How can you get in touch with your Shadow Self, and why is it essential?

When you can observe your inner world, in which you are present with your thoughts and emotions without getting drifted away with them towards a state of fear and procrastination, which usually leads to depression or escapism from pain and hurt, you can then start to fully accept yourself as you are, and to come up with practical solutions that would help improve yourself. But what is it inside of us that brings up this much reluctance towards ourselves?

Well, the answer is simple: The Shadow Self.. the hidden part of you that might be driving you to act in certain ways without knowing it. Getting in touch with your shadow self is a very important step in your self-discovery and awakening journey.

What is the shadow self?

Every one of us has a hidden side (SHADOW) that refuses to confront or accept, which makes it the primary source of suffering and misery in someone’s life. This part of ourselves accompanies us no matter how much we try to escape from it, and is usually projected onto our thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and choices in general, affecting our relationships with things, people, money, our work, and particularly in our journey towards spiritual growth.

Everything in our lives, whether we’re aware of it or not, has a clear and evident influence from the shadow.

So why do you think humans naturally tend to escape from this shadow?

The shadow consists of everything you do not want to see or bring to light, so it becomes buried. When a person buries any thoughts, feelings, sensations, urges, desires, impulses, or needs instead of accepting themselves as they are, with all their flaws before their merits, they live a superficial life, in which fear and anxiety keep them from diving into the depths of themselves or flying up to the space of their spirit. Thus, they become only materially connected to life, disconnected from their true nature, incapable of understanding or improving themselves, and disconnected from their spirit that is meant to guide them to their true essence.

But does this mean it is okay to allow myself to be swept away with my thoughts or feelings? Of course not, but by practicing self-awareness, you can be merely an observer and explorer of yourself so you can learn how to deal with it.

As people cling to what they believe is good for them instead of accepting what they cannot change and the hardships of life as they are, certain beliefs and expectations that may be misplaced are ultimately created as a result, believing that they are the only things acceptable to them. They also develop certain attachments, donning a mask that they believe is what they should be and thinking it provides them safety and protection, thus identifying with this mask as their true self.

Without sufficient self-awareness about what is going on inside you, this shadow controls your decisions and choices in life while you think that your personality (the protective mask) is in charge, because this personality is the Ego (the false self), which is more concerned with basic human survival rather than spiritual growth.

How do you recognize the hidden side of yourself and how can you benefit from this experience? 

As mentioned before, the shadow is that aspect of the self in which we place everything we reject in ourselves, whether it is emotional, intellectual, behavioral, a trait, or a way of life. This aspect is rejected because the ego misleads us to believe that if this part of us becomes apparent, our survival, safety, and acceptance by others will be at risk. Therefore, we bury it, hide it, suppress it from others and from ourselves, and deny it because it represents a threat to us.

But how can you acknowledge the hidden side of yourself?

If you sit with yourself and contemplate what fascinates you and what repulses you in people, you will find that such things exist within you too, but you don’t love those parts of yourself and you refuse to accept them.. Everything that you reject or deny in yourself, and everything that fascinates you or repulses you in others, whether thoughts, emotions or behaviours, is your “Shadow”.

The Shadow lies deep within us as we bury it after years of condemning it with ultimate judgements, the more we resist and reject that part, mistreat it, neglect it or force it to, the more it will keep showing itself in ways that don’t suit us and cause us harm, taking over and driving our thoughts, emotions and behaviours in painful ways.

In order for us to be fully self-aware and capable of self-improvement, we must stop resisting our shadow and be compassionate enough with ourselves to be able to deal with it consciously.

The Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) says: “If you keep repeating the same actions, you will always get the same results”

That’s why we need to help ourselves deal with our shadow by doing something different and taking different actions which we will learn together in this journey. 

What will you learn in this journey?

You will get introduced to all the aspects of humanitarian and psychological development, and the hidden parts of one’s self, in addition to the 7 stages of the soul. You will also learn how to integrate your shadow self into your life according to Carl Jung’s philosophy and science of consciousness, aiming to detach from your Ego -your false self- by applying certain meditation practices that will help you shed light on the hidden parts of yourself and start realising them without judgement. You will definitely learn how you can meditate and observe your shadow in your daily life routine; while practicing your daily job, talking to friends, and even how you act with your loved ones, whether family members or close friends. You will start doing inner “shadow-work” to liberate yourself from your shadow in 5 key steps, leading you to a continuous state of awakening and transfiguration. 

Benefits you’ll get from the “Shadow” journey:

This course is meant to take you on a very deep journey within yourself, exploring the buried aspects of your psyche and working on integrating them into your daily life, with awareness rather than judgement, so you can become the best version of yourself possible, and find your balance between the physical world and the spiritual world. It is a journey that needs your patience and trust in the process, in which everything happens in its right time especially when it comes to spiritual teachings, like the journey of “Ego”. As time passes you by, you will discover that you are already getting closer and closer to your authentic self, and see the light within you. You will be able to recognise those voices in your head that keep you away from improving, and could harm you and harm others around you, and learn how to deal with them rather than escape from them.