Shadow Process

[ellespirit]

Has anyone tried this? Would you care to share your experience?

[blackraven]

Originally Posted by ellespirit

Has anyone tried this? Would you care to share your experience?

ellespirit - Is that the "process" developed by author and inspirational speaker Debbie Ford? Just curious. I read one of her books describing something having to do with the shadow process a few years back; that's why I'm asking.

Blackraven

elllespirit,

I have never heard of this...can you explain further please?

[ellespirit]

Yes it is black raven.

Nightowl, as I understand, Jung first came up with the "shadow" theory, "In Jungian psychology, the shadow or "shadow aspect" is a part of the unconscious mind consisting of repressed weaknesses, shortcomings, and instincts. It is one of the three most recognizable archetypes, the others being the anima and animus and the persona. "Everyone carries a shadow," Jung wrote, "and the less it is embodied in the individual's conscious life, the blacker and denser it is."[1] It may be (in part) one's link to more primitive animal instincts,[2] which are superseded during early childhood by the conscious mind.

According to Jung, the shadow, in being instinctive and irrational, is prone to projection: turning a personal inferiority into a perceived moral deficiency in someone else. Jung writes that if these projections are unrecognized "The projection-making factor (the Shadow archetype) then has a free hand and can realize its object--if it has one--or bring about some other situation characteristic of its power." [3] These projections insulate and cripple individuals by forming an ever thicker fog of illusion between the ego and the real world.

From one perspective, 'the shadow...is roughly equivalent to the whole of the Freudian unconscious';[4] and Jung himself considered that 'the result of the Freudian method of elucidation is a minute elaboration of man's shadow-side unexampled in any previous age'.[5]

Jung also believed that "in spite of its function as a reservoir for human darkness—or perhaps because of this—the shadow is the seat of creativity.";[6] so that for some, it may be, 'the dark side of his being, his sinister shadow...represents the true spirit of life as against the arid scholar'." exert from wikipedia

My god-sister whom i've done some work for as a thank you present asked me to complete a list of my "shadows" which she was sending to someone who undertakes this shadow process work to let go of my baggage, in essence and clear my blockages (which are preventing me from connecting directly and hearing spirit, I mean Spirit hears me fine, I just don't "hear" him back and as i'm clairaudient this is an issue for me. I heard him once only it was in light language LOL.

So the reason I was asking, is that I wanted to understand how it all worked, in view of the fact that my life coach said to me "Don't pay any money for shadow work, pray yourself, alot of those claiming to do it are shams". I'm presuming she meant the US cause she studied there for a couple of years.

Well, after the process occurs if I actually hear Spirit, i'll be the first to validate if it works or not! Stay tuned.

[blackraven]

ellespirit - I agree with your friend about not paying money for shadow work other than paying for a book that helps guide you to do in-depth journal work on the shadow process yourself. To me that's the best way to get in touch with the unconscious mind and repressed memories from the past. Through the years I've gotten several author's books in those areas and have worked on journalling myself which helped me immensely. It can be gut-wrenching during the time that you're working on things from the past. In fact, some people would rather keep things in the past and not deal with their deeper inner self issues and be done with it. But Debbie Ford believes you need to embrace that "shadow self" in order to release it and move forward. I can't remember now if her book(s) on the subject have guided assignments or not. I even wrote letters to people from my past, that I never actually sent, but helped me express my disappointment and anger. It was liberating. Then I started writing heart-to-heart letters to myself to essentially do talk-therapy all without spending any money. I healed and closed the book on so many issues through this process. However you decide to proceed with this process, I hope it all goes good for you and is truly helpful for you. Please do keep us posted. :)

Blackraven

This sounds a good deal like what a shadow animal guide is and represents.

A Shadow Animal Totem are those totems that test us. They have great power for us but will put us through tests before they will let their power work with and for us, instead of against us. In all of nature there is prey and predator. In the spiritual or Shadow World there is the same. A Shadow Animal Totem is one that initially you fear. The Shadow Totem often represents inner fears that you must overcome. You may have even been attracted by the animal; a very vivid test to see if you are ready to accept the power of the animal totem. Until you face the fears of the Shadow Animal Totem it's powers will work against you, not letting you soar high. When you overcome the fear of the Shadow Animal Totem you bring it into the Light World as a Spirit animal totem and they become one of your most powerful Animal Totems. Your goal with a Shadow Totem is to learn the lessons and incorporate that animal into your life. If you are scared by something over and over then you still have not accepted the lesson that animal has for you.

http://www.spiritualnetwork.net/totems/

[ellespirit]

That's a very interesting contrast night owl. My spirit animal I know is a wolf. :)

Black raven I had already from my own journalling and through working through Marianne Williamson's book A Course in Weight Loss, had processed all of this in January. Curiously, I went to a workshop based on her book 2 weeks ago and would you believe when I conducted the process again during the workshop, I was amazing at how much I had processed and let go. So i'm feeling good and positive :)

hugs