Shadow work

What is The Shadow

You must bring the shadow into your conscious in order to grow from it. If you neglect the shadows or deny them, you are giving them control. They will unconsciously direct your life and crumble your ambitions.

Shadow and manifestation go hand in hand. As you are changing your character, your identity, your shadow will appear and try to pull you back into your old self. Your old self can be hard to get rid of due to unchecked shadow work.

The shadow is repressed because it demonstrates traits which are at conflict with societal norms or personal ideals. Qualities such as egotism, jealousy, anger, etc can be attributed to the shadow if they are incompatible with one’s desired self or expectations. Shadow traits are not solely negative, people with low self esteem or anxiety may be able to uncover aspects of themselves previously ignored. Either way, if its negative it will unconsciously control you, if its positive, you are denying a worthy aspect of yourself. The shadow needs to be integrated for ones most powerful self to surface.

How to Spot The Shadow

The primary mechanism which the shadow manifests is through projection. Individuals unconsciously attribute their own unchecked behavior or personality towards other people. Someone who sees the world and other people as hostile may have unchecked anger within themselves. Projection serves as a defense mechanism. It allows people to avoid their own shortcomings by attributing to people around them. However, its necessary to understand, every thought or emotion toward someone, is coming from you. So, it is worthwhile to ask yourself if you carry what you dislike.