Shadow Class Is Now in Session đ
"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate." â Carl Jung
"Your shadow isnât your villain. Itâs your most neglected teacher. In the chaos, thereâs wisdom waiting to be found. An untapped strength. A version of you that hasnât been given a chance to shine."
I used to bolt whenever anger crept in. My face would heat up, my nerves would buzz, and Iâd pretend everything was fineâpretending I wasnât seconds from boiling over.
One day, I thought of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It dawned on me that Iâd been shoving my strong emotions into a dark closet, letting them mutate instead of guiding them.
Like that old tale, the parts we ignore can strike back when we least expect it.
But if we look them in the eye, we realize theyâre not monsters.
They are messengers. Holding up a mirror.
Shouting about what weâve been too stubborn to admit we needed.
Thatâs where shadow integration starts.
Itâs about shining a bit of compassion on those aspects weâve locked away.
Choose one emotion youâve been shoving into the shadows.
Jealousy, maybe. Or resentment. The one that makes you squirm just thinking about it.
Now stop. Donât run. Sit with itâthree minutes, no more.
Grab a pen. Scribble what sets it off.
The moments. The people. The thoughts.
Then ask yourself, âWhat is this trying to guard?â
Because yes, even the ugliest emotions have a purpose. Protection. Self-preservation.
This exercise is not magic. Itâs a flashlight. A way to light up the dusty corners you usually pretend arenât there.
"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate." â Carl Jung
Ever labeled a part of yourself as âbad?â Only to realize it wasnât a villainâit was a guard dog, fiercely protecting something fragile?
Did that shift things for you? How you see yourself? How you show up for others?
Tell your story. Lay it out.
Sometimes, the roughest edges in us arenât flaws at all. Theyâre coded messages. Scribbled notes shoved deep in our pockets, waiting for someone, maybe you, to stop and read them.
We often run from our own shadows.
But once you stop and notice, itâs not out to harm you.
It has lessons to share and hidden energy you can harness.
When you stop avoiding and start paying attention, everything shifts. Thatâs when the real work begins. Slow, uneven steps. One at a time.
Keep going. Keep questioning.
You have more room to grow than you might realize.
â Ryan Puusaari