Today’s Teacher: Carl Jung (1875 – 1961)
The Teaching
“Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is. If an inferiority is conscious, one always has a chance to correct it. Furthermore, it is constantly in contact with other interests, so that it is continually subjected to modifications. But if it is repressed and isolated from consciousness, it never gets corrected.”
— Carl Jung, Psychology and Religion
Who Was Carl Jung?
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Initially a close collaborator of Sigmund Freud, Jung eventually broke with Freud to develop his own theories about the unconscious mind, archetypes, and the process of individuation—becoming a whole, integrated person.
Jung’s journey to his insights was anything but academic. In his mid-30s, after his break with Freud, Jung experienced what he called a “confrontation with the unconscious”—a period of psychological crisis where he encountered disturbing dreams, visions, and inner voices. Many would have called it a breakdown. Jung called it a breakthrough.
Instead of running from these dark experiences, Jung did something radical: he engaged with them. He wrote them down, drew them, dialogued with them, tried to understand them. From this direct encounter with his own shadow—the parts of himself he found unacceptable—emerged his most important insights about human psychology.
Jung discovered that the parts of ourselves we reject and deny don’t disappear. They go underground, into what he called the “shadow,” where they grow more powerful, more destructive, and more controlling—precisely because we refuse to acknowledge them.
The path to wholeness, Jung taught, requires making friends with our shadow, not pretending it doesn’t exist.
Understanding the Wisdom
What Is the Shadow?
Your shadow is everything about yourself that you’ve decided is unacceptable:
Qualities you’ve rejected:
- Anger (if you were taught to be nice)
- Ambition (if you were taught to be humble)
- Selfishness (if you were taught to be giving)
- Weakness (if you were taught to be strong)
- Sexuality (if you were taught to be pure)
- Sadness (if you were taught to be positive)
- Need (if you were taught to be independent)
The mechanism: As children, we learn what’s acceptable to our family, culture, and society. We develop a persona—a mask we show the world. Everything that doesn’t fit that persona gets pushed into the shadow.
“I’m not angry” (but rage is in your shadow)
“I’m not selfish” (but your needs are in your shadow)
“I’m not judgmental” (but your harsh critic is in your shadow)
The shadow contains not just “negative” traits, but positive ones too—talents, strengths, and capacities you’ve disowned because they didn’t fit your self-image or others’ expectations.
“The Less It Is Embodied, the Blacker and Denser It Is”
Jung’s key insight: What you reject grows stronger in darkness.
When shadow content is unconscious (unacknowledged):
- It controls you from behind the scenes
- It erupts in inappropriate ways (sudden rage, self-sabotage)
- You project it onto others (seeing in them what you deny in yourself)
- It becomes more extreme and destructive
- You have no ability to work with it
Example:
You pride yourself on being calm and rational. You’ve pushed all anger into your shadow. You tell yourself “I never get angry.”
What happens:
- The anger doesn’t disappear—it goes underground
- It comes out as passive-aggression, sarcasm, “jokes” that hurt
- You judge angry people harshly (projection—you’re seeing your own rejected anger)
- When you finally do get angry, it’s explosive and disproportionate (because you’ve been accumulating it for years)
- You can’t manage your anger skillfully because you claim not to have any
If you had acknowledged the anger (made it conscious):
- You could work with it
- You could express it appropriately
- You could understand its messages
- You could integrate it into your whole self
- It wouldn’t control you from the shadows
This is what Jung means: unconscious shadow content is “blacker and denser”—more powerful, more destructive, more problematic than if you just acknowledged it.
“If an Inferiority Is Conscious, One Always Has a Chance to Correct It”
Once you acknowledge a shadow aspect, you can work with it:
When unconscious: “I’m not judgmental at all!” (while being incredibly judgmental, just denying it) → No possibility of change because you deny the problem exists
When conscious: “I notice I have strong judgmental thoughts about people.” → Now you can:
- Examine why you’re judmental
- Choose when to express judgments and when to let them go
- Understand what triggers your judgment
- Develop compassion
- Change the pattern
Consciousness creates choice. Shadow keeps you controlled.
“It Is Constantly in Contact with Other Interests”
When you bring shadow material to consciousness, it gets modified by interaction with your whole personality:
In the shadow (isolated): Your anger is pure, unreasoned, absolute—it’s not tempered by your values, your love, your other qualities.
In consciousness (integrated): Your anger interacts with your compassion, your wisdom, your context. It becomes righteous anger at injustice, or protective anger for boundaries, or information about violated values. It’s still anger, but it’s integrated, modulated, useful.
This is maturity: Not eliminating parts of yourself, but integrating them into a complex whole where different aspects balance and inform each other.
How to Practice This Wisdom Today
1. Morning Shadow Awareness (10 minutes)
Start your day by identifying what might be in your shadow.
Ask yourself:
What qualities do I strongly reject or deny in myself?
- “I’m NEVER ________” (angry, selfish, lazy, judgmental, weak, etc.)
- The stronger the denial, the more likely it’s in your shadow
What qualities do I harshly judge in others?
- What bothers you intensely about other people?
- Jung said: What you cannot stand in others is often what you’ve rejected in yourself
What do people say about me that I vehemently deny?
- “You seem angry” → “I’m NOT angry!”
- “You’re being selfish” → “I’m the LEAST selfish person!”
- Strong defensiveness suggests shadow material
What parts of myself did I have to hide to be loved as a child?
- Your authentic anger, sadness, need, ambition, etc.
- These likely went into the shadow
Write it down: “Possible shadow content I’m carrying: ________”
Just naming it is the first step toward consciousness.
2. The Projection Practice (Throughout the Day)
Jung taught that we project our shadow onto others—seeing in them what we reject in ourselves.
When you have a strong negative reaction to someone:
PAUSE.
Ask:
- “What quality in them is triggering me so intensely?”
- “Do I have any of that quality myself, even a little?”
- “Have I rejected this quality in myself?”
- “Am I seeing my own shadow in them?”
This doesn’t mean:
- Other people aren’t actually problematic
- All judgments are projections
- You should accept bad behavior
It means:
- Your intensity of reaction often indicates your own shadow
- You can both recognize genuine issues AND notice your projections
- Working with your shadow reduces the emotional charge
Example:
You’re extremely triggered by a coworker who’s “so needy and attention-seeking.”
Shadow work:
- Do I have needs I don’t acknowledge?
- Do I want attention but judge myself for it?
- Have I rejected my own neediness so thoroughly that seeing it in others enrages me?
Insight: You’ve been taught to be completely self-sufficient. You pride yourself on never needing anyone. You’ve pushed all your legitimate needs into the shadow. Now when you see someone expressing needs, you’re seeing your own rejected neediness—and it triggers intense judgment.
Once you recognize this: You can acknowledge your own needs, work with them consciously, and the coworker will bother you less.
3. The Integration Practice (Midday Exercise)
Choose one shadow quality and practice bringing it to consciousness:
Step 1 – Name it: “One quality I’ve rejected in myself is: ________” (Example: anger, selfishness, vulnerability, ambition)
Step 2 – Acknowledge it: “The truth is, I do have this quality. I’ve just been denying it.”
Step 3 – Explore it:
- When does this quality show up for me?
- How does it manifest (if I’m honest)?
- What happens when I suppress it?
- What might be valuable about this quality?
Step 4 – Find its healthy expression: Every shadow quality has a healthy, integrated version:
- Rejected anger → Healthy boundaries and self-protection
- Rejected selfishness → Healthy self-care and self-advocacy
- Rejected weakness → Healthy vulnerability and connection
- Rejected ambition → Healthy drive and purpose
Step 5 – Practice integration: How can you express this quality consciously and appropriately today?
Example – Rejected selfishness:
- Acknowledge: “I do have selfish desires. I want things for myself.”
- Explore: “I suppress all my wants to be seen as giving. This makes me resentful.”
- Healthy expression: “I can have desires and pursue them without being a terrible person.”
- Practice: Today, I’ll acknowledge one selfish want and honor it appropriately.
4. Evening Shadow Reflection (15 minutes)
Before bed, reflect on your shadow encounters:
Journal:
- Where did I notice possible shadow material today?
- Strong reactions
- Denials
- Projections
- What did I judge harshly in others today?
- Could any of this be my own shadow?
- What does my judgment reveal about what I’ve rejected in myself?
- Where did my shadow control me today?
- Unconscious eruption (sudden anger, passive-aggression)
- Self-sabotage
- Behavior that surprised me
- What would it look like to bring one shadow aspect more into consciousness?
- How would I acknowledge it?
- How could I integrate it healthily?
- What becomes possible when I own all of myself?
Jung’s promise: The more you make conscious, the less your shadow controls you. Integration creates wholeness.
A Modern Application: The “Nice Person” Shadow
Let’s apply Jung’s wisdom to a common modern shadow issue: the person who prides themselves on being “nice” to the point of shadow denial.
The situation: You’re known as the nice person. Always agreeable, never angry, always putting others first, never making waves. You pride yourself on this. “I’m not like those angry, selfish people.”
What’s in your shadow:
- Anger (rejected)
- Selfishness (rejected)
- Boundaries (rejected)
- Your own needs (rejected)
- Criticism (rejected)
- Conflict (rejected)
How the unconscious shadow manifests:
1. Passive-aggression: Since you can’t express anger directly (that wouldn’t be nice), it comes out sideways:
- “Forgetting” to do things you don’t want to do
- Sarcasm disguised as jokes
- Backhanded compliments
- Subtle sabotage
2. Projection: You harshly judge “selfish, angry people.” You’re seeing your own rejected qualities and despising them.
3. People-pleasing and resentment: You say yes when you mean no. You give when you don’t want to. Then you resent people for “taking advantage” (but you never set boundaries).
4. Sudden explosions: Years of suppressed anger finally erupt. Everyone’s shocked: “You’re always so nice!” You’re shocked too. Then you feel guilty and suppress even harder.
5. Self-sabotage: Your shadow selfishness acts out unconsciously. You might “accidentally” ruin things for yourself to get needs met indirectly.
The Jungian approach—shadow integration:
Step 1 – Acknowledge the shadow: “The truth is, I do get angry. I am selfish sometimes. I do have needs. I’ve just been pretending I don’t because I want to be seen as nice.”
Step 2 – Understand the origin: “I learned that anger was bad, that having needs was selfish, that saying no made me unlovable. So I pushed all of that into my shadow.”
Step 3 – Bring it to consciousness: “I can acknowledge my anger, my needs, my selfishness—not to become a terrible person, but to integrate these aspects.”
Step 4 – Find healthy expression:
- Anger becomes healthy boundaries: “I’m upset that you did this, and I need you to stop.”
- Selfishness becomes self-care: “I’m going to prioritize my needs today.”
- Needs become requests: “I need support with this.”
- Conflict becomes honesty: “We need to talk about this issue.”
Step 5 – Notice the integration:
- You’re still kind, but also boundaried
- You’re still giving, but also self-caring
- You’re still compassionate, but also honest
- You’re complex, whole, integrated—not just “nice”
The result:
You’re actually healthier and more genuinely kind:
- Your kindness is chosen, not compulsive
- You can say no, so your yes means something
- You don’t resent people because you set boundaries
- Your anger is expressed appropriately, not explosively
- People trust you more because you’re authentic, not just pleasant
Jung would say: You’ve integrated your shadow. You’re more whole, more conscious, more mature.
The Deeper Philosophy
The Shadow as Gateway to Wholeness
Jung believed that individuation—becoming a whole, integrated person—requires confronting and integrating the shadow.
Most people live as:
- A persona (mask) + rejected shadow
Integration creates:
- A whole self that includes all aspects, light and dark
This is maturity: Not being purely good (impossible and fake), but being complex, aware, and able to work with all aspects of yourself.
The person who claims to be purely light is dangerous—they’re unconscious of their darkness, so it controls them.
The person who integrates their shadow is safer—they know their darkness, work with it consciously, choose how to express it.
The Gold in the Shadow
Paradoxically, the shadow doesn’t just contain “negative” qualities—it also contains your rejected strengths.
Examples:
- You were taught not to be “show-offy” so you hid your talents (competence is in your shadow)
- You were taught to be humble so you rejected your ambition (drive is in your shadow)
- You were taught to be rational so you rejected your intuition (wisdom is in your shadow)
- You were taught to be tough so you rejected your tenderness (compassion is in your shadow)
Jung discovered: What you most need for wholeness is often in your shadow.
Recovery requires: Reclaiming these rejected gifts.
Shadow Work as Moral Development
Jung saw shadow work as essential to ethics:
The unconscious shadow is dangerous:
- It acts out destructively
- It projects onto others, causing conflict
- It creates blind spots where you can’t see your own harmful behavior
- It makes you self-righteous (I’m good, they’re bad)
The integrated shadow is ethical:
- You’re aware of your capacity for harm, so you’re careful
- You don’t project, so you see others more clearly
- You take responsibility for your whole self
- You’re humble (I’m complex, just like everyone)
Jung said: “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”
True goodness comes from knowing your darkness and choosing light anyway.
Your Practice for Today
Here’s your challenge based on Jung’s teaching:
Today, identify one shadow aspect and begin bringing it to consciousness.
The Practice:
1. Identify your shadow content:
Ask:
- What quality do I strongly deny having?
- What do I judge harshly in others?
- What parts of myself was I taught to hide?
2. Acknowledge it:
Say to yourself (or write): “The truth is, I do have ________ in me. I’ve been denying it, but it’s there.”
3. Explore it without judgment:
- When does this quality show up?
- How has suppressing it affected me?
- What might be valuable about this quality?
- What’s the healthy version of this trait?
4. Notice it today:
Watch for this quality appearing:
- In projections (judging others for it)
- In unconscious behavior (acting it out without realizing)
- In denied feelings or needs
5. Practice conscious expression:
Find one small, appropriate way to express this quality consciously:
- If it’s anger: Express a boundary clearly
- If it’s selfishness: Prioritize your needs once today
- If it’s vulnerability: Share one authentic thing
- If it’s ambition: Acknowledge one thing you want
The goal isn’t to become dominated by shadow qualities.
The goal is to integrate them—to have access to your full self, consciously.
Jung’s promise: What you make conscious, you can work with. What stays in shadow controls you.
Essential Reading: Dive Deeper into Carl Jung
If this teaching resonates with you, explore these books:
Primary Sources:
The Portable Jung edited by Joseph Campbell
- Excellent selection of Jung’s key writings
- Includes essays on shadow, archetypes, individuation
- Great introduction to Jung’s thought
- Edited by Joseph Campbell, so well organized
Modern Man in Search of a Soul by Carl Jung
- Jung’s most accessible book
- Collection of lectures and essays
- Covers dreams, psychology, spirituality
- Good entry point for beginners
Memories, Dreams, Reflections by Carl Jung
- Jung’s autobiography
- His personal journey with the unconscious
- Shows how he developed his theories through experience
- Fascinating, sometimes strange, deeply personal
Modern Interpretations:
Owning Your Own Shadow by Robert A. Johnson
- Short, accessible introduction to shadow work
- Practical exercises for integration
- Jungian analyst makes the concepts clear
- Perfect starting point
Meeting the Shadow edited by Connie Zweig
- Collection of essays on shadow from various perspectives
- Includes Jung and many others
- Comprehensive exploration of shadow concept
- Good for deeper study
Applied Wisdom:
The Dark Side of the Light Chasers by Debbie Ford
- Shadow work made practical and accessible
- Exercises for discovering and integrating shadow
- Less theoretical, more experiential
- Helpful for personal work
Existential Kink by Carolyn Elliott
- Unconventional approach to shadow work
- Finding the hidden payoffs in what you deny
- Provocative, sometimes controversial
- Effective for stubborn shadow material
No Bad Parts by Richard Schwartz
- Internal Family Systems approach (related to Jung)
- All parts of you have positive intent
- Integration through understanding, not rejection
- Therapeutic approach to wholeness
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
- Trauma often creates shadow material
- How rejected experiences live in the body
- Integration through body-based healing
- Scientific complement to Jung’s insights
Closing Reflection
Carl Jung went through a profound psychological crisis in his 30s. He encountered disturbing visions, heard voices, experienced what many would call madness.
He could have run from it, suppressed it, called it pathology and tried to eliminate it.
Instead, he engaged with it. He wrote it down, drew it, dialogued with it, tried to understand it.
From that confrontation with his own darkness emerged his life’s work.
Because Jung discovered what many people never learn: What you reject in yourself doesn’t disappear. It goes into the shadow, where it grows more powerful, more destructive, more controlling.
The only way to freedom is through integration.
Today, you’re carrying shadow material. We all are.
Parts of yourself you’ve decided are unacceptable. Qualities you deny having. Aspects you judge harshly in others because you’ve rejected them in yourself.
As long as these stay unconscious, they control you:
- They erupt at inappropriate times
- They sabotage you in hidden ways
- They project onto others, distorting your relationships
- They prevent you from being whole
But when you bring them to consciousness:
- You can work with them
- You can integrate them
- You can express them appropriately
- You can become whole
“If an inferiority is conscious, one always has a chance to correct it.”
Your shadow doesn’t make you bad. Denying your shadow makes you unconscious.
Consciousness creates choice. Integration creates wholeness.
What aspect of your shadow are you ready to acknowledge today?
Reflection Questions
Take a moment to journal or contemplate:
- What quality do I most strongly deny having—and is this likely in my shadow?
- Who triggers intense judgment in me, and what does this reveal about my own shadow?
- What parts of myself did I have to hide to be loved, and are these still in my shadow?
- What would it mean to integrate my shadow rather than continue rejecting parts of myself?
Tomorrow’s Wisdom
Join us tomorrow as we explore a teaching from Thích Nhất Hạnh, the Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist, on mindfulness, being present, and how washing dishes can be an act of liberation when done with full awareness.
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Essential Reading: 📚 Owning Your Own Shadow – Accessible introduction to shadow work 📖 The Portable Jung – Key writings edited by Joseph Campbell 🎯 The Dark Side of the Light Chasers – Practical shadow integration 💫 Memories, Dreams, Reflections – Jung’s autobiography
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