Life is a mirror reflecting back our inner workings. When you look around, do you like what you see? Everything we witness, tells us what's going on underneath the hood...whether we like it or not. Our beliefs, feelings, and fears are playing out on the big screen, and we are the only one's who can change the script.
I invite you to pause, and reflect on the experiences as well as the relationships that are present in your life. Ask yourself, what is being shown to me, right here, right now? How do I feel? Are my fears being projected through someone or something else? When you bear witness to these moments, it is life giving you an opportunity to release, let go, and take a step closer to your awakened self.
Backstory-I went through a majority of my life believing I was the victim of my reality, "bad" things were happening to me, not for me. I didn't realize my life was showing me what was ready to be healed, so that I could step into my higher self- into my light. It's when I became a witness to the world around me, that I realized these people & situations were here to show me areas of the shadow that I was ready to dance with.
What is the Shadow? A shadow is a reflection of our darker side, the side that has been casted away to fear. When the shadow presents itself, it's nothing to be scared by, it means that we are ready to let go. Shedding and releasing may seem vulnerable, but nature does it all the time (snakes shed their skin, trees lose their leaves, crabs outgrow their shells). As we observe our surroundings we realize that release and surrender is apart of our cycle of evolution.
Today is a step towards healing, and a reminder that you are not broken- you never were. You were doing the best you could with what you had. Now, my beautiful souls, you are ready to let go of the old self and transcend limitations. Let us dive into the shadow work.
What is Shadow Work?It is the process of working to uncover the deeper parts of yourself that have been repressed and hidden. This can include trauma and parts or your personality that you subconsciously consider unworthy or unlovable.
Did You Know...? "Carl Jung believed that the shadow self was an integral part to a person's experience of the world and their relationships. He also thought a person could gain a better understanding of themselves and become more balanced when working with their shadow self." - Medical News Today
Benefits of Working with Shadow:
Helps to confront trauma, grief, anger, and other dark emotions.
You can learn to love yourself fully, becoming more accepting of who you are.
Understand how society, ancestral trauma, past life trauma, childhood experiences, etc. have played a role in your life.
Can provide you with more compassion and forgiveness. - When you are aware of the darker emotions, you can let them be heard and begin to nurture them with compassion and love. - Viewing these parts of yourself as young child can assist in creating this loving space.
Growing (aka shadow work) may feel uncomfortable at times, but it is a vital part of our evolution. To guide you along your journey, here are some practices that can assist with your healing process.
Tips when doing Shadow Work:
Embodiment Practices- these practices use the senses to help release emotions stored within the body. Dance, Yoga, and Movement of any kind is highly recommended. Side note- Yin yoga can be really beneficial as it works with the Fascia (connective tissue) that holds a lot of repressed emotions. With yin yoga's deeper holds you are able to release some of that build-up/blockage allowing energy to flow smoothly again.
Emotional Freedom Technique aka Tapping- is a mind-body method of tapping along the energy meridians on the hands, face, and body with your fingertips while repeating a mantra to yourself. (i.e I am worthy of love.) This method may reduce stress, anxiety, and help resolve fears.
Nature- Just being outside can bring you back into your body because it has massive grounding benefits and healing capabilities. Get outside and get intentionally lost in the woods. Try some mindful walking while you are at it and use your senses to tune into the world around you.
Find a Therapist- there a plenty of healing modalities that can assist with overcoming and working with the shadow. And let's face it, confronting trauma is hard, takes courage, and work. Reiki, Spiritual Coaching, and Yoga Therapy are some ways that have provided me with immense healing.
I hope this blog post has served you well. Finding the courage to address our traumas is painful at times, but together we will make it through. Know that you are not on this journey alone, and remember to be gentle to yourself and others.
May you live with love and light,
Amanda