How do we know when the shadow is lurking in our own hearts, and how can we come to terms with it? Jung gives us some hints when he writes that the shadow has "an emotional nature, a kind of autonomy, and accordingly an obsessive or, better, possessive quality." If we are feeling unusually emotional about someone or something -- if it feels as though our emotions have us rather than our having them -- then we might begin to suspect that the shadow is not far from us. If we feel that we cannot stand another person (think of Bill Clinton and Kenneth Starr), then it is very likely that the other represents significant shadow qualities for us. Whenever we want to protest, "Oh, no, that's not me --I’m not like that!", then it's very likely that we are.
My own experience tells me that Jung was right when he observed that becoming conscious of the shadow "meets with considerable resistance" and "frequently requires much painstaking work extending over a long period." It is painful, even humiliating, to acknowledge our own "primitive, inferior" emotions and impulses. The work must proceed slowly, gently, one step at a time, "with insight and good will."
I also agree with Jung that it is not possible to assimilate the shadow completely. It is, after all, an archetype, and therefore it has a collective aspect which can never be totally integrated into the individual ego. The shadow will always be bigger than we are: our little lights may grow brighter, but the darkness will always be there, just beyond the boundaries of consciousness.
While I was studying in Zurich, I often heard Jungian analyst Ian Baker speak of "recycling the shadow." This image offers us a new way of approaching the shadow and suggests that working with it is like creating a compost pit or recycling our household waste. In our "throw-away" culture we regard refuse such as coffee grounds, wilted vegetables, newspapers and aluminum cans as so much garbage to be tossed away as soon as possible. Similarly, we regard shadow material such as disturbing thoughts and fantasies, painful emotions, and upsetting dreams as psychological garbage. We want to get rid of it, forget about it, sweep it under the rug, deny that it exists. But what would happen if we began to think of it instead as psychological gold? What if we engaged our own shadow material by writing down our dreams, accepting that we sometimes have "negative" thoughts and feelings, and withdrawing our projections onto others? This would be the psychological equivalent of starting a compost pile in the back yard or deciding to recycle our old papers, bottles and cans. Instead of bundling our "dirty stuff' up in plastic and leaving it by the curb to be hauled away to the landfill, we would sort it out, clean it, plow it back into the soil of our inner gardens or re-process it to be used in new and creative ways. This work can be hot, dirty, smelly, and boring. It requires commitment, courage, patience, persistence, and imagination. The results, however, are well worth the effort. Less trash clogging up the environment. Conservation of our natural resources. Brighter flowers and juicier fruit in our gardens. Surprising inventions such as sweaters made from plastic bottles and notebook covers made from old tires. Mental and emotional well-being. Compassion towards ourselves and others. Creative work. Maybe even a measure of wholeness.
Another memory from Switzerland: I am driving through the countryside with a German friend. It is a balmy warm Spring day and the car windows are rolled down. Lovely aromas waft through the air, delighting our senses. Then we pass a large, well-kept farm with a sizable manure pile beside the barn door. Suddenly the sweet aroma changes to something far less delightful. As we hold our noses, my friend tells me that in Europe a farmer's wealth is measured by the size of his manure pile. The more wealth, the more cows, and the more cows, the more manure! We agree that this farmer must be very wealthy indeed, and laughingly drive on.
Perhaps it is so with the shadow: the bigger and darker and smellier it is, the wealthier we are -- if we are able to see it as wealth and learn how to use it. It can be garbage or compost, a manure pile or 99% pure gold. We are the farmers: the work is up to us.
– Susan Olson
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Obviously I struggle with temptation.
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