In Episode 88, I interview Arran Rogerson, a podcaster, facilitator, and coach whose work has quickly become synonymous with the concept of the shadow. Popularized by the work of Carl Jung, the shadow is a metaphor for the parts of ourselves that we hide from ourselves. The shadow is the realm of our unconscious mind that we can’t or won’t see.
Arran and I discuss his journey into the world of shadow work and then compare and contrast the fascinating connections between shame and shadow. There’s a surprising amount of overlap between his shadow theories and my shame theories, almost like different ways of describing the same thing. Shame seems to be one of the mechanisms that moves material from the conscious realm into the shadow in the first place, and one of the sentries at the entrance to our shadow worlds that can restrict both entry and exit. Arran talks about strategies we can use to see our shadow so that we can integrate that material into our lives in a healthier and more empowering way.
You can listen to more of Arran’s deep, melodic whisper on the podcast The Golden Shadow which he co-hosts with Alyssa Polizzi. He also has a Youtube series called The Torch and you can follow him on Twitter and Instagram as well. If you want to explore your own shadow, Arran and Alyssa facilitate a really cool interactive series at The Stoa every Friday night at 6pm EST called Shadowplay. If you’re interested in delving more into the concept of the shadow in general, you can check out the book Arran mentioned at the end of the episode, Meeting the Shadow by Connie Zweig.
Note: this interview was edited for clarity.
