Father Chet, July 1983
To understand our shadows, we must first understand wholeness. Wholeness comes in two parts: First, we are whole as individuals when our mind, body, and emotions are fully developed. Integrity, completeness, maturity, sanctity are synonyms for wholeness.
Second, when our goals are in accord with the dictates of our inner being and the will of God. This means God’s will is given first place. We reach a balance between self-interest and the interests of others.
In addition to individuals, wholeness can be present in a nation, an organization, or even an event. We see wholeness, including in the Church, when that entity knows its particular purpose and carries it out as completely as is possible.
Wholeness in Scriptures
In the Old Testament, wholeness is called “justice.” In the Gospels, Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of God to describe the wholeness that will exist on earth when a person or institution has everything that it is supposed to have according to God’s divine will.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commands us to “be whole just as our Heavenly Father is whole” (Matt 5: 48). The Greek word used by St. Matthew is “telios” which is usually translated as “perfect.” It also means “whole, complete, and oriented toward the purpose of its existence.”
Path to Wholeness
To establish this wholeness, we need to become aware of both our conscious and unconscious motivations. No matter how hard or how long we labor at achieving wholeness, there will always be some parts of our existence which we will not be able to bring into consciousness.
Our conscious life is constantly being thwarted, stimulated, and changed by unconscious inner drives. Carl Jung was the pioneering psychiatrist who recognized the innate spiritual longing in all individuals. He coined the term “shadow” to describe that part of our nature of which we are presently not aware.
What is the Shadow?
The shadow is the unconscious side of the human psyche which is the source of all that is best and all that is worst within us. It contains primitive, undeveloped, qualities as well as unrealized potentials for good. It is a balance in the polarity of opposites.
In other words, the shadow is not all dark. Jung believed that 80% of the shadow is gold ore, goodness, the totality of the psychic energy within our soul. This gold is waiting to be brought into consciousness and put to good use in the service of God, our fellow human beings, and ourselves.
In addition to the personal, individual shadow, there exists the collective shadow of a family, community, nation, church, institution, or group of human beings. This collective unconscious is the reservoir of all the potential paths and directions of behavior and existence of the human race since the beginning of time.
Revealing the Shadow
Both the personal and collective aspects of the shadow contain unrealized potentials. Therefore, our life’s purpose and destiny should be directed toward bringing this reservoir of energy into consciousness. We want to find the best way to put its energies to work in the service of God’s Kingdom for the welfare of humanity.
When the shadow is repressed and denied conscious expression is when it can become mostly negative and evil. Repression, however, may be due to pure ignorance. We may not be aware of the existence of the shadow or how to recognize its appearance.
Repressing the Shadow
Repression may be due to an unwillingness to change our accustomed ways of living. Criticism, though well-meaning, by parents, teachers and peers may be contributors. We may have a deep fear of the unknown consequences that could result from using the energies of the shadow.
We may even be motivated by malice and unwillingness to sacrifice our freedom and independence for the sake of the higher will of God. Repression may also be a result of some severe trauma which has created a memory so painful that our consciousness cannot assimilate it.
Shadow and Wholeness
Regardless of the reasons our shadows are repressed, all of us – individuals, groups, institutions, and nations – have a responsibility to discover and develop our unconscious shadow in order to attain the wholeness to which we have been called.
If we look to God, we can trust that God will gives us the needed psychic energy each day to handle that part of the shadow which is ready for harvesting, i.e., ready to be gathered into our consciousness and put to use in service to God, neighbor, and self.
To the extent that we succeed in discovering our shadow, striving consciously to use the newly discovered energies in good, creative, and productive ways, we attain wholeness, maturity, fulfillment, and sanctity. We call this task “the redemption of ·the shadow.”
Editor’s Note: This is the first of three installments of Fathers Chet’s writings on wholeness and the shadow. The subsequent reflections will continue in June and August.