this after skool presentation was written and recorded by eternalised
swiss psychiatrist and psychologist carl gustav jung is the founder of analytical
psychology and revolutionized the field with his in-depth exploration of the unconscious
through his confrontation with the unconscious he explored the dark side of human nature while many
denied it and focus solely on the light side it is a fact that we all go through dark times
as we're gradually assaulted and overcome by the trials and tribulations of life
jung writes it is high time we realized that it is pointless to praise the light and preach it
if nobody can see it it is much more needful to teach people the art of seeing
it is becoming increasingly more common to display only the pleasant parts and highlights of our
lives this one-sidedness creates an artificial view of life in which our dark side is buried
and considered taboo in society and as we see other people with their seemingly amazing lives
we become even more resentful and disappointed with ourselves we see our behavior socially
unacceptable and tries to conceal our emotions and contradict our real self this forms the persona a
false social mask that make us appear more likable to others to the detriment of our mental stability
and which ends up negatively affecting our whole life we unconsciously let other people live our
life for us and we become inauthentic mere numbers in the crowd it is impossible to progress towards
self-realization if we are presenting ourselves as someone different to who we really are when
we realize that we have been living a lie the false mask shatters and we come face to face
with the emptiness of our self which may result in an existential crisis authenticity opens the
path towards self-realization with a radically honest view of life we can progress towards
psychic wholeness by acknowledging our dark side that most people cannot bear to look at we mustn't
repress our darkness but rather confront it nobody is perfect and taking responsibility
to acknowledge this can bring relief to others and a feeling that they are not alone
jung writes there's no light without shadow and no psychic wholeness without imperfection
to round itself out life calls not for perfection but for completeness and for this the thorn in
the flesh is needed the suffering of defects without which there is no progress and no ascent
one does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light but by making the darkness
conscious the persona as well as all our defects insecurities repressions and memories long avoided
feed and form our shadow the unknown dark side of our personality the shadow is everything which one
has no wish to be it follows us around all our life both literally and metaphorically we may
try to ignore it consciously but it will always form a part of our unconscious personality it is
not some detached thing that can be avoided it is a part of you to go against the shadow means to go
against yourself we are all capable of good and evil that is the only reality it is important to
know how much good we can do and what crimes we're capable of and knowing this choose not to do evil
that is the true moral position the shadow is commonly mistaken as an enemy or evil entity
however it is really exactly like any human being who sometimes resists or sometimes gives love
whatever the situation requires the shadow becomes hostile only when it is ignored or misunderstood
a frequent nightmare consists in being chased or confronted by scary monster or shadowy figure
but when one confronts the figure and questions it it starts to take on an amiable appearance
to honor and accept our shadow is a profound spiritual discipline
the shadow of an aggressive person contains tenderness relatedness and sincerity while
the shadow of a shy person would be assertive responsible and confident
it has a compensatory role and represents everything that we lack the shadow contains
pure gold as psychological insight waiting to be integrated into our personality this inner
gold is all our potential and ideal self which we all look up to in life and strive to become
and for that reason the shadow is our ally in the journey of life the less we acknowledge our shadow
the more it is liable to burst forth certainly in a moment of unawareness everyone carries a shadow
and the less it is embodied in the individual's conscious life the blacker and denser it is
in the story of dr jekyll and mr hyde jekyll tries to repress his dark side but instead
ends up giving life to shadow hyde who takes control over him as an autonomous personality
and performs evil acts against his will the dissociation takes on the form of a physical
change rather than as in reality an inner psychic state it must be us who integrates our shadow
and not the other way around we talk about being able to control ourselves but self-control is a
rare and remarkable virtue the result of ignoring our shadow is psychological projection where we
unconsciously attribute our own unacceptable thoughts and feelings to other people projection
is always easier than assimilation by pointing our finger to other people we reduce the discomfort
and anxiety about ourselves and avoid taking responsibility to admit that we are in the wrong
our world takes on an illusory existence and what is being spun is a cocoon which in the end will
completely envelop us this can also negatively affect the relationships we have with our friends
or loved ones which we often take for granted we do not value what we have until we lose it
and once we do the whole world takes on a dog appearance and we fall into a depression filled
with sadness self-hatred and regret projection can also appear collectively when people think
it is they who are wrong and they who must be fought against the tendency to see one shadow out
there in a specific person or a group of people is the most dangerous aspect of the modern psyche
the collective shadow ultimately leads to war economic chaos strikes racial intolerance and
more the scariest part is that people are entirely unaware of being immersed in it our good qualities
remain dormant until we acknowledge the existence of our personal shadow all our energy lies in
our shadow and ignoring it makes us feel lifeless exhausted and lazy a confrontation with one shadow
fills one up with energy and stamina which we can use for our daily tasks and work this can be done
through shadow work the practice which includes self-awareness watching one's emotional reactions
being radically honest and paying attention to one's dreams the paradox of human existence is
that to experience the light and true happiness we must descend into the dark the true source
of light is that which endures and continues to burn in the depths of the darkness the figure
of the wounded healer is one who is at home in the darkness of suffering and finds light and recovery
a sort of creative depression which is the cry of the soul for growth we should not try to cure it
because it cures us we should experience what it means what it has to teach and what its purpose is
this shamanic figure has learned to cure himself and find the gold in his shadow and bring the
wisdom to his people we stop fearing the darkness once we know the phoenix in us will rise from the
ashes for only that which can destroy itself is truly alive by becoming our authentic self
and integrating our dark side we can also become consciously aware of the collective shadow and
not fall prey to it this allows us to positively influence other people to do the same improve our
lives and the lives of those around us people often ask jung will we make it referring to the
cataclysm of our time he always replied if enough people will do their inner work jung provides us
with ways to explore the unconscious and achieve a better understanding of ourselves the world
and other people he tells us that we must have a dark side if we are to be whole by denying
the darkness we are denying half of ourselves the place where light and dark begin to touch
is the most profound experience we can have in life it is the union of opposites that gives rise
to the self the totality of our personality and the main goal of human psychological development
the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of
mere being if you're interested in learning more about the works of jung head over to my
channel eternalized where i have explained these concepts more in depth thank you for watching