Title:
Shadow dance : liberating the power and creativity of your dark side
Author:
Edition:
25th Anniversary Edition
Publication Date:
2024
1999
Publication Information:
Boulder, Colorado : Shambhala, 2024
©1999
Physical Description:
ix, 321 pages ; 22 cm
ISBN:
9781645472629
Abstract:
"Our "shadow" is the collection of negative or undesirable traits we keep hidden--the things we don't like about ourselves or are ashamed of, but it also includes our positive, untapped potential. The shadow is often a source of creative inspiration and greater self-acceptance. Befriending the shadow makes fear an ally and enables us to live more authentically. It also automatically improves our interpersonal relationships, because we are freed from the need to project our own negativity onto others, and we become more acutely aware when theirs is projected onto us. David Richo looks for where the shadow manifests in our personal life, family interactions, religion, relationships, and the world around us. He shows how to use the gentle practice of mindfulness to work with our shadow side, and he provides numerous exercises for going deeper. He is remarkably skillful at making the shadow concept not only easy to understand but supremely practical for enhancing the quality of our lives."-- Provided by publisher
Contents:
Introduction -- Part 1: Our shadow defined. Who am I in the dark? -- Afraid of our own shadow -- What characters we are! -- Part 2: The shadow of ego. Creative options ego offers -- Beyond punishing and placating -- Why is it so hard to let go? -- Beyond change -- Transforming our ego: The spiritual work -- Part 3: The mystery of the self and its shadow. An Easterly direction -- Inner wholeness: already and not yet -- Part 4: The rest of me you do not see. The light that waits to shine: our positive shadow -- When light meets limit -- The dark that opens to the light: our negative shadow -- How karma works -- News and entertainment -- Part 5: Our shadow denied. How we project our denial -- The heart of the practice: mindfulness -- Part 6: Our shadow displayed. Evil and the enemy -- Family strains -- The shadow of relationship -- The dark side of anger -- Dealing with anger and abuse -- Healthy anger versus retaliation -- Part 7: The false shadow of the true self. A face to meet the faces: The life span of the false self -- Freedom from falseness -- Part 8: Our shadow befriended. Where opposites stand -- Honoring both sides of the coin of ourselves -- Ready for a look in the mirror -- Befriending the shadow: a gentle work -- Part 9: Shifts that happen: The graces of befriending. The pivotal shift: The end of dualisms -- God and I -- Earth and I -- Between fear and desire -- Reality and I: The farther reaches of mindfulness -- An alchemical adventure -- Epilogue: Jacob's ladder.
Genre:
Language:
English
