When the sun, or indeed any source of light shines onto an object, it casts a darkness where it has not been able to penetrate. Light is usually symbolic of safety, warmth, certainty and wakefulness; while shadows represent uncertainty, being unprepared, danger and the unknown. This is because we instinctively know that it is possible for shadows to harbour any number of lurking things that might upset our certainty, peace and equanimity. Let me unhinge you a little and suggest a few: spiders in the cupboard, scorpions in the shoe, intruders in a dark room, a creepy alleyway, a mouse scampering into a dark space, conspirators in a dark room plotting something evil...
It was Friedrich Schelling, an 18th Century German philosopher who put forward that the mind has an unconscious element, that is not open to ordinary awareness. Coleridge brought the idea to England. Freud incorporated this idea into his own theories, and Jung, his student, extended the idea into two parts, the personal unconscious, and the collective unconscious. The latter incorporating universal patterns and symbols, which he called archetypes.
Jung believed that our animal nature (instinct) gradually became superseded by the conscious mind as we grow up. Elements of ourselves which are not conducive to social living go into the unconscious. But these elements exert an influence. Similarly, the archetypes in the collective unconscious shape the way humans live their lives and relate to others.
These archetypes exist in every human culture and represent instinctual wholes -- patterns that govern the way we collectively understand reality. Examples of archetypes include: The Mother, the Warrior, the Lover, the King, the Adventurer, the Wise old Woman, the Virgin. But each of these archetypes in the collective unconscious, have their darker sides: the Mother could be the Step-mother, such as in the story of Hansel and Gretel; the King could be the Tyrant; the Wise Old Woman could be the Witch, and so forth. In some ways everything that is unconscious dwells in the Shadow.
These patterns or archetypes allow anyone to perform actions associated with an archetype. To illustrate, even the most hardened criminal, faced with an abandoned little baby in a basket would probably be able to nurture and mind the baby for a while, in any case. The archetype of Mother would become activated and the criminal would be able to keep the baby warm and possibly even feed it something appropriate. In other words, the shadow Mother could be brought into the conscious mind of the unsuspecting criminal and to the surprise of everyone. They might ask him: "How did you know what to do?" Another example that I find so amusing is when straight men dress up as women for a fancy-dress and in some cases somehow find it in themselves to inhabit one of the female archetypes in a really convincing way.
I can think of many things that could exist in the shadow that are anti-social: Murderous rage, spitefulness, unfettered sexuality (Freud would be proud of me), taking what belongs to others; and even milder things like not washing yourself, picking your nose, farting in a lift and eating like a pig.
But other, non antisocial elements can also exist in the shadow. Take for example the little child who likes to sing and gets told by someone significant: "Stop that screeching!" or the child proudly displays a painting and gets told: "That doesn't look like a horse! You'll never be an artist!" or when the child expresses a need or a feeling, is smacked or told to quit it. These events mean the individuality of the child's personality become stuffed into the unconscious. Twenty years later, that same individual might say things like: "Oh, all I can draw is a stickman." Or, "Don't let me sing; all I can do is croak!" And more worryingly, that same person might have learned to suppress their own needs, thoughts and feelings; or have never realised their value and unalienable worth. What then happens is they either fall in love with those who display the qualities they have suppressed in themselves; or they become envious of those same people -- or worse, they express hatred or extreme irritation at these people.
I have an interesting thought-experiment for you: think of someone you really like and list the things you really like about that person... Now take these qualities and just notice how these qualities exist in some perhaps-vestigial form within yourself. Here's another one: do the same with someone you really dislike. Isn't it amazing how the things you dislike in others are in your very own self, lurking in the shadows of your personality!
I believe that we become wholer and stronger when we acknowledge and maybe even befriend these hidden and cast-away aspects of ourselves. Value who you are. Love everything about you, even those broken and lurking bits, hidden in the darkness of your mind.
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