As you begin a spiritual awakening journey you may be hearing a lot of talk about Shadow Work.  Carl Jung is famous for popularizing the term or giving light to the psychological concept of the Shadow Self.  He taught that Shadow Work was the most useful method to use for anyone seeking the path of wholeness or individuation.  In order to properly begin Shadow Work it is important that we understand how to find the shadow self.

Do keep in mind that I am not a doctorate or psychologist.  If you decide to seriously begin shadow work then it may be helpful to seek licensed and experienced help that can guide you through the work.  In my opinion, what I am discussing in this blog post is really targeted towards beginners who have no clue what shadow work is. 

What Is My Shadow Self?

Everyone has a shadow or what some would call the disowned self.  The shadow shouldn’t be confused with being good or evil.  It can be seen through the actions and characteristics that we display when we are vibrating at a lower level.  

The Shadow Has Its Roots in Repression and Trauma

The Shadow Self is where we repress thoughts and emotions and even memories.  Emotional wounds are strongly associated with the shadow self.  A lot of the time, these memories and compulsive behaviors are hidden from our awareness because of being repressed.  Experiences that we forget consciously are still stored in deep areas of our psyche.   

Repressed memories stem from the result of traumatic events that caused intense pain on the psyche or soul. It becomes too painful to recall.  It is essentially a survival instinct for us to repress those memories in order to live. However, if these experiences aren’t appropriately addressed and integrated in a healthy manner they can manifest in extreme ways.

The Shadow Manifests Through Unconscious Behavior

Unfortunately, repression doesn’t make the pain and trauma go away.  When we don’t know how to appropriately address the pain we go on through life wounded.  In fact, throughout years of living these memories and thoughts come to surface through our unconscious behavior.  

This can lead to very dark depression or can even make one angry, bitter and hostile. During triggering events one may black out in rage or feel so painful inside that they can’t move out of their bed for days in extreme cases of the shadow being manifest.  

Each person’s shadow manifests in different ways and intensities depending on the trauma and repression.  Although one person may become bedridden with depression, another person may begin stalking or another person resorting to violent acts of aggression. This all depends on what aspect of the psyche that is wounded or what some consider to be fragmented. This can be compared to what ancient shamans called soul loss.

The Shadow Can Manifest Through Addictions and Vices

These actions eventually bring awareness to the issue where one has to choose to become consciously aware or ignore the slight moment of clarity in exchange for the feeling that is produced by these emotions.  We can become addicted to feelings of suffering and even rage.  

This is the case if you have ever known someone that just can’t stay out of trouble.  Everyday they are complaining to someone about drama that is constantly taking place in their lives.  Don’t get me wrong, we all experience drama throughout our lives.  But if you are experiencing drama on an almost daily basis, then something is wrong and needs to be addressed.

No matter how much you want to help them, they ignore your advice.  They will always come up with an excuse why your advice would never work.  They want you to see the hopelessness that they perceive in their life to merit their need for your pity and comfort or even in hopes that you would rescue them.  Instead of making a change they continue to do the same things that got them into that drama.

This is because one has become so addicted to the feelings that they receive when they not only encounter these experiences but also when they complain about them to others.  That feeling is their sense of hope.  So they willfully ignore the call of consciousness to awareness and clarity because they would have to sacrifice that addictive rush.

They completely identify their ego as the shadow self. In Jung’s book Aion, he warns that at this stage of identification with the shadow can signify that they are completely unconscious. They live in the thoughts of their mind and have no grounding in reality.

Becoming Aware of The Shadow Self

Carl Jung taught we should willfully accept the call to consciousness.  When we are able to become aware of the shadow self we can begin a path of individuation.  We must not only become aware of the shadow self, we must also learn to integrate aspects of it.  It’s not that we should become it. Instead, we should identify the parts of the shadow that are valuable and make a compromise for what we don’t see as valuable.

Jung taught that if the shadow isn’t appropriately integrated with our consciousness then it could eventually consume the ego.  However, awareness of the shadow and proper integration leads to self individuation.  Thankfully, due to a lot of his teachings, other philosophers and mystics we are able to learn about the experience of individuation to use as a guide on our own journey to find wholeness. Much of what he taught is commonly practiced in psychology today.

How to Find Your Shadow Self

Record and Analyze Your Dreams

Jung taught that by recording your dreams, you can start to see patterns and clues that can help you find your shadow self.  These patterns are seen through archetypes which are primal and universal symbols deriving from the collective unconscious.  The collective unconscious are essentially shared mental concepts or thought forms that are recognized across all parts of the world.  For example, the archetype of The Hero or The Trickster are common ideas that is shared across the world.

During sleep it is thought that the unconscious communicates messages to the Conscious Self.  It is also said that during sleep our brain processes interactions and situations that were experienced which becomes stored in the conscious and unconscious mind.  They can be retrieved at any time.

Hypnosis practitioners actively seek to reveal things that were filed or repressed deep into the unconscious in order for their patients to resolve trauma.  

Recall Any Symbols That You Still Remember

It is thought that messages from the unconscious are communicated through symbols which can be identified through archetypes.  Most dreams don’t communicate directly or as a matter of fact. They aren’t clear to understand.  We tend to wake from sleep baffled and confused by our dreams.  

However, those symbols can be interpreted.  Carl Jung taught that certain symbols have carried specific meanings throughout the ages of mankind.  In his experiences of shadow work, Jung would record his dreams and interpret them based on symbols that were “seen” or recognized.

As a result, he was led down a path of self individuation or finding The Self.  In Hindu, a similar concept of “Realizing The Self” is essential in order to find wholeness and completion.  I would highly recommend reading some of Jung’s books but I will warn you that his writings aren’t simple reads.  They are more like books that you study instead of just casually reading.

Record The Dreams In A Dedicated Journal

Having a dream journal is a great way to look back at the symbols that commonly recur overtime.  Eventually there is a pattern that will become recognizable.  There are noticeable trends that give key insights into finding your Shadow Self.

For example, dreams about being locked in a jail or in a dungeon could reveal unconscious thoughts of being trapped and create more desire for freedom.  Another popular dream has to deal with waves.  Seeing massive tsunami-like waves could reveal an intense overwhelming sense of emotions.  It could symbolize the need for more stability and a need to work with and deal with troublesome emotions which could stem from past hurts or wounds.

Be Aware of Pet Peeves and Emotional Responses

Another great tip on how to find your Shadow Self is by observing pet peeves and experiences that trigger impulsive emotional responses.  If you have ever snapped at someone and later wondered why you responded in such a manner, then it could possibly be due to a traumatic experience that has been ignored or repressed.  

The feelings that we repress and try not to feel can give a big clue.  We act like mirrors to one another.  When someone really gets under our skin it could be because there is an unconscious aspect that is revealing itself asking to be recognized and confronted.  We see something in them that we unconsciously detect in ourselves.  Our responses to others communicate more about ourselves than it does about others.

Journaling

Keeping a daily journal is a great way to materialize the flow of thoughts externally.  Journaling can be therapeutic.  Many times journaling helps us to quiet our mind. Much like meditation, it helps us to identify automatic thoughts and prevents us from identifying with them.

Practice Automatic Writing

Automatic writing is a great method to use when journaling and doing shadow work.  You will be surprised what you can learn by just writing out what comes to your mind without analyzing or discerning them.  We can begin to see some of the ridiculous thoughts that automatically run through our mind. At the same time, you can find some deep insights that help you to identify the shadow self.

Write out what comes to your mind and then later read them.  Don’t stop to read along the way.  Write until you get tired or until your mind becomes blank.

Journal What You Felt and Thought Throughout The Day

Recording the feelings experienced throughout the day is another helpful method of finding your Shadow Self.  It is insightful to ask how you felt during the day and write out everything that comes to mind without discriminating.  Include any impulsive actions or emotions.

Getting your thoughts onto paper is a great way to bring what is internal into the external world.  By doing this the thoughts are being materialized through energy created by the action of writing.  It is releasing or manifesting into the external world and bringing it into reality.

Get A Birth Chart Reading

Astrology is another amazingly useful tool that can reveal deep insights about our Self including the Shadow Self.  The Wheel of the Zodiac is a heavenly mirror that we can see a reflection of ourselves through. 

Understanding a birth chart reading is not easy. There is a lot of studying involved when it comes to interpreting a birth chart. Luckily for you, I can make it easy. You can contact me HERE for consultation.

Look At The Placement of Pluto “Lord of the Underworld”

By far, the biggest indicator of your shadow self can be seen in Pluto’s placement in your birth chart. A deeper understanding can be seen through it’s aspects with other planets.  For example, let’s say Pluto square’s Venus in your birth chart, it could indicate a challenge with being controlling or obsessive.  Any aspect that is not in harmony with Pluto should be researched.  As you do so it is important to remember that challenging aspects do not sentence you to a life of doom.  

Instead, these challenging aspects symbolize areas of your life where you must intentionally reflect and work to harmonize these energies.  So in the case of the Pluto square Venus aspect it indicates that these energies can either be a stumbling block or a building block but ultimately depends on how you handle this energy internally.  In this case, using shadow work journal prompts centered around love can help you to materialize what is inside of you into the external world.

Conclusion

Hopefully these tips on how to find your Shadow Self are helpful.  Be sure to sign up for the email list where I provide intuitive energy readings and shadow work prompts to assist you on your ascension journey.  

Photo by Isai Ramos on Unsplash