Much has been written on the #Shadow. Some good; some not so good; some down right silly. But one thing I haven't often seen the pen touch is how the Shadow and #aging make a good couple. Maybe this is why the late Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung, saw the integration of the Shadow having priority during the second half of life.
The Shadow is no joke! I've watched some squirm while trying to define its most serious side to our psyche. Some water down the term and say that the Shadow is the place we don't love ourselves, boxing it into some psychological framework. Others try to frame it into something completely spiritual, demonizing it altogether. I certainly wouldn't give it a puppy-like definition, but at the same time I do not condone a brutally evil connotation.
I don't know fully what is the Shadow. I do know that pursuing it involves a serious journey, one that can sometimes frighten and discourage us. But rather than define a most complex subject in this short space, suffice to say that an ongoing conversation with the Shadow plays an important role in our pursuit of self. And it gets juicier the more we draw closer to the #end-of-life.
There is something fascinating about growing older. When I was young, I didn't know how to have a conversation with the Shadow. The ole' conquer mentality with positive thinking or some supposed spiritual formula was the name of the game. Getting older, though, has for me has changed all that. Growing older has a way of softening many relationships without the loud warrior mentality, even the one we have with ourselves.
I've said it before, getting older is both rewarding and challenging. One reward that is relevant here is how I have discovered some freedom, really. I now possess more ability to embrace my inconsistencies, contradictions, returning habits I thought I defeated once and for all, and the sometimes congested set of emotions that seem to have a mind of their own. Sort of what I find in Jesus' humanity--anxiety mixed with faith, anger running side-by-side with compassion, and a felt sense connection temporarily hijacked by feelings of isolation.
Perhaps we have to make light of the Shadow. It is humbling to recognize what lies beneath us. But I say "humbug" to the easy way out, because with courage and persistence comes a genuine lasting connection with ourselves.