Body as Shadow

"The Body is very often the personification of this shadow of the ego. Sometimes it forms the skeleton in the cupboard," wrote Carl Jung, "and everybody naturally wants to get rid of such a thing."

Through the symbolism of illness and physical symptoms, our bodies reflect the darkness and the light the shadow holds for us until we are ready to accept it. It is the shadow-face of our souls that holds the light and the darkness until we are strong enough to face and heal what we have previously denied or rejected about ourselves. Our bodies and their ailments are not our enemies, and neither are our shadows. The shadow reveal the negative ego patterns we had previously rejected or denied, through the messages of our illnesses, so we can recognize, forgive, and heal them. The shadow is the ally of our true self and the enemy of our negative egos.