There Will Always Be Shadows

In recent years, shadow work has been a hot topic in the consciousness and personal growth world, but it is not a new idea. Carl Jung is credited with the term “shadow work” but the concept of an inner shadow (or shadows) goes back as far as some indigenous cultures then was articulated further by Greek philosophers, then Jesus, then Buddha - and many mystics and philosophers since.

For context, here’s a short definition of shadow work:

Shadow work involves exploring our darker, repressed aspects like anger, fear, and trauma to embrace our whole selves. By acknowledging the shadow, we uncover hidden emotions and motivations that impact our behaviors, relationships, and decision-making, allowing us to integrate our shadows rather than projecting them onto others.

(If you want to nerd out about shadow work a little more, here is a good overview. )

For the past several years, I have been doing a variant of shadow work with my therapist. We have primarily been focusing on parts and schemas - shining a light into the dark corners of my psyche to, as Jung put it, “make the unconscious conscious”. In addition, I’ve done significant reading and self-study on shadow work from a more spiritual perspective.

Despite all of that immersion, I made a foolish assumption that shadow work is like a home re-model - messy, disruptive, but eventually done. Alas, life taught me in recent days that there will also be shadows.

Why is that?

Evolution, my friends.

We humans are multi-dimensional beings. As such, we produce shadows at different levels. And just like nature, these levels evolve based on conditions, experiences, and catalysts.

For the sake of simplicity, I will put our shadow-makers into two categories:
Animal and Ego.