ABSTRACT
Depth psychologists like to use the phrase, coming into relationship with the unconscious, and specifically, one’s shadow complexes. This chapter looks at confronting one’s shadow, a critical task for psychic development, also called the individuation journey. It often takes the form of a descent into the Underworld such as told in the ancient legend of the Sumerian queen, Inanna. Additional descent stories illustrate the work surrounding self-reflection and include examples from J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling. Descents that resulted in permanent woundedness include that experienced by the Pink Floyd musician, Roger “Syd” Barrett. Regarding my original question concerning the Chinggis Khan—Ch’ang-Ch’un dialogues, that they occurred was critical for me to understand and seemed to have something to do with seeking self-knowledge. I hoped to make sense of how the two men could form a spiritual bond in light of their very different lives. I wondered if their dialogues might indicate a degree of self-knowledge that would reveal Chinggis Khan’s reason for exploring Taoism. It is clear that we all carry some evil be it repressed, kept under control, or worse, acted out. If we are going to be able to deal with the evil out there—we must learn to deal with that which is in ourselves.
