In the scope of witchcraft, shadow work is a transformative practice that encourages us to explore hidden parts of ourselves – the parts we often suppress or deny. Engaging in this work allows us to gain insights into our behaviour, emotions and motivations; with this understanding we can develop our sense of self and our endeavours to live authentically.
The transition from autumn into winter, the dark nights and short days provide a timely backdrop to engaging with shadow work as a form of reflection, exploration, wellness and witchcraft practice.
Before proceeding, I’d like to note that I am not a therapist and would never wish to claim that I have all of the answers. The information I share is based on my own research, experiences, opinions and reflections and is not meant to be an alternative to professional help when it is necessary. Information should be considered signposting and suggestions rather than gospel. This work can be emotionally taxing, so please consider whether you are in the right headspace to engage with it and have your support network ready.
What is shadow work?
Shadow work relates to the unconscious mind, stemming from Jungian concepts of psychiatry. In order to feel whole, to have a true understanding of ourselves, we must uncover that which has been masked. Simply, it is another form of reflection that we can use to understand ourselves as we move towards a happier life.
Shadow work does involve engaging with elements of our life that may make us feel uncomfortable, but I’m a firm believer in needing to engage with the pain to move on. It may involve having to navigate difficult emotions or relieving traumas we aren’t quite equipped to work with. Sometimes going it alone isn’t the best option – you know yourself better than anyone else does, and it’s up to you to decide how you’re going to engage with this work.
Some people may engage with shadow work with a licensed therapist, others may use guidance in the form of journals, notebooks, prompts and meditation. These are all great ideas and there’s never going to be a one-size-fits-all approach that I’d be comfortable recommending – different strokes for different folks, and all that.
Why should we engage with shadow work?
I believe that many of us are living with some discomfort, which is blocking our route to happiness. I’ve previously explored how I’ve allowed the perceptions of others and the fears socialised into me to control my life and given some limited insight into how I’ve worked to change this. Essentially, this is shadow work: confronting, understanding and, ultimately, healing from what we uncover.
Confronting my insecurities and my shortcomings has allowed me to try and live a better and kinder life. You cannot change if you have no awareness of what you are changing. You cannot be better if you refuse to acknowledge your own shortcomings. It isn’t always a nice feeling to recognise the parts of ourselves we don’t like, or the parts that are still hurting, but things cannot change until we do.
How should you get started?
There’s no right or wrong way to engage with your shadow side, and a plethora of resources exist with a quick Google search. You may want to engage with different resources, but I think it’s always useful to start with the basics: setting an intention. Really consider why you want to engage with shadow work. What do you want to be revealed? Why do you want to reveal it? How are you hoping to change your life? What do you really want to know about yourself?
Once you’ve set your intentions, you might want to consider completing some of the following reflection questions to embark on your shadow exploration.
- What difficulties have you experienced? How do these manifest in your adult life?
- When have I allowed myself to be controlled by fear? What did I fear?
- What is your greatest desire? What is stopping you from achieving it?
- What expectations do you place on yourself? What expectations do you place on others? What expectations do others place on you?
- How do you express your feelings and emotions to other people?
- What do you feel most shameful about? How does this shame impact your life?
- Does your identity change around other people? If yes, why?
- What do you think you need forgiveness for?
How can you engage with these questions?
I don’t think there’s one way to engage with these questions when exploring ourselves; some of my suggestions may work for you better than others.
- Sometimes I’ll simply light some incense, close my eyes and think about a topic. It’s a simple meditation that can feel less prescriptive than physically doing anything.
- Engage with releasing rituals. You could use incense and meditation, you could create a manifestation jar or a shadow box that contains objects that represent your shadow self. Consider your intentions – what specific emotions are you wanting to let go of? What direction do you want to take due to the revelations you have made?
- One exercise I learnt during a therapy session that was extremely helpful was ‘freewriting’; I wrote a post recently about using expressive writing that explores other options you could use to engage with writing and reflection. Essentially, you consider the question and set a timer – perhaps something small like 3-5 minutes. For those 3-5 minutes, you’re not allowed to take your pen or pencil off the page – even if you have to doodle or draw scribbles, the aim is to get yourself into a state of flow. Don’t worry about spelling, punctuation or grammar, just get your ideas on the page! You should go until the timer ends and can obviously continue if needed.
- I’m a big fan of using tarot to facilitate reflection when I’m stuck. I’ll ask the cards a question, focus on it whilst shuffling the cards and use the cards for reflection. You don’t need to be a master reader, just think about how the image resonates with your circumstances. You can always use different tarot guides to help you understand the meaning of the card. This helps me unlock things that aren’t always immediately obvious.
- Simply write a journal exploring your ideas. You may want to answer the question simply and directly to start and then delve into it. You could use Bloom’s Taxonomy to explore your ideas in more depth and detail, constantly questioning yourself and pushing towards critical thinking over simple statements.
Don’t forget to integrate!
Remember that, as with all work, it’s not enough to just have a realisation. You need to ensure you integrate what you have learnt into your everyday life. This isn’t always easy to do and certainly isn’t an overnight process. Identify the problems, how you can change them and then work on making those changes. Simply, integration is applying the lessons we learn in everyday life. Without it, your realisations have no power. Think about little changes you can make and try it gradually; you may want to consider using this article as a springboard.
How have you engaged with your shadow in the past? What will you be trying going forward? I’d love to learn more about different approaches!
References
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-shadow-work-exactly-8609384
https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/pain-loss-and-suffering/202012/the-process-integration
What methods do you use to engage with shadow work? Do you have any rituals you regularly engage with? What advice would you offer to anyone starting out or looking to integrate their revelations?
The Opaque Elephant 
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