No one knows what is going on inside your mind but you. Even you are not aware of all the stuff that’s going on in your mind. There are times when an honest friend will give us an accurate assessment of what they see going on with us. We react angrily or deny what they see in us exists. When we react that way, it generally is an affirmation of our friend’s observation. Psychiatrist Carl Jung termed this hidden part of us our shadow. Get it? Our shadow is behind us, we don’t see it. When we recognize this hidden part of our personality, it usually contains the things we don’t want to admit about ourselves. When we unmask our shadow and force it to come out of hiding and into the sunlight, we have an opportunity to change our lives and live more authentically.
Carl Jung
Today’s Thought: Discovering Inner Truths: A Poem on Reflection and the Power of Self-Awareness
I asked the AI program ChatGPT to generate a short poem on the theme of reflection.
Here is the poem:
“The Quiet Mind”
In silence, I find space to see,
A mirrored world inside of me.
Through clouds of thought, the light breaks through,
A clearer path, a clearer view.
Reflection, whether internally or externally focused, seems to be a lost practice in contemporary society. Reflection requires courage. When we reflect internally we may discover, in Jung’s words, our shadow side. We’ll see the monster who is capable of causing great pain. We will also discover other great truths about ourselves. When we internally reflect and face our shadow with courage, humility, and honest, the shadow’s power ebbs and we become free from it’s control.
Today’s Quote: Dare to Look Inward
Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves. ~ Carl Jung
