It's Andre.
This meditation is different from the first one.
We're not just grounding today.
We're going deeper.
We're going to meet a part of yourself that you've been keeping in the shadows.
Part you've rejected,
Denied or judged.
This might bring up some discomfort.
That's normal.
That's part of the work.
But you're ready for this.
You wouldn't be here if you weren't.
Find a comfortable seated position.
Feet on the floor,
Hands resting wherever feels natural.
When you're ready,
Close your eyes.
Let's begin.
Start by taking three deep breaths with me.
In through your nose.
Out through your mouth.
Let each exhale be a little longer than the inhale.
Breathe in.
And out one more time.
And let it go.
Feel your feet on the ground.
Feel the weight of your body in the chair.
Let yourself settle here.
Let yourself arrive.
Now bring your attention to your breath.
You don't need to change it,
Just notice it.
Feel the rise and fall of your chest.
The movement of your belly.
The air moving in and out of your nostrils.
With each breath,
Let yourself drop a little deeper into your body.
Out of your thoughts.
Into the present moment.
Into this space we're creating together.
You're safe here.
Whatever comes up in this meditation,
You can handle it.
You've been carrying it your whole life.
Today,
You're just finally looking at it.
Take one more grounding breath.
And out.
Now I want you to think about a quality or behavior.
That really bothers you and other people.
Something that triggers you.
Something that makes you judge them harshly.
Maybe it's when people are needed.
Or controlling.
Critical.
Or selfish or weak.
Or arrogant,
Or lazy,
Or emotionally unavailable.
What is it?
What quality in others makes you feel irritated,
Disgusted or judgmental?
Hold that in your mind.
Now here's the hard part.
And I need you to stay with me here.
That quality you judge so harshly in others?
It's a part of you that you've rejected.
You see it in them,
Because you can't see it in yourself.
You've exiled it to your shadow,
But it's still there.
And it's running your life from the dark.
I know that's hard to hear.
Your mind might be resisting right now.
No,
I'm not like that.
I would never.
.
.
But stay with it.
Just for a few minutes.
Be willing to consider the possibility.
Ask yourself.
Where in my life do I display this quality?
Even in subtle ways.
If you judge neediness.
Where you needy,
But you hide it.
Or compensate for it by being hyper-independent.
If you judge control.
Where do you try to control situations?
Outcomes.
Or people.
Maybe not overtly,
But through withdrawal.
Manipulation.
Or withholding.
If you judge criticism.
How critical are you of yourself?
How harsh is your inner voice?
If you judge emotional unavailability.
Where are you emotionally checked out?
Even when you're physically present.
Don't rush this.
Let yourself see it.
Even if it's uncomfortable.
Even if it challenges a story you've been telling yourself about who you are.
This part exists in you.
And today,
We're going to stop rejecting it.
And start integrating it.
Now I want you to imagine this rejected part of yourself as a figure standing in front of you.
It could look like you.
It could look like someone else.
It could be abstract.
A shape.
A color.
An energy.
However it shows up is fine.
Just see it there.
This is the part of you that carries the quality you've been judging.
Look at it,
Really see it.
This part has been an exile.
For a long time.
Unwelcome.
For the first time you're willing to look at it.
Now I want you to ask it a question.
Out loud in your mind or silently in your heart,
Ask.
What are you trying to protect me from?
And then listen.
Don't rush the answer.
Don't force it.
Just wait and see what comes.
Maybe it says,
I'm trying to protect you from being hurt again.
Maybe it says,
I'm trying to keep you safe from rejection.
Maybe it says,
I'm here because the real you wasn't acceptable.
So I became what you needed to survive.
Whatever it says,
Just listen.
Don't argue with it.
Don't dismiss it.
Just hear it.
Now ask it another question.
What do you need from me?
Just listen.
Let the answer come.
Maybe it needs to be seen.
To be acknowledged.
To be told.
You're not bad.
You were just trying to help.
Maybe it needs permission to exist without being shamed.
Maybe it just needs you to stop running from it.
For you to just embrace it.
And not disregarded like everyone else.
To see its beauty.
It's power.
Whatever it needs,
See if you can offer it.
Not by getting rid of it.
Not by fixing it.
But by making space for it.
Say to this part of yourself silently or aloud.
I see you.
I've been rejecting you.
But I see you now.
You're a part of me.
And I'm done pretending you don't exist.
Notice what happens.
Maybe the figure softens.
Maybe it steps closer.
Maybe it disappears entirely.
Because it doesn't need to fight for your attention anymore.
You don't have to love this part yet.
You don't even have to like.
But you're acknowledging it.
And that's everything.
Take a breath.
You're doing profound work right now.
Now imagine this part of yourself stepping closer.
And instead of pushing it away,
You let it come back.
You let it reintegrate.
It doesn't take over.
It doesn't consume you.
It just comes back into the hole.
To the fullness of who you are.
You are not just a light.
You're also the shadow.
You're not just a good.
You're also the messy,
Complicated,
Human parts.
And when you stop rejecting those parts,
You become whole.
Place your hand on your heart now.
Feel your chest rise and fall.
With your breath.
Say this to yourself.
I am not perfect.
I am whole.
All of me is welcome here.
Take a deep breath in.
And let it out.
You just integrated a piece of your shadow.
This shadow aspect will resurface again in your life.
But next time.
You will understand its real origin.
And you can work with it instead of being controlled by it.
When you're ready,
Bring your awareness back to the room.
Feel your feet on the floor.
Wiggle your fingers.
Your toes.
And when it feels right.
Gently open your eyes.
You just did shadow work.
Real shadow work.
And that takes courage.
The part of you that you judge in others.
Is still a part of you.
But now you've seen it.
You've listened to it.
You've started to integrate it.
This is ongoing work.
You'll do this again and again with different parts of yourself.
But each time you do,
You become a little more whole.
A little less at war with yourself.
A little more honest.
See you in the next lesson.
