Notes From the Universe is an ongoing series of blog posts based on chosen prompts and co-created with the Universe.
Prompt: How Can I Begin My Shadow Work?
When you are ready to begin your shadow work, you need simply ask. Ask the Universe. It will do everything in its infinite power to bring to you the situations that will be most suited to your healing process.
Shadow work is a necessary part of your spiritual expansion, but do not get too hung up on any specific definition. All that is ultimately important is that you are willing to confront the parts of yourself that you have hidden away in shame or fear. Shadow work is the process of practicing non-attachment in Buddhism, forgiveness in Christ’s teachings, of allowing, releasing blocks, of healing. There are many names, but it is simply the process of recognizing and letting go of your painful baggage.
There is nothing special you must do in order to find the shadow parts of you other than sit down and meditate on them. If you pose the question and wait with a clam and clear mind, you will discover those parts of you. It does not require plant medicine, therapy, hypnosis, gadgets, books, or anything other than your own willingness to focus on the topic of your pain. You must be willing to look pain in the face, accept that it happened, and accept that the present moment is beautiful, safe, and perfect. You must begin the practice of forgiving all aspects of each painful situation you are holding in your heart and forgive everyone involved, including yourself.
You must be willing to look pain in the face, accept that it happened, and accept that the present moment is beautiful, safe, and perfect. You must begin the practice of forgiving all aspects of each painful situation you are holding in your heart and forgive everyone involved, including yourself.
You need to confront the parts of you that you have hidden. The word “hidden” makes the situation seem more complicated than it is- as if you need the therapy, the gadget, the book, to hand you a rusted old skeleton key as you head into an underground labyrinth of junk boxes and treasure chests labeled in hieroglyphics.
This is not the case. Generally, the parts of you that you have buried are not tiny shards in locked up in boxes in your dungeon as much as they are pieces of furniture in your living room that you’ve thrown blankets over. They are in plain sight. They are the things you think about by refusing to think of them- the subjects that come up in your mind and cause you to immediately change focus because lingering is too painful.
You can, of course, use any tool that you find helpful. You can go to a wonderful therapist, you can use guided meditations, journaling, meditation with marijuana- you can do anything that will make the process easier and healthier for you. There is no reason at all not to take the route that seems the most pleasant, easiest, or gentlest for you as you begin your journey. The tools at your disposal are for using. We only mean to say that it is not required that you use any tool. Anyone and everyone can do this for themselves no matter their means, situation, location, or any variable. It is simple. But there is nothing at all wrong with using additional tools if you are interested in and able to do so. Any way you can help yourself is beautiful.
It may help you to start your healing process with a ceremony. Before you have done your shadow and healing work, you may still say and think many thoughts that you do not put intention behind- you may not be a man of your word. One of the outcomes of healing is that you begin to become an integrated person and only say, and even only think, things that you truly mean, intend, and believe. Before you get to this state, however, ceremonies are useful in carrying intention. They will be more meaningful and potent to you than your normal everyday speech and thought, and you will believe yourself more readily. This sends a different vibration into the Universe as you make your request.
It may help you to start your healing process with a ceremony.
Once you have called in your shadow work, you can continue going about your life and can expect it to begin showing up in its own time. This is when it may get bumpy. Meditation is a wonderful way to confront your fears and shadow, and you may do a lot of healing in meditation. However, the Universe will likely deliver you experiences that will challenge you to grow and expand in new ways, like a spiritual growth spurt. It may not be comfortable.
The Universe will likely deliver you experiences that will challenge you to grow and expand in new ways, like a spiritual growth spurt. It may not be comfortable.
You will not always understand your challenges logically. You may come up against situations that seem outside of what you are trying to learn or release. But everything is interconnected in infinite intricate and specific ways, so you can trust that each challenge you face is, in fact, bringing you closer to love.
This process can be genuinely painful and it is wonderful to have somebody you love and trust who you can talk to honestly while you are going through the process, which can last for years or longer. Situations will arise in which you are faced with your fears in an increasing order of magnitude, so that you are able to handle each situation and have time to stretch and expand into a newer version of yourself before the next challenge arrives. Depending on the intensity with which you called this in, the whole process can be extreme or a bit gentler.
It is in your best interest to face challenges as they come up, because each is a nudge from the Universe to release baggage and bring you more into alignment. If you ignore a nudge, the next one will be louder, until you finally release your pain.
Each challenge will ultimately cause you to release a fear that had been blocking you from giving and receiving more love. That is all that is happening. You are releasing your fears. They can come in the form of any negative and extreme emotion- grief, heartbreak, anger, resentment, and fear itself.
Each challenge will ultimately cause you to release a fear that had been blocking you from giving and receiving more love. That is all that is happening. You are releasing your fears.
As these fears clear, you come closer and closer to being a vessel for pure love. When you do reach that state, you will understand that quite literally, the only thing you ever had to fear was fear itself. There is nothing in you but love, and each step of your shadow works brings you closer to being the fearless, unlimited loving being that you are. It is worth every step.
In Love,
The Universe
