Defensive Shadow

John Baptist

7th February 2022

Each one of us has a shadow in ourselves. One harmful characteristic of the shadow is that it defends itself. Therefore, it can be challenging to detect our shadow. Richard Rohr says that our shadow is not evil in itself; it just allows us to do evil and not recognize it as such. Our shadow self makes us all into hypocrites on some level. Hypocrite is a Greek word that simply means “actor,” someone playing a role rather than being “real.” If we look deeply into what we do and how we behave then we would discover that many things we do only to be acceptable to others and present ourselves as someone different and better than who we really are. Often, we act our roles so long and so well that we begin to deceive ourselves. 

            The shadow can take control of our whole self. It can justify what we do or choose to avoid and how we live our lives. The shadow is afraid of revealing itself; therefore, attacks or avoids anything that attempts to bring it to light. Perhaps the following examples can help us understand the games our shadows play. A person who is ashamed of his native place can avoid situations where their identity might be revealed; someone who is seen doing something wrong might avoid or start attacking the witness; a person who feels less capable in an area might project themselves as superior in some other.

A lot of shadow work is required before we can get in touch with our true selves. We need to discover the games our shadow plays, not only with others but more so with ourselves. Rohr states, “Shadow work literally “saves us from ourselves” (our false selves)”. Perhaps, the greatest of all enemies is within, our shadow. Can we detect, understand and shatter the defences of this enemy, and initiate a journey of knowing ourselves?

 

Notes

Richard Rohr, Unveiling the Shadow, https://cac.org/embracing-shadow-and-light-2021-06-14/