Psychologist Carl Jung describes your 'shadow" as the unconscious part of your personality that your conscious ego doesnt want to identify in itself. Your shadow self is made up of all the repressed memories, limiting beliefs, negative thoughts and unresolved traumas that are tucked away in your subconscious mind.
While you’re not looking, your shadow sneaks out of hiding in the form of…
Self-sabotage
Feelings of shame
Codependency
Negative self projections
Trauma responses
Heightened stress
Numbed intuition
You will only stop projecting your wounds onto others and truly heal once you have learned to embrace your shadow. Through facing your fears, doing the inner work and alchemising trauma, you’re creating more space for self love and light to exist within you. This self love and light gives you a bigger capacity to love and accept other people’s shadows.
One aspect of doing your shadow work means acknowledging and transmuting painful parts of your past into a higher awareness. Most of us have stories about our pasts that don't serve us. In fact, these stories usually hurt and hinder us. When you do your shadow work, you pick up these shattered pieces of the past and hold them with love. You release any shame or anger and allow it to be replaced with understanding. Shadow work does not involve reliving trauma or revictimising yourself all over again. You come to shadow work when you are ready to release and heal. When you can acknowledge that everyone makes mistakes and there are higher purposes for everything, shadow work will be that much more healing and powerful for you. So when you feel relaxed, open and curious, get out your journal and make sure you won't be disturbed. Set the intention that want to see your past in a new light and know yourself in deeper ways...that you're ready to understand. I also ask my higher self and spirit guides (you ask whatever you believe in) to assist me in seeing the truth. Answers that come from truth will feel relieving and healing. Self-love is a deep acknowledgement and awareness of self. The self is so much more than this surface physical image we see. Self is vast, eternal, and pure loving awareness. It is infinitely more than these stories we've believed about ourselves. When you begin to develop self-love, you see beyond what has happened to you in this lifetime. You understand that you're more than this one life. As well, you understand that everyone else is also so much more than what you can see on the surface, and that they too come from this spring of pure loving awareness. Self-love is beyond this lifetime, beyond this surface story you have of yourself and others. Use these prompts to tap into the vastness that is you.
Self love work starts with shadow work. So, if you’re ready to transmute your pain into your purpose, I'm sharing these shadow work prompts that are perfect for beginners and avid journallers alike. We'll focus on self-love, letting go and healing. Shadow work journalling has changed my life and I am sure it will change yours too.
What are you afraid of facing?
Every single one of us has something that we’re too afraid to admit and embrace. Maybe, it’s a memory that you’ve tucked away and refused to accept. It could be a truth about yourself that you’re too stubborn to confess. Or it could be a habit that you’re too afraid to break because you can’t live without it. Dig deep and write down every truth, habit, experience, trait, memory, or thought that you’re afraid of facing. It’s okay for emotions to come up as you start to think about these things. Don’t push that emotion down, just allow yourself to feel it and ride the wave deeper until you get to its core. Also, think of a physical symptom you have that is calling for your attention. Physical symptoms are nothing more than messengers and invitations to look deeper.
What gifts have you received from these experiences?
The thing about the shadow is that it doesn’t just exist to ruin our lives and make us miserable. Your shadow self wants to keep you safe, that’s why it holds on to all of these dark things that your conscious self isn’t able to hold. It takes the burden. It carries everything so that you can go through your day without feeling the weight of your entire past. Your shadow is the reason you’re able to smile, laugh, and pretend like everything’s okay even when it isn’t. Your subconscious shadow is also responsible for bringing you valuable lessons. Every pain and hardship that we go through is a lesson to guide us on our spiritual journey. For example, leaving a toxic relationship is painful but it allows you to heal independently and connect with other soulmates that will help you on the next level up. So, take some time to appreciate the “blessings in disguise” and thank your shadow for the work that it’s done to try to protect you.
What do you want to let go of?
Now that you’ve acknowledged what your shadow self has done for you, it’s time to lovingly let go. Write down all of the limiting beliefs, damaging habits, and un-forgiveness that are keeping you from moving forward in your healing journey. These things may have served you in one season but, now, it’s time to heal. It’s time to outgrow the old version of you and embrace the best version of you. Once you’ve made a list of all of the things you’re ready to let go of, burn it in a safe space so the energy can be released. While you are burning the list, you can say out loud to the universe something like: “I release my fears, negative patterns, beliefs and stories and transmute them into unconditional love for my best and highest good". Feel the weight lift off your shoulders as you realise that you are no longer bound to those shadows. You have created a new path for healing and safety to emerge.
Healing is the dissolution of false narratives, stories, and confusion. It is clarity that comes from a completely surrendered state of knowing that all is well. Healing is remembering that you were never broken to begin with. We "heal" every time we release a belief or story that doesn't align with truth. Love is foundation of truth, so anything you believe that contradicts love is a way that you are keeping yourself in the dark and separated. Shadow work will bring up big emotions and at times will bring you to your knees in surrender and what appears to be brokenness, but it will also help you align with your wholeness. This process gets lighter and lighter each time you begin, I promise.
Shadow work is the process of stepping back and taking a bird's eye perspective of our lives, ourselves and others. We move away from nit-picking and into a great space of understanding and acceptance. The shadows round us out and bring meaning to every experience we've ever had. Freeing yourself from your own painful stories and transmuting your shadows will be the most satisfying work you ever do. Now that you know how to start shadow work...keep noticing, keep feeling and keep releasing.
Love and light,
Deanne x
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