Many of us have been doing shadow work for so long that you may wonder if there is ever going to be an end to it. No one likes the drudgery of digging up old painful experiences of the past and going over them again. What I have come to realize with facilitating this trauma work for many years is the energy we meet our shadow side with, may not be the most comforting energy.
Let's start by defining shadow work. Shadow work is everything we can't see in ourselves. It shows up as the part of us we may not like about ourselves. The part we hope no one else sees. It's easier to observe and acknowledge it in someone else before we can see it in us. It's important from my perspective to meet the shadow with love. The word in and of itself implies it is in the dark. We need to create a safe space around her or him. It is important not to judge this part or it will feel it and want to close up again. Ultimately we want to bring these experiences to a place of neutrality while bringing the shadow part into the light. I do this with compassion and love, for this part doesn't know any better. It's like a child hiding, waiting to be noticed.
It's important to get to know this part of you and instead of dismissing it, embrace it and show it love. We all have parts of us that we are aware we don't like or we are not proud of, so what! This is Earth School and we are in a human experience, so fully embrace it. All of it!
You may ask why should we do shadow work? As we integrate these parts of ourselves, we become more divine, we can hold more light in our bodies, we become more authentic, we have better relationships with ourselves and others, we're more creative, and we have more physical vitality. As we continue to shift, we reclaim more aspects of ourselves. This in itself is reason enough to take compassionate action towards healing yourself or reach out to someone qualified to help you to get there. You will be so glad you did!