{"id":3147,"date":"2010-02-01T01:10:20","date_gmt":"2010-02-01T06:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=3206"},"modified":"2010-01-22T17:49:56","modified_gmt":"2010-01-22T22:49:56","slug":"acknowledging-the-shadow-self-meditation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2010\/02\/01\/acknowledging-the-shadow-self-meditation\/","title":{"rendered":"Acknowledging the Shadow Self: Meditation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There are times where we seem to be waging an internal war.\u00a0 At those times we are our own worst enemy, worst critic and hardest task master.\u00a0 So, how do we pull ourselves back into balance?\u00a0 We must acknowledge and embrace the opposing forces inside of us.\u00a0 Once we accomplish this task life will flow much more peacefully.<\/span><\/p>\n

The way to do this is to recognize and accept your shadow self. You have to identify the part of your psyche that you generally try to keep at bay.\u00a0 When you are ready to deal with this part of yourself you will be ready to begin.<\/span><\/p>\n

As usually you will want to find a quiet spot where you can relax and be undisturbed.\u00a0 You will want to take that mental step from daily life into the other realm.\u00a0 Once you do this you will see in your minds eye that you are in the middle of a small clearing within a grove of trees.\u00a0 There isn\u2019t much light, just enough to cast flickering shadows all around you.\u00a0 As your eyes adjust you notice that there is a thick fog obscuring your view and making any clear exits impossible to see.\u00a0 The only way to find your path is to identify your shadow self, know why it is a part of you, and understand it.<\/span><\/p>\n

As you sit in the grove pondering the darker side of yourself you\u2019ll want to ask several questions.\u00a0 What do you find most challenging about yourself or your personality?\u00a0 Does it affect your self-esteem or your interpersonal relationships?\u00a0 Do you find yourself prone to jealousy, anger, or doubt?\u00a0 Whatever your issue(s) may be, name it.<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll see a small stick next to where you are sitting.\u00a0 The ground around you is bare and soft.\u00a0 Take the stick and write into the soft ground what you have named your shadow self.\u00a0 Once you have done this you\u2019ll notice a shape in the mist in front of you.\u00a0 You may or may not be able to identify what exactly the shape is.\u00a0 If you can, make a note of it for later.\u00a0 The fog softens the image, making it almost intangible, but you can interact with it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Talk to this aspect of yourself.\u00a0 You can ask any questions of the shadow self you\u2019d like to gain a better understanding of its presence in your life.\u00a0 Tell your shadow self that you understand and accept that it is a part of who you are.\u00a0 It is a part of what makes you an individual and makes you stronger.\u00a0 Instead of fighting with your shadow self come to an understanding of how you can work together. <\/span><\/p>\n

When you are able to come to the realization that you are stronger together than separate you can take the shadow self back into your life.\u00a0 The shadow within the fog will come closer to you; it will be transparent and ethereal like a ghost.\u00a0 Close your eyes and it will float toward you and go to pass through you.\u00a0 Do not be afraid.\u00a0 Allow it to reenter your being and realign itself with you.\u00a0 You may feel something click within you as this piece of the puzzle finally fits into place.\u00a0 Once this shift has occurred you will be feeling whole again.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now as you open your eyes and blink several times you\u2019ll notice the fog starting to recede.\u00a0 The light in the grove is starting to brighten and new green shoots are sprouting out from the bare earth you were sitting on.\u00a0 The shadows around you are beginning to dissipate, retreating to the edge of clearing.\u00a0 When you are ready a path out of the grove will open.\u00a0 Walk out of the clearing and take the step back into reality.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ability to face the darker nature that is within each of us takes courage.\u00a0 Understand that it is an integral part of who we are.\u00a0 Addressing it and how it manifests in your life will bring you greater inner peace and as a reflection your other interactions will be smoother.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are times where we seem to be waging an internal war.\u00a0 At those times we are our own worst enemy, worst critic and hardest task master.\u00a0 So, how do we pull ourselves back into balance?\u00a0 We must acknowledge and embrace the opposing forces inside of us.\u00a0 Once we accomplish this task life will flow much more peacefully. The way to do this is to recognize and accept your shadow self. You have to identify the part of your psyche that you generally try to keep at bay.\u00a0 When you are ready to deal with this part of yourself you will be ready to begin. As usually you will want to find a quiet spot where you can relax and be undisturbed.\u00a0 You will want to take that mental step from daily life into the other realm.\u00a0 Once you do this you will see in your minds eye that you are in the middle of a small clearing within a grove of trees.\u00a0 There isn\u2019t much light, just enough to cast flickering shadows all around you.\u00a0 As your eyes adjust you notice that there is a thick fog obscuring your view and making any clear exits impossible to see.\u00a0 The only way to find your path is to identify your shadow self, know why it is a part of you, and understand it. As you sit in the grove pondering the darker side of yourself you\u2019ll want to ask several questions.\u00a0 What do you find most challenging about yourself or your personality?\u00a0 Does it affect your self-esteem or your interpersonal relationships?\u00a0 Do you find yourself prone to jealousy, anger, or doubt?\u00a0 Whatever your issue(s) may be, name it. You\u2019ll see a small stick next to where you are sitting.\u00a0 The ground around you is bare and soft.\u00a0 Take the stick and write into the soft ground what you have named your shadow self.\u00a0 Once you have done this you\u2019ll notice a shape in the mist in front of you.\u00a0 You may or may not be able to identify what exactly the shape is.\u00a0 If you can, make a note of it for later.\u00a0 The fog softens the image, making it almost intangible, but you can interact with it. Talk to this aspect of yourself.\u00a0 You can ask any questions of the shadow self you\u2019d like to gain a better understanding of its presence in your life.\u00a0 Tell your shadow self that you understand and accept that it is a part of who you are.\u00a0 It is a part of what makes you an individual and makes you stronger.\u00a0 Instead of fighting with your shadow self come to an understanding of how you can work together. When you are able to come to the realization that you are stronger together than separate you can take the shadow self back into your life.\u00a0 The shadow within the fog will come closer to you; it will be transparent and ethereal like a ghost.\u00a0 Close your eyes and it will float toward you and go to pass through you.\u00a0 Do not be afraid.\u00a0 Allow it to reenter your being and realign itself with you.\u00a0 You may feel something click within you as this piece of the puzzle finally fits into place.\u00a0 Once this shift has occurred you will be feeling whole again. Now as you open your eyes and blink several times you\u2019ll notice the fog starting to recede.\u00a0 The light in the grove is starting to brighten and new green shoots are sprouting out from the bare earth you were sitting on.\u00a0 The shadows around you are beginning to dissipate, retreating to the edge of clearing.\u00a0 When you are ready a path out of the grove will open.\u00a0 Walk out of the clearing and take the step back into reality. The ability to face the darker nature that is within each of us takes courage.\u00a0 Understand that it is an integral part of who we are.\u00a0 Addressing it and how it manifests in your life will bring you greater inner peace and as a reflection your other interactions will be smoother.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/75"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3147"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3147\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}