Is it me, or are ALL the new age + spiritual growth communities talking about shadow work right now?
Itโs become the latest trend, hasnโt it?!
I read a lot about how shadow work is a form of โself-careโ (ummmโฆ maybe not quite the description Iโd use ๐ ). Or how itโs all of our โpersonal responsibilitiesโ or a kind of โmoral dutyโ, to do the deep dives. Or that if you donโt do your shadow work then the trajectory of global ascension could be put in jeopardyโฆ!!
As someone whoโs been practicing shadow work and facilitating underworld journeys for other brave souls for some years, my feelings about this rise in the popularity of shadow work are mixed. Because whilst there are sprinklings of truth in these kinds of declarations, the sensational language isnโt doing anyone any favours!
And Iโm also worried, that if weโre not careful shadow work will become another commodity โ an experience to consume like the rest of capitalism, and not a tool for actual transformation. Without seeing the difference, and NOT approaching shadow work as the slow-burning transformational tool it is, I think thereโs a risk weโll just end up perpetuating the harm that has caused so much fragmentation in the first placeโฆ
Shadow work is a deeply personal process
Itโs not something you can make people do, or coerce them into practicing because (unlike a lot of folksโ misconceptions) itโs not just about processing your past. As shadow integration sweeps into fashion, more of the curious may dip their toes in, but unless youโre willing to dive deep into your OWN underworld and activate genuine transformation from there, itโs not really shadow work at all.
Do you know the difference between change and transformation?
Change is a response to external influences.
Itโs how we slowly, continually get molded over time by our friends, our environments, the demands of society. Or perhaps more quickly, by injury, or sudden societal restrictions like whatโs been happening in our world recently.
But transformation comes from within.
It requires a shift in your core beliefs, in your perceptions, in your motivations. Transformation isnโt dependent on outside influences and doesnโt need to be propped up by them either.
This is why you could say that shadow work is the ultimate enemy of the old paradigm โ it gives us absolute power to become the people we were born to be, facilitating this transformation from the inside out (and that means without needing to purchase X new product, program, pill or gadget).
As we all know: New Earth is being born within each of us, not out there somewhere elseโฆ
So when each layer of your personal transformation is completeโฆ that layer will be unaffected by whatever the world throws at you.
Ready to join the paradigm shift through shadow work?
Here are 5 tips for using shadow work for personal transformationโฆ
Shadow work step 1. Become your own witness
The very first step to any personal transformation is awareness. And surprise, surprise, thatโs also the first step in shadow work.
Greater self-awareness can be activated in any number of ways, here are some for starters:
โถ Slowing down โ physically and mentally
โถ Observing your thoughts
โถ Observing your reactions to people and situations
โถ Noticing your triggers
โถ Noticing repeating patterns
โถ NOT judging yourself
That last point โ the one about not judging yourself is KEY. To witness is almost like standing aloof from your instinctive urge to critique. This is not about changing or fixing. But observing. Gaining info. Because information is power.
Shadow work step 2. Define the dream!
So youโve realised that youโve outgrown your current version of life?
After self-awareness comes the excitement of defining where you want to go next!
โถ So whatโs the goal?
โถ Whatโs the vision?
โถ Whatโs the dream?
Itโs imperative to define it
โถ What will you do?
โถ Who will you be?
โถ What incremental changes will it take to get there?
Grab some paper and write down some ideas for size. And as you begin to let them flow, bring in the witness, observing where your emotions flare and activate.
โถ What feels unrealistic?
โถ What feels greedy?
โถ Do you feel unworthy of this future life?
โถ Do you feel incapable?
โถ Are you ashamed of a desire?
โถ Are you toning yourself down?
Again โ donโtโ judge. Observe, and note these responses for laterโฆ
Shadow work step 3. Journal with these promptsโฆ
Remember those emotional flares and activations from tip 2? Now itโs time to dive in deeperโฆ
Pick whichever goal, vision, or dream felt out of reach or triggering, and journal with these prompts:
โถ When I imagine myself having this life, I feelโฆ
โถ If I had this life, I wouldโฆ
โถ What kind of person would that make me?
โถ Thereโs no way I could be that person becauseโฆ
โถ Who in my life has encouraged me to believe this about myself?
โถ What are some reasons I have now, not to believe them?
โถ I possess some of the EXACT qualities I need to begin living that life. These qualities areโฆ
Shadow work step 4. Expand your comfort zone by sitting IN the discomfort
When we begin to edge OUT of the familiarity of our comfort zones, it feels, naturally, uncomfortable. But every inch of that uneasy expansion that you claim will very soon become your new normal.
You just need to acclimatize.
Practice being in the feeling.
Sit in the discomfort.
Witness yourself.
Breathe through it.
Claim it.
Shadow work step 5. Re-define yourself
The most amazing thing about shadow work, it that it enables us to re-define ourselves.
The tips, exercises, and journal prompts above are designed to expand your conscious awareness of who you are.
This is what shadow integration is.
It works to empower, by literally widening your consciousness, giving you access to MORE of yourself and your potential. So embrace your extra pieces! Re-define who you are NOW, not just who youโll be post-transformation, and not just who the world labels you as being.
This is how the new version of YOU is able to rise up from within and become real in the world.
Whatโs YOUR vision of transformation?
Let me know in the comments belowโฆ!
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