"One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light," Carl Jung famously observed, "but by making the darkness conscious." This class offers an introduction to his concept of the shadow. Together, we will discover how our early adaptations to family dynamics and cultural norms construct a protective social persona. To keep us safe as children, some parts of ourselves live in the basement of our psyche. These include the traits, desires, and raw instincts. Some of them felt too risky to show. This class frames shadow work as a lifelong commitment to authenticity. Becoming who you really are. This class also goes into what post Jungians sometimes call 'the golden shadow'. This shadow that contains vital resources like playfulness, rest, and creativity.
Carl Jung famously observed that until we make the unconscious conscious, it will direct our life and we will call it fate. The shadow is a quiet force that shapes our daily lives. It does so through subtle emotional triggers, physical tensions, and hidden psychological patterns. We often absorb societal rules early in life without questioning whether they belong to us. These internalized beliefs sit quietly in the background, dictating who we are allowed to be. We also learn about our shadow through projection. This is when we unconsciously place our unacknowledged qualities onto others. Our environment becomes a living mirror reflecting the traits we try to deny. To feel safe as children, many of us developed coping strategies that we adopted as part of our persona. The persona is the social mask we present to the world. For example: A persona built on self-sufficiency may prevent our capacity for real vulnerability.
Authentic shadow work is a lifelong conversation that sits at the very heart of becoming our true selves. Most of us will have felt the price of burying uncomfortable feelings, inner complexes, and bodily tension. When we leave this hidden material in the basement of our psyche, it continues to drive our reactions, enforces rigid habits, and shrinks our sense of possibility. When we consciously choose to develop a relationship to these parts of ourselves, something shifts inside. This relationship starts by tracking our emotional triggers. We can start listening to the physical tightness in our bodies. We pay attention to our dreams. We start conversing with our dream figures through active imagination. As we develop this relationship, we may access our creative energy. It opens up the possibility of deep emotional freedom. We become more real.
Fairy tales are among the purest expressions of the collective unconscious, Marie Louise von Franz said. They are stripped through generations of retelling until only the universal architecture of the psyche remains. Because they carry no personal biography, they can reveal patterns that bypass the ego's usual defenses. This class explores two tales through this lens.
Sleeping Beauty and Little Red Riding Hood. Together, these tales illustrate that not all shadow work looks the same. Some shadow material calls for integration, while other material calls for clear boundaries. It closes with the recognition that psychological maturity means finding the right relationship to the shadow, rather than assuming every part deserves a welcome.
In this closing live webinar class, Akke-Jeanne draws the previous four classes into a single, coherent whole. She revisits what the shadow actually is, how it operates through introjection and projection, what real shadow work means and does not mean.
This class is about the ongoing daily practice. It is about a willingness to notice, tolerate, and stay in honest relationship with whatever arises, rather than a task that is ever finally done.
This live class offers an opportunity to bring your own questions, reflections, and insights from the previous four on-demand classes. Like always, you can decide to watch the recording of this class at a time that is more convenient to you.
Join live class on December 7th, 2026 (8-9am PT / 11am-noon ET)
