Had a question here,
Is there a difference between ones dark descended self and what Jung would call the shadow self? Perhaps a better way of Putting it is « is the descended self the archetypal manifestation of what king calls the shadow ? »
Thanks
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Hey good question!
Every archetype has a shadow form and that can certainly be a part of a person’s shadow self but while connected they are also different
The Shadow Self
This can really be any archetype or multiple archetypes This is the part of ourselves we learn to suppress. Once you get in touch with it you may find you also supressed needed strengths and traits
For example chatty kids who are told to shut up by adults supress communication skills
Or a natural dare devil may have ended up supressing a thirst for adventure
It doesn’t always have to be the worst sins imaginable that get filed here but they certainly can be Few people are going to admit to having sexual fantasies about a family member so things like that get filed there too
Basically the things that society makes us think we should be ashamed get filed there
The Shadow form of an Archetype
Every archetype has a shadow form whether we are talking about the inner child,the warrior,the magician,the lover or the sovereign or any other they ALWAYS have a dark side
Because people always have 2 sides
So the dark side of the king is either the weakling or the tyrant and anyone in touch with the king archetype should be aware that one of those or a blend in the middle is somewhere inside of them too
You can gain a lot of insights and strengths through shadow work and getting in touch with your shadow self and seeing what you buried there
But this kind of intense work is not for the faint of heart You will see a side of yourself that is deeply disturbing
But in my opinion so so healing and necessary Like I said we don’t always bury the worst sins here More often than not we bury things we need
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Thank you for that !
Could the descended self be the shadow deity form of what the RHP calls the HGA (holy guardian angel)?
How do you define the dark descended self ?
I assume that descended masters are the very embodiment of the dark descended self much like a boddhisatva is an embodiment of compassion…?
Ability to function in a manner that overall advances you towards your goal, or at least, doesn’t destroy things you otherwise value, would be my best guess. But not an expert opinion or anything.
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I look at this way Everyone is two sides of the same coin It’s possible to become a master of both light and dark energy
That’s what I’m personally shooting for
Not there yet but shooting for it
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Honestly i don’t see any of this as being part of Jung’s Shadow.
The Shadow isn’t separate of us, a deity or anything like that. It is just as integral to us as breathing but we don’t realize it.
Shadows that have been repressed too much take over many aspects of our lives and govern our emotional reactions but shadows that are reintroduced and assimilated cease to have control.
I have only worked with Shadow as a healing, self strengthening aspect so if there is another part of it like you describe i haven’t worked with it.
Shadows can be used as fuel in spell working however. I think it can be tricky though because the shadow is part of your soul so how you use it as fuel could be very harmful to yourself.
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As someone who has been into Jungian psychology for a looooooooooong time. I tend to take a bigger interest in sociology than psychology so he fits my reading more.
In my honest opinion, the only difference between the shadow archetype and the dark descended self as you call it is that it is perceived differently by your mind therefore it cannot be the Shadow. The issue with Jung’s wording is that people believe the shadow can be anything else but the shadow. It is the lowest depth of the sub-conscious where all your faults and inhibitions lie. It’s literal chaos without a conscious mind to who you are, where you are, what you want and who you become. The Shadow is the monster inside of us all that can be controlled over time, this is where the concept of the higher self and the descended self fit into the ideal of the Shadow being defeated but it’s not that simple.
The Shadow itself is the permanently inscribed programming within the depths of the sub-conscious from the moment we as humans are born. Escaping this is near impossible but learning to accept it and control it is something we all strife for as people on the LHP, RHP, NAHP. The way some learn to deal with the shadow is through meditation in which they focus on all their faults, while some others believe they can confront this monstrous aspect of the sub-conscious as, exactly that, a monster.
Tl;Dr - The Shadow and the Descended self can only be the same entity or version of self if they are viewed as the same. Separating them into two different categories automatically makes them not the same. The Shadow is a literal essence within all of us. Some people have much worse shadows than others and those people tend to be the ones who break and kill themselves or become “God” amongst men. So no they cannot be the same in that sense either. The descended self as a part of the ego in my opinion cannot be defeated so it automatically can’t be the shadow to myself.
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