Sunday, July 11, 2010

The Shadow




"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts and minds of men?  The Shadow knows."

O.K.  I've added "minds."


'In Jungian psychology, the shadow or "shadow aspect" is a part of the unconscious mind consisting of repressed weaknesses, shortcomings, and instincts. It is one of the three most recognizable archetypes, the others being the anima and animus and the persona. "Everyone carries a shadow," Jung wrote, "and the less it is embodied in the individual's conscious life, the blacker and denser it is."[1] It may be (in part) one's link to more primitive animal instincts,[2] which are superseded during early childhood by the conscious mind.
According to Jung, the shadow, in being instinctive and irrational, is prone to project: turning a personal inferiority into a perceived moral deficiency in someone else. Jung writes that if these projections are unrecognized "The projection-making factor (the Shadow archetype) then has a free hand and can realize its object--if it has one--or bring about some other situation characteristic of its power." [3]These projections insulate and cripple individuals by forming an ever thicker fog of illusion between the ego and the real world.
Jung also believed that "in spite of its function as a reservoir for human darkness—or perhaps because of this—the shadow is the seat of creativity."[4]'  (Wikipedia)

4 comments:

  1. I like shadow puppets
    I like this photo quite a bit -- except not the mask part ( i know i know i know it must be this way ) just sayin.


    poppycock stuck in my head cause i actually was picked for federal jury duty (serving all last week) and one of the attorney's used it in his closing argument -- it is also used in the animated Peter Pan movie. I was wondering as I sat there if any of the young people even knew what it meant.

    My son might say "don't go all Jungian on me"

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  2. L, Yea, I liked the mask too much, I know. But there was something not quite on my mind, I'm sure. Put on a mask and wear it when you are home. Tell me if you feel different. You'll see. It will change your life. Don't wear it out unless it is night and you are not driving but just walking around your property. You will feel it then, too. Yes, your life will change. Nothing will ever be the same. And your son will start to understand the Jungian stuff, too. He will get The Archetypal Fear like a baby chick exposed to the shadow of a paper hawk.

    Holy Smokes--I'm onto something here. The Shadow of a Paper Hawk. The Fear.

    I'll get back to you on this.

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