“Filling the conscious mind with ideal conceptions is a characteristic of Western theosophy, but not the confrontation with the Shadow and the world of darkness. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” – C.G. Jung
Jung’s type model is useful for navigating oppositions that lead to their union, and to the fuller expression of unique personality. With individuation, shadow type orientations are integrated with conscious type orientations to render an often unpredictable merger.
What the union of opposites means for unique individuation is as unpredictable as the merger of two hydrogen atoms with one oxygen atom. Hydrogen freely burns; oxygen supports combustion; together they create a third—H2O—that extinguishes fire!
Navigating the union of psychological type oppositions may start with observing clues. We are inundated, in our sleeping and waking moments, with clues that invite individuation. Shadow projections are among the more perceptible.
The shadow types are more archaic and often troublesome, so they can be slippery and relentlessly resist conscious acknowledgement. Ego dispositions usually oppose them and are therefore not especially adept at inviting them to consciousness. Instead, the shadow types are frequently repressed and projected onto others.
The more they are repressed, the more likely they will be projected. We find the people in life who, resembling in some way our archaic shadow types, ignite negative chatter from within: “He is a brute.” “She is manipulative.” “He is conniving.” “She is nothing but a social climber.”
Rather than acting on that chatter, and disparaging the “characters” in the world, we can get better acquainted with the “characters” generating the chatter within. When we become aware that the “others” out there are reflections of the unacknowledged “others” within us, we take a step in the direction of individuation, and in the process, also do others a favor.
“If people can be educated to see the lowly side of their own natures, it may be hoped that they will also learn to understand and to love their fellow men better. A little less hypocrisy and a little more tolerance towards oneself can only have good results in respect for our neighbor; for we are all too prone to transfer to our fellows the injustice and violence we inflict upon our own natures.” Carl Jung