Flavio's notes & aphorisms
Shadow
What do we see when we picture ourselves? We usually see an unified self. We stake our identities on our habitual traits and preferences, such as the musical genres that appeal to us, or whether pineapple is acceptable as a pizza topping. All this goes to pieces when we are gripped by an almost murderous rage, or we enjoy the affections of a paramour. We then plead temporary insanity, and swear to never give in again. We say that we were ‘beyond ourselves’, all in an effort to avoid identifying ourselves with our basest desires.
“No tree” writes Jung “can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell”. By this, Jung means that we must face our own capacity for malevolence, and work to bring it under conscious control. It is akin to the mythological descent into the underworld, or the quest for the dragon’s gold: one must struggle, one must fight. And for that, one must actually become dangerous. To bring wrath, sloth and lust under control is no mean task; to sublimate them into something higher is a life’s work.
The alternative is to vehemently deny the existence of the shadow, and to remain in a situation of bad faith towards oneself and the world. It is to make a permanent and insincere offer of peace that effectively says “look, I mean you no harm, so can we all get along?”. We can’t, and that’s utter rubbish. Not only will you become possessed by resentment and melancholy, you allow other people’s evil, great and small, to proceed unhindered. Begin, then, by owning your own shadow.