Human beings are very invested in their so-called "shadow side." If you google the phrase, you will get hits that include psychology and Carl Jung, religious and spiritual offerings from a variety of teachers, fiction, and rock bands. It would seem that we're all exploring a division that we believe exists within ourselves:  our internal doppelgänger, the eternal scapegoat for the things we don't like about ourselves. The problem with this is that there is no shadow side.

The need for a shadow reflects a dualistic mindset. In duality, we believe we have an ego, a particular personality that is separate from God. This belief in itself as separate allows the ego to perpetrate other beliefs, such as "I am powerless," "I am a victim," or "God doesn't love me." It also allows the ego to believe in an "other" that is not a part of itself. This is the basis for duality:  if there is an "other," then there cannot be a One. There must be at least two of something if separation is real.

Given that the ego believes in separation, it's not surprising that it wants to divide itself, as well. There are so many unsavory thoughts and beliefs that come with being powerless and unloved or unlovable. The ego has to put them somewhere. Why not a "shadow side?" If we have a shadow side—inborn and unchanging—then we have something to blame and to be a victim of. We have somewhere to dump the pieces of ourselves we don't like. You can accept that the shadow exists, but you don't really have to love it. You'll keep the pieces that are worth loving in your non-shadow side, and any time something happens that you don't like, you can always blame the shadow.

Of course, the ego itself is an illusion, and sooner or later we all reach this understanding. This is each person's spiritual journey. But if the ego is not real, then its shadow cannot be real, either. The shadow self is also an illusion, the product of a mind divided—literally—against itself. A divided house cannot stand.

However, even spiritual people will argue in favor of the shadow, because they aren't sure what to do with negative thoughts, feelings, and actions. And it's true that a mind enmeshed in duality will have dualistic thoughts. It will experience a divided reality. But this world is not real. The only reason anyone experiences these things is because of their own belief in their ego, and conversely, its shadow self. Shadow is just another way of saying separation.

For some people, the shadow self provides an easy scapegoat not just for judging itself, but for judging others. A spiritual teacher recently suggested that a certain political figure represented the shadow of our collective psyche. This is very shaky ground. "Shadow" sounds more evolved than "evil," but the effect is the same:  it seeks to label an opposite, or an "other." When spiritual leaders or anyone else talk about one person representing the shadow, and another representing a more enlightened consciousness, they are making a judgment based on their own opinions. And they're not acting from a place of Oneness when they do this.

Certainly, some people may appear to be more enlightened or more awake than others—but how do you know? Do you know their hearts? Religious extremists also believe they are acting from an enlightened viewpoint. If you label someone as "our collective shadow" because you disagree with their politics, then who is really the shadow in this scenario? Them, or you? Is there a difference?

Of course, there is no difference. There is no shadow. There is no "them." There is only one Whole Divine Being that can never be divided and never has been. Our belief in an ego and a shadow cannot change What Is. We are not, but I AM.

Related articles:

• We are One—But our opinions divide us
• Light and dark: The spectrum of God
• We are One:  We are the things we do not like
• We are One:  All of our past lives
• Players on the holographic stage