This is a brief essay about the persona and the shadow, two complementary aspects of human nature. Coming to terms with how they interrelate and express themselves in life is important for the realization of a new world. It can potentially broaden and vitalize individuals’ lives as well as bring harmony to the life of the community. The issue is never only personal but also collective as individuals carry both the genius and shadow of their own cultural background. Sri Aurobindo (1971, p.220) wrote that human imperfection springs from the fact that it is of “a double nature,” an unconscious animal nature, along with conscious higher self-reflective mental and dynamic natures. The task of the contemporary seeker for self-perfection is to make the spirit “master of life (ibid. p. 225).” Self-perfection, however, needs to be understood as completeness of being, which includes as much shadow as light.
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