What is the Shadow and how is it a part of our personal lives and society at large? What is the function of the Shadow? How can we recognize it in ourselves and learn its impact on our daily lives? What is the benefit of integrating the Shadow parts of ourselves for our personal life’s journey?
In this 4 day event our knowledgeable panel of speakers will shed light on the concept of the Shadow. You will learn many practical tools of how to engage with the Shadow. We will go into the personal as well as collective Shadow, the Shadow in relationships, and how the Shadow manifests in dreams.
In these sessions you will get the chance to:
- Learn the concept of Shadow
- Explore aspects of personal Shadow and how it shows up in day to day life
- Learn about collective Shadow and its impact on society and the individual
- Recognize the Shadow in close relationships with others
- Gain awareness and practical tools to help you work with your own Shadow aspects
- Participate in live workshop led by Machiel Klerk, followed by Q&A
Day 1
Introduction to the shadow
One of the contributions of Carl Jung is the idea of the shadow. The shadow refers to the parts of ourselves we are unaware of. Those parts of our own being often act independently of our wills and can be threatening to our ego.
In this summit session world famous Jungian Analyst James Hollis offers an introduction to the shadow. The shadow in itself is not the problem, but it is how it plays out. We need to ask ourselves what does the shadow make us do and what does it keep us from doing?
As James Hollis will illustrate, shadow work helps us to become who we truly are by becoming ‘whole’.
Shadow in Relationships
This session Buddhist and Jungian Analyst Polly Young-Eisendrath explores ways to deal with the shadow in relationships. She talks about a method she has pioneered called Real Dialogue, which is an effective way to deal with conflict. We tend to dehumanize the other, make the other an enemy, and devalue another person’s perspective when we feel unseen or unheard. Real Dialogue helps us to be aware of these destructive tendencies we bring into a relationship when we are emotional. Polly’s method helps to create a mindful space so that a real dialogue can take place.
The Shadow in Astrology
Psychological astrology is a way to look at personality and its dynamics via the placement of the stars. Shadow work is a part of our personal evolution and there are many ways to address your personal shadow. One way is through studying your natal chart. Alexander von Schlieffen shares his discovery of the influence the North Node and the South Node have on shadow aspects in a person’s life depending on their location in one’s chart, planet relation and house they reside in. Alexander will expand on Pluto and its influence and direct connection to the Shadow.
By understanding these areas of the chart we are able to clearly see the necessary actions or non-actions one must take to lead a life of transformation and personal growth.
Masterful astrology teacher Alexander von Schlieffen gives you practical suggestions on how to identify their placement in your chart and ways to understand how Shadow can affect your life.
Day 2
Shadow in Fairy Tales
This session with Jungian Analyst Dariane Pictet examines what we can learn about ourselves by reading fairy tales. Dariane will show that fairy tales contain deep lessons and can help us better understand human nature. Fairy tales give insight into the internal struggles we have in life and how this may play out in our own psychological development. They do also reveal dark sides of human nature, both individual and collective.
The Shadow of Our Own Storytelling
In this session Depth Psychologist Craig Chalquist will illustrate the importance of storytelling, and how we live our stories. The stories we tell ourselves and others shape us more than we realize. They inform our behavior and our interactions with others as well as the world itself. We all tend to think of the key stories about ourselves and the world around us as solid truths, rather than fiction. And there we get stuck, in the literalizing of our own tales. This session explores why stories matter, how they shape our lives, and what the shadow aspect is of our own storytelling. Craig will end with some suggestions on how to get unstuck from our literalized truths by re-storying our lives.
Shadow and the Body
In this session one of our beloved teachers Tina Stromsted focuses on how the Shadow manifests itself in the body, especially in the case of trauma. She’ll explore how we can access and work with these embodied Shadow states. Stromsted gives us examples on how we can do depth healing work through embodiment where we meet the elements of trauma and shadow through dreams, embodied active imagination, dance/movement & the creative arts therapies. She also explores how there are shadow elements in our addictive habitual patterns (not simply substances but a way of life that affects us all and impacts the planet). Through engaging the body we can bring creativity in life, nurture sexuality, develop the conscious/sacred feminine toward the sacred marriage, and live a meaningful, soulful, bodyful life!
Day 3
The Shadow and Addiction
Carl Jung was instrumental in the founding of Alcoholic Anonymous (A.A.), even if Jung himself only learned about this at the end of his life. Jung thought that an alcoholic was searching for a spiritual experience and found that on a lower level in the spirits of the drink. In this session Jungian Analyst Ashok Bedi explores with us how the Shadow shows up in addictions. The dark Shadow almost completely overtakes a person who is under the spell of addiction. Bedi also shows how working with one’s Shadow is one of the ways out of the trap of addiction. A.A. is based on the 12 Steps program. Those working through addiction are facing deep Shadow work in the initial steps.
Shadow and (Lucid) Dreaming
In this session Charlie Morley, Buddhist and Lucid Dream Teacher, talks about ways to deal with your Shadow. First, he talks about how the Shadow appears in dreams and next he goes into Shadow work. In this talk he combines wisdom from Tibetan Buddhism with Western psychology. He will explain how to use lucid dreaming to help you befriend your Shadow and unlock the inner gold which is your creative potential.
A Critical Reflection on the Shadow
In this session Jungian Analyst and creative thinker Patricia Berry, is reflecting on Jung’s concept of the Shadow. She takes several intriguing positions on the Shadow. For example, she discovers what insights we gain when we take on the perspective of the Shadow itself.. She also looks at the Shadow when the sun shines directly above a person. In this case the person and the shadow are merging, while the person is not seeing their Shadow.
Unveiling Shadow Aspects in Dreams – live event
In this workshop Machiel will explore ways of engaging with the Shadow in dreams. One obvious way we meet Shadow figures is in our nightmares, and there is a lot of gold to mine out of this dark Shadow. Further, many dreams provide us with clues about our limiting beliefs, blindspots, and complexes. Dreams can be a psychological x-ray showing us what we didn’t know yet, and hardly could see otherwise. Join Machiel in unveiling, exploring and working with our Shadow in dreams.
Day 4
Unveiling Shadow Aspects in Dreams – live event
In this workshop Machiel will explore ways of engaging with the Shadow in dreams. One obvious way we meet Shadow figures is in our nightmares, and there is a lot of gold to mine out of this dark Shadow. Further, many dreams provide us with clues about our limiting beliefs, blindspots, and complexes. Dreams can be a psychological x-ray showing us what we didn’t know yet, and hardly could see otherwise. Join Machiel in unveiling, exploring and working with our Shadow in dreams.
