Shadow

If the goal of this human incarnation is to become conscious, then learning about my shadow is a big step in that direction.  Jung uses shadow to refer to the fact that these parts of me are in the dark:  the unconscious.  In a dream, if I am hanging out with someone of the same sex as I, then I know that my unconscious is pointing me toward something about me that I have not been aware.  This can be either positive or negative.  For example the other night, I dreamed about an old friend of mine who lives in unreality, lives an arbitrary life, stalks others, etc., so I had to begin to recognize how I am those parts as well.  It is not easy to face those parts of myself that I have felt belonged to someone else, but when the unconscious "puts" it to me in a dream, I really have no choice.  

The advantage of knowing all the parts of who I am is that I can become a whole person, be able to take more responsibility for myself, and to live a fuller life.  Without projecting my parts onto someone else, I came to know myself, be more conscious, and HAVE A SHADOW.  I become a three dimensional person:  not a cut-out figure.