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Love your Dark Shadow

James Hollis
Independent study
In-person
more information

Overview

In this compelling four-class audio course, James Hollis invites us to explore the lesser-known, often uncomfortable parts of ourselves through the lens of Dostoevsky’s ‘Underground Man’ . With Hollis as our guide, we encounter the Underground Man—a cynical grim figure embodying society’s unspoken thoughts, unfiltered emotions, and uncomfortable truths. Hollis suggests that this character is an “X-ray of the human shadow,” daring us to look inward, to find aspects of ourselves that we may often resist or deny.

Through Hollis’s teachings, we are asked to soften our stance toward the Underground Man and what he represents, challenging us to see him as part of our own inner landscape. This journey invites us to confront thoughts and emotions we may consider unattractive or undesirable, yet which hold the key to a fuller, more authentic self-awareness. In meeting the shadow, Hollis echoes Jung’s wisdom: “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”

Through this course, Hollis illuminates the hidden gifts our shadow offers, including the courage to question societal norms and the drive to honor individual uniqueness. He warns that denying our shadow only deepens our internal divide, leading us away from true autonomy. Ultimately, ‘Love Your Dark Shadow’ opens the possibility of self-compassion and wholeness, reminding us of Jung’s call to love even the “enemy within.”

This program is ideal if you want to

  • You are curious about darker aspects of human nature and the surprising benefits of learning to love your shadow
  • You want to experience a more effortless path to decreasing judgment and increasing self compassion though acceptance of shadow rather than the struggle of willful aspiration
  • You are a lover of literature and the classics and deepen your self-knowledge through understanding the human condition across time and cultures
  • You aspire to live a more authentic and spontaneous life through greater self-acceptance
  • You are a therapist or other healing/helping professional looking to grow your capacity to worth with shadow within your clients and yourself

Class 1 – An introduction to the Underground Man and the Terrain of the Dark Shadow

In this class Hollis will introduce the listener to the underground man and to the core concepts his dissertation will invite us to examine: 1. Meliorism – the belief that forward movement leads to progress, 2. The Anti-hero; 3. Shadow – that which is repulsive to the ego.  Hollis will begin his pitch for us to recognize the Underground Man as a friend of ours and the surprising freedom that may come from this alliance.

Class 2 – Whispers from the Shadow

In this class, Hollis brings us close to the Underground Man’s inner experience, hinting that it might not be so different from our own.  He points to the ways in which inner darkness speaks– humor, sabotage, perverse enjoyment. He describes the cost of consciousness and the suffering of being separated from true nature. Hollis names the paradox of valuing consciousness yet seeking ways to distance from shadow.  He engages the audience with provocative reflections of where dark shadow may be affecting their lives.

Class 3 – A Pitch for the Underground Man

In this class, Hollis continues his pitch to warm up to the Underground man and highlights the gifts of his perversion. He elicits recognition of the humanness of the underground man and the uncomfortable parallels in our own inner lives.  He names the consequences of keeping the Underground Man at a distance and the unhealthy efforts we may go to do so.  Hollis offers that the Underground Man reminds us of something very basic to our nature that is best understood and accepted.

Class 4 – To Love the Underground Man is to Love Yourself

Hollis brings the courtship of the Underground Man to a close by stating that the inability to love the dark shadow is the inability to accept ourselves. He explores the cost of living only one side of ourselves and speaks to how repressed shadow manifests in insidious ways. Hollis points to the echoes of the underground man across time and the archetype of the fool.  He challenges the listener to consider what is possible when acting against reason, in the direction of individuation.

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