The Shadow

Once we commit to the process of self-discovery and enter the alchemical vessel, it is inevitable that we will encounter the aspects of ourselves that have not been addressed or faced, or what we might call the “Shadow.” The Shadow is a term coined by Carl Jung to describe the side of our nature that has been cast into the unconscious and held there in the dark to protect conscious life from what we feel may be unacceptable, either to ourselves or to others. It is the side of ourselves we need to hide in order to present a positive face that the world accepts. As we bury parts of ourselves we do not wish the world to see, they gradually become blind spots, maintained in darkness through denial. The Shadow, as Jung sometimes suggested, is the unconscious itself with all its chaotic and potent instinctual aspects. These may be negative, primitive, or undeveloped, but also may be positive yet seemingly unacceptable aspects of ourselves.

Rob Preece
from The Wisdom of Imperfection; The Challenge of Individuation in Buddhist Life