The Shadow on the Path (Vijaya Fedorschak)

The shadow is a concept first advanced by Carl Jung to describe those parts of ourselves that we reject and repress. Everyone has a shadow. If we have some sense of what it is, we can work with it; if we don’t, it can run our lives in unseen ways. The failure to work with the shadow is at the root of many interpersonal and organizational problems, and on a mass scale it has a lot to do with the tragedy we see in the world today. Shadow behaviors are incongruent with religious and spiritual ideals, but psychological truth is powerful and can trump beliefs and better intentions. Forces that contribute to the development of the shadow are considered. There is discussion of Mahler’s research on the psychological birth of the child in the process of separation-individuation and Ainsworth’s study of early attachment issues. Repetition compulsion is the urge to recreate and overcome childhood hurts. We unconsciously avoid the shadow to keep painful feelings from awareness, but it shows up in relationship to others. Ways that we contact the shadow are considered. The shadow also contains positive aspects of ourselves and abilities we have disowned. Shadow issues that have manifested in abuse, misuse of power, and lack of responsibility in mainstream religions and spiritual communities based in Eastern traditions are referenced. Spiritual bypassing is the tendency to use spiritual ideas and practices to avoid facing unresolved emotional issues or psychological wounds. We can use spiritual teaching to discount, judge, and interpret rather than open to our experience. The shadow can be transformed by relating to it over time. When we do shadow work, clarity arises and we offer something to the world. The “cure of the shadow” is discussed. We repress our basic goodness. VJ is the organizer of the Western Baul Podcast Series and author of The Shadow on the Path and Father and Son.