ARMY Magazine - Monthly Issues ARMY Magazine ISSUE NO.7 - JUNE 2019 | Page 23

The shadow, according to Dr. Stein’s
writing partners Leonard Cruz and Ste-
ven Buser, “comprises [of] the sum of what
we cannot consciously embrace.” Within
the unconscious parts of our psyche, the
shadow is all that the conscious mind finds
unacceptable or repulsive. Eventually, the
mind, represented by the ego, represses
those into the unconscious realm, allowing
our thoughts, memories, or experiences to
join the shadow.
ation can begin when the shadow and the
anima/animus are released and accepted,
thereby opening a “crack” between who I
feel I am now and who I have appeared to
be in the eyes of myself and those around
me. While this can be frightening, it is a crit-
ical piece of the process of finding our true
selves and being able to speak ourselves.
What BTS has done with their message,
a message that Dr. Stein and his colleagues
deeply support, is declaring that life is worth
living. They are dedicated to marrying mu-
The shadow is not meant to be neg- sic and universal messages of acceptance
ative though. Dr. Stein is quick to point and love, not only of others but, and per-
haps more importantly, of ourselves. They
out that every part of the psyche is im- suggest that ARMYs stop comparing our-
portant and should be equally respect- selves to others, find something we want
to
do,
and
make
it
our
own.
This
is
how
we
ed. The process of individuation asks
as ARMY will begin to speak ourselves; by
each of us to embrace all facets of the telling our stories, convictions, and dreams.
Only then can we begin to shed our perso-
self with a degree of acceptance.
na, embrace our shadow, and know our
Stein argues that, as part of human na- name. As Dr. Murray Stein points out, “This
ture, most of us try to figure out who we is every person’s challenge.”
are: it is “not optional, not conditional, not
subject to…cultural differences.” Individu-
Bibliography
Stein, Murray. (2019). Map of the Soul – Persona: Our Many Faces. Asheville, NC: Chiron Publications.
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