What Is The Shadow?
we all have a shadow side that exists as a part of the subconscious whole. it is the side of yourself that you cannot see clearly, or likely at all. it is formed by the conditionings, traumas and repressed emotions of the human experience. the shadow pops up in the most inopportune of moments (lol oops) in a shady attempt to sabotage our efforts to advance, heal, succeed. Shadow Work consists of illuminating the shadow — bringing into consciousness the unconscious, integrating it and healing the whole.
Shadow consciousness is primarily formed between the ages 0-7. until it is healed, you will be unable to psychologically evolve fully into an adult. in other words, unless you resolve your childhood trauma and reprogram your conditionings you will never fully advance from childhood, but rather remain stuck victim of a juvenile mentality. healing the shadow is growing tf up.
Why Is Shadow Work Important?
In the words of Carl Jung, ‘until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct you life and you will call it fate.’ in total 95% of consciousness is unknown, meaning you are only aware of 5% of your thoughts. until you bring the shadow into light your subconscious will be running the show.. and you will just accept it as ‘the way it is’. when you bring your subconscious into conscious awareness it loses power over you, and with practice you can reprogram it to default the life you truly desire.
The shadow is famous for self-sabotaging and taking the reins in the most inconvenient of times i.e. en route to a promotion, in a healthy relationship, in a ‘good place’ in your personal life.. basically the moment you’re about to *level up*. the shadow pops up in and is like ‘hey you’re growing let’s fuck it up!’ and then manifests as some sort of unconscious act of rebellion i.e devolution to toxic patterns or emotional outbursts or (insert type of) escapism. until the shadow is healed it will always be working *against you* rather than *for you*. when the shadow is healed. it becomes a true superpower
Shadow work is like being the detective of your own personal psyche. It is SO important and worth it to reclaim your conditionings and transmute your challenges into STRENGTHS. Transfer all that energy to work *for* you, rather than against you. this way your greatest obstacles become your greatest assets. it sounds cliché because it’s true!
How Does The Shadow Manifest?
– toxic impulses + addictive habits
– lowvibe patterns, attracting same dysfunctional relationships / situations
– aggression, passive aggression
– fear, desire, anger, greed
– emotional outbursts + unproportional reactions
– emotional repression, denial of reality
– feelings of unworthiness, ego-centric delusion
