We are generally aware of the traits that make up our personality if we possess at least a moderate degree of self-reflection. Our personality is what we consciously express about ourselves to the outside world. And when we talk about self-knowledge, many people think we’re referring to understanding this consciously expressed personality. Let me tell you, that is very far from the truth. Our subconscious is also part of our entire personality, and it can be much more extensive than the conscious realm itself. I call this subconscious personality the shadow personality. This part of us is not something that can simply be erased or suppressed, although many people like to try the latter. There is only one option: the shadow personality must be revealed and integrated into the personality. At least for those who are on the path of spiritual development; as for the rest, they may have some time yet, but they won’t escape it either. Our EYA-N spiritual education system was specifically developed for this purpose, based on yoga methods dating back thousands of years.

Why is this important? Everyone who inhabits the dual (bipolar) world has a shadow self. It’s simply a law of nature: when you step out into the sunlight, your shadow appears. If you recognize it, you’ve won; if not, you’ll struggle with it, but you can’t crush it because you are it. It seems so simple as long as we’re just reading about it—until a real-life situation arises. The shadow self regularly intrudes into our consciousness. It triggers spontaneous, unconscious reactions without self-control—reactions we later regret. We’ve become so accustomed to this that we think it’s natural. That’s not the case—it can be changed, and in fact, it must be. I’ll go further: this is the life-task for which we were born into this dual world. Let’s examine a few examples to illustrate this point.

The Bible should not be treated as if the events described in it had happened literally. In reality, it is a collection of parables that, when properly interpreted, serves to develop the human personality through hidden symbols. Currently, it is not being interpreted correctly, as evidenced by the fact that those whose job it is to interpret it (the clergy) are unable to come to terms with their shadow selves; instead, they suppress them, and when they can no longer bear it, they give in to their instincts and then perform acts of penance—all without ever coming closer to their true selves. What’s more, they even encourage us to act this way, when it’s obvious from a mile away that it has helped neither them.

Let’s start at the beginning. God expelled Adam and Eve from Eden. Were they bad? No, they were simply overcome by their shadow selves. The shadow self is the tempter—let’s not blame it on Satan! It tells you to do this or that; you know what is right, but you don’t do it—you do the opposite instead. It doesn’t matter whether it’s due to laziness, carelessness, ignorance, etc. You’re not obedient because you want to test out your own ideas. That wouldn’t be a problem in itself, but the fact that you don’t learn from it—that is the problem. So, Adam and Eve were given a test, and their shadow selves (symbolized as a serpent) spoke up and convinced them, “Come on, what’s the harm in disobeying?” The problem wasn’t that they disobeyed, but that they failed to recognize the task—that is, the essence of the shadow self. When that happens, you have to descend to a lower world. This was already their third failed test; therefore they ended up on Earth.

Let us now look for an example of someone who succeeded in passing this test. For this is not a matter of an original and eternal sin; anyone can attempt the test, and if they succeed, they may return to Eden—or even higher. I am thinking about Jacob’s struggle in the Old Testament (Genesis 32:24–29). Those who have not gone through such a struggle do not understand it and therefore misinterpret it. Jacob wrestled with his own shadow self all night. The struggle was about whether he had enough love and awareness to reconcile with his brother, and whether he was capable of accepting whatever happened between them as God’s will. Jacob’s shadow self could not defeat him, but it did strike him. This below-the-belt blow is a typical energetic attack from the shadow self; it cannot attack above the heart chakra if pure love is present within a person. Jacob did not hold a grudge for the blow, but instead asked his attacker for a blessing. And that was the moment when he and his shadow became one; for Jacob, duality ceased to exist, and he became united with God. Such an event is often accompanied by a name change. He could no longer remain Jacob, since he had united with the separated part of himself; thus, the name of the unified personality became Israel. This symbolism also defines the life’s mission of the Israelites here on Earth: to struggle with their shadow, to overcome themselves by uniting with it, and thus to rise above duality. For those who succeed, the gates of the Garden of Eden will open. Jesus presented another universal example to the world, which became known as the Temptation of Jesus, and I will address this separately in another of my writings.

The struggle with the shadow self does not always take place within ourselves, on a spiritual-energetic plane. Those who do not recognize the essence of this task project their shadow self onto their environment. In this way, they are sure to find someone who physically embodies the shadow self, hidden in their subconscious. In such cases, a person fights against the external individuals who take on the role of the shadow self, attempting to defeat or exterminate them. But since our shadow is also part of us, this is impossible; thus, ultimately, the combatants find themselves in an increasingly hopeless situation. Wars are all about this as well; economic reasons are merely pretexts, since it would be possible to reach a compromise and conclude an agreement that benefits both sides. Earthly existence is about nothing else but this struggle. This is also why there can never be lasting peace, because those who understand the essence of the task no longer need to be born into this realm.

In an individual’s life, alcohol and drugs—either on their own or in combination with other activities prohibited by religions—facilitate the intrusion of the shadow self into consciousness. At this point, the shadow self temporarily takes control and may lead to criminal acts. It also happens that the personality permanently turns into its own shadow—that is, the shadow self overpowers the personality. The lower the level of self-knowledge, and the greater the repression of instincts and desires, the higher the chance of this happening. The shadow self does not always fight; it simply convinces the unstable personality that what is happening is perfectly fine. Why should one follow certain rules (laws), anyway, since there will be no consequences? In fact, it even happens that they fight collectively to change the rules, so as to suppress the upward aspirations of the personality that has now been pushed into the background. But when the original personality becomes the shadow and is suppressed, the same game begins in reverse. Thus, for those who do not wish to evolve, forced evolution will be their path.

Systems that aim for spiritual evolution cannot avoid uncovering the shadow personality and working with it. However, I have observed in many systems that they do not provide effective methods for students to address this. In our system, these methods have been developed and passed on. Even so, it still happens that the personality of some of our students turns over, but at least this does not lead to dramatic consequences, since the purification of the subconscious has already begun, which makes the personality change manageable.

We are living in an era when these processes will begin to unfold even more powerfully than before and will become a living reality for all of us. May God’s grace be with us!

Margaret Rhasoda Varga
guru of UCCM
Budapest, Hungary