Diving Into Shadow Work
Shadow work is a necessary, but incredibly difficult part of spiritual evolution and soul growth. We must dive into the depths of ourselves in order to unearth old pain that needs to be felt and released to further our personal expansion. We do this work continuously as we grow because we are able to tap into new depths as we reach new heights. Shadow work is a part of the process as we navigate the ups and downs of our human experience, and it allow us to release old patterns, emotions, and pain so we can continue to grow into our best selves. Since we live, heal, and grow in cycles, our shadow work can also feel repetitive. We will often come to the conclusion that we are finished working on a particular cycle, but later discover that we need to work on that cycle again on a deeper level. This is incredibly common, and I’ve experienced it many times myself.
We can only do so much shadow work at one time, and there is a limit to how deeply we’re able to witness ourselves that directly relates to our soul growth. The amount of light you can hold in your body determines your capacity to witness your own darkness. Love and connection are the antidote for pain and suffering, and so we must experience them hand in hand in order to successfully release what is no longer serving us. Once we love ourselves enough to sit with our pain long enough to feel it, we are able to let it go once and for all. This allows us to break free of cycles that we’ve been repeating because we’re no longer avoiding the work that must be done, and after we do that work we’re able to move forward in a new way. Our life circumstances only change when we find the courage and strength to change our mindsets and behaviors.
Shadow work gives us the opportunity to change these things by shifting the way we look at ourselves and how we relate to the rest of the world. When we’re operating from our wounding, this unresolved pain that’s trapped inside of us, we aren’t able to see our circumstances clearly. These wounds that are bleeding under the surface skew our viewpoint and make it seem like the world is out to get us. It feels like the pain is insurmountable and growing out of control, and this triggers us into fear and avoidance. Sidestepping our pain delays our blessings, and facing it brings us into alignment. Once we decide to stop the cycle of avoidance and face the difficult parts of ourselves, we can finally be free from our trauma responses. These old triggers are only present as long as we allow the root pains to exist unchecked.
In order to truly create change in our lives, we must face the parts of ourselves that are perpetuating our own suffering. We have to push through the fear and doubt that block us from our ultimate freedom. Ignoring the problem never results in its solution, and sometimes we have to adapt when we discover that we are part of the problem in our lives. If your life is a constant string of catastrophes right now, know that you’re not alone, and that you alone have the ability to bring peace and serenity into your daily life. It’s a choice that leads to a hundred more choices that eventually add up to you breaking the cycle. If you’re strong enough to face your part in the misery, you’re strong enough to make the necessary changes that will ultimately bring that misery to an end.
If you’d like to begin diving into this work, I would encourage you to ask yourself what you’re avoiding right now. Take some time to journal about the thoughts and emotions that come up when you ask yourself that question. Ask yourself why you’re avoiding it, and think about what might happen if you were able to resolve that issue. Figure out what caused this issue in the first place, and ask yourself what actions and decisions led you here. It’s easy to blame others or your circumstances, but if you’re stuck in a cycle, you’re contributing to that stuckness through your action or inaction. Are you a victim of your circumstances or are you the leader of your own life and destiny? You must choose one of these paths every day. The second one might still be messy, but it has the potential to be the most freeing experience of your life.