Integrating the Shadow & Becoming the Light

The importance of learning to work with integrating the shadow during these times is essential. We are in a midst of deep clearing of both the personal and collective shadow. This continues to be in an initiatory process. There is nowhere to hide. What gives the darkness more power is our fear of it.

We all must do our own shadow work and look at what we might not want to see. Like a jaguar in the in the jungle, we each have to face our personal and collective shadows. To work with the shadow takes a great deal of awareness. By becoming the light of awareness, we can shine the light so that we can see the shadow in plain sight, thus it no longer has power over us.

In the shamanic wisdom traditions, there are specific ways to approach and face our shadows so they can in fact become allies otherwise we can fall into their cunning traps.  Some of these traps include:

Shadow Avoidance - Rejecting that it actually exists. Basically, denial and suppression, which can show up as turning to something else instead of even seeing it. The aspect of ignorance is present.

Shadow Projection - It’s out there and it’s not in me. This is another form of denial. It’s the other person. This turns to blame of the other and become battle.  The aspect of aggression is present.

Shadow Engulfment - Getting caught up in the story and engagement with the shadow completely, to the extent that it overtakes you and you get swallowed by the darkness and lose yourself in the fear of the shadow itself.

In shamanic initiations, we learn to face our fear of the shadow like we we are a jaguar or puma and this shadow invariably becomes our ally.  We do this not by battling it. About 12 years ago, when I first started to begin to understand this  I had an interesting initiatory dream.

In the dream, I went upstairs to a room. I saw a huge jaguar aggressively moving quickly toward me with pursuing intent. I quickly turned and ran as it pursued me. I ran out of the room as it chased me. I slammed the door behind me just in time. The next night I had a similar dream of the same room. It began in the same manner. I saw the jaguar coming at me, and this time, I stood still while facing it. It ran right up to me and dissolved into me. I felt its power and faced my fear. It became my ally.

Of course, this was a dream, and anchoring this wisdom into daily life is surely a practice I still work with. Shadow integration is about:

1. Observation. Watch the shadow. Like a jaguar or a puma in the jungle, harness your seeing abilities. See what is lurking. Use your senses and observe closely.

2. Connect with your inner power. You are not the shadow and the shadow is not you. There is no point in trying to get rid of it, as it will continue to stalk you like the cat in the jungle.

3. Face it, stay present, and become curious. Look at the shadow within you. What is your shadow? What are you afraid of? Be with it. Know it is only a shadow and if it is hiding it has no real power of it’s own and you are in fact more powerful.

4. Let it be your ally.  There is no need to battle it as that only makes it stronger. By acknowledging the shadow and recognizing it has been here to teach you about your own true power, it then no longer has power over you. Shine the light on it. When you claim your own true power fully the shadow can no longer control you.

Learning to work with the shadow requires us to step more into our true light. It is a practice that each of us must learn to master during these times. I believe that as we each do this work in our own inner world we can then be more masterful at dealing with the collective shadows that are tryomg to entrap us.

I invite you to look clearly at the shadow in yourself and the world without falling into fear. May you shine the light into yourself and the world and walk in your sovereign true authentic power and love.

Love & Light, Ashera