Access Untapped Reservoirs of Potential by Embracing the Shadow

Accessing untapped reservoirs of potential by embracing the shadow is the second essential (r)evolutionary axiom leading to greatness. 

In the natural world, dark matter is often invisible but it still exerts an undeniable force. For example, black holes cannot be seen, but their gravitational force is distinctly felt in space. In the same way, the “dark” aspects of our psychology may not be apparent but can exert a strong force on our actions and thinking. Questing the Canyon of the Soul, people discover repressed and forgotten aspects of themselves. These are what renowned psychologist Carl Jung called the shadow. 

For the workaholic executive, it could be the part of her who wants to eat bon- bons and watch television all day; for the diligent accountant, it could be the sloppy fun-loving four-year-old within him who wants to spill paint all over the kitchen floor and express himself on large wild canvases; for the customer relations executive, it may be the angry warrior who recoils in anger, “Leave me alone. Go take care of your own problems!” 

These voices often remain repressed, so people can be accepted, loved, successful—not make waves—but without our awareness, these selves can sabotage or drain us. Many of my most successful clients live in fear of being “found out” for being a sham or a fake; others carry within them the image of the bag lady or homeless man and live in dread that someday they will be roaming the streets with their possessions stacked in shopping carts. 

When you really face the images that drive you, you discover your core fears as well as your core desires. You discover buried selves that live inside you like buried treasures that offer new vitality and creativity: the Inner Visionary, the Rusty Knight, the Sleeping Ingenue, the Rising Leader, the Inner Wise One, the Truth Teller. With the shadow illuminated, you discover aspects of yourself that were once put away as part of the quest for success; now, given the chance to delve deeper, you will discover a rich universe that gives way to more energy, compassion, and insight at the heart of greatness. 

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