Polarities and Shadows

This two-day program focuses Carl Jung’s concepts of archetypal shadows as a personal and organizational tool, constructively exploring the “dark side” that yields powerful insights for self-care, interpersonal effectiveness, and growth. The program experientially explores the shadow side of individuals and organizations, offers ways to observe and mine the insights there, and suggests how to shift from destructive to constructive behaviors around these dynamics.

Participants gain practical methods for revealing their individual shadows and strategies for recognizing those of others with whom they work (and live). Insights allow a more assertive, compassionate, and humble awareness of self and others. Application of those insights builds stronger leadership, and animates more creative working relationships.

Practically every phenomenon in the universe exists with polarities: positive and negative, light and dark, creative and destructive, emerging and dissipating, etc. It is this perennial oscillation that produces energy in the world. That same productive tension lives in each of us and, when understood, yields practical insights that enable a more balanced and resilient way of being and working in the world.

The shadow sides of our personalities and organizations show up when there is too much or too little development of particular archetypal energies. For example, when a person (or organization) is too strong in the "sovereign archetypal energy," the result is dictatorial behaviors. That, in turn, shuts down people's creativity and their willingness to engage fully. The opposite may also be true -- leadership that abdicates its role of safe-guarding or motivating the best in people, individually and collectively, displays a weak-side shadow. Along with the "sovereign" archetype is the "lover," "warrior," and "magician." Within each of those archetypes are assertive and receptive ways they are expressed and embodied.

Taken together, these four archetypes offer dynamic in-the-moment insights for understanding what is going on (personally and socially) in conversations and discussions during daily worklife, and how effectively to act or react in ways that bring balance and healthy integration to the process and outcomes.