The Shadow

I am happy to get positive feedback from Spo-fans that not only are the “Jung” entries understandable they are enjoyable. People want more. I am pleased to do so; it keeps me on top of my training to write about them.
I miss teaching and this fills some need of mine.
Last “Jung 101” was about the Archetypes. The one I want to write about today is an important one, called the Shadow.

The Shadow in the inferior/uncivilized base qualities which stand in compensation/balance to the Ego. It is ‘the thing a person has no wish to be’. It is a wild and tameless energy, but not inherently ‘evil’; it is evil when not allowed conscious connection/space in the psyche. Remember, there is no such thing as a ‘bad’ or a ‘good’ archetype. But being out of touch with the Shadow is particularly dangerous. One can not exorcise the Shadow (or any complex/archetype); one had to own up to it.

The question is not ‘do I have a Shadow?” it is “Where is my Shadow today?”

We’ve all known people possessed by Shadow. An easy and contemporary example is Darth Vader, a man possessed by the “Dark Side of the Force”. Star Wars is full of Mythos and classic Jungian psychology, which probably accounts for lots of Star War’s allure. (All those archetypes running around on screen!).

A basic rule in psychology is; What we don’t incorporate into our psyches or process consciously we project out onto others. The Shadow is particularly prone to projection, as few are wise enough to own up to it. So we readily put it onto others.
“I don’t have a problem, but he sure does!”.
One sees projection in nasty people focusing on others’ faults.
The ‘brighter’ one tries to be i.e Shadow-less, the greater the projection.

More deadly is when a whole people/culture ‘decide’ to project their communal Shadow onto another group. When I was in school, the classic example to illustrate this was Europe in the 30s/40s, projecting its Shadow onto the Jews and trying to eliminate this ‘evil’. In American history, the Shadow has been projected first onto the Native Americans (oh, those devilish Indians! said my Puritan forefathers as they were being nasty to each other). Then, onto the British, then North with the South (and vice versa), the Chinese in the West, the Irish in the East, Japs in the 40s, Commies in the 50s, Negroes in the 60s. There is no lack of examples.
Nowadays, the GLBT community, the Mexicans (at least where I live) and Muslims are the recipient of Amercia’s projected Shadow by conservative and religious groups, leaving the projecter spotless and sinless. In its anxiety, the USA seems to be doing a lot of Shadow projection rather than owning up to its’ dark side.
I’ve wondered if the world doesn’t consider us a laughingstock with our projections.

So be mindful of the Shadow. As a conscious part of your Psyche it provides energy and zest. As an unconscious conspirator with other archetypes, it means Ruin.