Other Resources - The Shadow

We all want to be happy, peaceful, successful, prosperous, healthy, and to give…and receive love. So…why are these things so elusive for many of us?

This website is full of resources that can make our lives more fulfilled, but why does that fulfilment sometimes feel out of reach in the first place?

The answer is – The Shadow.

The Shadow is the element within our consciousness where all the aspects that we reject in ourselves and others are hidden away and buried. It is like a lost property room in our psyche where our fear, resentment, hatred, jealousy and other states that we find hard to handle are left unclaimed. However these emotions and states still play an active part in our life – but from below the radar of our awareness. Without our conscious awareness these shadow forces in us create situations where we sabotage ourselves in loving relationships, or in our health pursuits for example. Maybe they hijack us when we are just about to break through to a new level of success in our work; perhaps they derail us each time we plan to meditate to increase our inner peace, or sometimes they urge us to spend more than we earn.

Why…?

Why do these buried aspects appear to undermine us in this way…?

The answer is – to get our attention towards reclaiming the energy that was locked away when we buried these parts of us. Through accepting and embracing what we have shunned in ourselves and others - we become more complete and whole. Our energy flows more freely, we are more creative, and can be more authentic and spontaneous. We naturally become happier, and demonstrate all the other aspects of a fulfilling life…because we are no longer afraid to be who we truly are.

Exploring our shadow is like mining in the dirt and coming up with gold. Not only can we integrate the dark side of our natures, we also open the door to letting our hidden brilliance shine. By dissolving the shadow pattern of ‘playing small’ we allow ourselves to display our true magnificence and demonstrate our personal talents
in the world.

Here are a few resources to help you mine the gold hidden in your shadow.

This YouTube video is a great place to start if you just want to have a quick overview.

The Shadow Self - Words of Wisdom

Debbie Ford is well known for bringing the inner world of the shadow to the forefront of social awareness – particularly with her book ‘The Dark Side of The Light Chasers’. I hold my hand up to say that I certainly used to fit the description of being a light chaser. Reading her book really got me started on the journey of knowing the wholeness of both light and dark within me, and embracing all that I am.

The Dark Side of The Light Chasers - UK

The Dark Side of The Light Chasers - USA

Debbie Ford, along with Deepak Chopra, and Marianne Williamson have developed a comprehensive resource at www.theshadoweffect.com which offers different options including the following -

The Shadow Effect book. I found this book very illuminating. Deepak Chopra’s segment is very informative about how the shadow has played its part in humanities story generally, and in us as individuals particularly. Debbie’s section gets pithy about how this all played out for her personally; how we can see it in ourselves and how to work with it for our greater benefit. The section written by Marianne is a rallying call…inspiring us to have the courage to see who we really are, and meet that with honesty and compassion.

DVD. Watching the DVD is such an easy way to truly step into this process as it helps us absorb the message on several levels. There are two versions – the film itself, and an interactive version which gives us the film interspersed with exercises to help us start unearthing our hidden selves as we watch. I would recommend the latter for the benefit of Debbie Ford presenting the exercises, which she does with clarity and grace - making it easy for us to witness our own darkness and light, and begin to honour and love it.

Online Course. This brilliant set of resources above also includes an online course in which Debbie Ford takes the process to greater depth. I have not done the course, but having experienced her work in other forms - I’m sure it will have great value.

Short Videos. These give you a flavour of all of the above.

These resources can all be found on the site at the link below.

The Shadow Effect

High on my re-reading list is David Richo’s book ‘Shadow Dance’. What a marvellous book…!

I relish the way he writes…he makes the whole subject such fertile soil for growth…with illuminating gems throughout. In reading this book we get a comprehensive sense of how the shadow is at work in us, along with effective practices that can help us truly transform how we experience ourselves and the world.

Shadow Dance - UK

Shadow Dance - USA

Here is a book to help you harvest even more from your goldmine. It is a treasure trove of essays by a large number of inspiring teachers and authors…leaving no stone unturned in the process of revealing our deepest truth. These writings take us from the deeply personal, to the collective shadow, and back again. This is a book to return to often - and continue to find further riches. So far it has helped me see the world and myself with greater compassion, and I know I will return to its pages to prompt more self discovery and insight
in the future.

Meeting the Shadow - UK

Meeting the Shadow - USA

“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside awakes.”

Carl Gustav Jung

“Perhaps all the dragons of our lives

are princesses who are only waiting

to see us once, beautiful and brave. Perhaps everything terrible is in
its deepest being something
that needs our love.”

Rainer Maria Rilke

“I dreamt last night, oh marvellous error

that there were honeybees in my heart,

making honey out of my old failures.”

Antonio Machado

“Projections change the world
into the replica of one’s unknown face.”

Carl Gustav Jung