Unveiling Shadow Work
Our shadows aren't just dark, wild and savage. They also contain many hidden diamonds, sapphires, and pearls which we will never discover if we lock them away in fear of what may surface.
In fact, our shadow is often a goldmine full of hidden gifts and potentials that we have lost touch with. Many people discover incredible gifts like empathic sensitivity, open-mindedness, and çompassion within their shadows.
The point of shadow work is to get in touch with all sides of ourselves, embrace our wildness, embody our sacredness, and reconnect with our innate Wholeness.
To quote Robert A Johnson - ‘The Shadow is comprised largely of elements of our nature - our repressed sexuality, fears, frailties, secret desires and so on - that we have rejected for various reasons and as such have effectively split off, forming a type of secondary personality that emerges under certain conditions, like stress, anxiety, strong emotions and anything involving sudden change.’
We all have a shadow aspect within us that we’re not proud of. This aspect holds a tremendous amount of shame, guilt, trauma, pain, and many triggers.
It’s basically that aspect which our conscious mind will do everything possible to escape, hide or suppress.
However, when we live with non-integrated shadows, we allow these shadow aspects to unknowingly take control over our lives.
We live in this constant fear of being seen, heard or perceived as our shadow.
This behaviour holds us back from showing the world all that we are. We need to embrace our shadows, for once the perception of our shadows shift, they become our light, our gifts, the best of us.
This is why we do the shadow work, to melt away the fear around being yourself, embodying yourself and loving yourself for all that you are.
Once you do, there is no more fear or shame or pain.
Once you do, you experience freedom and healing which actually propels your forward movement in action and miracles.
BRINGING AWARENESS TO OUR SHADOW
Many feel-good approaches to personal transformation, or new age teachings, in their rushed desire to reach an idealised state of unity with existence, gloss over the need to face and assume responsibility for one's inner shadow element, or darker nature.
Our first step needs to be conscious awareness.
This is when you start to notice the voices in your head and you start to see the patterns.
You’ll begin to recognise the triggers. All of a sudden these triggers become so obvious. You’ll wonder how you ever could have missed them before.
This is the place where you get an opportunity to do the work.
Whenever a trigger shows up, take this opportunity to pause and ask yourself some very important questions. The more questions you ask, the deeper you go.
What am I really feeling?
Why am I feeling so much pain, frustration, anger, resentment?
Reassure yourself that your feelings are valid. But keep going, go deeper.
Is this about what just happened? Or is there more?
What is the pain showing me?
What wounds have I suppressed or hidden?
What am I ashamed of?
What am I afraid of being seen?
You can journal these questions or you can simply sit in a meditation practice and bring these up one by one.
Stay compassionate with yourself through the process.
If these questions or the shadow aspect of yourself feels too uncomfortable to unveil alone, please seek help with someone who is familiar with this work. Being held in a safe space during this process is extremely important.
UNDERSTANDING THE TRAUMA OUR BODY IS HOLDING WITHIN OUR SHADOW
Our shadows wear the camouflage of our physical symptoms.
We may lie, but the body doesn’t.
We may forget abuse, but the body doesn’t.
Our bodies absorb the wear and tear of emotional experiences. And slowly, over years, the patterns of stress and trauma accumulate.
Inevitably, if we do not become conscious of the shadows lodged in our muscles and cells, they begin to tell their tales.
I know this story all too well.
What is your body trying to say?
If your cells could speak, what secrets would they reveal to you?
What betrayals have they held on to?
This is where you need to go even deeper and start joining the dots. This is where your subconscious starts participating with you and giving you clues – smells, visions, dreams, memory etc. It is extremely common for it to come in the form of feelings or physical pain.
One of the best ways to follow through, is literally asking your body – what is this pain about?
The more questions you ask, the more you become aware of the trauma your body has been holding on to.
Acknowledge the memory or feeling that comes to you when you recognise a pain, because that is precisely where the trauma was trapped.
The more you reveal, the easier it is to recognise that this is where our illnesses come from. This is where the dis-ease has been held in your body.
Don’t allow the dis-ease that is held from your repressed trauma to turn into disease. Take charge of your destiny and clear these cells by facing your shadows.
Because as you start connecting to your shadow, you will also start releasing the pain and trauma.
There are much better ways to release this stuck and stagnated energy than reacting or responding to the triggers itself – which is why we are doing this work.
It is important to release this pain rather than staying stuck in blame and shame.
The way that worked best for me was emotional embodiment, but there are many other forms for connecting and releasing our emotional pain that is associated with our shadow. Breathwork, yoga, meditation, writing, are just a few ways you can allow yourself to connect with all aspects of your inner self.
INTEGRATING OUR SHADOW TO DISCOVER OUR WHOLENESS
Our shadow contains the secrets of our true nature. It is the dark twin which we need if we are to discover our own wholeness.
It’s those aspects of ourselves which we dislike, despise, or find uncomfortable that need to be loved and brought out of the darkness.
By sweeping our shadows under the rug, we hide our light.
We must turn towards it, honour it, so we can understand who we truly are.
It’s not about becoming continuously blissful.
It’s about becoming more authentic, more genuinely here.
It’s about holding the light and the shadow at the same time.
And to do this, we must integrate our shadows instead of hiding or suppressing them.
Integration takes time, space and much patience.
The strong patterns that run through our DNA, our lineage and society will sway us tremendously during this deep work.
So knowing who we are and what beliefs we hold dearest, will help anchor us while we dive into emotions that may tempt or elude us.
As we unravel our emotions, this is where it begins to get tricky. You see, you may want to live a particular way that your shadow desires, but you may also judge yourself (as you have others) if you do so. This is where sitting in the energy of the field will help.
You may begin to recognise there are strong cellular patterns that need to be reorganised and shifted.
Being curious is so important during this process, you don’t need to understand it or solve it, you just need to acknowledge that this pattern and energy is real, it exists and be grateful for what it’s here to show you.
We need to come to a space where we have the ability to create a sacred union between the two opposing energies we are holding in our body.
We must weave our own energy in, and create something new that allows us to know that we can exist without judgement or feeling the need to prove ourselves, and with the understanding that our desires are crucial to creating the life we desire.
The beauty of weaving a field with Energy and Soul is, you can start to draw so many more aspects in. Light Codes, Earth Medicine and Ancestral Karma are just a few that can enrich your field and lighten your body.
As you refine your field, you can literally feel it reorganising your body. Through integrating your light and shadow aspects you will be able to feel and hear your body expressing itself.
This won’t happen in just one session, this takes time and understanding, so incorporate this into your daily self care practices.
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