#14 - From Narcissism to Self-Awareness - The Role of Shadow in Spiritual Evolution

The following two talks by Jayne on the Shadow were taken from the Light in the Chakras and Kundalinī Course that we ran in 2022. They are taken from Classes 3 and 5.

Understanding what the shadow is and being able to deal with upwellings from the shadow is extremely important in the more advanced practices of the yoga-tantra tradition. This is because they aim to purify the unconscious.

The way they do this is via yoga-tantra rituals in which various mantras and symbols are used to invoke the higher spiritual archetypes from within the psyche. Once the practitioner is established in his or her relationship with these higher forces, then the darker forces can be invoked and brought into a relationship with the light and can be transmuted. This results in a powerful method for self-transformation. We teach this in our Light on the Chakras and Kundalinī 9-month Course that we teach every few years.

The concept of the shadow originated from Carl Jung's psychoanalytic research into the unconscious. His descriptions of the shadow are invaluable for personal and spiritual growth when combined with Eastern yoga-tantra practices.

Jayne describes the shadow as our unconscious, our psyche, encompassing everything that isn't our ego. She describes how meditation is a powerful tool for encountering the shadow, especially when chakra meditations unite the lower chakras, which contain most of our darker animal instincts, with our higher chakras.

The lower chakras are the energy centers that contain the most active areas of shadow activity that we experience, especially around money, security, sex, and power. They are furthest from the higher chakras associated with empathy, communication, and spirituality.

A key point that she makes is how an unconscious shadow can lead to feelings of isolation and alienation. When dominated by the lower chakras, we may feel disconnected from ourselves and struggle to find meaning in life. This can manifest as narcissism, transactional relationships, and an overemphasis on material pursuits.

Jayne describes how the process of developing self-awareness as part of a process of integrating the shadow with our conscious self. This is a path to becoming more whole, complex, and authentic.

Shadowwork can be a journey toward a more profound understanding of existence that alleviates feelings of isolation and connects us to a sense of life beyond mere material existence.