Joker Shadow is a really important card.
This is The Other Within, our Shadow, our Wild Twin, our Trickster-self. Carl Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology and whose work continues to have a profound influence on the field of psychology and the understanding of our bodyminds. Jung's concept of the shadow refers to the unconscious aspects of the personality that are often denied, repressed, or disowned by ourselves. These shadow elements typically consist of traits, desires, impulses, and emotions that we find unacceptable or incompatible with our image of who we are or who we are expected to be.
Our shadow may include both negative qualities (e.g., anger, jealousy, greed) and positive qualities (e.g., creativity, assertiveness, passion) that have been suppressed or ignored. We can see our shadow as all the bits of ourselves that have been hurt, that we don’t much like, that we experience in others and deny in ourselves.
Shadow work, also known as shadow integration or shadow healing, involves the process of acknowledging, exploring, and integrating these aspects of the self. It is an essential aspect of Jungian psychology and personal growth, as it allows us to develop a more holistic and authentic sense of self. By embracing our shadow with compassion and curiosity, we can embark on a journey of self-exploration and transformation that leads to greater authenticity, wholeness, and fulfilment. Remember our shadow contains the parts of ourselves that we might want to keep hidden as well as the parts that are a complete mystery.
We might not even want to know we have a shadow but we all do. Jung reminds us that our shadow will become deeper, darker and denser if we deny it. We need to remember that it is much easier to see other peoples' shadows than it can be to see our own. Be kind. We are all human. We invite you to take your shadow with you willingly, take care of it, hold it, nourish it and calm it. Smile at it, otherwise, like a neglected child, it might start screaming, shouting and making mischief for you.
“Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody”
“The heart is like a garden. It can grow compassion or fear, resentment or love. What seeds will you plant there?”
Joker Choice is our choice card, illustrated with two foxes in dance.
This is to reminds us of the continual dance and movement we are in. You might know a story from Cherokee culture where a grandfather teaches his grandchild an important life lesson: He says,
“My child, a battle is going on inside me. The fight is between two ‘wolves’ that live inside us all. One is destruction and disintegration. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is creation and harmony. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”
To keep in balance we need to feed them both but in the right way. It is up to us to choose: to feed our courage, our bodyminds. To respond, not just react to whichever wolf is making the loudest noise.
'Manomaya' is a term from Hindu and Buddhist philosophy which refers to broad aspects of the mind 'mano'. 'Maya' translates as illusion to emphasize the flow and change in our internal watery world. In the context of having choice, 'Manomaya' emphasises the role of the mind in decision-making. Our choices and ways of making meaning in the world are influenced by many currents.
We can empower ourselves to make mindful choices by being aware of our thoughts and emotions, our integrity and our intentions as well as where we place our attention. The Cards are here to help us better understand ourself, control ourself and relate well to ourself, to others and to the more than human world. We can easily feel we have no choice.
This card is to remind us that it is our responsibility to know we have response-ability.
J o k e r s - C o n n e c t i o n s
An introduction to Shadow Work
The Millenial Alliance for Humanity at Stanford
Ode to Dirt by Sharon Olds