I have to admit, Halloween is one of my favorite "holidays".  And by the way that people adorn their homes with Halloween paraphernalia I don't think I'm alone.  It is one time in the year that we get to openly recognize the dark side of human nature.  Not that all things Halloween are ghoulish, there are plenty of ducks and princesses running around.  But it is a time when we get to be something "other" than what we are from day to day.  We get to be something evil, fantastical, ridiculous or odd without social convention damning us for doing so.  For the most part these kinds of things are relegated to the realm of the unacceptable within ourselves and society.  But, banishing these things doesn't mean they are eradicated.  According to Jungian psychology these things are simply stored in our unconscious mind, our shadow, where they continue to influence us indirectly. 

We have learned, through socialization, to identify with those things that we believe will make us more acceptable.  Being a nice girl, a tough guy, a cool parent, a successful businessperson, a loyal and submissive wife etc, etc, etc.  Anything that we think or feel that doesn't conform to these ideas of our selves gets denied and repressed into the shadow (ie. the bitch, the sensitive guy, the nerd, the failure, the assertive, adventurous woman).  Where it festers, unprocessed, unrecognized and literally can wreak havoc in our lives (remember the feelings are still there, but not allowed to process through you).  You can tell that the shadow is present when you have an exaggerated, hypersensitvie reaction to a person, situation or thing that is full of emotional charge, angst, hatred, obsession or infatuation.  Where you outright judge, reject and hate (or adore) the actions of another person because they reflect the unacceptable "shit" that you've denied in yourself.  Of course, you don't recognize that at the time and blame the other person for simply being a jerk, incompetent, stupid, evil or saintly, and on and on.  The simple fact is, if you were able to integrate the shadow qualities you've banished into your consciousness you would stop reacting so strongly to the things external to you that once had you steaming.  Remember, we are the totality.  We are the Yin and the Yang.  We can't have the qualities of "nice" in us without the existence of the bitch.  We can't be cool without the existence of the nerd. Without the dark, there would be no light.  Until we heal the split between the opposites of our nature we are bound to being a puppet to this psychological division in many areas of our lives.  

In yoga, we have the opportunity to "try on" the essential qualities of poses that may reflect aspects of ourselves that we don't recognize. You may see yourself more like a pacifist most of the time but during your practice out comes the Warrior!  It may be uncomfortable at first to embody the "biggness" of Warrior II, to flood your bodies energy out from center to periphery because you're used to holding your energy deep inside where you feel safe.  But, denied is that part of you that has the fight of a warrior in you.  Or you may be a flamboyant, life of the party kind of person, a rolling stone of sorts where flashing your energy around may be no problem.  But, denied is that part of you which is still, calm and introspective.  Here, child's pose can help to call up those softer feelings and modes of being that have been repressed. 

Carl Jung said "one does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious".  Can you hold this in your intent the next time you get triggered out there in the world or the next time you're in a posture that seems to evoke a strong reaction?  Can you hang out and get to know what the situation, asana or person is exhibiting and then look for it inside yourself?  There are many ways to get to know the shadow, which I'll share in coming blogs.  For now, just remain curious and maybe think about getting dressed up this Halloween as something completely opposite of what you may normally potray to yourself and others.  Watch what happens as you play with with the ghoul, the clown, the angel or the animal within. 
 
"That which we do not bring to consciousness
appears in our lives as fate." 
- Carl Jung