BACKCOVER
This book deals with
the rather common phenomenon in which we often intent to go “there” following some goal, but in the end, even without any dramatic external interferences, we find ourselves “elsewhere”, without really knowing how this happened.
It is as if we hosted a stranger in the darkened cellar of our own house, a stranger capable of silently affecting our course in life.
These frightening and forbidden for our consciousness landscapes
of our personal world form deeply “in there” the space of the SHADOW – a concept introduced by Carl Jung.
However, in this book, though I adopt the term, I explore and enrich it in my own perspective. The result is a thorough study and at the same time a proposal about the grandeur (and the drama) of how our experience is composed by our wholeness on both a micro (non-conscious) as well as on a macro (conscious) scale.
Moreover, I see the Shadow as the space where our “inner child” lives – a concept greatly abused in pop-psychology. Whatever is called “inner child”, for me, is not a bitter-sweet nostalgia for our lost childhood – at least as the modern fashion for love and optimism would like it to be. Moreover, I think that our inner child is not at all only saddened but also is extremely angry and unable or unwilling to forgive, simply because it speaks a different language from the one of our adult minds …
This book of the Shadows is not intended for the “specialist”. It is addressed to
any reader who wishes to explore the nature of our Shadowed architecture, as well as certain devious Shadows within the system known as “family”.
What I intended to present in these pages does not include any ready-made recipes for personal growth.
Instead, I attempted Chapter by Chapter to unfold a rich material of theory within a broader existential perspective (and several examples). And I tried to keep the language flowing and often even poetic, while referring at points to literature, myth and fairy tale.
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…I think that it is useless to wait for the love that is needed by our Shadowed aspects to be offered from“outside”. It grows as we learn to embrace our coexisting and contradictory aspects: positive or negative ones, optimistic, powerful yet also depressive and weak, bold yet often fearful, permissible or forbidden.
By confirming ourselves in such a way, we manage to somewhat integrate the burdens of our past, to connect meaningfully with Others in our present and to envision honestly the potential of our oncoming days.
Contributors of this edition
*cover and images
the author’s compositions based on the visual part of his musical work Ars Moriendi – 2001 (the cover includes a work by Kety Kehayia-Theodorou)
*this translation
Andy Wilcox, Philip Wilcox
*graphic design
Eleni Nasta
*pre-publication readers
Anna Kostina, Maria Matiaki, Natasha Papadopoulou, Deirdre Foley, Ana Poporizova, Elena Petrova, Lina Konstandinoska, Sergey Kondurof, Elizaveta Zagryazhskaya, Fausto Radaelli, Andromahi Naumovska, Roberta Bottari, Aleksandra Tanevska, Elena Vasileva, 3 anonymous
*content annotator
Natasha Papadopoulou
Petros Theodorou is the only and exclusive owner of the copyright of this work in both Greek and English versions, in Greece and abroad.
The right of Petros Theodorou to be identified as the author of this work, in both Greek and English versions, in Greece and abroad, is hereby asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 (UK) and with any relevant Hellenic legislation and any relevant provisions of EU or international law or regulation.
1st edition in Greek, January 2018
2nd edition in Greek, July 2018
Acknowledgments
In my efforts to get this work into print, I received inspiration and invaluable support, often unexpected, from many people, irrespective of the type or closeness of our relationship.
To all of you, then, whose names and contributions it is impractical to detail here, I thank you most warmly, from my heart, with the deepest feelings of gratitude.
Particular thanks to:
Anna Kostina, who kept the headquarters and the rearguard, with energy, patience and infinite care, while this work was taking shape.
Vana Vouyiouka, whose dedication and attention to detail, during our active, creative and enjoyable cooperation, shaped the style of the language of this book’s Greek edition.
Andy Wilcox and Philip Wilcox who translated this book into English with impressive tenderness, warmth and great respect, in their so successful attempt to keep both flow of language and accuracy of meaning while working from the original Greek text.
Natasha Papadopoulou who subtly yet critically contributed in my effort to shape a substantial point of view about the overall sense of the text in English.
Eleni Nasta, who shaped the text into the layout of the pages of this book with such care and inspiration.
Tina Stephanopoulou, of the Nemesis Theatre Studio, who for 30 years has never ceased to bombard us with extraordinary inspirations and invaluable companionship.
The theme of this book of Shadows
is about how some aspects of ourselves seem to escape us and, even if they are non-conscious and non- mentally perceived, they are able to critically affect whatever we are doing or not doing at any moment. It is a visit “down there”, at the sanctuary of our moments and of our selves.
This book is actually a thorough study and at the same time a proposal
about (a) the grandeur (and the drama) of how our experience is composed on both a micro (no-conscious) as well as on a macro (conscious) scale, (b) the architecture of the Shadowed “home” of what is usually called “inner child” – who is not only sad but also very angry…
SHADOW: our silent companion through life’s journey
INFO: [378 pages] [14,2 X 20,2 cm] ISBN 978-618-00-1371-9
1st edition in English: 100 numbered and signed copies.
This edition is published by the author and is to be distributed exclusively
in Greece or delivered in other countries only by order to the author:
petrosthu@gmail.com +30-6977-210469 +30-2310-262872
petrosthu@gmail.com
A video in first person on the central
ideas of the book and its features
2 short videos (no-words) on the ideas of the
SHADOW and the INNER CHILD
