Speaker 0 00:00:00 Welcome to the Guide Within podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Jacqueline, Senator, and we'll be discussing consciousness, spirituality, and integrative health. I look forward to sharing these topics with you, so stay tuned.
Speaker 0 00:01:11 Welcome to the Guide Within podcast. This episode is on the shadow. The shadow is often seen as a negative in our culture. It is where we put all of the things that we don't wanna look at, and this is something that we follow through on doing on a personal level. Oftentimes we put things into the shadow that we wanna ignore things about ourselves that are hidden, but the shadow isn't bad. It's a place, a container that holds our possibilities, it holds our potential and it has a purpose. The shadow for all of us is a place where we are learning to put into action that which we are waiting to make real. The shadow gives us an opportunity to hold onto something before we're ready to launch it out into the world. The shadow is also a place where we can ignore things, leave it there so that we don't have to deal with it.
Speaker 0 00:02:26 Both of these elements are not for our good if we abuse that ability because there's something greater to be had. By embracing the shadow, it brings us to a place where we can find ourselves with a potential that we have yet to discover. Shadow incubation is when we allow our potential to become slowly processed into form from the shadow. Insights are gained and we become empowered and oftentimes find healing in that knowledge. What's in the shadow is what's meant to push us to a place to release our ego attachments, to find a time within ourselves where we can get a glimpse of our higher self, this self that accepts everything about ourselves and celebrates it. Often when we are looking to release shadow material or we are working on ourselves, sometimes it happens just by chance that we have a very cathartic experience. It may even feel overwhelming as it releases, and we find this unused energy that's rushing into be processed.
Speaker 0 00:03:51 Asking for the help is always an option to find more light, but remember is often in those moments, often referred to as the dark night of the soul, that we transcend our shadow into a higher level awareness of our compassion and totality that incorporates the shadow while embracing the light. There's nothing wrong with having a shadow, and there may be things within our shadow that bring us shame if we look at them, but by ignoring it, it's only going to grain power over us in ways we can't necessarily identify. If we were to look at the shadow, have compassion for what we see and try to rectify or put at peace what it is, either through self-forgiveness, self change, or even just making a different assignment of what we choose to do with our time. All of these things can help us remove what we don't want to be seen, and it will allow us to have this experience of really being seen by ourselves and feeling accepted.
Speaker 0 00:05:09 The shadows meant to push us right to a place where we can find every part of ourselves accepted and every part of ourselves loved. Now, some of that stuff needs time to be processed and that often requires getting some special assistance. But don't be afraid to reach out to a professional to ask for help if you need it. The shadow is a wonderful place. Just like an artist can use the shadow to depict an amazing scenery, the the divine is using the shadow in our lives to open us up to our greater masterpiece of what's ahead. Never forget the power that's in the shadow is available to you. That which we might be frightened of, that which might scare us or even might have been something we held as being something we were ashamed of, might turn out to be the very thing that's a gift to this world.
Speaker 0 00:06:11 By you embracing it, looking in at those things won't necessarily make you a bad person, but not looking at them could make your life have a very different outcome because you'll be influenced by those shadow material without knowing it through the subconscious. So by taking steps, an easy step to take to incorporate shadow material is to first and foremost to begin to accept yourself so that you notice things about yourself and acknowledge them with gratitude, with patience, with a form of respect, even if it's something you don't like, something you wanna change, or a habit you'd rather that you didn't have or a part of your personality that seems to be unwanted. Looking at what it is that it offers and seeing what it is that allows you to feel as though it's unwelcome can open the door to tremendous change and giving you a sense of freedom so that you can allow yourself to be the person that you're becoming.
Speaker 0 00:07:35 Because each day we are evolving. So sometimes, and I hear this some from clients, is that you know they're carrying shadow material from things that they did in the past. Maybe they did something wrong, and it's important that you remember that we are all learning and to have self-forgiveness and to learn from the mistakes that we've made. If you're learning from those mistakes and you're set not to repeat them, then there's no reason to carry or linger in guilt. Worst of all is to pack all of those emotions down into the shadow where they cannot be accessed, where they can't be integrated. That's when problems happen. It's much better to be aware.
Speaker 0 00:08:27 It's better to be aware of and have control to some degree or an awareness on your shadow than to project it out to others, which is what happens when we are not conscious of our shadow. We project that shadow material onto others because it still must be dealt with. So if you are taking a more proactive approach or taking a stance where you want to evolve, grow, or become more spiritually aware, have a higher sense of self within your day to day life, it's important to lay claim to that shadow material and to allow it to be a place of empowerment by not ignoring it and looking at it for what it is. What gifts are possible for this that's within the shadow. What is it offering you? Sometimes we can find things in our shadow that we don't necessarily like. Maybe it's a sense of being bossy or a sense of entitlement or some other unsavory characteristic that we've adopted and placed in the shadow by looking at it, reviewing it, and seeing what it is that it offers us.
Speaker 0 00:09:45 Why do we have it? What does it give us? How do we use it? How often does it show up? By acknowledging these parts of ourselves, we quickly learn that we can make changes and that changes are making us able to have freedom. So by all means, don't be afraid of the shadow. Look at what's there and see what it's offering you. Good, bad or indifferent. It's got gift and it's definitely a place of power. There's one last exercise I'd like to leave you with today, something to master the shadow. When you are in the day and something rises up from the shadow and it isn't necessarily something that you want to deal with, but you also don't want to ignore it, you can look at it, witness it, and thank it like a relative that's dropped by for tea and simply say, Thank you for visiting.
Speaker 0 00:10:48 I acknowledge your presence. I don't have time to look at this at this moment, but I see you just witnessing. The shadow material as it arises has a magic beauty of freeing you from its control. Looking at it, acknowledging it, seeing what it is, and just setting it side with not resisting it, not participating, just witnessing it. It's the best way to not engage and becoming entangled, and this will work both for shadow material that comes up for you, or shadow material that's offered you from someone else. Because remember, if someone isn't dealing with their shadow material, they're most likely projecting it. So for all of us, it's a good lesson to stay patient, be forgiving, and to witness. Thanks for your time today, Namae. Thank you for listening to The Guide Within podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Jacqueline. Senator. If you've enjoyed any of the topics you've heard today and would like more information, please visit the
[email protected]. Thank you again for joining me today, and I look forward to connecting with you soon.
