rumi
"like a shadow, i am, and i am not"
Psychologist Carl Jung spoke of the shadow – the parts of the psyche that we suppress for various reasons – as both hidden and essential to our humanness. It’s our unconscious parts that, while suppressed, still contribute to how we experience reality. It is essentially the "dark side" of the psyche, which is often ignored or denied because it conflicts with our conscious self-image or social norms. The shadow is not meant to be perceived as “bad” per se, but simply represents aspects of ourselves that we don’t acknowledge or are unaware of, including latent gifts that will eventually be used. In spiritual pursuits, uncovering the shadow involves our willingness to delve into these aspects of ourselves that we are unaware of superficially.