I’ve heard the term “shadow work” tossed around in some pagan circles I run in. I never really knew what it was, just that it was something to do with working on yourself. I finally started to looking into it and have decided that I want to embark on a journey of shadow work. I thought it would be nice to share with you guys that I’m started and to check in periodically as I continue down this path.
What is shadow work? There’s a lot of different ways to answer this. The main way people will answer is that it is a journey of self-discovery. It’s based upon the theories of psychologist Carl Jung. He was the first person to propose the idea of a shadow self. He put forth the thought of eight separate archetypes. These archetypes are better explained here. They also talk about some of the basics that you can use to start your journey.
For me, starting out I got a notebook to dedicate specifically to my shadow work. Journaling is a very important part of this process in my opinion. I made a collection of journal prompts. I want to get 100 total prompts. Once I do I may make a list and post it here just in case anyone is interested. And you don’t just have to just write in your journal. Pain or draw pictures to paste in. Or maybe your journal is just a sketch journal or a junk journal where you use art to display the feelings that you get while working on your shadow self.
Two, I prepared myself for the hard work. Shadow work is about understanding the dark side of yourself or the side of yourself that you’re not comfortable with. It’s working through trauma and hardship that you’ve experienced in your life. It’s not easy to do. It’s going to be uncomfortable and you’re going to be forced to deal with your insecurities and your toxic traits (we all have them! It’s okay.). I do recommend that you are in a state of mind that can be honest and as unbiased as possible without fear of tanking your mood or taking a hit to your mental health. If you’re having trouble getting your mind to a safe place your shadow work can start by going to a therapist. I started seeing a therapist and that’s what made me feel stable enough to work on myself in this way.
Three, I started looking for guided meditations about healing my inner self or shadow self. I’m not very good at meditating on my own but I’m going to work on that with this process as well. It’s important that after you do a journal entry that you spend time meditating on how you feel and what you said. Even if it’s just a little five minute processing moment that’s fine. Just give yourself the time to process and digest what you’re writing about and how you’re feeling.
Lastly, find some self-care things you can do. Some of this can be heavy and taking the time to do some self-care to help you come out of that heavy situation. It can be just listening to some music or maybe drinking some coffee or tea. If you need something bigger than that maybe a nice bubble bath while you listen to your favorite podcast. This process is hard and we have to take care of ourselves.
Shadow work doesn’t have to solely be pagan. I will have some pagan-esque prompts in mine but that’s because that’s one of the areas in my life I want to work on. I plan on doing 1 prompt a day for at least 100 days. I can’t wait to see who I am on the other side.
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