SHADOW WORK: And Why Is It Important?

The Journey Through Shadow Work: An Overview

Stage 1: Shock, Confusion, and Shaky Foundations

The journey commences with a shock or disruptive incident that dismantles our perceived life anchors. These once-stable elements, such as beliefs, perceptions, desires, relationships, and trust, become unsettled. Activities that once brought joy lose their appeal, leading to a sense of disconnection and misunderstanding from friends and family.

Stage 2: Deeper Questioning

This stage involves a further disintegration of our perceived reality. Stripped of ego and identity, we engage in a profound analysis of automatic behaviors, habits, and external expectations. This quiet, reflective stage requires minimal external stimuli.

Stage 3: Soul Searching

Layers of illusion are stripped away, leaving us raw and vulnerable, confronted with uncomfortable truths. A shift in consciousness occurs, realizing that we are creators and conspirators in our own lives, with none pulling the strings without our consent.

Stage 4: Rebirth

The final stage marks a rebirth, connecting us to the soul and source of who we are. Liberated from the influence of the past, we actively live in alignment with our authentic selves, taking tentative steps in new directions anchored in insights gained during the journey.

This odyssey through shadow work, though intense, is vital for personal growth and transformation, shedding old layers and emerging anew.

Understanding the Shadow Self

Coined by Carl Jung, the term "shadow self" denotes hidden aspects of our personality residing in the subconscious. It encompasses fears, traumas, repressed desires, and instincts – parts we consciously disown or push into the depths of our psyche.

The Importance of Shadow Work

Shadow work transcends understanding the shadow self; it involves integrating these aspects into conscious awareness, catalyzing transformative personal growth and spiritual alchemy. Reclaiming disowned parts, healing past wounds, and aligning with authenticity are key facets.

The process brings light to our darkness, unveiling limiting beliefs and patterns, fostering a transformation leading to profound self-discovery and self-improvement. Shadow work is a powerful tool for healing trauma, personal empowerment, and spiritual growth.

Shadow Work Techniques

Embarking on self-discovery and growth involves various techniques facilitating the process of shadow work. These keys to the hidden corners of our psyche include:

1. Shadow Work Journaling: A powerful tool for introspection and self-reflection, allowing exploration of thoughts, feelings, dreams, and fears.

2. Shadow Meditation: Harnessing shadow energy for inner journeying by focusing attention on the subconscious during meditation.

3. Shadow Rituals: Using dark magic for shadow acceptance and release, involving transformative rituals acknowledging, integrating, and releasing shadow aspects.

Depth Psychology and Shadow Work

Rooted in Carl Jung's work, depth psychology provides a theoretical framework for understanding the subconscious and its role in shadow work. It emphasizes introspection, dream analysis, and psychic excavation for personal growth and healing.

Introduction to Depth Psychology: Exploring the Subconscious

Depth psychology posits that the conscious mind is the tip of the iceberg, with the subconscious holding our deepest fears, desires, and instincts. In shadow work, it guides exploration of the subconscious to uncover hidden or suppressed aspects, facilitating integration and wholeness.

Psychic Excavation: Delving into Inner Darkness and Subconscious Exploration

Psychic excavation involves delving deep into the inner darkness to uncover hidden treasures within the subconscious. Similar to an archaeological dig of the soul, it unearths forgotten aspects, memories, or feelings for introspection and healing, aiding profound self-discovery and personal growth.

Shadow Alchemy and Embodiment

These practices focus on transforming and integrating shadow aspects, leading to liberation, personal growth, and empowerment.

The Practice of Shadow Alchemy: Transforming Shadow Aspects into Empowerment

Shadow alchemy transforms shadow aspects into sources of strength and empowerment. Acknowledging the shadow, understanding its origins, and shifting perspective help view these aspects as untapped sources of power rather than weaknesses.

Shadow Embodiment Exercises: Embracing and Integrating the Inner Shadow

Embracing and integrating the inner shadow involve acknowledging and expressing shadow aspects in safe ways. By embodying these aspects, individuals not only integrate them but also cultivate a deeper, authentic relationship with themselves, leading to empowerment and liberation.

Shadow Liberation Techniques: Reclaiming the Shadow for Personal Growth

Shadow liberation techniques involve reclaiming shadow aspects, fostering self-acceptance and personal growth. Exercises like affirmations, self-compassion practices, and release rituals free individuals from shame and fear, allowing them to embrace their whole selves.

Shadow Integration

Integral to shadow work, this practice involves accepting, understanding, and integrating the shadow self into conscious awareness for emotional healing, self-understanding, and personal growth.

Shadow Integration Practices: Accepting and Integrating the Shadow Self

Techniques and exercises that aid in accepting and integrating the shadow self include journaling, meditating on shadow energy, and engaging in rituals to honor and accept the shadow.

Shadow Healing Practices: Emotional Healing Through Shadow Work

Using shadow work as a tool for emotional healing involves exploring and healing past traumas and using shadow meditation to soothe emotional wounds. By healing the shadow, individuals liberate themselves from past chains, gaining greater freedom, resilience, and empowerment.

Shadow Illumination Practices: Shedding Light on Shadow Aspects for Self-Understanding

Shadow illumination practices involve shedding light on shadow aspects through introspective activities like journaling or meditation and expressive practices like art therapy. This self-knowledge empowers individuals to make positive changes in their lives and guides them on a path of personal growth and self-discovery.

Advanced Shadow Work Practices

Once the journey into shadow work commences, advanced practices delve deeper into transformative tools, exploration techniques, and empowerment rituals for profound personal growth and self-transformation.

Shadow Transformational Tools: Techniques for Advanced Shadow Transformation

Building on foundational practices, advanced tools include guided visualizations, journeying practices, and advanced journaling techniques. These tools facilitate deeper introspection and exploration of the shadow self.

Shadow Exploration Techniques: Deeper Introspection and Exploration of the Shadow Self

Advanced shadow work involves deeper introspection and exploration, such as past life regressions or ancestral work, to explore the roots of shadow aspects. Engaging in advanced therapeutic techniques like cognitive-behavioral therapy aids in understanding and transforming the shadow self.

Shadow Empowerment Rituals: Harnessing the Power of the Shadow for Personal Growth

Rituals involving setting intentions, affirming self-worth, and performing symbolic acts of release and transformation harness the power of the shadow for personal growth. These rituals transform shadow energy into a source of personal power, strength, and resilience.

Shadow Work and Witchcraft

Witchcraft and shadow work intertwine, both focusing on the unseen, internal, and transformative. Shadow work plays a pivotal role in enhancing self-understanding, magical practice, and walking the witch's path with authenticity and power.

The Connection Between Shadow Work and Witchcraft

Shadow work and witchcraft share a common goal of exploring hidden realms, transforming selves, and harnessing inner power. Both practices value introspection, transformation, and the integration of all aspects of the self.

Utilizing Shadow Work in Witchcraft Rituals

Incorporating shadow work into witchcraft rituals personalizes, empowers, and transforms the practitioner. Rituals during the new moon or spellcasting specifically designed for shadow transformation exemplify ways to integrate shadow work into witchcraft practices. Divination becomes a tool for uncovering hidden aspects, providing guidance for integrating these aspects into magical practice and personal growth.

Incorporating shadow work into witchcraft requires self-reflection, courage, and a willingness to confront and embrace darker aspects. Though challenging, the integration of shadow work and witchcraft enables practitioners to deepen connections with themselves, their magic, and the spiritual forces they engage with.

Learning Tarot: A Complete Tarot for Beginners Guide

Tarot has long been met with superstition and was once seen as the preserve of hippies with a fondness for the occult and chintzy fortune-teller stereotypes. Now, the art of reading the tarot is back in style.

Although Tarot is becoming more mainstream, learning Tarot can still seem intangible and confusing.

What is tarot, where does it come from and what do the cards mean? I still remember I felt so overwhelmed when I started my Tarot journey.

But, don’t panic! Tarot fundamentals are easy to understand. I’ve broken down everything tarot beginners should know in this simple Tarot for beginner’s guide to learn Tarot fast so you can hopefully do your first reading next week.

WHAT IS TAROT?

The Tarot is not just a deck of cards. It’s a profound tool that unveils the story of our lives, reflects our soul’s journey, and unlocks our inner wisdom. Its 78 cards, divided into the Major and Minor Arcana, hold rich symbolism and depict life’s spiritual lessons and everyday challenges.

You might have met people in your life who see Tarot as just ink on paper. But there are also those, like me, who really understand its power. They know that it serves as a guidebook for self-discovery and personal growth.

It helps us gain access to our subconscious mind and tap into the universal wisdom that resides within each of us. Additionally, it also reveals the lessons that we need to learn based on our unique situations to live a fulfilling and happy life.

So, in simple words, Tarot guides you on different aspects of life to help you connect with your intuition, unlock inner wisdom, and receive answers. It is a powerful tool for self-discovery, expanding consciousness, and transformation.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF TAROT

Though tarot cards are used extensively around the world today, research indicates that the cards date back to the 1400s when they were originally used for a card game rather than prediction.

Here are some key points, explaining a brief history of Tarot.

• The oldest tarot cards that survived the age of time are the Visconti-Sforza cards you see here, which were painted for the Dukes of the Duchy of Milan around 1440.

• The game spread quickly to all parts of Europe and people began referring to it as Tarocchi which is an Italian version of the French word tarot, around 1530.

• Not until the 1800s the cards were used as a divination tool and comprehensive links were created between illustrated cards, astrology, and ancient Egyptian lore. By that time occult writers started to write about “the tarot” and that’s how tarot became a part of occult philosophy.

• Over the next centuries, mystics and philosophers continued to expand the role of tarot. The current methodology of tarot interpretation started in the 1970s and along with a growing interest in psychoanalysis, the use of Tarot cards grew exponentially.

• The New Age movement furthered the spread of this form of fortune-telling, with thousands of new decks being produced annually.

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HOW DOES THE TAROT WORK?

Tarot, the mystical tool of ancient wisdom, works in intriguing ways that surpass mere fortune-telling and predictions. Rather than seeking a crystal ball glimpse into the future, Tarot invites you to embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery and intuition.

Unlocking the secrets of Tarot requires delving into the rich symbolism and imagery of the cards, tapping into your subconscious mind and intuitive faculties. It allows you to unlock hidden insights and access your inner wisdom, which helps you shape your own destiny.

Through this powerful process, you gain clarity, make conscious choices, and take inspired actions to manifest your deepest desires and create a fulfilling life.

GETTING STARTED WITH TAROT AS A BEGINNER

As mentioned already, there common belief that tarot cards are meant to tell the future or reveal someone’s fortune is far from true.

In contrast to this belief, I consider tarot as a valuable form of meditation and reflection on the present moment. It gives me valuable insights, helps me to understand what I need to do in a particular situation. and enables me to connect with my inner wisdom.

It gives me insight into past, current, and future events based on my current path at the time of the reading. The cards will determine the best course of action based on what is known and what the cards show.

To help you get started with your Tarot journey as a beginner, I’ve created a step-by-step guide. Read each step carefully and follow the instructions to become a pro-Tarot reader.

1. BUY YOUR FIRST TAROT DECK

One of the main things that stop tarot enthusiasts from diving into Tarot reading is the old wives’ tale that says you shouldn’t buy your first tarot deck, but that it must be given to you.

Best Beginners Deck

If you’re completely new to tarot I recommend starting with the Rider Waite Tarot deck because most of the tarot card meaning descriptions are based on this deck.

The deck offers vibrant and classic interpretations of each major and minor arcana card which allows for both classical and unique interpretations for a deep understanding of the subconscious.

If you absolutely don’t resonate with the Rider Waite deck or are unsure which deck to work with, consider reading my tarot decks article, as it contains the top ten decks for beginners.

2. FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE ARCANAS

After purchasing your deck, the next step is to familiarize yourself with the cards. This probably will take some time, as the deck has 78 cards, divided into two groups.

The Major Arcana

The Major Arcana consists of 22 cards. These cards represent the life lessons and the big archetypal themes that are influencing your life and your soul’s journey to enlightenment.

If you place the Major Arcana cards in numeric order from the Fool Tarot Card (0) to the World Tarot card (21), they form a symbolic story. This story is also known as “The Fool’s Journey”, learning a lesson from each of the Major Arcana archetypes.

The Fool’s journey depicts and explains our individual journey of self-development leading from the earliest awareness (the Fool), to integration (the cards in between) and finally fulfillment (the World).

You can look at it as a general life path or use it to examine a certain area or period in your life.

The Minor Arcana

The Minor Arcana is divided into 4 suits of 14 cards each, including Cups, Pentacles, Swords, and Wands.

The Minor Arcana is divided into 4 suits of 14 cards each, including Cups, Pentacles, Swords, and Wands.

Starting with the Ace, the cards go up from the 2 towards the 10, then closing with four Court cards: Page, Knight, Queen, and lastly, the King (making it 14 cards).

Each of the suits has a ruling element, corresponding to specific areas in life.

SUIT OF CUPS: ELEMENT OF WATER – EMOTIONS & RELATIONSHIPS

The Suit of Cups is related to the water element and deals with matters of the heart. The primary aspects that surround this suit are love, emotions, and relationships.

Cards of this suit can also bring attention to how you react to your environment. If mostly Cups cards appear in a reading, it is indicative of emotional dealings such as problems in a relationship.

SUIT OF PENTACLES: ELEMENT OF EARTH – PROPERTY & ACHIEVEMENT

Pentacles are ruled by the element of earth and deal with finances, career, and achievement. These cards are known as “money cards” since they are often associated with money-related decisions and financial windfalls.

Most of the time when a Pentacles card comes up in your reading, you are likely seeking answers to the material things in your life.

SUIT OF SWORDS: ELEMENT OF AIR – WISDOM & COMMUNICATION

Ruled by the element of air, the Swords in a tarot reading stand for communication and action. Their strengths provide us with wisdom and clarity. The cards of this suit encourage you to use your head when making decisions.

They can also serve as a warning to pay closer attention to your surroundings – there could be a conflict or an argument on the horizon.

SUIT OF WANDS: ELEMENT OF FIRE – PASSION & INSPIRATION

Like a magic rod, the Suit of Wands represents creativity, intuition, and new ideas. Associated with the element of fire, Wands aren’t passive cards. On the contrary, this suit represents determination and strength.

It’s about pushing the limits to reach your goals and dreams. Spirituality and consciousness are also allies of this suit. The cards address what is truly meaningful to you and tell you more about who you are, your core values, and your beliefs.

It’s important to consider these elements and areas when working with the minor arcana cards, making it much easier for an intuitive reading to happen (after a bit of practice of course)!

All the cards have different meanings. In addition, you have to learn how the cards interact with each other. According to Holistic Shop, learning to read tarot cards is like learning a new language.

“You begin by studying individual cards, as you would learn individual words. You then become aware of how the cards in a spread interact, which can be compared with learning to put words together to form sentences. As you practice speaking a new language you become familiar with its nuances and notice how different inflections can change the mood of a sentence”.

The most given advice to beginners is to do a daily card pull where you pull one card from the deck. Before pulling the card, it’s good to have a question in mind.

You have to avoid questions that can be answered with a yes or no. Instead, use questions that will put the responsibility back on you. What can I do? How can I take personal action?

Want to try it out? Follow these steps and pick your card:

1. Think of your question

2. Close your eyes and for a few moments really think about your question

3. Open your eyes and click on the cards below (this will guide you directly to the card you’ve picked, providing you with the answers you need).

Which card did you get? How did it align with your worries or thoughts? Did it help you self-reflect to gain more control of your situation?

Look at the imagery and think about the meaning of the card. Decide what the card would mean when you pull it in a spread. If you do this in the morning, you can keep it in mind as you go through your day. That’s a nice way to get to know the cards on a deeper level, which will result in better readings.

3. SLEEP WITH A CARD UNDER YOUR PILLOW

According to the celebrity tarot reader, Angie Banicki sleeping with a card under your pillow will also help you to get to know the cards.

“Pull a card and put it under your pillow at night. Let the energy of that card seep into your dreams”, she said in the interview with Insider. “Wake up in the morning; observe the card. Read about what its different meanings are.

Then notice during the day what happens that might have been a sign from the cards. It’s pretty cool when you start connecting the messages. Once you start connecting the messages, she said, you’ll soon realize that things are not happening by coincidence”.

4. LEARN SOME BASIC SPREADS

A tarot spread is a layout of cards that will give you a structure in which you can explore your questions. Each position in the spread reflects an aspect of your question to consider.

You don’t have to use them for every reading. It is, however, a nice way to get started while you learn about the cards.

One of the most popular spreads is the Celtic Cross Tarot Spread, which consists of 10 cards. Although the Celtic Cross is a beautiful spread, it’s not a great place to start for the tarot beginner, because of its 10 cards.

The Celtic Cross Tarot Spread

Instead, you can better use a 3-card spread that represents the past, present, and future or the mind, body, and spirit of the person being read. Even a 3-card spread can give you the insights needed.

Besides, it’s a great and simple way to see how the cards create stories when they’re placed together. In this tarot spread article, you find 11 of the most commonly used tarot spreads for beginners to use when learning how to read the tarot.

5. GOOD ENERGY

The space in which you conduct your tarot readings is incredibly important. It is what creates trust and allows us to open up. Therefore, you should think about the energy of the space before starting your reading.

But do not only think of the physical space that needs to be in sort before starting a reading. Your mental, emotional, and spiritual spaces matter too! Make sure you create a sacred space within each one of these elements.

6. FIND A TAROT BUDDY

Finding a Tarot buddy can be an enriching experience on your journey with the cards. By connecting with someone who shares your interest, you can benefit from diverse interpretations and insights.

Through mutual practice and discussion, you can deepen your understanding, expand your perspectives, and enhance your Tarot skills.

Having a Tarot buddy will also provide you with a supportive environment where you can learn from one another, exchange ideas, and foster personal growth in your Tarot practice.

Together, you can embark on an exciting exploration of the Tarot, building confidence and nurturing a lasting friendship along the way.

7. READ TAROT BOOKS

Growing and developing your tarot skills often means reading anything and everything you can get your hands on. This, however, can be a bit overwhelming. Especially when you first start out, as there are thousands of tarot books to choose from.

8. DON’T FORGET TO HAVE FUN!

As you delve into the world of Tarot, it’s important to embrace the joy of learning and exploration. While it may feel daunting at first, approach it with a sense of fun and ease.

Instead of getting overwhelmed, try incorporating Tarot into your everyday experiences. For instance, when going out with friends, pull three cards to reveal insights about the evening ahead.

Let the cards guide your night and see how their advice unfolds.

By infusing Tarot into your social activities, you can enhance the element of surprise and enjoyment while sharpening your skills.

Remember, Tarot is an opportunity to embrace curiosity, spontaneity, and the thrill of discovery. So, relax, have fun, and let the magic of Tarot unfold in your life.

Spirit Work: How to Protect Yourself While Working With Spirits

Allorah on Spirit Work

Spirit work, whether communing with our ancestors or invoking deities, can be tricky business. Many of us have Ouija board stories from childhood that appropriately taught us the valuable lesson of never conjuring or calling what we couldn’t banish. The good news is, working with spirit can be informative, educational, and enlightening to a practitioner who approaches with reverence. It also creates a safe sacred space to engage spirit. I work with spirit from time to time and, though I don’t do it as often as I’d like, defensive magick is an area in which I consider myself an adept – it’s one of the only types of magick I worked for the first few years of my practice. Here are some tips and tricks for protecting yourself in spirit work.

1. Covering Your Head

Images of Romany women and wise women involved in indigenous witchcraft practices often show them with a wrapped head. This isn’t, and never was, merely a fashion statement. Wrapping the head helps protect the practitioner from malevolent spirits by covering the crown chakra. The energy that would go to the crown chakra also becomes focused into the third eye chakra enabling the practitioner to connect with spirit better. This was one of the first things that was drilled into my witchling brain. If ever you are going to delve into the spirit world, cover your head!

2. Cleansing, Protecting, Warding and Inviting

Gather the tools and people you choose to work with in the area in which you will engage in spirit work to perform a pre-working cleansing, protecting, warding, and inviting ritual. This includes any rattles, drums, crystals, spirit boards, pendulums, cards, etc. Proceed into a cleansing, protection, warding, inviting ritual you are comfortable and confident in performing. Be sure to cleanse each person as well. Why invite? Well, we want to protect against attachment but we also want to invite spirits with good intent into our spirit working.

Learn the Basics of Spirit Work First!

If you don’t have a ritual of this nature, I don’t recommend attempting to spirit work. Why? Put simply, basics first! If you don’t know how to cleanse and protect you really have no business attempting to invoke spirits. Once you open the door to the spirit world, you open a portal to which the only means of control you can assert is through rituals such as the ones listed above. Some will tell you that intention is enough. And for some, that may be the case. However, I have found that intention is not enough in most cases and the practitioner using only intention as protection ends up with an accidental spirit attachment. Trust me when I say you DO NOT want one.

Recommended Pre-Spirit Work Ingredients

Some ingredients I use in my pre-spirit workings include white sage, Angelica root, Dragon’s Blood incense, four black tourmaline points, smoky quartz, black salt, and sweetgrass. Sweetgrass is my go-to for invitation. Intention also should be focused in performing pre-spirit workings. Intention is equally important in the pre-working process.

3. Vet Your Spirit Work Practitioners

What do I mean? I mean ensure those you are working with are of sound mind. Those who may be experiencing emotional or spiritual turmoil shouldn’t be involved in spirit work – at least until they resolve their current issues. That’s not to say that everyone with something bothering them should be excluded. We all have our own demons to battle. However, if someone is experiencing serious trauma that makes them unable to protect themselves, it’s best if they don’t engage in spirit work. Spirit work demands vigilance in vulnerability. It’s the art of mastering vulnerability with hard-line boundaries. If someone is unable to assert boundaries in their everyday, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to set boundaries in other worlds as well.

4. Never Leave a Portal Open and grounding

This seems like a given but you’d be surprised how many practitioners forget to close the doors they opened to access spirit. At the end of your spirit working session close the portals or else you risk spirit attachment later when you’re not as aware of your vulnerability as you were during your pre-workings. Always perform a closing rite complete with cleansing, protection, and warding.

Portal Caveats

There is one caveat for the advanced practitioner. You can choose to leave a portal open, but you need to program the portal with the correct intentions. If your intention is for only your ancestors to have access – program your portal for only your ancestors to walk through. You never want to leave a portal open to all the spirits of the spirit world.

Grounding

There is also the issue of grounding after a spirit working session. Eat foods that are high in carbohydrates and, if you’re a meat eater, have a steak. Foods that are high in carbs and meat of large game will immediately pull you back down into your lower chakras balancing you out from all the work completed in your higher chakras.

5. A Word About Cemetery Work

Cemeteries are a great place to exercise your spirit-working muscles. In fact, it’s the first place I went to hone my clairsentience and claircognizants. Experienced practitioners will understand my next statement: cemeteries are a great place to send out your spidey senses and get feedback. Cemetery work is even better if you happen to have access to a small family cemetery that has a living relative that can confirm whether your impressions are correct.

Protection During Cemetery Spirit Work

To protect yourself while in a cemetery, pick up some dirt or a rock at the entrance of the cemetery to place in your pocket (a rock is better, if possible). Why? Spirit work is very much associated with our higher chakras and extra sensory perceptions and can leave practitioners feeling too ‘light.’ Whenever you feel yourself become too detached from this world touch the rock or dirt in your pocket and concentrate on its energy for at least 60 seconds. This will immediately ground you back onto the earth plane.