An Analysis of the Archetype of " Shadow" with Consideration of the Concept of " Self" in Mysticism

“Shadow” is one of the most deeply rooted archetypes in human’s subconscious. Jung considers shadow as the inner layer and hidden part of the persona, which includes the negative aspects of our animal instincts. In Jung’s view, the shadow consists of all the human effusions that are considered as evil, sin and immoral by the society. The meaning of shadow, its features and the way to harness it remind us of the “self” and the importance of controlling it in Islamic mysticism. To harness this refractory self is one of the most important goals of rites of passage and makes a large volume of mystical texts regarding the self and ways to fight it. Since the views of Carl Gustav Jung, because of his spiritual insight and his attention to the mythological personality of the mankind, besides in psychology has found way in literary critic, eloquence and mythology. Some of the literary analyses have been conducted based on his views, too. In this article, along with an analysis of the shadow in Jung’s psychology and the meaning of self in mysticism, the similarities and differences between these two topics are analyzed. To this end, the meaning of shadow and its features in Jung’s views were initially studied and after discussions about the “self”, the focus is tuned to two literary works of pre-seventh century (Hijri calendar) and they were compared, contrasted, and analyzed.