At sunset today my flickering shadow moved along the  
sidewalk and fascinated me. It's funny stuff--this  
illusion caused by lack of light. Now it's Halloween,  
(Witchs’ New Year) the one day when main-stream culture is  
actually allowed to dance with the shadow. It's like a  
temporary mass hysteria (or perhaps a streak of sanity)  
during which it becomes socially acceptable to play a  
dominatrix, Dracula, a demon, or even to dress in drag.  
Letting out the dark alter ego can be not only playful, but 
profoundly healing. I'd like to offer a brief introduction 
to shadow-work. These processes have the potential to help 
us let go of our deepest darkest fears, forever.  
 
What is Shadow?  
In Jungian theory the term 'Shadow' refers those  
qualities about ourselves that we dislike and deny. This  
includes fear, anger, depression and/or any combination of  
our hidden personality. It's also known as the wounded  
self, the dark side, and is associated with our  
manipulative ego strategies. Like mushrooms, shadow  
aspects thrive in darkness (unconsciousness) and die in  
direct light (awareness.) These qualities are known as the  
shadow because they are the sides of us which appear to be  
separate from the light of Spirit.  
Robert Bly uses the metaphor of a bag that we lug  
around behind us. He suggests that we spend the first half  
of our lives filling the bag, and the second half trying to 
 
empty the bag. One of my meditation teachers added to  
this image. He says that we carry this bag as we climb the  
ladder of enlightenment. As we ascend each rung, there is  
more light by which to see what's in bag, and we can then  
more easily remove that which no longer serves us. This  
suggests that the more enlightened we become, the more  
shadow is revealed.  
Facing our fears, and moving through darkness is not  
foreign work for many of us. Whether it's admitting that  
we've become controlling like our mothers or recognizing  
pattern of self-sabotaging our own success, we often have  
these painful psychological insights. Now, what do we do  
with them?  
 
The Work:  
The basic premise of all shadow work is that as you  
embrace the enemy, you become more whole. After all, what  
happens when you shine the light on a shadow? It  
disappears. Awareness is the light that if shined on our  
negative aspects, helps us become more integrated, healthy  
beings. Famed philosopher Ken Wilber suggests: that which  
we cannot consciously see about ourselves will  
unconsciously run our lives.  
The tricky paradox is that by definition, the shadow is  
unknown and difficult to see. Our shadows are dark  
illusions that fall on the people around us, often casting  
an illusion that seems to originate within them. But when  
we look closer, the shortcomings we perceive in our friends 
 
are actually reflections of our own unhealed wounds. The  
ego simply doesn't want to hate itself, so it turns it's  
judgment on others. In fact, some spiritual teachers  
believe that all judgment is actually self judgment. If you 
 
find yourself emotionally affected or triggered by other  
people’s behavior, it is a strong message that you have  
some shadow work to do.  
Here’s one process I often use with my clients:  
1. Look around at your friends and family. Make a list  
of the people who annoy, bother, trigger, anger, frustrate  
or frighten you.  
2. Ask yourself, what is it about them that I dislike?  
3. Reflect on whether you possess that quality  
yourself, or perhaps if that quality points to some  
unhealed aspect of your personal history.  
This process might look like:  
 
 
Sally is too prissy, conservative. Do I hold back, and  
judge my own radical tendencies?  
Boyd is so social and attention-seeking. Do I secretly wish 
 
I were more popular?  
Natalie is too shy. Is it difficult for me to express  
myself?  
 
 
 
4. Replace these limiting beliefs or behaviors with  
empowering new ones. You can use any number of personal  
growth tools such as: affirmations, journaling, praying or  
books such as The Dark Side of the Light Chasers by Debbie  
Ford. For faster results, I recommend you seek the support  
of a coach or spiritual teacher.  
 
The Outcome:  
David Richo, Ph.D., author of Befriending the Shadow,  
suggests that the healing process begins when you  
"Acknowledge that you have all the attributes humans can  
have, that you contain both sides of every human coin."  
Ultimately this work points us in the direction of  
non-duality. At the basic level, we begin by simply  
observing and embracing our aversions. But with practice,  
we may realize that we actually possess the whole of human  
experience within us, none of which is either good or bad;  
wrong or right. This awareness illuminates the whole of our 
 
being, dispelling the illusion that the shadow is separate  
from Spirit. The true work is not overcoming the shadow,  
but seeing clearly that these polarities are in fact  
complimentary energies, and that light cannot not exist  
without darkness. And therein lies our enlightenment.  
 
 
Enjoy the dance.  
Kamala Devi  
 
If you’d like support integrating your spiritual path with  
material success, Kamala offers a complimentary trial  
session to help you towards success and self realization  
right her at: Kamala@blisscoach.com or see  
<http://www.blisscoach.com>