Memory/Shadow Boxing:

Carl Jung conceptualized the archetype of the Shadow. This is the part of our unconscious mind that Jung believed to hold all the things about ourselves that we repress, whether because they are evil, socially unacceptable, harmful to others, or detrimental to our own health. Our Shadows embody our inner darkness, the things about ourselves we hide, the damage we experience in our lives but never fully heal, desires we cannot satisfy.

Jung chronicled much of his experience with the Shadow self in his work Aion, and it is agreed today that the Shadow self can be described as highly emotional, driven by primal instinct, often violent, and usually concealed from the social world by the conscious mind. Jung also believed the qualities in our Shadow were determined by the things we criticize the most in others. It is, so to speak, the dark mind, everything we separate from the rest of ourselves. But true self-awareness cannot take place unless we delve into the dark parts of ourselves and accept them and intregrate them into one’s conscious ego. The darkest part of our minds makes up some of the most important parts of our identities. For the majority of our lives, social and private, we repress the darkest things that deeply define us.

In this workshop we will delve into the Shadow side of ourselves through a series of multi-modal exercises aimed at shedding light into the darkenss, including journaling, movement, and visual art culminating in a Surrealist Shadow Box art project following the example of Joseph Cornell. Our workshop is available for individuals or groups and will be guided by a trauma-informed expressive arts practitioner.

Workshop Activities:

I. Understanding the Shadow. Excerpts from Jung’s Aion and how the Shadow is formed. Examples of the Shadow in life, literature, and art through a brief presentation.

II Shadow Dancing. Intuitive movement through music in the dark to induce a trance-like state in an effort to embrace our physical shadow.

III Delving into the Dark Side. Drama role plays that involve dialogues between the conscious light vs unconscious shadow side. Visualization of the dark side of the moon. Dream image journaling. Prompts for journaling to delve into our demons.

IV Surfacing and Integrating the Dark. Using the “artefacts” uncovered during our movement and journaling, we will collage, draw images and words for our dioramas. Exemplars from Joseph Cornell’s work

V Shedding Light on the Shadow Dark. Synthesis of the shadow into our consciousness. Sharing our shadow side within the trusted creative community. Composing an integration Ode to my Shadow.

Reflections and sharing of the process.

All materials will be provided including handouts, diorama boxes, craft materials, printed matter.

Single class: $50, 2 hours per session, in person