Shadow walk and meet in the shadow.
But before we begin,
Here's a quick word on what shadow work actually is.
It has multiple terms,
It has multiple origins that people like to reference.
Carl Jung He never coined it,
Shadowa.
But he did talk about unconscious behaviour that we do play out.
The shadow isn't the bad part of you,
It's the hidden part of you.
As the name would suggest.
The feelings,
The reactions and the pieces of yourself you learned to push aside because at some point they weren't welcomed by your surroundings that could be family,
Friends.
Anyone that could potentially pass judgement on those actions.
Shadow work isn't about becoming darker.
It's about being more complete.
The parts of you that were hiding are still using your energy.
This practice is about starting to see them safely without any drama and releasing that energy back into your life.
That's why there's such a push for people to do shadow work or an urge where you see people wanting to do shadow work.
It's simply because they've got more on the table and they want to access more energy that they seem to be being depleted by them.
Unknowingly.
So that's what we're going to do today.
We're just coming to luck.
We hide parts of ourselves from the world.
And on the surface,
For good reason,
Judgment,
Disapproval,
Which could lead to you being ostracized or even worse,
Not because it's wrong,
But because somewhere along the way,
It learned to stay out of sight.
You might have felt it as a reaction that surprised you.
Anger that came from nowhere.
Sadness you didn't expect.
A pull towards something you told yourself you shouldn't want.
That's not a malfunction.
That's your shadow.
Letting you know it's still there.
Today we're going to meet it,
Quietly,
For the first time.
Let's make sure the body feels safe before we go anywhere.
Feet on the floor,
Hands resting easy.
Slow breath in through the nose,
Let it drop all the way down.
And out.
Long and complete.
Feel the weight of your body where it's supported.
The ground beneath you.
Steady.
One more.
In slowly.
And out.
Nothing you notice in this practice needs to be acted on.
You're just observing.
That's all that's asked.
Think about a recent moment where you had a reaction that felt bigger than the situation called for.
Maybe you got irritated and didn't know why.
Maybe something hit you emotionally and you quickly shut it down.
Maybe you felt a sudden pull towards something and immediately talked yourself out of it.
Pick one.
Just one moment.
Where do you feel that reaction in your body right now?
Just holding the memory of it?
Stay there,
Don't explain it yet,
Just notice what the body is doing.
That reaction,
Whatever it was,
Is a signal from the part of you that doesn't usually get a voice.
The shadow is in your darkness.
It's everything you learn to push aside.
The anger you were told wasn't okay.
The need you were told was too much.
The sensitivity you were told made you weak.
The ambition,
The grief,
The longing.
Whatever it was that learned to go quiet.
What is it in that reaction?
That might have been trying to get your attention.
Don't force an answer.
Let it come quietly.
And what might that part of you have needed that it hasn't been getting?
Here's the thing about the shadow that most people get wrong.
It's not your enemy.
The parts of yourself you've been pushing away,
They contain energy,
Insight,
Parts of your character that have been waiting.
The work isn't about getting rid of them.
It's about getting to know them.
What you just did today.
Noticing a reaction.
Sitting with it.
Asking what it needed.
That's shadow work.
It doesn't have to be more complicated than that.
One final breath in.
Than out completely.
Feel the ground beneath you,
Still here,
Unchanged.
You just made first contact.
That's enough for today.
Take your time coming back.
Good work.
And remember this is deep work.
If you feel called,
Reach out.
I'd be honoured to witness your being and becoming.
