Shadow work is one of the first things I ventured into as a new witch
I found myself confused about exactly what it was and what to do
Most of the time, the only answer I got was that it depends on the person
Shadow work is the process of discovering the hidden parts of you, healing the pain that is there, and accepting the rest. It is not just journaling about your day and then moving on. It is a process that can take weeks or years to move through a part of you, but it is incredibly freeing and healing
The important thing you really need to know is you have to be ready to start Shadow work and only you know if you are
You need to be:
- In a safe place physically and emotionally
- In an environment that is supportive
- Not working through a current trauma that you have identified
- Willing to work with a therapist if you have extreme trauma
- Ready to work on healing the trauma that you find
Do not start Shadow work if you are not willing to work through the things you find and change your life!
Also, you don’t have to work with a therapist if you have extreme trauma, but it is good to be open to it if you need the extra help
How to start shadow work
Starting Shadow work doesn’t take much once you decide that you are ready
You will need a journal or voice recorder, a few minutes a day, and it may be helpful to get journal prompts
You can find journal prompts online, on Amazon, on Pinterest, and on more
Just search for “Shadow work prompts” and choose a question that feels right
You wil know which one feels right because your eye will be drawn to it and it will catch your attention
Write it in your journal or say it for your voice recorder
Then pause
Just take deep breaths and think about the question
If your mind wanders, acknowledge what popped up and then return to your prompt
Come from a place on compassion and nonjudgement
Do your very best to allow all thoughts to come without pushing any away or judgment
This may take practice
If you find yourself doing that, internally apologize and allow your mind to speak again
When you are successfully staying on topic and getting the thoughts moving, write down everything that comes to mind
Keep writing everything until your mind quiets down
If there is repetition, let it happen
Don’t try to control the situation
Just let your mind dump everything
When it is done, your mind will be calm and you will have all the hidden and non-hidden thoughts documented
Congratulations!
You have done day one
Try to do this at least 3 times a week
This will give you a paper trail of what goes through your mind
Now it is time to look through and see what comes up a lot
The things you think once on a bad day are not the beliefs that you hold
The things that come up, again and again, are the parts of your shadow that affect your life
How do you know shadow work is working?
When you start anything new, it is important to think about what you want to accomplish
This could be as simple as finding out more about yourself or as intense as healing from trauma
You will have a hard time deciding if Shadow work is “working” if you don’t know what working looks like
For me, I knew I had many limiting beliefs and traumas that were affecting my life
I worked hard to get to a peaceful place after the trauma, but I still noticed that my reactions were not healthy
I had to watch myself and remember that I wasn’t in danger anymore
But without changing my default setting, those reactions were not going to change
I went to many classes and webinars that all told me to challenge my limiting beliefs
But I had a problem that none of them helped me with
I was so used to my limiting beliefs that I couldn’t identify them!
That is where shadow work comes in
I use Shadow work to help me understand myself better so I know how I can challenge the parts of me that don’t serve me
Learning to integrate your shadow into your life in a healthy way
There are going to be parts of you that you don’t like but they are just part of you
These are mostly going to be memories
Learning to integrate your shadow self is accepting what happened in your past and treating yourself with compassion and love
I like to use visualization for this
I have not done this a lot because it is emotionally intense
So keep that in mind before starting
Find a place in your house that has a seat in front of you
I like to use my bed
I will sit down and just focus on breathing
Then visualize who you were when something terrible happened to you or when you did something bad
Visualize this version of you in the seat in front of you
Listen to them
Ask questions
Use the same level of compassion that you would if talking to a child
Be 100% judgment-free as you listen to their story and their pain
Visualize yourself comforting them, forgiving them, and doing whatever they need to heal
This may feel silly to start but I promise that it is so powerful and so freeing
But I want to encourage you to start with versions of you that are not that painful
Start small, practice being able to visualize and be judgment-free, and avoid getting overwhelmed
Once you gain more practice and skill, then you are ready to tackle the most hurt versions of you
Give them love and compassion
Accept their story
And let go