- the shadow is made up of all repressed elements of ourselves, and things “not yet ripe for consciousness”. - repressed as in not *ex*pressed. - some things relegated to our shadow are there because our consciousness is not ready to hold them. - these can be experiences, desires, traits, stories, wants, needs, memories. - because the conscious and unconscious are constantly informing each other, when the shadow is not expressed *consciously*, its elements often become *symptoms* driven by the *unconscious*. - it is common to see these symptoms as the shadow itself – often things like anger, codependency, being controlling. - this is a “mistranslation” of the shadow trying to express itself. - symptoms have a cause, but also a purpose. - knowing the historical context of a symptom can act as a catharsis that reduces the emotional charge of the symptom. - but we cannot get stuck investigating the past. - we must also understand how our [[{1.5a} conscious attitude]] and behaviors perpetuate destructive patterns and narratives. - importantly, the shadow is neutral. - it is not made up of the things you don’t like about yourself, or what other people may not like. - it is not something to fix, get rid of, or overcome. - **the shadow is a kaleidoscope of parts of you asking for a light to shine upon it.** - we must [[{1.3c1} shadow integration|integrate the shadow]] to take responsibility for our lives and write new stories. - [[the shadow holds the key to uncovering our hidden genius]]. - integration is the embodiment of what has been repressed.