Shadow Self and True Darkness

[alikat13]

I was wondering if there was a difference between our shadow selves and our true darkness. I recently read about true darkness and false darkness which completely opened my eyes, I never knew there was two types of darkness before reading about it. Also the shadow self I heard is suppose to be are darker side so is that in any way connected to our true darkness or is it something completely different or could it be our false darkness because I heard our shadow selves can sometimes be negative.

[User5191]

I was wondering if there was a difference between our shadow selves and our true darkness. I recently read about true darkness and false darkness which completely opened my eyes, I never knew there was two types of darkness before reading about it. Also the shadow self I heard is suppose to be are darker side so is that in any way connected to our true darkness or is it something completely different or could it be our false darkness because I heard our shadow selves can sometimes be negative.

I'm going to preface this by saying it's too early and I haven't had enough coffee for this, but here it goes. I don't know what our "shadow selves" are unless you're referring to the sun shines down, my body blocks the direct transfer of light, and what is left is my shadow. That's the only shadow self I'm aware of. As far as the false and "true" darkness you're referring to, I believe you should read Akeltas articles on the different types of dark energy. There are several on here where the energies are discussed somewhat extensively. I think that will clear up some of the confusion about the different types of dark energy and how those pertain to the individual. Essentially, these are energies that exist in the aura and core essence of the soul. And there are several types of darkness - not just two. I see that as being part of your unique energy signature at the core of your soul. Learning more about ourselves and our energy makeup and soul ancestory is one of the best endeavors you can undertake and one of the reasons why so many people get akeltas's DE readings done (just got mine back, btw... Several pages of validation that she couldn't have known about, some things confirmed again, and a few new revelations to explore). Anyway, keep learning about energies and good luck figuring out who you are!

EDIT: I am assuming that the shadow self reference above is in reference to Jung's theory? If so, I suppose the question you have to as yourself is if Jung was being literal, or if this is a psychological paradigm to explain his psychological constructs? To me, this simply isn't a thing. It's just representative of the issues you have to work past. I call that life. And each day we're met with good and bad we work through and move toward (or away) from our goals. But those bad things don't create a literal separate aspect of my being. That's just me though.

[Eilana]

Hi Alikat, good question ^-^

To start, Here is the topic cka mentioned where Akelta discusses the spectrum of Dark Energy.

In regards to your question, I do believe there is a difference.

The darkness, whether it be true or false darkness, is an energy. The shadow self is the side of yourself that contains that darkness. They are related but not exactly the same. The shadow self is more the side of yourself that you hide or even things you aren't aware of.

So your shadow self can be comprised of both true darkness and false darkness, depending on what you hide or deny about yourself.

As for some people viewing the shadow self as negative, darkness in this world is very misunderstood. Some people may hide their true darkness and false darkness in their shadow self and because of religious programming (or other memes) think that all of it is bad or negative. The two (or more) types of darkness can get mixed together and going through it can be very confusing at first when you seek to know and learn about yourself and your own darkness. And this is where shadow work comes in.

Shadow work is going into that side of yourself and exploring. Looking at the darker parts of yourself, your thoughts, beliefs, repressed feelings and memories, things buried in your subconscious that cause you pain and exploring it. Many people are content to bury this stuff and want to be happy. I used to be like that, just wanting to be happy but I always had an underlying feeling of sadness or longing. There were things that caused me pain and discomfort and in my life overall, deep down I knew I wasn't happy. I have been doing a lot of shadow work lately and it can be horrifically painful. However, going through it is healing, it gives you balance and you get to know and appreciate yourself and the journey you've been on here. Sometimes even past lives come up during this kind of work.

Please if you have any more questions, feel free to ask

[alikat13]

Thank you both for the info and when I said shadow self I meant the inner part of you that may seem negative or out of control at first but once controlled you get a better understanding of who you truly are. That's good to know I can work with my shadow self and do some shadow work. Once I have a great understanding of my shadow self and it under control does that mean I have more of an understanding of my true darkness since I do believe there are differences as you have stated but also similarities in a way. I'll go look up that link to see what Akelta has said about dark energy and CKA I didn't know there's more than two types of darkness

[Aprophis]

Thank you both for the info and when I said shadow self I meant the inner part of you that may seem negative or out of control at first but once controlled you get a better understanding of who you truly are. That's good to know I can work with my shadow self and do some shadow work. Once I have a great understanding of my shadow self and it under control does that mean I have more of an understanding of my true darkness since I do believe there are differences as you have stated but also similarities in a way. I'll go look up that link to see what Akelta has said about dark energy and CKA I didn't know there's more than two types of darkness

The thing is, shadow selves don't need to be negative. If a spiteful, hateful, evil person who hates everything good surpresses her good side, then that shadow self will be a bunny loving angel.

As Eilana said, the shadow self comes into being if you suppress parts of you. The shadow self can change over time when you have worked through certain issues. It's possible to either keep the shadow self as a seperate being for it's strengths and it's own mind and points of view or reclaim it and unify yourself with your shadow.

So it doesn't necessary mean it will help you with understanding your true darkness, but it does never hurt to work with one's shadow. Because the things you don't know about yourself can be the most dangerous.

Also working with underworld travels might help you with your shadow self too.

[alikat13]

Thank you both for the info and when I said shadow self I meant the inner part of you that may seem negative or out of control at first but once controlled you get a better understanding of who you truly are. That's good to know I can work with my shadow self and do some shadow work. Once I have a great understanding of my shadow self and it under control does that mean I have more of an understanding of my true darkness since I do believe there are differences as you have stated but also similarities in a way. I'll go look up that link to see what Akelta has said about dark energy and CKA I didn't know there's more than two types of darkness

The thing is, shadow selves don't need to be negative. If a spiteful, hateful, evil person who hates everything good surpresses her good side, then that shadow self will be a bunny loving angel.

As Eilana said, the shadow self comes into being if you suppress parts of you. The shadow self can change over time when you have worked through certain issues. It's possible to either keep the shadow self as a seperate being for it's strengths and it's own mind and points of view or reclaim it and unify yourself with your shadow.

So it doesn't necessary mean it will help you with understanding your true darkness, but it does never hurt to work with one's shadow. Because the things you don't know about yourself can be the most dangerous.

Also working with underworld travels might help you with your shadow self too.

Oh okay thanks for clarifying it a bit more I understand now

[fire083]

One of the best uses of the shadow self and confronting / coming to terms with it is in the Billy Jack movies. For those not familiar with the movies, the character Billy Jack is a half native american who is fighting against the social injustices being brought against a specific tribe. In one of the movies I forget which one, he goes through a local ritual to confront, accept, and learn from his shadow self.

[Noctua]

I do a great deal of Shadow work - for myself and for others. It is definitely distinct from Dark energy though you can absolutely find connections in exploring your shadow self and dark sides. The Shadow is not purely derived from psychological theory but Jung's incorporation of this and explanation is on point to that degree; if one looks back into the ancient mystery cults of history such as the Dionysian Mysteries of Greece and other Underworld-related spiritual processions there is a huge emphasis on the Shadow self.

In my experience, and I will summarize as some of this has already been stated - the Shadow is a complex element of being that comprises of suppressed, unexplored, avoided qualities or maladjustments - largely the parts of self that must be reconciled in some form, reclaimed in order for us to function in a balanced and empowered state. Your Shadow can have signature 'dark' qualities, or 'light', but what makes it the Shadow is your personal relationship with said qualities. So it deals a bit more in 'negative' or 'positive' I might say, and is incredibly unique to the individual.

One can have a primary Shadow that encompasses pretty much all of that in a singular form, but also facets (much like any part of you can be complex and multifaceted) which center on particular issues/imbalances/parts of you.

Your Shadow can potentially hold valuable power and special ability, as a result of you yourself squandering or overlooking, ignoring or condemning (consciously OR unconsciously) certain personal traits that actually are linked to said abilities. And generally speaking your Shadow holds power over you no matter what, which is what makes it so important to confront.

When your Shadow side and Self are in balance, or actively working with one another you can alleviate many of the natural plagues of your human experience. Your Shadow never completely goes away, it can be reconciled is all.. and, certainly, the Shadow can evolve or change as you move on in your life. It needs maintenance. Usually once you have established a connection or underworld passage/awakening you can get a hold of that and be capable of maintaining, knowing, thriving with your Shadow side.

[DoubleD]

I do a great deal of Shadow work - for myself and for others. It is definitely distinct from Dark energy though you can absolutely find connections in exploring your shadow self and dark sides. The Shadow is not purely derived from psychological theory but Jung's incorporation of this and explanation is on point to that degree; if one looks back into the ancient mystery cults of history such as the Dionysian Mysteries of Greece and other Underworld-related spiritual processions there is a huge emphasis on the Shadow self.

In my experience, and I will summarize as some of this has already been stated - the Shadow is a complex element of being that comprises of suppressed, unexplored, avoided qualities or maladjustments - largely the parts of self that must be reconciled in some form, reclaimed in order for us to function in a balanced and empowered state. Your Shadow can have signature 'dark' qualities, or 'light', but what makes it the Shadow is your personal relationship with said qualities. So it deals a bit more in 'negative' or 'positive' I might say, and is incredibly unique to the individual.

One can have a primary Shadow that encompasses pretty much all of that in a singular form, but also facets (much like any part of you can be complex and multifaceted) which center on particular issues/imbalances/parts of you.

Your Shadow can potentially hold valuable power and special ability, as a result of you yourself squandering or overlooking, ignoring or condemning (consciously OR unconsciously) certain personal traits that actually are linked to said abilities. And generally speaking your Shadow holds power over you no matter what, which is what makes it so important to confront.

When your Shadow side and Self are in balance, or actively working with one another you can alleviate many of the natural plagues of your human experience. Your Shadow never completely goes away, it can be reconciled is all.. and, certainly, the Shadow can evolve or change as you move on in your life. It needs maintenance. Usually once you have established a connection or underworld passage/awakening you can get a hold of that and be capable of maintaining, knowing, thriving with your Shadow side.

Completely agree with this statement. Working with your shadow self is much easier said than done, it can be quite the labyrinth of pain and darkness at times.

[user1876]

Hi Alikat, good question ^-^

To start, Here is the topic cka mentioned where Akelta discusses the spectrum of Dark Energy.

In regards to your question, I do believe there is a difference.

The darkness, whether it be true or false darkness, is an energy. The shadow self is the side of yourself that contains that darkness. They are related but not exactly the same. The shadow self is more the side of yourself that you hide or even things you aren't aware of.

So your shadow self can be comprised of both true darkness and false darkness, depending on what you hide or deny about yourself.

As for some people viewing the shadow self as negative, darkness in this world is very misunderstood. Some people may hide their true darkness and false darkness in their shadow self and because of religious programming (or other memes) think that all of it is bad or negative. The two (or more) types of darkness can get mixed together and going through it can be very confusing at first when you seek to know and learn about yourself and your own darkness. And this is where shadow work comes in.

Shadow work is going into that side of yourself and exploring. Looking at the darker parts of yourself, your thoughts, beliefs, repressed feelings and memories, things buried in your subconscious that cause you pain and exploring it. Many people are content to bury this stuff and want to be happy. I used to be like that, just wanting to be happy but I always had an underlying feeling of sadness or longing. There were things that caused me pain and discomfort and in my life overall, deep down I knew I wasn't happy. I have been doing a lot of shadow work lately and it can be horrifically painful. However, going through it is healing, it gives you balance and you get to know and appreciate yourself and the journey you've been on here. Sometimes even past lives come up during this kind of work.

Please if you have any more questions, feel free to ask

' Thanks Eilana for Sharing Akalta's post on Shadow Work its Something that ' I will be Working on with My DC E being how its an Area that he is Very Good at from his listing He will be able to Help me with this Because ' I am still dealing with Some pain and Darkness from my past a lot of stuff that Was Barred by me because at ' The time keeping it inside me Was all that ' I Could do talking to Someone about it didn't help Much So Exploring that Side of me that has been hidden away deep inside of me ' This Year is the Right time to Start dealing with it So it because it really is'' Something that needs to be released that Way ' I can keep moving forward with my life on My path with out it Holding on to me So again'' Shadow Work is Something'' I cant wait to begin Working on its long over do for me