Shadow work and light work sound like literal opposites
But they are actually pretty connected
They are different!
But they are often connected
Shadow work is the process of connecting, healing, and learning about the darkest part of yourself. Light work is the process of spreading light to the community and world around you. Shadow work is all internal work while light work is external work
Most of the time, light work comes after shadow work
Lightworkers are spiritually awakened people that want to make the world a better place
They may not know they are awakened, but they are awakened enough to know that they can make the world a little better
Most spiritual people have done the shadow work and are continuing that internal work
This is because lightworkers are often very sensitive and they need that internal work and self-care to continue spreading light and love
What is Shadow Work?
Shadow work is a very personal journey that is either taken privately or with a therapist
Your shadow is the parts of you that you have hidden or that you are ashamed of
Shadow work is the process of learning about those things, healing some parts, and accepting some parts
When you are doing shadow work, the goal is to gain a fuller and deeper understanding of your subconscious
This includes how you react to things that happen, what you think of yourself, what you think of others, habits, beliefs, and more
You have way more controlled by the subconscious than you control by your conscious
It is possible to reprogram your subconscious mind, but you need to know and understand what your systems are before you can work on reprogramming
For example, I had a belief that I was broken for years
I didn’t know why or where that belief came from
Honestly, I barely knew it was there
But it affected my life greatly
Once I was able to dig into that belief and understand it, then I was able to work toward healing it
What does Shadow Work do?
Shadow work is a scary process for a lot of people because you are facing the things about yourself that you are scared of and ashamed of head-on
There is no more hiding or pretending
I know someone who has gone through a lot of trauma
She recently told me that it is easier to pretend those things didn’t happen because thinking about them is too painful
But whether she likes it or not, those traumas affect her life
If she decided to start shadow work, she would have to face those traumas and work through them
That looks a little different depending on the trauma
But the point is to learn and fully understand that part of your life
Then accept it and let it go
That could be through healing or just strictly accepting
I recommend starting with parts of your shadow that aren’t a big deal
Uncomfortable things but not painful things
Minor insecurities or beliefs about yourself
Things that affect you but aren’t giants in your life
When you find something to work on, learn about it
Ask yourself questions and dig really deep until you fully understand that part of yourself
Leave no stone unturn
Then think about what you can do to help that part of you
Maybe it visualizing yourself telling a younger version of yourself something that they needed to hear
I visualized telling myself as a young child that it wasn’t my fault that my dad wouldn’t spend time with me
But I learned so much about how that affects me when I was digging in
I learned how many beliefs that created and how greatly that affected my marriage now
If you had asked me before I started, I would say that it didn’t affect me much anymore
But I was wrong
It affected me greatly
But with that knowledge, I was able to break those limiting beliefs and work towards healing from that pain
What is Light Work?
Light work is the work that people do when they are light workers
Unlike Shadow work, light work is very external
The goal of a lightworker is to bring more love and light into the world around them
This can be done through large acts of kindness or through small “pay it forward” actions
There was a vet in the area that I grew up in that did the appointment for free once a month
It was a walk in and the goal was to give care to animals that needed it but whose owners couldn’t afford it
Instead of needing $100 to get a rabies shot, you only needed $20
The entire goal was to give care to animals that would not get it without his kindness
There are doctors that do the same thing
Light work are actions that bring more positivity into the world for no other reason except to bring that light
What is Light work useful for?
The answer this is obvious to me
The world is a better place when the more fortunate care for the less fortunate just because they want to help
You don’t have to be rich to be a light worker
Kindness goes a lot way
There were times when I helped a mom that needed milk for her baby too
I overproduce breastmilk and had extra to offer
It wasn’t a lot but it was enough to keep that baby fed while she got more formula
I have also babysat so a friend could go look at a house they were interested in
She had no one available and I made her way so much better with 2 hours of my time
The possibility of light work is endless
You just need to have the desire to make the world a little better and some creativity
Do they work together at all?
Shadow work and lightwork are very different but I think they are very connected
Most people that are light workers are very aware of themselves and the spiritual world
Shadow work is needed for both of those
I see shadow work as the step before light work
You get to know yourself and heal yourself
Then you can bring light and help others