Uncontrolled bursts of anger, sexual addiction, strange phobias, unexpected deep depressions, unshakeable self-loathing, and self-destructive tendencies are all signs of the shadow archetype – and we all have one.
The shadow archetype, also known as the shadow self or dark side of humanity, can be seen throughout myth and legend since the dawn of humanity.
If you’d like to discover your shadow archetype, some examples, and how it influences your life, you’ll find that and more right here!
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Table of contents
What is the Shadow Jungian Archetype?
How can anyone see straight when he does not even see himself and the darkness he unconsciously carries with him into all his dealings?
– C. G. Jung, The Essential Jung
We can thank Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung for his idea of psychological archetypes, which are patterns that appear repeatedly within human consciousness.
Among the many archetypes within our species is one that Jung named the Shadow, which is the dark, suppressed, and hidden side of our nature.
How Does Your Shadow Form (and Signs It’s Active)?
For one reason or another, we all have abandoned parts within ourselves that we reject either consciously or unconsciously.
These rejected parts are often deemed “ugly,” “bad,” “unworthy,” “outrageous,” “unlovable,” or even “dangerous,” and so they’re cast out from our conscious-facing personalities (also called our “persona”).
But these outlawed fragments of ourselves don’t just disappear into thin air. Instead, they get buried, locked away, and, in some cases, actively blocked off within our deep unconscious minds.
The longer these shadow parts are cut off from the light of consciousness, the more they fester and build up like a seething volcano waiting to explode.
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Incidents of intense rage, emotional meltdowns, mental health crises, addictions, dark nights of the soul, and many other issues are signs that the shadow is trying to get our attention.
Why Should You Face Your Shadows?
To be liberated from the self-destructive force of our shadows, we must turn toward them.
We must integrate the shadow archetype into our lives by befriending it and finding the hidden gifts that it carries. In the words of Jung,
Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is.
(Psychology and Religion)
Spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle writes about the shadow archetype, referring to it as the “pain-body.” He writes:
The pain-body, which is the dark shadow cast by the ego, is actually afraid of the light of your consciousness. It is afraid of being found out. Its survival depends on your unconscious identification with it, as well as on your unconscious fear of facing the pain that lives in you. But if you don’t face it, if you don’t bring the light of your consciousness into the pain, you will be forced to relive it again and again.
(The Power of Now)
Shadow Archetype Examples
Here’s a list of shadow archetype examples.
Keep in mind that most of us possess more than one shadow archetype, and they can change during the course of our lives.
Also, note that none of these shadow archetypes is totally black or white – remember that each type has a hidden gift or strength:
- Addict
- Glutton
- Workaholic
- Beggar
- Bully
- Coward
- Wounded/Orphan Child
- Destroyer
- Seducer/Black Widow/Don Juan
- Gambler
- Gossip
- Perfectionist
- Critic
- Miser
- Anarchist
- Saboteur
- Trickster
- Slave
- Sorcerer/Sorceress
- Thief/Con Artist
- Tyrant
- Vampire
- Victim
A few shadow archetype examples in pop-culture and fiction include Green Goblin (Spider-Man), Alex (A Clockwork Orange), Moriarty (Sherlock Holmes), Gollum (The Lord of the Rings), Bellatrix Lestrange and Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter), Norman Bates (Psycho), Darth Vader (Star Wars), The Joker (Batman), Regina George (Mean Girls), Ursula (The Little Mermaid), Agent Smith (The Matrix), Duck Phillips (Mad Men), Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal), Montgomery Burns (The Simpsons), Joffrey Baratheon (Game of Thrones), Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest).
You can find more ways to work with your shadow archetype in my Mindful Shadow Work book!
What is Your Shadow Archetype? (Free Test!)
There are seven main shadow archetypes in this test, which correspond to the seven chakras. The result you get can help you find some focus and clarity on your healing journey.
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What is your shadow archetype? Share below in the comments!
**NOTE: If you’re taking this test on your phone, be aware that the results are within an embedded iframe, so if you struggle to scroll down, try scrolling right at the very edge of your screen to keep going down. Also, a few people have reported that their results aren’t appearing. If you don’t seem to receive any results, please try taking this test in a different browser (examples are Safari, Firefox, Google Chrome), and if that doesn’t work, try using a different device or opening in incognito mode. Enjoy!
What result did you get? Please share below in the comments. I’d love to know!
If you’re interested in other shadow-related resources, here are a few: Shadow Self Test, 35 Shadow Work Prompts (For Each Chakra), and 21 Signs You’re Experiencing “Soul Loss”.
Two paths to inner transformation – here’s how I can help you go deeper:
1. The Soul Work Compass Course: Feeling lost or stuck in repetitive cycles of pain? The Soul Work Compass Course is your guide to reclaiming your true purpose. In this deep yet practical journey, you’ll learn how to heal core wounds and create a tangible "Soul's Compass" to navigate life with clarity. Enroll now and find your True North!
2. The Inner Work Journal Bundle: Ready for deep transformation? This bundle includes three powerful journals – Self-Love, Inner Child, and Shadow Work – with 150+ prompts to heal wounds, integrate your darkness, and experience bone-deep change. Digital & printable. Print unlimited times.
The wounded child.
Oh how I long to heal her. 💔
Awareness is the first step 💜
Hi Aletheia,
Couldn’t get results either, great shame as I was very interested in the questions and result.
But to give you a quick update (as I have been quiet for a while) all the wisdom I gained from your Shadow insights in previous months finally bore fruit as I have at last severed all ties with a manipulating/controlling boss/job who was slowly making me more and more sick. My Shadow was keeping me in there, I call my Shadow “The Favourite”: I was conditioned from childhood to be top-of-the-class, teacher’s pet, blue-eyed girl, you name it and at my time of life it became so toxic I felt I would soon die if I didn’t stop. So I stopped and embraced freedom. I do still feel chilly breezes of doubt during the night and when I first wake up, but I know it was the only way I could save myself.
I will now be able to complete the Soul Work Compass Course I started but have yet to finish. Doing this did require a lot of courage but your Shadow insights guided me. Thank you 🙏🫶
Congratulations on taking that brave step, Marie France! I’m excited for your healing path ahead 💜
I’m not sure what’s going on with the test as it works for some people and not for others. If you wouldn’t mind, could you take a screenshot of what’s going on and send it here: https://lonerwolf.com/contact/ so we can try and get it sorted?
With love and celebration 🐺
Hello,
Thank you for this test. I tried it 3 times in 3 different browsers, in incognito mode, and on my phone, but for some reason, I never got any results! Please let me know if there’s another way I could take it. Thank you!
Hi Diana, would you mind reaching out to support and taking a screenshot so we can try to fix the issue? Here is the page: https://lonerwolf.com/contact/ Thank you :)
I don’t know enough about any of them to make a choice so I can’t participate, unfortunately.
This Shadow Archetype test is how I first found LonerWolf on Pinterest almost two years ago. The first time I took it, my result was the Trickster archetype. I just retook it, and my result is the Wounded Child, which makes sense, given how much new abandonment and betrayal trauma I have experienced in the past six months.
I’m sorry to hear of that trauma you experienced, Katie. Thank you for sharing what you got 💜
Here’s an idea: first, gather all your metaphysical data, whether that be numerology, Western astrology, vedic, human design, etc. have it all ready typed out on Notepad or a Word file. then enter it into ai, followed by a request to have all of your data interpreted for the shadow side of everything, and then for AI to come up with the profile of the person the metaphysical information belongs to.
You’ll find it interesting that AI comes up with something that is probably your evil twin, or your Shadow self!!
critic
Thanks for sharing K. :)