Casting Light On The Shadows In Ourselves - Guided Practice

Let's take a journey inside ourselves and our emotions, bringing light into the shadows within us. The more we learn to work with our emotions, the better we become at navigating them as they arise. This can bring inner peace more quickly over time. We will use a combination of visualization and craniosacral dialogue in this practice.

Note: This is a practice for those who have previous experience doing inner work.

Transcript

Hi,

I'd like to welcome you today to our guided practice,

Casting light on the shadows inside of ourselves.

I'm so happy that you've joined me today.

Before we move into the guided practice,

I'd like to have a talk about why I'm doing this particular practice.

So we're going to be doing a guided practice into the shadows of ourselves,

Our emotions.

This particular practice is a little bit more challenging.

Not in the way that I teach it,

But in the emotions that it can bring up to the surface.

The challenge becomes allowing the feelings we have inside ourselves to be brought forward so that they may have a voice and so that we may hear them to understand them better.

Our shadow side is often what we refuse to see about ourselves and what we don't want others to see out in the open,

But bringing light into the shadow places actually helps us like ourselves better and present an authentic voice to the world of who we truly are.

We all have these emotions in some form or another.

Whether we wrestle with anger or jealousy,

Envy or grief or fear and anxiety,

It is learning not to have shame around these feelings and instead learning to understand them better.

We will be sitting with deep emotions and it can bring up a lot within us in this experience.

If you'd like to join me in this journey,

I'd like to ask that you make sure that you are grounded in a space where you feel strong and able to hold these emotions.

Next,

I'd also like you to make sure that you have the ability to ground yourself after the practice ends,

After we finish working together on this piece.

Whether that is through journaling or talking to a trusted friend or even checking in with a counselor if that is what is needed.

If you have this support system in place,

Then it allows you to experience these emotions without feeling like you are on your own.

Emotional work is rewarding and highly empowering,

But it can be challenging as well.

Remember that at any time during this practice,

You have permission to stop the practice at any time.

Always listen to your own self,

Your own inner guidance above others.

Now during my own journey through shadow work,

I have had many struggles around fear and jealousy.

The more I allowed myself to experience these and sit with them,

The more I was able to hear my inner struggle without letting it take me over each time.

So in this practice,

We will learn to sit with our feelings and experience them and listen to them more fully.

I'd like to share with you some examples that are better known in the world.

These stories that I bring up are a manner of spirituality about the journey inside.

None of the stories that I bring up are brought up with the intention of any religious connotations.

I bring them up as metaphors so that you can better understand what it is we are doing today.

The first story I'd like to share,

The story of Buddha and how he gained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.

The story of Buddha's enlightenment and finding peace within himself is wonderful,

But it was not an easy process.

So one of the stories tells about how Buddha gained enlightenment.

After much trials and tribulations,

One day he decided to sit under the Bodhi tree until he found peace within himself.

During that time,

Mara,

Who represents temptation,

Came to Buddha and began to speak unkind words,

Unkind thoughts.

Buddha,

However,

Did not tell Mara to go away or to be quiet.

Instead,

He invited Mara to sit down with him.

The story goes that he invited Mara to a cup of tea.

Then Buddha asked Mara to share everything that was on his mind.

Mara shared about fear and anger,

About greed and injustice,

He asked Buddha to come back out into the world.

But Buddha,

Who found peace within himself,

Even amongst this anger and this fear,

Was able to tell Mara that he was okay where he was at,

And he was okay with Mara where Mara was at.

And in this process of finding peace within that storm,

Buddha found enlightenment.

Another well-known metaphorical story is that of Jesus.

Again,

I use Jesus as an example of a historical figure and a metaphor of his journey.

Jesus faced a similar journey as that of Buddha.

The story is that he spent 40 days in the wilderness,

Struggling to survive.

In the story,

He is tempted by the devil.

We can look at the devil as that of Mara from Buddha's story as well.

Jesus is tested by the wilderness of these untamed places within himself.

The devil then becomes these emotions that sit and live inside of him.

So even though the story is often depicted as an outer struggle,

It is actually the internal temptations or the internal voices of fear and greed and anger,

Jealousy that Jesus struggled with during those 40 days,

Where he wrestled with that inside of himself.

And as he made peace with these things,

These human parts of himself,

He became humble in the process and understood that to be human is to be flawed,

And it is okay to be who we are,

That we live with both sides of this within ourselves.

Another similar story in the Hindu tradition is the metaphorical story of Arjuna and Krishna.

Arjuna is a warrior of light.

Krishna,

Who represents the divine in the story,

Asks Arjuna to fight,

To take up the battle.

So what is Arjuna fighting?

Well,

He is fighting ignorance and confusion that is out in the world.

But again,

Out in the world is also within us.

So sometimes our inner selves,

It can feel like a battle when you go into it.

And yet during the battle,

Being a warrior of light,

You're transformed by it with a wise heart and the ability to listen to yourself better,

Which then allows you to listen to others who are also suffering.

One last metaphorical story I'd like to share is that of the Greek mythology of Persephone.

Now Persephone was at first forced to spend six months of her life in the underworld with Hades.

This was a place of darkness and death.

In the story,

Persephone finds a way to be able to come out into the light for six months and then dwell in dark for six months.

The metaphor of this story is that if she did not spend time in this place of darkness,

For example,

Winter and fall,

When things become dark and die,

Then she would also not be able to come into the light of the world and germinate new growth.

So by facing this darkness,

She is then able to bring light and growth and spring and summer into the world.

Her soul,

Through our human experience,

Actually needs both to exist,

To be a whole person and to grow.

And this is why out of all of those examples,

No matter which one you resonate with or if it brings to mind other stories that you are familiar with,

That is important to spend time with your shadow self,

To become friends with it so that you learn to work with each other better,

To listen to yourself instead of fighting with yourself,

To become a whole person and love all those parts of yourself.

Ultimately,

The more time you allow your feelings to exist and to listen to them,

They will become integrated and the more they will shift and not overtake you.

This then allows you to sit in peace when feelings arise in your life.

When you are moved into these places,

You are then able to experience peace more quickly,

Even though you have the emotions still present within you.

The point is not to get rid of them,

But to work with them.

Allow this guided practice today to deepen your relationship with yourself and know that when this meditation ends,

You will also need to know that there will be more work that needs to be done.

It is an evolutionary process.

It is transformational,

But it takes time,

So be patient with yourself.

I look forward to walking on this path with you and am grateful that you are here.

Let's move into the journey together.

Take time now to find a comfortable seated position.

It is best for this practice to remain seated and not lie down so that you remain present on the journey.

Make sure your body is comfortable,

Whether that is being warm enough or cool enough.

Begin by taking a deep breath in,

Bringing the breath and the presence of Mother Earth up through the ground,

Through your pelvis,

Up your spinal cord,

To the top of your head,

Connecting with your higher self.

Allow yourself to feel this connection with the Universe,

The Divine,

With all of creation.

As you exhale,

Bring this energy back with you from your higher self,

Back through your head,

Down your spine,

Back to your pelvis,

And once again connecting to Mother Earth below you.

Do this breathing practice one more time.

Breathing in deeply,

Inhaling,

Moving that energy up through your body,

Out the top of your head,

And as you exhale,

Moving the breath back through your body,

All the way down,

Until it meets Mother Earth once again.

As you continue to breathe gently through this practice,

Understand that your breath through your body is now not just your own,

But that of Mother Earth,

As well as the Universe connected to you and through you.

Now when you are ready,

I'm going to ask you to call into this space your guide,

Guides,

Or helper who want to be with you during this journey.

Call your guide or guides in now,

Whether this is God,

Goddess,

The Divine,

Your Angels,

Ancestors,

Animal Guides,

Or Master Teachers.

Allow those who want to join you during this journey to come into the space now.

Take this time now to see who comes to join you.

What do you have for us?

Who you are?

Thank those who are here with us for joining us today that we are grateful for their presence.

We are grateful for their support and their love,

Which we could not do without,

Which makes this journey a little easier.

During this next moment of silence,

I'll ask you to connect more deeply to the support and the network that these guides and helpers bring to you in this space.

Allow yourselves to connect now.

Take a deep breath in.

.

.

And exhale.

.

.

Now I would like you to take some time in your imagination.

Imagine yourself in a place or a space where you feel completely loved and grounded.

This can be the room that you are already in,

Or it can be a place in nature like a mountain or a river or a forest.

You might imagine yourself on the beach,

You might imagine yourself in a beautiful library.

Now take this time to see what sacred space comes forward for you to be seated within during this meditation.

And know that no matter what space you end up in,

Your helpers,

Your guides are also there with you.

Take time now to imagine this space that you are in.

Release your deeperskSTEPS and keep 3000 pages rounds with you down.

You you Now I would like you to take time to decorate or Arrange the space as you would like to see it Whether that is adding pillows or comfortable places to sit You might add lights hanging up all around you You might imagine that fireflies come to join you You might light candles or imagine that there is burning sage Some might add a fire that burns in the center of the circle Create this imaginary space in this moment Just as you would like it to look Take this time now to bring the space to life within your mind,

Within your body Within your body you you Take a deep breath in and exhale During this practice we will explore one specific emotion or feeling I know it will be tied to others But it is one emotion or feeling that is the primary underlying source That comes forward to work with you today that we will focus on Taking a deep breath in As you exhale Use your breath To scan your body To see where the breath seems to get stuck or stop When you find that place in your body where the breath doesn't move so easily See what it feels like in that stuck area You may experience this breath being stuck not being able to move whether it is in your feet or your hands Your legs your stomach Your liver your gallbladder Your chest your heart Your throat or your head Take this time now to see where the breath Does not move so easily and what it feels like in that space where it's stuck Do this now You You As you connect with this place in your body Ask this area what emotion or feeling it is experiencing today Listen openly for what it tells you What is it experiencing right now?

Listen Once You have heard What this place in your body is?

Experiencing what emotion or feeling?

It is calling you to look at today Say this word out loud This allows your body to know that you have heard what it shared with you Speak this word now Take a deep breath in and exhale Now in the space around you create another seat either next to you or across from you Make the seat a comfortable space With this seat this space that we've created we're going to invite the feeling or emotion into the space to join us In order to do this we're going to ask that that emotion or feeling joins us as your inner child The inner part of you that is experiencing this emotion or feeling Let's invite this part of yourself your inner child into the space with us now We welcome him or her into the space safely Once your inner child has entered this space thank him or her for being with us today We're so grateful that he or she has joined us Take this time now to notice what age of yourself your inner child is today If you aren't sure ask your inner child what age he or she is that holds this emotion Listen for his or her answer Ask your inner child if he or she would like to sit down either next to you or across from you Allow your inner child to choose where he or she would like to sit If your inner child is comfortable sitting allow him or her to do this now If this part of yourself is not comfortable sitting down that is okay too If he or she would like to stand or even walk about the space allow him or her to do this freely Honor this part of yourself and what he or she needs in this moment Take time now to allow yourself in this present moment your inner child and your guide or guides to all connect with one another Feeling each other and welcoming each of your energies into this space Take a deep breath in And exhale Now let's check in with everyone with yourself with your guides and your inner child to make sure you are all comfortable to move forward with this practice Even if you are feeling the emotions of your inner child being present and this may cause discomfort this doesn't necessarily mean no Instead we will ask everyone individually if he or she is okay to continue Let's do this now First ask your present self Am I okay to continue with this practice?

Listen internally for a yes or a no Do this now and listen to what your body tells you Now ask your helper or guide or guides if they are okay to continue with this practice Listen now if they say yes or no Now ask your inner self,

Your inner child if he or she is okay to continue moving forward with this practice Listen for his or her response If you are all on the same page to continue forward with this practice I would love for us to move forward together If however you are feeling that it is better at this time not to continue to move forward with this practice honor that information inside of you you are always welcome to come back and join us when all parts of yourself feel ready For those of you who need to finish this practice early I wish you a very blessed day and know that you are surrounded with love and support Know that it is better not to force this work on yourself if you are not ready honor the wisdom within yourself Now we will move forward with the practice We will take time to create a circle of loving presence where it is safe to share Look around the space and see yourself,

Your inner child and your guides all present together Now take one another's hands in each other's,

Close your eyes and feel the love and connection that joins all of you together in this present moment,

In this space of connection Inhale deeply Exhale fully We are safe and connected When you are ready ask your inner child this part of yourself who is present with us today what emotion he or she is experiencing in this moment Ask your inner child this question now and listen with an open heart Breathe in and exhale Thank your inner child for sharing these words with you Now ask your inner child why he or she is experiencing these emotions or feelings,

From where do they rise?

Allow your inner child to share with you these feelings that she or he is struggling with I know this may be uncomfortable as these feelings come up Know that your guides are here holding space for you,

That I hold space for you That your strong present self is holding space for you,

That we may hear the feelings of your inner child Know that you are connected to the earth below you and the universe above you Allow your inner child now to express why he or she is feeling these emotions today Allow your inner child to express why he or she is feeling these emotions today Breathe in deeply Breathe in deeply Exhale fully And once more,

Breathing in deeply Exhaling fully Thank your inner child for being so brave to share with you the experiences that she or he is having Take this time now to honour the courage that your child self had for sharing openly with you Does your inner self want a hug or to hold hands or to sit together?

Allow this to happen now Breathe in and exhale From a loving and compassionate place,

From this place of the self you are today Acknowledge the feelings that your inner child is experiencing Let your child self know that you are so sorry for the experiences that he or she is going through Share with your inner self that she,

That he,

Are not alone That you are present in this moment with her,

With him Take this time to share with your inner child that you may not have all the answers But you walk this path together and will work through these feelings That it is okay not to have all the answers right now Take this time now to share these thoughts,

These feelings,

These words with your inner child Breathe in and exhale And again,

Breathing in deeply and exhaling fully I am now going to ask both you and your inner child together to move into the centre of the space,

Either standing or sitting next to one another Do this as you are ready As you and your inner child are in the centre,

I now ask your guides,

The divine,

Your higher self,

Those who are here to energetically support you,

To gather around the two of you,

Feeling a circle of light around you Allow yourself and your inner child to receive the light coming from the support of light that surrounds you which carries love,

Grace,

Compassion,

Forgiveness,

Peace,

Joy,

Abundance Allow these feelings to surround you and fill you and your inner child with so much support that it lifts the heaviness of the feelings that have been shared The light moving in and around you transforms the burdens of these feelings so that you do not have to carry them on your own anymore Take this time now for you and your inner child to sit in this loving presence,

Receiving this beautiful energy of transformative light The light moving in and around you transforms the burdens of these feelings that have been you you Take a deep breath in and exhale As you and your inner child are ready allow yourselves to move from the center of the circle Back out into the outer edges of the circle to be seated once more With your guides present in the circle with you And as you sit back down Allow all of you to begin to once more hold hands together Forming this connection between all of you You are always connected even when you don't know it Call on this connection to continue to support both you and your inner child on your journey whenever you need it Take these next few moments to allow all the energy between you,

Your inner self and your guides to begin to integrate within your body Take a deep breath in and exhale Take a deep breath in,

Moving your breath up from the earth through your body Out your head connecting to your higher self and exhaling Bringing that energy back through your body and once again connecting to the earth below you Before we close the circle today I would like to share that during the next few days you may experience intermittent waves of feeling light and energetic as well as feeling heavy and emotions that were brought up today It is normal to experience these different waves of emotions as your body learns to integrate the experience from today Be compassionate and gentle with yourself Make sure you get enough rest,

Enough food and enough water to support yourself Keep an open door in your heart to be able to listen to your inner child Allowing her or him to share with you at times when it feels appropriate for both of you And remember to stay grounded and connected to the earth just as Buddha did under the Bodhi tree Finding peace no matter what emotion or feeling you or your inner child experience I am so grateful that you have joined me on this difficult journey Know that as you walk your path,

I walk with you To do this work,

This difficult exploration of feelings and emotions is the work of a warrior A warrior of light shining into the shadows to shift that which is within us For this,

This work will also shift our planet into a loving space of peace Before we close,

I'd like to share with you a poem by the poet Hafiz This poem is called The Warrior and I dedicate it to our journey The Warrior The warriors tame the beasts in their past so that the knights hooves can no longer break the jeweled vision in their hearts The intelligent and the brave open every closet in the future And evict all the minds ghosts who have the bad habit of making a mess everywhere they go For a long time the universe has been germinating in your spine But only those who are connected to the sacred have the talent,

The courage to slay the giants of the past,

The anxieties of the future The warrior wisely sits in a circle with others gathering the strength to unmask herself,

Himself,

Themselves Then the warrior sits giving like a great illumined planet on the earth Take a deep breath in and exhale May you be blessed as you continue to open the dark doors of yourself to shed light into these places Once again reconnecting these parts of yourself as loved and wanted You are all of your pieces woven together And may you continue to be a beautiful warrior of light Namaste

Reviews

Thank you, Shannon! This was a beautiful experience - very powerful!♥️🙏♥️

So incredibly beautiful, thank you thank you thank you. Namaste

coming back to write this after a few weeks because i want to let you know that this meditation - especially the teaching you weaved into it - helped me identify a way to better sit with my emotions. this - over the past few weeks - has changed EVERYTHING internally for me. i am incredibly grateful - thank you thank you thank you 💗

Very inspirational beautifully read thank you Namaste 🙏🏻

The most amazing session I have had. I smiled and cried a lot. I saw faces I hadn't see in a long time. I feel so good right now. Thank you!

Thank you for the teaching. It opened a lot of doors that have been closed in a bad way. Now I have a method to work on the past in a positive manner. 💗