When working in the Unseen World it is important to recognize ones own Shadow, as stepping onto the path of the Seer can be tricksome. We are living in a time where many people are experiencing expansion of consciousness. As a Medium I am encountering more and more people who are having personal experiences with Spirits and a growing number of people who want to open their ability for personal communication. As a teacher I believe that safety is the most important factor when developing ones Spiritual abilities, a close second however would be knowing ones Shadow.
We have already talked about the importance of safety in communicating with Spirits (see my Safety First blog series on this page), now it is time to talk about Dancing with our Shadow.
In Spiritual terms our Shadow is the part of ourselves we are not completely comfortable with. It is the pieces we choose to hide, the personality traits we do not want the whole world to know about & the parts of ourselves we do not want to give power to. Yet as much as we deny them they remain hiding in the corners of our being…hence the term Shadow. My personal Shadow is that of arrogance and manipulation & I came to terms with it many years ago. Most often my Shadow shows up when I am feeling insecure or slighted in some way. It reminds me that I am special, in fact it demands that I see how important I am and how the other (person/situation) is so terribly wrong. It tries to convince me that I should persuade others into seeing my point of view. I do not let my Shadow run things, but I recognize it when it shows up and I acknowledge that it is there for a reason. We all have Shadows, each and every one of us has some personal trait that we would prefer to hide from the rest of the world, a trait that usually causes more problems then good. Knowing/acknowledging our Shadow prevents it from having power over us, which is a highly important thing when exploring the world of Spirit.
We cannot deny our Shadow. We cannot pretend it does not exist, for if we do it will show up at the most inconvenient of moments. To open oneself to the path of Spirit we make ourselves vulnerable. As I have said previously not all Spirits are nice and friendly type, just like Living-beings there are those in the Spirit world that are self serving and generally unpleasant. The big difference is that we are use to keeping our shit from people living in the here and now. The Spirit world is a bit more tricky and we have a tendency to show our underbelly a bit more often there. When we know who we are-the good and the not so good, there is little that can be used against us. If I did not acknowledge that my Shadow had an inflated ego, I would be easily manipulated by any Spirit that wanted to praise me..particularly if I wasn’t feeling all that good about myself in the ‘real world’. If instead of an inflated ego, my Shadow was one of self loathing I may be prone to any story I encountered in the Spirit world that enforced the story of my being plagued or deserving of haunting.
We must engage in a ‘Dance with our Shadow’, one in which we lead…neither giving it power, nor ignoring it. Psychosis or mental imbalance is more likely to happen in connection to Spiritual experience if we ignore our Shadow or give our power over to it. When we know who we are we are not as easily swayed by flattery, insult or manipulation. In part 2 of this series I mentioned a friend of mine who was overcome by the fictitious workings of her mind. In the Dance with her Shadow, she let the Shadow lead & was led astray into a world where she was ever the victim. Not just in this life time, but in every lifetime she could conjure up. Like an ancient tragedy she was plagued by the workings of her own mind and fully engaged in what her Shadow showed her.
So how do we Dance with our Shadow?
First you need to really look at yourself, not just the parts that you want to see. Our Shadow is usually the piece that bothers us most if it is brought up. For me, being told that I was arrogant or conceited as a youth would cause me to be enraged…how dare someone think that of me. But when I thought on it, I could recognize that it was there. I may not like it/I may not want to be it…but it was there. Just like being told that I always got my way bothered me. Again it was true-inside of me was the ability to manipulate people to my way of seeing things. After identifying my Shadow I went on to see how these dark parts of my personality could actually be used for good. If I couldn’t get rid of them, how could I use them in a positive manner. I realized that arrogance is the insecure cousin of confidence. Over the years I have directed my dance to honor confidence and when arrogance shows up I look for what is making me feel insecure. Manipulation also a part of my Shadow has a place in my life. By becoming conscious of it I am more aware, which makes me question my motives before speaking & strive to be a good person. Knowing & embracing my Shadow in dance makes it so that no one else living or not can use my Shadow against me. I will not be led astray by flattery or convinced to coerce others to my way of thinking. Your Shadow is unique to you, and I highly recommend getting to know it and learning to dance before engaging in work with the Unseen World.
I encourage people to expand their consciousness wisely. Remember it is not a race in which the first to enter is the winner. It is a personal exploration, one that is best done with a plan, guides & a big old light which you shine on yourself from time to time. The Unseen World of Spirit can be a blessing, but when we run into it blind and without thought we are more likely to stumble. Question reality…the one you currently live in and the ones you want to visit. Again I will say we live in this world for a reason, be part of it. Any time that your the Unseen World overcomes your Earth based reality you should be wary. There needs to be a healthy balance in which you can step fully into the solid waking world at anytime you like. Knowing your Shadow & learning to dance with it is a powerful skill for those walking the path of the Seer. Please remember…If you are experiencing unexplained phenomenon that causes you distress consult with a Medium, Psychic or Medicine Worker. If you feel endangered by your experiences consult with a medical professional such as a Dr/Psychiatrist. I am not a Psychologist/Psychiatrist, I hold no degree. I am a Psychic Medium and these are my insights and musings from personal experience. I hope you enjoyed the read folks and feel free to share.
spreading love-salicrow