So welcome everyone and thank you for joining me.
So today we'll explore the hidden gifts that live in all of us,
That we've been taught to reject.
Now we all have this part within us that we call the shadow.
Those aspects of ourselves that we have pushed away,
Hidden or been told are unacceptable.
Maybe it's your anger,
Your selfishness,
Sadness,
Wildness,
Darkness,
Or something else that you were taught is not okay to express.
But there is a possibility that the very qualities that we've been hiding might hold the keys to our creativity,
Authenticity,
And aliveness.
So today's meditation is not about becoming a different person,
It's about becoming a more complete person.
One who can access all of their energy,
All of their gifts,
Even the ones that have been hiding in the shadows.
This is very,
Very gentle work.
We are simply meeting parts of ourselves with curiosity,
With compassion,
Discovering the gold that's been waiting in the darkness.
So as we settle in now,
Let's find a comfortable position where you'll not be disturbed.
And just let my words guide you as we do this exploration.
You're very welcome now to close your eyes.
Just taking a moment now to find your physical body on the floor,
On the chair,
Or wherever else you are.
I'm aware that I have a physical body.
I'm aware of the hard surface that's holding me right now.
Now let's take a few natural,
Gentle breaths,
Allowing your body now just to relax.
As I breathe now,
My body begins to relax.
I may still have thoughts,
I'm aware of them,
But I'm not engaging with them.
Create now a sense of safety around yourself,
Feeling the support of the surface beneath you.
And at this stage,
You can also imagine that there is a color of light,
A bubble of light,
A circle of light around you.
The idea is for me to feel surrounded in safety.
I am now surrounded in safety.
This is important work,
But it's also very safe for me to do this.
I am in control of this exploration and nothing will show up today that will overwhelm me.
Now feeling calmer,
Feeling a little bit more settled into your body,
Feeling the safety of the bubble around you,
Let's understand the shadow.
So the shadow isn't evil or dangerous.
It is simply a collection of parts of yourself that you learn to hide or suppress.
Often,
Very early in life,
Maybe you learnt or you were told that anger wasn't acceptable.
So you pushed that anger,
That fiery energy into your shadow.
Maybe you were told being selfish was wrong.
So you hid your ability to put yourself first.
Maybe you were taught sadness was weakness.
So you rejected your vulnerable parts.
Maybe you learned that being too much is not acceptable.
So I dimmed my brightness,
I dimmed my light.
These parts of me,
They didn't disappear when you rejected them.
They went into hiding,
Waiting for the day when you'd be ready to reclaim them.
Now with this understanding,
With this intention,
If it's not happening for you already,
Think about a quality that you've rejected in yourself.
Something you were taught as bad or wrong.
Maybe it's your anger,
Your sensitivity,
Your neediness,
Your selfishness,
Your intensity.
Now,
As we are naming this while we talk,
When you reject this part of yourself,
What happens?
Do you judge it harshly in other people?
Do you feel drained from constantly suppressing it?
Or do you sometimes feel like something is missing?
Like you're never fully yourself?
Now this is the price of me rejecting my shadow.
I lose access to the energy and gifts that live in those rejected parts.
Any physical sensations,
Movements,
Thoughts,
Memories,
Warmth,
Cold,
Tingling that you may be having in this moment,
Just allow all that to come up.
It may be connected with the energy of your shadow that we are naming and exploring with curiosity.
Now,
Let's explore the hidden gifts in your shadow.
Bring to mind one quality about yourself that you've judged or tried to hide.
One quality about myself that I've judged or tried to hide.
And instead of asking,
Why is this bad?
Let's explore this today.
What gift might be hidden in this quality?
What gift might be hidden in this quality?
As an example,
Your anger might contain your passion,
Your boundaries,
Your sense of justice.
Your selfishness might contain your ability to value your needs.
Your sadness might contain your empathy.
Your intensity might contain your power,
Your aliveness.
Your sensitivity might contain your intuition.
Your connection to others.
What gift might be hiding in the quality I have rejected?
Feel into this possibility now that what you've seen as a flaw might actually be a strength in disguise.
Now,
As you may have identified this part,
This quality of you that you may have been unconsciously rejecting,
Imagine now meeting this rejected part of yourself with curiosity rather than judgment.
Now,
We'll use a bit of visualization and anything that comes up for you is exactly what you need to see,
Sense,
Feel or experience.
Picture now this aspect of yourself,
Either as a person or as an energy that's been waiting in the shadows,
Hoping to be welcomed back.
I may see myself as angry,
I may see myself as a child,
I may just see a colour or I may see nothing at all,
I may just be feeling it in my body.
What would you say to this part of yourself if you met them with compassion?
I am now face to face with this part of me which was hiding in my shadow.
This is the suppressed energy that I've been carrying all my life.
What would I say to this part if I were to meet them with compassion?
Maybe we can say,
I see you,
I understand why you've been hiding and I'm curious about what you have to offer.
I see you,
I understand why you've been hiding,
I'm curious about what you have to offer.
Just notice how this part of you responds now,
As you've said these words now and you're trying to meet it with acceptance rather than rejection.
Now,
It takes a lot of energy to suppress something for so long.
Suppression takes tremendous effort.
So what would it feel like to stop fighting this aspect of yourself and learning to work with it?
Feel this in your body,
Feel this in your mind,
Feel this in your energy.
The relief of no longer having to hide this part of who you are.
Just imagine,
Sense and feel the energy that becomes available to you when you stop the internal war.
Imagine the wholeness that comes from accepting all of yourself.
Now as we have offered this healing to our rejected parts,
Whatever came up for you today.
We also know that the shadow has a lot of wisdom and often knows things that your conscious mind doesn't.
Your rejected anger might know when your boundaries are being crossed.
Your hidden selfishness might know what you truly need.
And your suppressed wildness might know when you're in the wrong environment,
In the wrong relationship,
In the wrong career.
And your buried sadness might know what you haven't grieved.
So what wisdom might this shadow part have for you right now?
What wisdom might this shadow part have for you right now?
Just listen with curiosity.
What is this part trying to tell me about my life,
About my relationships,
About my choices?
And the download,
The insight,
The information may come to you now or over the next few hours,
Days,
Weeks,
Months.
Whichever way this knowledge wants to unfold for you.
Now as we prepare to close,
Just consider how you might honour this shadow quality in your life.
This doesn't mean being destructive or harmful.
It just means finding healthy expressions for these energies.
What's one small way you could honour this shadow quality this week?
And now,
Place both your hands on your heart.
Start breathing into your heart.
And feel yourself as a whole being.
Light and shadow.
Gentle and fierce.
Accepted and rejected.
You're not meant to be only light.
You're meant to be whole.
You're not meant to be perfect.
You're meant to be complete.
You're not meant to reject parts of yourself.
You're meant to understand and integrate them.
Feel this relief of no longer having to be only positive or only good.
Feel the power that comes from accessing all this energy.
Now,
Let's bring gentle movement back to the body.
As you're returning to your physical body as a more integrated person.
Someone who has made peace with their shadow.
And can access the gifts that they contain over time.
And honouring everything that you've seen,
Explored,
Felt and experienced today.
You can wiggle your fingers,
Wiggle your toes.
And then,
Very gently now,
Open your eyes.
Now,
The gold in your shadow has always been there.
Just waiting for you to discover it.
And what you may have been labelling and rejecting as bad.
May often contain creativity,
Power and authenticity.
You've started the journey today to welcoming back parts of yourself that you've rejected.
You're very welcome to come back to this meditation.
And you may have a different experience.
You may experience something different every time you meet these rejected parts.
Thank you for having the courage to meet your shadow.
With curiosity and compassion.
Thank you again for joining me.
And Namaste.
