Shadow Work

 

A Therapy for Ours Shadows as manifested by the always presence of residual Pollyannaism (a Delusional System of some kind) - one main expressive style of those that are unenlightened (ignorance), those that are  insightless to the existence of their shadow.

 

Enhances: Wholeness       Balances/Counters Balances:  Pollyannaism and Projections

 

 

The Basic Practice

The spiritual practice of shadow encourages us to make peace with those parts of ourselves that we find to be despicable, unworthy, and embarrassing — our anger, jealousy, pride, selfishness, violence, and other "evil deeds." In Christianity, shadow aspects are the seven deadly sins. Moslems talk about nafs as our lower selves, and Buddhists refer to negative emanations of mind.

This practice aims at wholeness by unifying the dark and the light inside and around us. Start by looking closely at yourself, especially your flaws. Take responsibility for your actions, especially those that have had unfortunate outcomes. By owning your shadow, you embrace your full humanity.

 

 

Shadow is a corrective to any tendency to make spirituality into simplistic feelings of sweetness and light; it balances Pollyanna thinking. People do terrible things to each other, sometimes because of their beliefs and in the name of their religion. Individuals, even those who are deeply spiritual, go through dark nights of the soul when depression and not-knowing take on terrifying dimensions.

 By honestly acknowledging these aspects of life, we move toward a more rounded view of reality and build the foundation for personal wholeness.

The spiritual practice of shadow is also called for when we discover that we are projecting aspects of ourselves onto others — both our negative qualities and our untapped talents and powers. The latter are "golden shadows," our (our idealization defenses, our idolatry) nobler aspects that we tend to attribute to teachers, celebrities, sports superstars, and national heroes we admire. Practicing shadow means you reclaim all your flaws and gifts, accepting yourself in all your complexity.

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