Ep.11/ Shadow Work After Care 101
Shadow work can be deeply healing yet it requires our nervous system and inner temple to feel safe and supported before dropping in.
3-minute read
25/4/24, Day 9, Late Spring
Shadow work can be deeply healing, especially when it’s done in a safe, conscious way.
Your Inner Autumn (premenstrual week / luteal phase) is a powerful time in your cycle to practice conscious shadow work as you can access deeper parts of yourself.
This is when you can choose to release anything that no longer serves you with your upcoming bleed (or Dark Moon if you no longer bleed, and are cycling with the moon).
Before you lay waste to old habits and limiting beliefs, here are five simple embodiment tools to help you safely practice shadow work.
Your Shadow-Self isn't bad. It's simply the part of your psyche that lies beneath your conscious awareness.
Shadow work doesn't need to be brutal. It can be such a beautiful, powerful healing gift. Within the glorious subterranean part of you, lies the answers to releasing old patterns and limiting beliefs.
Shadow work involves exploring and integrating the unconscious aspects of yourself, such as repressed emotions, fears, and desires, to achieve personal growth and wholeness.
Practicing shadow work consciously is about creating a safe inner world for your psyche to open up.
✨ Set your intention for your journey. ~ Saying a mantra like "I am safe and I am ready, I am safe and I am ready, I am safe and I am ready' can help your body to relax and open up to the wisdom your subconscious wants to gift you.
✨ Create a supportive environment - what can you do to set up a safe journey space? Close a door? Declutter the room? Gentle music? Herbal tea? Creating a harmonious space can help soothe and regulate your nervous system.
✨ Let it be weird, let it be wild - most importantly let it be you. Let your body take you into the places it wants to show you. Let your body sound you, move you, and open up your womb, belly, throat, and heart. Drool, growl, cry, sing, dance. Allow yourself to feel the feels even if it seems scary at first.
Allow your emotions to bubble up. If it feels too much, Repeat the mantra "I am safe, I am held". This can help bring you back to the present.
✨ At the end of the journey, give yourself a gentle hug. Hand on heart, hand on belly. Thank yourself for the gift you gave yourself. And ease yourself back into the rest of your day.
Gift yourself
by meeting yourself. The parts that you’ve been hiding from you.
CYCLE WISDOM TIP
Be slow and gentle. Allow yourself time to integrate any emotions.
What can you do to nourish yourself? A walk in nature, a warm bath? Journal time? I personally love an earthy cup of turmeric tea.
IF big emotions start to arise, be gentle and kind to yourself. Connect with an online or local support circle (DM us if you want to join our upcoming FREE wisdom circle), or if BIG things come up, consider connecting with a wellness professional.
Want to learn more about Menstrual Cycle Awareness, Conscious Perimenopause and embodied Cycle Positivity?
Written from a place where I am
Day 9 — Feeling tender yet energised as I bask in the energy of the Scorpio Full Moon 🌕💫