One of Jung’s most notable ideas is the shadow – those inferior aspects of ourselves that we are not proud of. Shadow material involves unknown aspects of the self which make our egos uncomfortable, defensive and at times embarrassed. If our persona is the face or mask that we show others, then the shadow represents […]
Meeting Our Inner Mate – the Anima
Jung stated that, “Every man carries within him the eternal image of woman [termed anima]. The same is true of the woman: she too has her inborn image of man [animus].” The concepts of anima and animus are very complex, yet, awareness of our inner partner is key to understanding many aspects of our selves, […]
How We Contribute to the Collective Shadow
Whenever a group, society or nation strongly believes in its own moral righteousness, superiority or entitlement, the collective shadow is present. Shadow traits, usually undesirable ones, based upon race, culture, politics, religion or other qualities are disowned by a collective mass of one group and are placed onto another group or population. This communal phenomenon […]
Evil Shows in Times of War
We often watch in horror and disbelief the media reports of human atrocities, violence and war. However, evil is a very real part of the human psyche. Concerning evil in the context of war, Thich Nhat Hanh said, “Evil exists. God exists also. Evil and God are two sides of ourselves.” We carry within ourselves […]
What Lurks in Your Shadow?
James Hollis recounted a story of a man searching frantically for his lost keys under the light of a lamppost. A passerby attempted to help by asking, “Is this where you dropped them?” The searching man replied, “No, I lost them in the dark, but this is the only place where the light is.” What […]
From birds to fans … collective behaviour
We are often in awe of the harmonious flow of a flock of birds or a school of fish. How can these organisms move so quickly without bumping into each other? These unified movements, often signaled by one of the animals, suggest the existence of a collective animal behaviour. This phenomenon, called group mind or […]
