The shadow disguises itself in our projections, when we react intensely to a trait in others that we fail to see in ourselves.

The rewards are profound. Shadow-work enables us to alter our self-sabotaging behavior so that we can achieve a more self-directed life.

Once you uncover the history of this pattern and trace its roots, you will see that your reaction in the present moment is really a reaction from the past, a shadow character's attempt to protect you from reexperiencing an old emotional wound, which instead sabotages you in the present.

I remember when the Cold War ended, how quickly the United States was swept by a nationalistic fervor and turned against Saddam Hussein. As soon as we lost our age-old enemy, the Soviet Union, we instantly created a new one.

Shadow-making happens in families and makes us who we are. It leads to shadow-work, which makes us who we can become.

As each layer of shadow is mined from the darkness, as each fear is faced and each projection reclaimed, the gold shines through.

If you can hold the tension of opposite points of view in your intimate relationships with people, instead of making somebody right and somebody wrong, you are really taking an evolutionary step.