Our shadow selves are those dark and mysterious places within us that we have refused to shine the “light” on, for one reason or another.
The human shadow contains every thought, feeling, desire, and personality trait that we have rejected or suppressed.
Consider this test an initiation into the shadow work path if you haven’t entered it already. No matter what result you get, it’s always crucial to incorporate some level of shadow work into your life and spiritual awakening journey.
What is Shadow Work?
Shadow work is the practice of finding, befriending, and transmuting the wounded, suppressed, and buried parts of yourself (i.e., your shadows) so that you can regain access to your inner Light.
Our Dark Side & Carl Jung Shadow Self Quotes
Where does this idea of having a dark side come from in modern times? The concept of the shadow originated in the work of Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung.
Here are a few of the most famous Carl Jung shadow self quotes to contemplate:
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)
The shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality, for no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort. To become conscious of it involves recognising the dark aspects of the personality as present and real. This act is the essential condition for any kind of self-knowledge.
(Aion)
People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own souls. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.
(Psychology and Alchemy)
The shadow is a tight passage, a narrow door, whose painful constriction no one is spared who goes down to the deep well. But one must learn to know oneself in order to know who one is.
(The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious)
Shadow Self Test
So, how dominant is your shadow self and what effect does it have on your life?
Find out by taking our free Shadow Self Test.
What result did you get in this shadow self test?
Share your results!
Want to take another test? Try our Shadow Archetype Test.
Need more shadow work guidance? See our Shadow Work Journal, Mindful Shadow Work book, or Shadow & Light Membership for more ongoing support with working to embrace and transmute your Shadow Self.
I think over time I got so tired of fighting my incredibly strong shadow self that I let it morph into me somewhat. I don’t really want to let it go either. Idk, it could be described better I think because it’s more complex than that. My more shadowy beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors are far more welcoming than cheerful, optimistic, hopeful, and calm ones.
Thanks Celtice. It’s important to understand that we can sometimes let the shadow part of us take over, but we we don’t become ‘it’.
Often our shadow side creates strong patterns of behavior and thought that can keep us trapped in a sort of stasis, unless we active see what we’re gaining a reward for acting out those patterns.
agreed
Large shadow self. I know why, but never dealt with it.
Imagine getting scared if these.
SMALL Shadow Self, well i wonder if it has something to do with realizing something about the Persona Series? I have playd these since the first one, and later i have found out about Shadow Work, then thought wow, the Persona Games seem to be inspired by Shadow work, or more like its super Obvious, as the Main Theme is Accept your Shadow Self. Of course being mindful, aware and caring is also very helpful in that.
That’s interesting Shin, I’ve heard of a few games using Jungian Shadow concepts. I’ve also seen them appear within some Asian music groups, like BTS song titles.
I absolutely love the persona series, especially PERSONA 5 Royal. It being about reforming those who do wrong to others by changing the cognition of one’s shadow is awesome…plus the game is really cool and fun :D
The Creator
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I got medium shadow which is acceptable and a leap in the right direction. I’ve done a lot of healing and growth already from reading your works and facing my shadows. I tried to answer based on how I currently feel as opposed to how I had always felt prior to two years ago! Thank you.
Thanks for sharing Wendy 💙
Medium shadow self – unsurprising. I have been working with a therapist for 2 years now and it seems I have a lot of repressed anger from my upbringing. My parents divorced when I was 10 and one side of my family was very much ‘children should be seen and not heard’, and I only seemed to get recognition when I excelled academically. My dad was basically absent throughout my adolescence and my mum just didn’t have the resources to meet my needs on her own. It’s hard work untangling the mess and it feels like I’m going around in circles a lot of the time. 😔
Same here. I also get Median shadow self
This sounds scarily familiar to me. I got “large shadow self”. It definitely impacts my life a lot. Just started looking into this.
Low level shadow self. I am proud of myself for the inner work I’ve been doing during my dark night of the soul. Go ME!!!!
I have a small shadow self. I have a done a great deal of inner work over the years.
That’s great Stephanie :)
Medium sized for me. I have previously done a lot of work on myself and thought u was in a good place, but since 2020 (pandemics plus life events) I withdrew from the spiritual and feel lost. I had a child, and for the majority of the last 2 years I’ve felt so incredibly tired, it’s like my brain shuts down anytime I attempt to do anything more than survive. I had terrible PND, I was diagnosed with OCD, inflammatory arthritis and narcolepsy. I know there’s much I need to do but my physical self is so rundown I struggle to do anything else. I find the world so heavy. Plus I have found myself caring for elderly parents with medical issues, carrying a lot of the weight of family (namely those with physical/mental health issues and lack of self awareness). Thank goodness for my twin who lives over east but I call my wise sage, she keeps me grounded and reminds me who i am. Sorry for the ramble, I didn’t realise I needed to get that out ♥️
No worries JayM, I’m happy the test brought some stuff up to the surface for you. Be sure practice self-care when navigating the many responsibilities that seem to have come at once. 💜