Jung reffered to the shadow as “the dark part of the psyche”1. By this he meant the more primitive and unrefined part of mans make up. This refers to the instinctive tendencies or the unconscious mind of man. For example, the urge to act aggressively towards someone who has annoyed you, or the instinctive “startle response” when threatened. Such examples are usually associated with negative outcomes, but they can also be positive.
Steve Morris has discussed extensively how to ‘repurpose’ the instinctive startle response into a useful survival tool. The theory holds that in its untrained form the reflex startle response can be counterproductive, but when trained in association with purposeful action it can be weaponised. Steve says “It is the startle principle that underlies my ability to move explosively and with speed”. This demonstrates how instinctive forces from our ancestral past can be used to fuel powerful behavior.2.
Just as many species intuitively recognise the mother figure when born, we have in us a pychological imprint of the archetypal man, ‘rooted in the human psyche’1. This is an image, or an ideal inner being, which we seek to become. This impression is thought to underlie the basis of the father figure, and some have called it the ‘god image’ 3. You might even call it the inner teacher. Whilst this concept is quite natural to us all, it can be created and fashioned according to our will. It has a subjective expression. Basically the archetypal man symbolises all that is positive and productive in us, and is based on a high ideal, for example becoming a great warrior. Importantly, work in this direction based on our own experiences, creates the meaning behind this figure. This work is ceaseless and ever evolving.
We also have in us instinctive tendencies which if left to their own devices can lead to negative consequences. These are associated with various symbols. For example, the serpent or snake has been repeatedly used to symbolize evil, and recent evidence suggests that the brain instinctively knows to avoid snakes. Once again this is thought to be a heritage left from our ancestral past and at first glance this seems unsuited to life in the city. But the immediate expression of an instinctive response can be adapted to suit contemporary needs. That is, it can be evolved. How can this be done?
Steve Morris has discussed how our defensive mechanisms may be elicited, or startled into action, by seeing a snake like object, like a knife 4. Steve says “these processes allow us to perceive anything that resembles a snake as a serious danger and respond accordingly–if the snake turns out to be a piece of rope, we’re still alive.” There is a certain flexibility about these rigid responses. This suggested that our innate instincts are a starting point, not an end, whilst at the same time representing deep seeded mental phenomenon that corresponds to the physical. Just as we can use and exploit physical instinctive actions, we can also do the same with the psychic counterparts of the shadow. If we perceive some counter productive thought as snake like for example, we can develop an aversion to it by giving it the form of a known enemy. We then develop the means of combating or controlling it. That is, we can identify formless enemy and make it a target by using symbolic weapons, such as fire.
The snake, says Jung, “symbolizes the instinctual side of the unconscious”. As already explained, this side of our personality is known as the shadow. Just as the snake image can be used to provoke powerful response, as well as fear, it is clear that the shadow can be used for productive means rather than just left to its own devices to cause chaos or get in the way action.
The archetypal man, representing perfection, can be used to mediate and influence the shadow. It is as much a driving force of our nature as the shadow. In other words by striving towards the high ideal that the archetypal man represents, and to which we may identify, we can be compelled in this direction. The shadow elements can be used as raw material to serve this ideal. Or more accurately these two beings work as one to fulfill the mission. The two polarities make up a unified whole, each pulling in opposite directions to cause the other to respond 5.
Conrad Lorenz says that aggression is synonymous with motivation. This demonstrates unity in apparent duality6, and illustrates the complimentary nature of the Archetypal man and the Shadow. Once again, aggression if unwisely directed can lead to problems, such as pointless disputes and unnecessary stress. But there is no materials or time to be wasted if the ideal is to be realized. This demonstrates that an intense attention towards a high ideal is needed to channel the forces the shadow represents, if it is to be used productively. Importantly, the ideal is never truly realized which is why it becomes the life’s work.
Just what the high ideal is is open to debate. Some have suggested the ideal symbolises heaven itself, with angels and Satan working together 7. Others have said that the archetypal man must symbolize some deep truth or law of nature which man is motivated towards mastering, such as overcoming weakness and evolving. Whatever it is, it is clear that the high ideal is realized through its link – the archetypal man, using the elements of the shadow. In other words, the raw material instinctive energies can feed the higher faculties and expressions of man. This process goes on in the physical individual as well as his mind and represents an eternal battle between two opposing forces on the battlefield. It symbolises an interaction which is beyond good and evil and is infinite.
References
1See Carl Jung psychology and alchemy
2 See Steve Morris: Startle! DVD and other work
3 See Carl Jung the archetypes and the collective unconscious
4 See Steve Morris experimental methods 3
5 See Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov The secret of Polarity
6 See Conrad Lorenz on aggression
7 ‘One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them’, Job 1:6
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