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.
Panel Discussion: Exploring the Depth of Spiritual Tradition (Barbara Du Bois, Carl Grimsman, and Vijaya Fedorschak)
What’s Love, and What’s Love Got to Do with It? The Eternal Questions and Easy Misunderstandings (Regina Sara Ryan)
Contemplation: Awareness and Presence in Ordinary Life (Angelon Young)
The Transformative Power of Guarding One’s Speech (Bandhu Dunham)
Living Life with Gratitude (Debora Hogeland Celebucki)
Can’t Get There from Here: The Overlay of Mind on Reality (Bala Zuccarello)
Deepening Compassion in Times of Groundlessness, Uncertainty, and Fear (Nachama Greenwald)
Dig into the Mud to Get to the Sky (Karuna Fedorschak)
Cultivating the View that Everything is in Transit: A Consideration of Death in the Spiritual Traditions (Vijaya Fedorschak)
Wonder and Radical Amazement: Relearning the Forgotten Language of the Soul (Regina Sara Ryan)
The Tyranny of the Past (Angelon Young)
There is a Crack in Everything—That’s How the Light Gets In: The Myth of Self-Perfection (Matthew Files)
My Body is a Temple: Creating a Life of Practice (Christina Sell)
Be Kind, Be Generous, Be Tender-Hearted (Rick Lewis)
Neither Attracted nor Repelled—The Value of Cultivating Equanimity (Nachama Greenwald)
Following a Path with Heart—Reflections on Castaneda’s Literature (Karl Krumins)
Traps on the Path (Karuna Fedorschak)
Confirmation Bias (Bandhu Scott Dunham)
The Possibility of Inner Freedom through Recognizing Ego Insubstantiality (Vijaya Fedorschak)
Tantra and Ordinary Life (Angelon Young)
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