life experiences will determine which parts of ourselves are acceptable to consciousness and which parts are unacceptable, or are simply too pain-filled to integrate with compassion.

The unacceptable parts , though abandoned and shrouded in darkness, do not equate to “bad”. They are merely unknown. Think of the shadow that is cast by a candle light - it is an inevitable consequence of consciousness as light. As the light becomes brighter, so too does the amount of darkness it is capable of seeing, but also the shadow cast becomes greater. Jung hypothesised that if every individual was capable of facing their own darkness, then evil would not rein in the world to the extent that it does today. In other words, to heal the evil in this world we must begin to harness our own totality and power. Become able to perceive our darkness and our light. Think back to the projections. It is that uncontrolled and at times volatile energy that can cause immense harm and even eventuate in the creation of wars. But when those powerful archetypal energies are integrated within the container of consciousness then they become not only de-potentiated in relation to conducting evil but actually become forceful influences for higher change. Thus to cure the world we must first cure ourselves. Therefore the shadow is in effect our gold, as Jung wisely stated.

But this integration can take time and is often heavier and more cumbersome, Saturnine if you will. It is the no-frills part of the work and entails commitment and dedication. The healing sessions can certainly speed up and facilitate this change but on the most fundamental level the client is the one who must step through the door and reclaim their power.

A term very often mentioned with a sense of fear is the notion of “negative entities” and “psychic attacks”. Whilst these are very legitimate realities, they are oft misunderstood. The true remedy to these experiences is in fact a preventative one, not a reactionary one. If we wish to be free of these phenomena, and the stream of unending challenging life circumstances, we must integrate our shadow aspects and reduce the cycle of unconscious projections. We must learn to enable the internal energies and then allow them to find their true source. This is the proactive practice of facilitating our own healing and taking responsibility for it. Our ego must expand to include its totality and become a facilitator of change instead of the inhibitor of change. As a healer I am often asked “don't the dark energies from me affect you?”. My response is that they do not because through my own daily practice and ability to percieve the darker depths of my being I am in turn generally able to percieve the darkness in the other. When I percieve the dark aspect in the other, then it must come to terms with itself due to the penetrating gaze of consciousness. It has nowhere to hide. If I were to absorb someone’s else’s darkness unconsciously, then that is precisely the experience I would require as it would point to a blind spot in my consciousness. Thus it becomes a great catalyst for change instead of something to be repulsed by. We all have darkness, there is no shame in this. Instead let us shift our attitude to one of acceptance and compassion.

So by releasing the tightly-bound knots of energy by virtue of the conscious integrating light cast upon it, the aspect in question can begin to shed and grieve its false identity and pain and start to move freely again. Important to note here that the shadow isn’t the aspect itself but rather the field in which the aspect has been buried, the darkness where it has dwelt. The aspect eventually finds its way to the crown chakra where its higher nature becomes aligned to Consciousness and Divine Will. As it does so energetic channels are created that enable further life force and cosmic energy to flow freely through the body. This is what creates open channels of energy. The tightly bound knots of energy once freed carry immense energetic potential. Once opened, the client will feel a more constant and loving relationship to this aspect which will now be a force in service to Life to be harnessed by the individual for further growth and development. It will have its place in both the higher realms and the lower realms.

Through the gradual clearing and aligning of these aspects from the shadow to the light, one’s energy field will become increasingly purified and spacious. The mind will be far less prone to habituated thinking and generally one will begin to feel the presence and movement of energy more regularly. This will also enable new connections and communications to occur with the Spiritual world which hitherto one did not have the awareness to perceive. Once a relatively stable and self-replenishing system has been cultivated, when dark aspects enter or are uncovered, they are embraced and transmuted in a quicker and more efficient manner. And most importantly it becomes something the individual can begin to do on their own, independent of the healer, once one feels sufficiently grounded and safe in their own healing process. One of the main aims of the Great Work is to become self-sufficient in your own self-realisation process. Sure, we will always require the input of the other, but the scales can tip and we can for the first time in our lives steer our own ship with confidence and insight – a profoundly liberating act especially as our ship becomes increasingly anchored in the seas of the Totality with all of its inherent intelligence and grace.

The goal is to reach a place where we are no longer afraid of the darkness and ‘evil’ but see it more as an opportunity for further growth and expansion. It is an opportunity to delve ever deeper into the depths of our inner being with courage, knowing that around the corner are the keys to our greatest fulfilment.