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Do bad memories from your childhood keep coming back to haunt you? Are you finding it hard to forgive someone who has wronged you? Do you often feel like the whole world is stacked against you? Although you’re certainly not alone in having these feelings, they could be a sign that you need to do a little shadow work.
In short, shadow work involves exploring your inner darkness or ‘shadow self’. The ‘shadow self’ – a concept created by psychologist Carl Jung – plays a part in your unconscious mind and is made up of all the things you feel ashamed of thinking or feeling. Your shadow self also consists of your impulses, repressed ideas, fears and desires that you keep kept away.
We humans put so much pressure on ourselves and other people to suppress the unattractive aspects of our personalities. However, these dark and often ugly shadows often help to shape us into who we are. Sometimes, we keep our shadow selves locked away because we want to be likeable, civilised and ‘normal’. The funny thing is, the people we hide our shadows from secretly have their own shadows too!
Facing your demons
Shadow work involves unpacking all the parts of yourself that you keep hidden away in your internal suitcase. By taking the time to work on your shadow self, you’ll lift a weight from your shoulders and increase your chances of dealing with feelings of anger, guilt and shame. Look your demons squarely in the face and over time you can address them and overcome your fears.
Shadow work can be difficult but ultimately, it can help you carry yourself into a much happier place, free from all the deep-seated worries that plague you, often unconsciously.
Questioning yourself is only half the battle. It’s also important to question other people and their behaviour and actions to find out what has caused your demons. You don’t need to concern yourself with why other people have done the things they’ve done. Instead, focus on what happened and how this has affected you. What has caused your demons and what can you learn from this knowledge?
I’m ready to do some deep inner shadow work this winter. Digging more into who I am & how I can offer my gifts in the way best fit for me.
— Paula 🌺 (@ForeverMines) August 30, 2017
Being self-aware, inquisitive, and open minded
It’s time to be tough with yourself and question your every thought, feeling and emotion. The first step on your shadow work mission requires you to cultivate self-awareness. It’s time to pay more attention to what you do, feel, think and say and assess how this has an impact on your life. Once you’ve started being more self-aware, you then need to be more open minded. You need to question everything about you and ask ‘why’ you have this approach to things.
s/o to the people that really confront themselves. shadow work is hard & uncomfortable af but equates to the absolute best version of self.
— taylor a. (@wldflwrtaylor) August 31, 2017
Keeping a diary
Keeping a diary can be a positive move on your shadow work journey. It will help you to empty your mind and spill your thoughts onto the page. Try not to overthink things and just write whatever comes to mind. Take a look at our guide to automatic writing to learn more.
Writing unsent letters
Whether you’re writing to an ex partner or someone you’ve loved and lost, unsent letters can do your mind, body and spirit a world of good. Get all your feelings onto paper and say whatever it is you want to say. Once you’ve finished writing, consider burning the letter as a symbolic release. If you’re going to do this, we recommend doing it outside. Not only is it safer, the fresh air and natural sounds will help to soothe your soul.
shadow work can be done through meditations, spirit journeys, the astral realms, by creative realms – like writing, photo shoots, painting.
— Honi Bee (@honibeeco) August 21, 2017
How long does shadow work take?
Shadow work is certainly not a quick-fix for all your problems, but you’ll gradually see positive life changes as each day of shadow work passes. Some people see shadow work as a lifelong process of self improvement and discovery, rather than a once in a while thing that you do in times of a crisis.
Quiet as it’s kept, you’re supposed to be addressing your shadow each day. Shadow work is lifelong work not a once in a while thing.
— aleph (@viriyaakarunaa) August 29, 2017
I feel very drawn and a true intuition of belief to what I believe is the practices if Wicca. I haven’t ever felt passion for anything before but for the first time I feel passion for many things. I have a passion to learn and explore tarot cards, gemstones to heal and help me, exploring a multi dementional being, mediation, spirit guides, angels and just general holistic healing and guidance.
I’m in my late 30’s and have struggled all my life with many health issues, mostly mental, emotional and spiritual issues. I’ve explored traditional medicines and doctors my whole life with little relief from my “diseases”.
I need help! I now believe that I am the only one that can heal me, not medicines or doctors or surgeries. I know that these “practices” will help me. I feel that they may aid in saving me, and when I say saving me I mean that I will finally find why I suffer with addiction and that I’ll find the answer to healing and recovering from it. I feel I’ll hear from my debilitating depression. I believe I’ll come to find joy in the moment and contentment. I yearn to have a zest for life.
My issues are how I react to feelings and emotions. I am self destructive and I don’t know why. I’ve been this way since about age 15, maybe younger. I think I’ve buried a lot from my past and my childhood and this is keeping me sick!
I’m honestly not sure to what extent I believe in physics. I do believe in spiritual gifts and I believe I do have a spiritual gift. I just haven’t unlocked it yet.
I need guidance and help with all of this. I need opinions from those with spiritual gifts on all that I’ve just written.
My self destruction comes in the form of chemical addiction, obsessive thinking, compulsive behavior, selfishness yet no self esteem or belief that I am deserving of joy and contentment or if having passion. I really can not recall having strong interests for anything in my life except for chasing darkness (chemicals to numb me) adding with non stop guilt and shame.
I am blessed! I have wonderful people in my life. God has answered many of my prayers. I have gotten away with so much. I’ve been strongly protected during my dark actions so that I didn’t have to face any serious I feel very drawn and a true intuition of belief to what I believe is the practices if Wicca. I haven’t ever felt passion for anything before but for the first time I feel passion for many things. I have a passion to learn and explore tarot cards, gemstones to heal and help me, exploring a multi dementional being, mediation, spirit guides, angels and just general holistic healing and guidance.
I’m in my late 30’s and have struggled all my life with many health issues, mostly mental, emotional and spiritual issues. I’ve explored traditional medicines and doctors my whole life with little relief from my “diseases”.
I need help! I now believe that I am the only one that can heal me, not medicines or doctors or surgeries. I know that these “practices” will help me. I feel that they may aid in saving me, and when I say saving me I mean that I will finally find why I suffer with addiction and that I’ll find the answer to healing and recovering from it. I feel I’ll hear from my debilitating depression. I believe I’ll come to find joy in the moment and contentment. I yearn to have a zest for life.
My issues are how I react to feelings and emotions. I am self destructive and I don’t know why. I’ve been this way since about age 15, maybe younger. I think I’ve buried a lot from my past and my childhood and this is keeping me sick!
I’m honestly not sure to what extent I believe in physics. I do believe in spiritual gifts and I believe I do have a spiritual gift. I just haven’t unlocked it yet.
I need guidance and help with all of this. I need opinions from those with spiritual gifts on all that I’ve just written.
My self destruction comes in the form of chemical addiction, obsessive thinking, compulsive behavior, selfishness yet no self esteem or belief that I am deserving of joy and contentment or if having passion. I really can not recall having strong interests for anything in my life except for chasing darkness (chemicals to numb me) adding with non stop guilt and shame.
I am blessed! I have wonderful people in my life. God has answered many of my prayers. I have gotten away with so much. I’ve been strongly protected during my wrong doings and I haven’t had to face any serious consequences. I know I am still here, alive for a reason. I believe I am here to help others and once I’m healed from all my issues, my spiritual and mental disturbances, that I will help many many people who suffer daily like I do. The thought of that warms my heart and gives me a feeling of joy. Unfortunately I’m not yet living that life. I’m stuck. I’ve been stuck for so long that I am oblivious to the outside world. I live in my bubble of hopelessness.
I want to live! I want to reach my destiny. It’s time that I become the person that I was created to be! The issue, how do I do this? How do I stop my addiction? How do I heal my marriage? I will lose my love very soon if I do not change. I want to change!
I have 2 miracles that God blessed me with after years and years of pain. Years of offering the same prayer day in and out. Tears upon tears as the negative pregnancy tests came each and every month!
Fertility specialists, medications, fertility treatments, surgery and so much money resulted in miscarriage after miscarriage. I never gave up hope. I had moments of hopelessness but found my faith again each time.
Finally, after endometriosis surgery, a positive pregnancy test! We didn’t even do any treatments. We concieved our 1st miracle the old fashion way! Miracle indeed! Three years later, on the first month of trying we concieved our 2nd miracle! I was blessed with my dream family. I felt that if I was going to be good at anything it was going to be bring a mother. I thought it be so natural to me. It wasn’t. I struggled during the newborn stage. I was to selfish of a person. Anxiety overcame me everyone I heard that little cry start in the middle of the night to eat. My stomach was in knots the first 6 months if my children’s lives. I still don’t know why. I’m starting to think that I had no confidence in myself. I was responsible for the life of another! I couldn’t and can’t be responsible in my own life, how can I raise the two amazing, beautiful souls to be healthy, happy adults one day. I’m so Astrid that I messed them up or that I’m going to if I haven’t yet. I think this is the first time I’m admitting any of this and I have no idea why. I’m just following what my heart and intuition are telling me. Maybe this long, drawn out account if my life will find the person it’s destined to, the person who will help save me, who will guide me?
I will end with this. I am a good mom! I could do so much better and so much more for my children though. I will do so much more for them and be more active. They’ll see joy in my eyes. My husband and I will fall back in love again. I will beat addiction. My mental state will be healthy! I believe this!
Please, if this touches you in any way, reach out to me. Please! You may be the one and only person who can guide me it bring me answers. You may help me start the journey of healing!