Carl Jung said, “the gold is in the dark.” When an aspect of oneself is denied, repressed, or hidden, its energy is strengthened and creates a dark side. Trying to hold down these parts is exhausting and drains us of our vital life force energy. By uncovering and accepting our shadow, we reveal the light of creativity, courage, power and joy. These important aspects of self are required to assist us on our journey to wholeness and authenticity. ​

        We are all born whole and complete. In order to get back to that place within ourselves, we must accept and embrace all of our human qualities. Only then we can truly accept others without judgement.

        As children, our fear of not being loved and accepted caused us to hide certain aspects of our personality. As a means of survival, we settled into a safe place where we only behaved in acceptable ways in order to please others. We shut down certain parts of our true authentic nature. By doing this, as adults, we are only living half of our life. This is preventing us from reaching our full potential and realizing our divine gifts, talents and abilities.

        While growing up, every traumatic event we experienced, every humiliation, every time we were shamed or made to feel guilty, we gave up another piece of our self. These unclaimed parts of us are what the Swiss Psychiatrist, Carl Jung, described as “the shadow.” The shadow holds the parts of ourselves that we would rather not be. These are the aspects of ourselves we hide or deny and the side of our personality we do not consciously display in public.

        Our shadow self consists of all the qualities considered unacceptable by the personality. When these qualities are denied, they remain in the dark or the subconscious, but they lose power over us when we bring them into the light of consciousness. By acknowledging the shadow’s presence, we neutralize its potential negative impact on our lives. Acknowledging and reconciling these aspects of self fills the void and emptiness we can sometimes feel.

        True peace and freedom are attained when we acknowledge, claim, and love our repressed qualities. This is the road to awakening. We are selling ourselves short by not claiming all of who we are.

        Learn to make peace with and embrace your authentic nature by discovering those parts of yourself that you are denying. With this one action, you will transform your internal suffering, heal your relationships and restore your health.

        For these reasons, I have carefully crafted a workshop in which participants can get to know their “shadows” through exercises and discussion. On Tuesday, May 1 at 7:30 pm, you can understand how and why we disassociate from certain aspects of ourselves during childhood. Learn how to become conscious of your personal shadow self and how to integrate it back into your life with compassion and love. By the end, you will realize that acknowledging and embracing these “shadow aspects” is vital to discovering and reconnecting with your true, authentic power and wholeness. The workshop costs a $10 donation and doors open at 7 pm.

Debbie is an Intuitive Spiritual Counselor, Strategic Intervention Life Coach, and Holistic Energy Practitioner.

Location: The Association for Higher Awareness, Madison Masonic Temple, 170 Main Street, Madison. Debbie Carcuffe is the owner of Portal of Healing Conscious, located at 50 Main Street, Chester. For more information, call 201-841-0358 or visit PortalOfHealing.com.