Shadow

In Jungian psychology, the shadow or "shadow aspect" may refer to (1) an unconscious aspect of the personality which the conscious ego does not identify in itself. Because one tends to reject or remain ignorant of the least desirable aspects of one's personality, the shadow is largely negative, or (2) the entirety of the unconscious, i.e., everything of which a person is not fully conscious. There are, however, positive aspects which may also remain hidden in one's shadow (especially in people with low self-esteem). Contrary to a Freudian definition of shadow, therefore, the Jungian shadow can include everything outside the light of consciousness, and may be positive or negative. "Everyone carries a shadow," Jung wrote, "and the less it is embodied in the individual's conscious life, the blacker and denser it is." It may be (in part) one's link to more primitive animal instincts, which are superseded during early childhood by the conscious mind.

Expanding from my research on Synchonicity lead me all of the other archetypes. Written around the outer layer of the glyph, is just a short reminder of my personal discover every time I take a glance at it,"The shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality, for no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort. To become conscious of it involves recognizing the dark aspects of the personality as present and real. This act is the essential condition for any kind of self-knowledge. Aion (1951). CW 9, Part II: P.14"

Although I only took one course in psychology, I hadn't done a any study on the self and it's ego and the explanation of the shadow brought immense clarity to some of the dark part of my past, more importantly, it made me aware that I'm not the only one and that we all have a dark side, the key gaining control isn't to ignore it but to accept it as a part of you and the whole.

- Druid Cruize