Introduction 1

1. Our Shadow Defined 11
Who Am I in the Dark? 11
Afraid of Our Own Shadow 24
What Characters We Are! 27

2. The Shadow of Ego 37
Creative Options Ego Offers 49
Beyond Punishing and Placating 54
Why Is It So Hard to Let Go? 62
Beyond Change 66
Transforming Our Ego: The Spiritual Work 70

3. The Mystery of the Self and Its Shadow 78
An Easterly Direction 87
Inner Wholeness: Already and Not Yet 92

4. The Rest of Me You Do Not See 98
The Light That Waits to Shine: Our Positive Shadow 98
When Light Meets Limit 108
The Dark That Opens to the Light: Our Negative Shadow 118
How Karma Works 126
News and Entertainment 133

5. Our Shadow Denied 137
How We Project Our Denial 149
The Heart of the Practice: Mindfulness 154

6. Our Shadow Displayed 162
Evil and the Enemy 162
Family Strains 169
The Shadow of Relationship 184
The Dark Side of Anger 191
Dealing With Anger and Abuse 194
Healthy Anger versus Retaliation 197

7. The False Shadow of the True Self 200
A Face to Meet the Faces: The Life Span of the False Self 208
Freedom from Falseness 220

8. Our Shadow Befriended 229
Where Opposites Stand 229
Honoring Both Sides of the Coin of Ourselves 235
Ready for a Look in the Mirror 244
Befriending the Shadow: A Gentle Work 250
Follow-up Steps in Befriending 258

9. Shifts That Happen The Graces of Befriending 273
The Pivotal Shift: The End of Dualisms 276
God and I 276
Earth and I 284
Between Fear and Desire 293
Reality and I: The Farther Reaches of Mindfulness 297
Behind Appearances 303
An Alchemical Adventure 307

Epilogue: Jacob's Ladder 317