“The ascent of Ego-consciousness, according to Jung is always a matter of reconciling opposites and of integrating split psychic materials. As a man’s Ego ascends through each of the triangular structures of the archetypes, he becomes more integrated and whole.”
Moore
Introduction
Apex shadow-work is a shadow-work technique and concept that states that shadow expressions are gifts waiting to be actualized. If we learn how to reach the apex, then we have the map to the actualization of our potential.
Level of Difficulty (7/10)
Prerequisites:
- Familiarity with Universal Laws, particularly the Law of Polarity and the Law of Gender.
- Beginner to intermediate meditation practice (though beginners with a proclivity for Active Imagination or Journaling techniques can also benefit).
- Intermediate level of self-awareness.
- Novice to intermediate understanding of the Archetypes.
Why Level 7 Difficulty?
Embarking on the journey of Apex Shadow-Work demands the integration of various essential concepts. It’s both a logical and creative endeavor, making it accessible even if you don’t grasp all the basic concepts right away. The practice itself can catalyze your understanding, fostering a harmonious relationship between application and comprehension as you grow in your spiritual journey.
The Importance of Apex Shadow-Work
The following post will serve as one of the most powerful shadow-work techniques. Many people often just talk about journaling and self-reflection for shadow-work, but this concept of Apex Shadow-Work will carry over into many other aspects of life. It is a fundamental technique that has many applications outside of Shadow-Work.
I have used this concept outside of shadow work for various situations in life.
Examples
- The Gene Keys a self-reflective tool by Richard Rudd uses this concept of the apex as seen in the concept of Shadow → Gift → Siddhi
- Interpersonal Relationships – I have used this concept to catch the toxic traits in interpersonal relationships.
- Alchemy – This concept uses alchemy and because of that, it helps the person understand alchemy more deeply.
Know that the changes can be immediate. Once you have found the Apex, all that is left is for you to get out of your way and integrate. It is one of the most immediate practices I have developed as it gives you the map to your potential.
I quickly understood that the shadows are gifts and in my exploration of these gifts, I uncovered my power. So let’s move forward with the concept.
Explaining The Shadows
I am working on a name for this concept, but for now, I will call it Apex shadow-work. Apex shadow-work involves using the raw, shadow levels of an archetype and transmuting it into gold. This is true alchemy we are talking about here!
This idea is not new, above you will find an image of Robert Moore’s depiction of the masculine archetypes in their pyramidal forms. Moore points out the importance of the ego’s integration of the shadows of an archetypes. To get to the top, the ego must know how to integrate the energies so they’re not acting in such a split manner.
Many people who are still in need of shadow work tend to act in a bipolar manner, where their personalities are split between active and passive. This could be one of the causes of bipolar disorders and multiple personality disorders often seen in psycho-pathologies. One of the reasons why I would say this is because bipolar people oscillate between mania and depression. Mania is a positive (active) expression of energy while depression is a negative (passive) expression of energy. But we don’t have to go to psycho-pathologies, a closer reflection on the current culture can show how this dynamic plays out.
The phenomenon of the “nice guy” is a great example of the bipolar nature of the shadow. A nice guy could be the sweet, passive guy who is always nice to a girl but is never able to tell her he likes her because of his fear of rejection. One day the girl ends up going on a date with another guy and the nice guy turns sour, sometimes enraged at the fact that his “niceness” didn’t win her over. Although he presented himself as a nice guy, within was a rage that was waiting to be expressed. On the opposite end is the “asshole” he is pretty direct and has a confidence that draws women towards him, but oftentimes when a woman gets into a relationship with this guy, she ends up wishing he was more in touch with his emotions and could express himself more compassionately.
Here we see the opposite ends. On one side we have the nice guy who is withdrawing his assertive energies to play it safe, while we have the “asshole” who doesn’t know how to be passive and offends. Wouldn’t it be great if they both learned from each other and came together to help each other out?
The 4 archetypes are a great introduction to this concept of apex shadow-work. In fact, this is how I learned to develop my ability to shadow work. If you look at the Lover archetype for example, you can easily reflect and see where you fall on the pyramid. Most often, men who have no understanding of the archetypes and themselves will fall in either one of the passive or active ends. If you find yourself being a man addicted to porn or sex, you might could be the addicted lover, on a constant pursuit for Love. While the impotent lover is the man who can’t seem to find comfort in expressing himself sexually, he lacks passion and is disconnected from the Lover energy.
As you can see, the active pole is characterized by an excess of expression while the passive energy is characterized as a deficiency. The active pole lacks restraint while the passive pole has too much restraint. Learning to manage the Lover energy holistically involves understanding both sides. The addicted Lover can learn from the impotent and vice versa. Each one can ask how they can help the other. For me, I found that meditation became extremely helpful in learning how to manage these shadow energies. The answers came by themselves. The impotent lover I found came from a disconnect from feelings. Meditation can help teach the person to be more present with their emotions and allow themselves to tune into their sensuality. Meditation could also help the addicted lover by showing them where the addiction is coming from. It pushes the man to understand the void that is trying to be filled.
It is important to note though, that meditation by itself was not enough. The archetypes are the blueprints to the psyche, so I would be using meditation as the compass while the archetypes as the map. The archetypes would point me to the image and structure of the energy so that when I meditated, I knew what I was looking for. This work involving meditation and the archetypes is what formed the basis of Apex Shadow-Work.
Integration of the Shadows
The goal of Apex Shadow-work is to reach the apex of the pyramid of archetypes through shadow-work. The way to the Apex is through the integration of the opposites. We have to mix both the active and passive sides of the base. I will explain the journey to the Apex in the following steps.
- Identification
- Understanding where you stand on the base of the pyramid
- Integration
- Reconciling the opposites through reflection
- Harmonization
- Using that to create an image of a person that harmoniously encapsulates both sides.
Identification
The role of identification is the beginning of shadow work and is one of the hardest things to do. Identification is a given to a master of self-reflection but is quite hard for the novice. It requires a few things:
- Self-Awareness
- High Levels of Perception
- Will-to-Change
The first component of identification is self-awareness. You need to be self-aware if you are not, you will never be able to identify the immature energies that you are acting out. Self-awareness means practicing self-reflection. If you cannot sit down and observe yourself, you will never manage to find the energies that you want to alchemize.
High-level perception is the next component of identification. You can be looking inward, but if you don’t have the high perception that comes from meditation and self-reflection, you won’t be able to see the link between the identified energy and the way it has been influencing your life. High level perception means connecting the dots between psychology and real-life behaviors. You can have some self-awareness, but perception is a multiplier of the impact self-awareness has on you.
Perception is the thing that will give you the ability to understand the implications of your behaviors, giving you the power to use your knowledge as a weapon for change.
The next thing is the Will-to-Change. You have to want to change. You have to want to know why you act the way you do. That means that you have to face parts of you that you don’t like. Your Will-to-Change will grow as your desire for the truth grows. You have to accept the truth. You have to value the truth more than you value your confidence, ego, and sense of reality. The truth will set you free, and you can only change when you face the parts of you that you didn’t want to face. The parts of you that the ego has protected your day-to-day awareness from.
Integration
The next step is integration. Integration happens along the horizontal axis, where we look across to the other side of the pole. You have to look in the mirror and see the other side. Once you have identified the under-developed energy you’re playing out, you will be able to label it as active or passive.
Every active energy has a passive reflection of it, every yin has a yang, and every positive has a negative also. This is duality. This is where the universal laws come into play – The Law of Gender and the Law of Polarity.
The Law of Gender: Balancing the Masculine and Feminine Energies
In our exploration of Apex Shadow-Work, we encounter a fundamental universal law known as the Law of Gender. This law is not about biological gender but rather the concept of gender as it pertains to energy and consciousness. It teaches us that everything, from the microcosm to the macrocosm, possesses both masculine and feminine aspects.
Let’s break down this law in the context of our shadow-work journey:
- Masculine and Feminine Energies: According to the Law of Gender, within each of us, regardless of our biological gender, there exists a balance of masculine and feminine energies. These energies are not limited to traditional stereotypes but encompass a broad spectrum of qualities and attributes.
- Yin and Yang: You can think of these energies as the Yin and Yang, the light and dark, or the active and passive aspects of your psyche. Just as in the archetypal pyramid, we have the active and passive expressions of each archetype. This duality is a reflection of the Law of Gender at work.
- Complementary Forces: Like two sides of a coin, these energies are complementary rather than opposing. They coexist within us, offering a dynamic interplay that shapes our thoughts, behaviors, and emotions.
- Balance and Integration: In the context of shadow work, understanding the Law of Gender is essential. It encourages us to embrace and harmonize our inner masculine and feminine aspects. The journey to the apex involves recognizing and integrating these energies to reach a state of balance and maturity.
The Law of Polarity: Embracing Opposing Forces
Additionally, we find the Law of Polarity at play in this process. This universal law teaches us about the interplay of opposites and complements the Law of Gender in our shadow-work journey.
- Dual Nature: The Law of Polarity asserts that everything in the universe has its polar opposite – light and dark, hot and cold, positive and negative. These dualities coexist and define each other.
- Balance in Extremes: Extreme opposites are simply different degrees of the same thing. For example, extreme heat and extreme cold are both expressions of temperature, just at different ends of the spectrum.
- Balancing Act: In the context of personal growth, the Law of Polarity teaches us that embracing and understanding these opposites can lead to balance and growth. It’s about finding the middle ground between extremes and harnessing the transformative power of their interplay.
By acknowledging both the Law of Gender and the Law of Polarity in our journey, we can use these fundamental universal principles as guiding lights to navigate the intricate dance between our active and passive energies. It’s a reminder that true transformation comes from the integration and balance of these fundamental forces within ourselves. These laws serve as powerful tools on our path toward the apex of self-realization and personal growth.
Harmonization
Harmonization is a vertical action. It requires looking up at an ideal, a higher version of the raw energy.
Simply stated what must be done is looking at the 2 shadow energies and comparing them to the ideal. How does the ideal take the best from both worlds? What are the things that the ideal takes from both and what does the apex remove from the two? Another thing to think about here is how the Apex integrates both aspects to create something new entirely? Most often when reflecting on this, you will find that the apex just makes sense. The apex is a perfect balance of both passive and active. Harmonization requires you to envision yourself acting from the apex of the archetype.
Harmonization is one of the easiest steps when talking about known archetypes. The reason being that it is just a matter of looking at the archetype’s fullest expression and putting the puzzle together.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Apex Shadow-Work is a transformative concept that offers a profound path to self-realization and personal growth. By embarking on this journey, you not only gain a deeper understanding of your inner world but also acquire a powerful tool that extends far beyond the realm of shadow work. The integration of universal laws, the balance of masculine and feminine energies, and the harmonization of opposing forces all come together in this remarkable process. It’s a journey that requires self-awareness, perception, and the will to change, but the rewards are immeasurable. As you explore the depths of your psyche and rise to the apex of your archetypal energies, you’ll discover the incredible potential that lies within you. Embrace your shadows, for they are the keys to unlocking your true self and reaching new heights on your path of personal transformation.