Shadow Work

I’ve been thinking about Shadow Work lately.
The Shadow is kind of the ‘dark side’ of each of our personalities.
Some examples of the Shadow are: Rage (hello, that’s me), greed, selfishness, jealously, and envy to name a few.
Shadow work can be layered and complex too-it comes from the traits we or our family or society has deemed unacceptable.It’s parts of ourselves we don’t want to own because they don’t match the picture we have created for ourselves to be the person we want to be.
But to deny our Shadow Self is to deny the contrast of ourself that makes us deeper, different, interesting, strange and ultimately our full selves. It’s just like a painting–take away the contrast (light and shadow) it feels flat and lifeless.
Do you look at your Shadow Side?

When I do, I write down all the darkness inside my art journal, listening as I write, and then I cover with paint, creating an illustration or just flowing with the feeling inside. It’s messy and sometimes lovely, sometimes not and all of it is a part of me.

How do you dive into Shadow Work?

With love and long shadows,

Neety