Healing the ‘shadow monster’ is one of our primary works,
You can’t absorb it.
You can’t actually ‘bring it into the light’
It’s delicate work.
I should write a book on just that aspect.
See it clearly with full awareness.
Don’t judge.
Don’t make it a ‘being’.
Don’t make it ‘not a being’.
Just observe.
Don’t try to rescue.
Don’t demean.
It’s a task for pure awareness… and patience..
Like a stray animal that has been hurt too much
that can never trust a human.
Eventually over years if you put out the food,
it will eat.
but only if you don’t try to manipulate or heal it.
It has to do it on it’s own.
You can’t ‘integrate it’ (that’s a hostile takeover attempt the ‘shadow’ will sense instantly)
But you can ‘integrate together’.
That’s the key.
You CANNOT treat it like a misbehaving child and hold it with love.
that CAN seem to work for a while, but it will take the love, get stronger and become all the more contrary IN SECRET.
It has to be loved, the only way that you can love a feral animal,
see it, acknowledge it, don’t judge it or try to change it.
‘put out the food’ and stay still.
Keep this up for a long time.. months.. years…
THAT is the only love you can give.
You can’t ‘heal it’
It has to heal itself on it’s own terms and time.
the ‘shadow’ is the part of ourselves that we have abandoned and most needs support.
But it’s the most contrary part of us.
Yes, it needs food…
The lack of food is what made it what it is.
You don’t encourage it’s excesses or it’s awfulness.
That’s not what I mean by ‘putting out food’.
Just see it and don’t judge.
Stand by with hugs that it won’t accept for months or years.
Eventually it will come and hug you,
then you will know you have earned your own trust.
that’s when you know integration is occurring.
Mutual integration.
“The ego” is not the master.
“The shadow” is not the master.
The ‘master’ is the whole self, the transcendent self,
Ego and shadow are just components
that need healing, by integration with the nonverbal whole.
Kevin Cann
9/14/2026
Public Domain