The shadow is a concept first advanced by Carl Jung to describe those parts of ourselves that we reject and repress. Everyone has a shadow. If we have some sense of what it is, we can work with it; if we don’t, it can run our lives in unseen ways. The failure to work with the shadow is at the root of many interpersonal and organizational problems, and on a mass scale it has a lot to do with the tragedy we see in the world today. Shadow behaviors are incongruent with religious and spiritual ideals, but psychological truth is powerful and can trump beliefs and better intentions. Forces that contribute to the development of the shadow are considered. There is discussion of Mahler’s research on the psychological birth of the child in the process of separation-individuation and Ainsworth’s study of early attachment issues. Repetition compulsion is the urge to recreate and overcome childhood hurts. We unconsciously avoid the shadow to keep painful feelings from awareness, but it shows up in relationship to others. Ways that we contact the shadow are considered. The shadow also contains positive aspects of ourselves and abilities we have disowned. Shadow issues that have manifested in abuse, misuse of power, and lack of responsibility in mainstream religions and spiritual communities based in Eastern traditions are referenced. Spiritual bypassing is the tendency to use spiritual ideas and practices to avoid facing unresolved emotional issues or psychological wounds. We can use spiritual teaching to discount, judge, and interpret rather than open to our experience. The shadow can be transformed by relating to it over time. When we do shadow work, clarity arises and we offer something to the world. The “cure of the shadow” is discussed. We repress our basic goodness. VJ is the organizer of the Western Baul Podcast Series and author of The Shadow on the Path and Father and Son.
The Recognition of Our Heart (Karen Sprute-Francovich)
Timing Is Everything: Opening to Windows of Opportunity in Life and on the Path (Vijaya Fedorschak)
Fourth Way Magic: How Hermetic and Indigenous Traditions Interface with the Gurdjieff Work (Rob Schmidt and Stuart Goodnick)
Stop the World, I Want to Get Off (Regina Sara Ryan)
Basic Trust: The Soul’s Key to Being (Peter Cohen)
Kneel and Kiss the Ground: The Poetics of Presence and Purpose (Mary Angelon Young)
Do You Want to Be Right or Do You Want to Be in Relationship? (Matthew Files)
The Benefit of Good Company on the Spiritual Path (Tom Lennon)
War: What Is It Good For? (Bandhu Dunham)
Cultivating Spiritual Maturity: An Honest Look at Our Commitments (Lalitha)
Writing as a Transformational Path (Mary Angelon Young and Regina Sara Ryan)
Living From Paradox (Juanita Violini)
Hospitality: The Practice and the Art (Regina Sara Ryan)
Using Death as an Advisor: What Death Can Teach Us About Living (Vijaya Fedorschak)
Grace and Mercy: Return of the Goddess (Angelon Young)
Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For... Why? (Matthew Files)
Giving Ourselves to Love (Nachama Greenwald)
Nonduality: Speaking the Unspeakable (Peter Cohen)
Know Your Character: Who’s Running the Show? (Elise Erro/e.e.)
Awakening Conscience: The Potential Value of Not Expressing or Suppressing Negative Emotions (Panel Discussion with Red Hawk, Clelia Lewis, and VJ Fedorschak)
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