Shadow Work Journal 153747328X, 9781537473284

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Jessica Cross

Copyright © 2015 Jessica Cross All rights reserved.

DEDICATION To my parents who support me down all my paths.

Introduction Your shadow is the part of yourself that you have tried to push away or ignore. It is not necessarily good or bad, but it is a part of you that you don’t acknowledge. With meditation we can look at these parts and accept them so we can work with them and not against them. Often as children we learn that we need to act a certain way to be accepted. We therefore push aside any parts of ourselves that don’t fit that mold. As adults we have the option to embrace those aspects of ourselves again and become whole! As children we see the world as black and white. If we have to act one way to be “good,” than the opposite is “bad,” and needs to be suppressed. Say you grew up in a household that valued quiet; being noisy and standing out may have been deemed as “bad.” This is not some sinister plan set up by those raising you, just a noise level preference, but the result may be that as an adult you struggle to voice your opinions and stand out in a crowd. Some shadow aspects are caused by trauma, and we may learn some lessons that are very hard to undo. Our brain may have learned that it is very unsafe to try and access these parts of our shadow. We all learn these lessons while figuring out how to function in this world as children; in loving and not so loving families, from friends, teachers, extended families, books, and television, really anything that happens to touch and resonate in our young and malleable brains. We also can form shadows as adults, but a fully formed adult brain has an easier time recognizing that we have formed a shadow.

Those parts of the brain still need to be accessed and reclaimed, but the shadows formed as a child are harder to access. Those shadows seem to have always been there, yet, we don’t always remember their creation, so they just seem to be a truth. What if we don’t access our shadow? Often we lose important parts of ourselves and those parts may act out in order to get attention. Have you ever had an angry outburst or a crying jag that was out of proportion to the situation? That is usually your shadow trying to get your attention. Accessing your shadow can feel scary but remember, it is already part of you, and often a part that needs healing in order to rejoin you as a supportive part of your whole psyche. Reaching for the shadow is an important process if we are going to become the whole adult we want to be. We want to choose who we are, not have it dictated by someone else. Often our shadow aspects are just scared children who need a hug. They need to be appreciated for how they tried to help us growing up, and they need to know that they can come out and will be heard and supported. The shadow will rear its head regardless of whether you acknowledge it. Would you rather put your arms around your shadow and tell it you understand, or have it periodically take over your body or prevent you from accessing some parts of your talent and abilities? Don’t fear your shadow, it is you, but it is much easier to handle when you are familiar with it!

Think about the following questions to begin your Shadow journey. Go through these quickly as often your gut reaction is the most

honest. What are some traits in others that really bother you? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ _____________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ _____ What traits to you admire in others? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ _ What was the last situation where you feel you really over-reacted? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ _ What do you like most about yourself? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______What do you like least about yourself? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ _

See if your answers to these questions change after completing the following meditations. Enjoy your journey, it could change your life.

Meditation Tips Meditation takes practice just like any other skill. Let go of your expectations in meditation. At first you may only see colors or have feelings. That is fine and more will come to you in time. Anything you see in meditation is exactly right. You do not need to clear you mind and let the meditation unfurl like a movie. It is fine to consciously decide to “see” the meditation. Create the visualization like a daydream and you may be surprised that you find you are no longer in “control.” Visuals will begin to pop up that you did not consciously decide on and you will learn something. Read through the following meditations and then close your eyes and recreate them based on what you remember. It is fine if your meditation is not exactly like those in the book. Your meditation will move forward in exactly the correct way for you. Let your own imagination and intuition take over. Meditation should not be stressful. There is no “correct” way to do this, just your way. If you prefer to listen to these meditations they are all free on Spotify (Jessica Cross): https://open.spotify.com/artist/2ecxHVZXv6Bs81YKhrebQV or for download without adds at Gumroad (jessicacrossasmr): http://tinyurl.com/shadowmeditations.

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Meditation: Raven Get comfortable sitting or lying down. Take a deep breath and close your eyes. Picture yourself walking through a forest. Hear the sounds of leaves under your feet. Smell the crisp air and the forest scents. See the light of the sun filter through the trees as you walk on a path through the forest. Soon you see a clearing ahead. In this clearing there is a large tree the size of a small house. Near one root of the tree there appears to be an earthen staircase heading down into the ground. Walk down this staircase and onto a path that leads through a tunnel, just light enough to see through from a few holes to the sunlight above. Soon you enter a part of the tunnel that is darker, as there are no holes above and you seem to be sloping downwards. This tunnel is soon lit by sunlight that seems to be coming from the end of the tunnel. The end of the tunnel appears, and remarkably leads to a clearing within another forest. You are now in the lower realm. As your eyes adjust to the sun you see a beautiful meadow surrounded by trees. Look into the sky. Does it look the same as the sky on the physical realm? How does the sun look here? Are there any other differences here from the land above? Soon you notice, to the side of the clearing, a large Raven standing on the ground. It comes closer to you and you see that it has a piece of meat in its beak. It looks directly at you and then turns its head towards the forest. It hops a few feet away and then pauses. It looks back at you as if waiting for you to follow; it then hops farther away and you do start to follow. It begins to fly but stays low to the ground and allows you to keep up. Raven leads you into the forest

and after a short walk flies to a nest up in a tree. The nest is about half way up the tree. You begin to climb the tree and find it much easier than you expected it to be. As you reach a limb across from the nest you see that the Raven is feeding the meat to her young. You recognize that Raven will find sustenance from almost anywhere. Raven is not squeamish, and has adapted to digest even the most unpalatable meal. Raven has learned to survive where others could not survive. As you look at Raven you see the rainbow of colors reflected off her jet black wings. She lets out a cry. It is loud and not at all lovely. Raven does not care if you like her cry. Raven will call and sound alarms without concern for how she is received. She calls again as if to reinforce this fact. At her third call she looks at you and raises her beak as if to indicate that it is your turn. Reach for the branch above you and stand on the limb where you were sitting. Think of something that you have needed to say but have been worried about how it would be received. Is there a boundary you need to set or a truth you need to tell? Take this time to shout that truth to the world. Raven calls to you again, offering encouragement and raises her beak higher. You feel strong as you climb up to the limb where you were holding on and stand. Shout your truth again, or shout another truth you need to express. Raven calls to you again and raises her beak. You feel powerful as you climb one limb higher up the tree and stand. Shout your truth to the world without worrying about the response, as it is the only voice you have. Look out over the forest and see that no trees have toppled due to your words. Breathe in the crisp air and feel the wind that still blows despite your truth.

Climb back down to Raven and thank her for her gift. Climb down the tree and begin to walk back towards the clearing. It is not far and you have no trouble finding your way. Head for the tunnel and make your way back up to your realm. Think of your fears about speaking your truths. Have they changed since meeting Raven? They may change or continue to change throughout the week. Rise and begin to walk back down the path through the forest. Soon you begin to hear the sounds of the room where your physical body waits. Start to wiggle your fingers and toes and feel where you are sitting or lying. When you are ready, open your eyes. After each meditation find a way to ground yourself and return to your physical body. You can eat or drink something. Feel your extra energy sinking into the earth. Go outside and touch the ground with your feet and give your energy to a tree or other plant. Physical exercise can also help return you to your body. Find something that makes you feel connected to your body and the earth so you can go on with your day.

Journal Journaling is another good way to ground yourself. You get more from your meditation if you can process it by writing down what you learned or summarizing your meditation. The connections will become clearer as you remember the experience. If you are not a writer you can also collage (physical or digital), draw, paint, sculpt, or any medium that calls to you. In deciding how to represent what you have learned in meditation you will gain a better understanding of your experience.

Raven: What did you learn? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ ____________ What do you need to say? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ ____________ ______________________________________________________ _____ What boundaries do you need to set? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

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Meditation: A Tiny Dose I want you to get comfortable and close your eyes. Take a deep breath and find yourself in a library room. This may be a room you have visited before or someplace totally new. You notice that next to a fireplace there are two chairs facing one another. In one of the chairs there is someone you care about. This someone also has a trait, or many, that really bother you. Sit down in the chair opposite this person. Neither of you speak but you may be able to hear each other’s thoughts at some point. I want you to look at this person and think of all the adjectives that you would use to describe an irritating trait this person has, focusing on aspects of one troublesome area. So, if this person is irresponsible, you would focus on words like; unreliable, unfocused, off in their own world, selfish, etc. Think of all the aspects of that annoying trait. Now you can hear the thoughts of the person you are with and all the adjectives they would use to describe an irritating trait of yours. This may focus on the opposite of their annoying trait. For the example above, the thoughts about you, if you are responsible are; rigid, inflexible, domineering, bossy, etc. Don’t take these too personally but just realize how others may see this trait in you. Now think about the ultimate extreme of your guest’s trait. What terrible conclusions could this trait lead to? What are your fears of having this trait? For the example above it could be; losing your job, estranged from family, losing money, addiction, etc.

What if you were to take a 1% dose of the trait of your guest? It would not bring you anywhere near your ultimate fears but what would it give you to be a tiny bit more like your guest in this regard. Are there any positive aspects of this trait that you would like? What are the personal benefits of having this trait and would a tiny dose really hurt you? Following the example above, how would it feel to worry less about the expectations of other, allow yourself to be more free, and to allow yourself to make more mistakes. Your guest hands you a tiny cup, will you drink? If you have a guide in the room you may ask any questions about this interaction. Has it changed the way you feel about your guest? When you feel ready hear the sounds around you, wiggle your fingers and toes and open your eyes. You may wish to write in a journal the adjectives you used for each of the meditation questions and your conclusions after the meditation.

A Tiny Dose: What did you learn?

______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ___________Describe your guest:

______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ _____________________ How did your guest describe you? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ________________________________________What do you need more of in your life?

______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ What do you need less of? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ___________

Meditation: Life Story Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Find yourself in a room with a large mirror on one wall. This mirror is taller and wider than you and is the only item in the room. You may have a guide in the room with you. Ask your guide or the energies around you to take you to see a life that will give you some insight into a current shadow trait. When you are ready, I want you to step through the mirror and into a dimly lit tunnel. The tunnel is long. As you walk along the tunnel you feel at peace and you lose all of your worries of the day. As you see a light from the end of the tunnel, you also start to lose your connection to your own current physical body. When you exit the tunnel you have traveled in time and space and have become someone new. Look at the ground. Are you standing outside or inside a building? Is the ground earth or flooring? What do your feet look like, and are they large or small? Are you wearing shoes or are your feet bare? Travel up your body. What are you wearing on your legs? What is on your torso? Is your body large or small? Can you guess your age by the size of your body? How are you wearing your hair? Are you wearing any jewelry? Are you male or female? Don’t worry, if you can’t answer all of these questions, more information may come to you. Now look at your surroundings. Where are you? Are you alone or with other people? Listen to hear if anyone calls you by name. Do you feel compelled to do something; were you in the middle of a

task? Hear the sounds around you. What do you smell? How do you feel as this person? Now I want you to move forward in this life to an important time. What is happening? Where are you? Can you tell your age? Why is this a significant moment? Are you with another person? How do you feel? Move forward again into another important milestone in this life. What are you doing? What is the situation? Where are you? Are you alone or with someone? How do you feel? Why is this time important? Now finally I want you to move to a time shortly before this person’s death. You may know you are dying or this may be shortly before an unexpected death. Do not continue to the actual death. What are you thinking? How are you feeling? Is anyone with you? What is important to remember about this life? Now I want you to head back towards the tunnel. As you walk down the long tunnel, begin to feel fully yourself again. Once you exit the tunnel you can ask a guide who may be present or the energies around you the meaning of the life you just saw? What clarification do you need about what you just experienced? When you feel ready you can thank your guide or the energies and begin to return to your physical body. Feel where your body is sitting or lying down; hear the sounds around you. Wiggle your fingers and toes, take a deep breath and open your eyes.

As soon as you can, write down what you experienced in meditation. If it is unclear to you the lesson of this life story, the act of summarizing it in a journal may clarify what you were to learn. This technique uses a story narrative to help explain some underlying beliefs you may not be aware of at this moment.

Life Story What did you learn? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ___________What was the moral of your story? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ What do you need to change in response to this lesson? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

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Meditation: Seeds in the Garden Take a deep breath and close your eyes. Picture yourself in a garden. This may be a garden you have visited before or someplace completely new. It is early spring and there is a patch of freshly tilled ground in front of a bench. You go to sit on the bench and look at this new garden bed. Next to the bed is a mound of compost and a shovel. There is also a soaker hose running through the bed to keep the earth moist. The area is sunny and someone has prepared this area for optimum growth. Walk over to the bench and sit down. Soon you see a child of about 3 or 4 years old, running towards you. This child is you at that age. The child sits down next to you and says they have something for you. They open their little hand and in it are some seeds; it maybe only one or several. The child says the seeds represent abilities and traits that they were taught not to let grow. They may have been planted once and chopped down but some seeds from that planting were saved and hidden. The child asks you to plant the seeds again and protect them. What are each of the seeds? You probably know, but if you don’t you can ask the child about the seeds. Before taking any seeds, dig some compost into the soil. Follow the soaker hose to the spout and turn on the water. Will you plant all of the seeds, some or none? Are you ready to embrace all of these aspects of yourself? Take whichever seeds you will plant and use only your hands to dig in the soil and plant the seeds one by one. Gently cover each seed with soil by hand. Sit back on the bench, and take the hand of the child in your now dirty

hand, they don’t mind. You watch the soil together, as amazingly tiny seedlings pop out of the ground. They are still small and will need to be nurtured to grow strong roots, but they are already visible. You may ask any questions you wish of this child. What do they need? How can you be of any more help? Tell them you love them and will try to be there for them. Give your friend a hug goodbye and agree to meet again to watch the progress of the garden. When you are ready, turn and walk through the garden and begin to return to your physical body. Hear the sounds in the room where you are resting; feel where you are sitting or lying down. Wiggle your fingers and toes and when you feel ready open your eyes.

Seeds in the Garden

What did you learn? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ____________What do you need to nurture to help it grow?

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What would help you connect you’re your child more often? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

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Meditation: Mountain Download Take a deep breath and close your eyes. Picture yourself again in a beautiful garden. You are walking through a new part of the garden and you notice a plant that climbs all the way up into the clouds. Begin to climb, and while it takes effort to climb you feel strong and full of energy as you race to the upper realm. Once you emerge above the clouds, step off of the plant and find the earth is solid, and you are surrounded by a beautiful landscape. Look around and see how this world is different from the physical realm where your body exists. Up ahead you see a large mountain. It looks far away, but as you begin to walk towards the mountain you find that you cover ground quickly. It is as if you have wings or the gravity is different in this realm. Soon you are at the base of the mountain. It looks immensely high, but as when climbing the plant you feel strength and energy as you walk up the mountain. Look around you as you walk. You may see very different plants or animals. You may be joined by a guide. Do not judge the form this guide takes. Continue to walk up to the summit. If a guide has not already joined you, there will be a guide waiting at the top of the mountain. Find a comfortable place to sit with your guide at the top of the mountain. If your guide has hands, you may join hands or simply touch your guide. When touching your guide, you not only feel their energy but you feel that by connecting with one another you begin to raise more energy. You feel the wind pick up around you as the energy begins to swirl and rise up to the sky above you. Once you feel you have raised the appropriate amount of energy I want you to ask to receive a download of the emotions you have been hiding away and refusing to see. Do not pass judgment on these feelings,

just acknowledge them and allow yourself to see them. No feelings are bad, and they are all part of you, whether you acknowledge them or not, but when you hide them they have to force their way out. See these feelings as if they are balls of color in front of you. Are there any of these feelings that you are ready to embrace and allow yourself to accept as part of you? You may not be ready, but it is a good first step to at least see these feelings. You may be ready to embrace one emotion and know the others will be there for you on that mountain when you feel strong enough to admit them. Pull into your body any emotions you are ready to acknowledge and feel that change. Take any bubbles of emotions that you are not ready to embrace and give them to your guide. Your guide pulls these into their body to keep safe for you. You may ask your guide any questions you have about the emotions that you received. When you are ready, thank your guide and begin to walk back down the mountain. Return to the plant, and climb back down to the garden. Does your body feel different on this realm? Does your body feel different with any of the emotions you chose to embrace? Walk through the garden for a bit to integrate these changes into your body. When you feel ready you can begin to feel where you are sitting in your physical body. Hear any sounds in the room; wiggle your fingers and toes. When you feel ready, open your eyes.

Mountain Download

What did you learn? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ___________What parts of yourself do you hide from others?

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What parts do you hide from yourself? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

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Meditation: Integration I recommend you start with a memory that is not too painful and work your way up to more challenging events. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Find yourself again in a library. Look around the room and see if it has changed from your last visit. What is on the floor? How does it smell? Is there a fire in the fireplace? I want you to go and sit by one of the chairs in front of the fireplace. As you look at the fireplace I want you to pick one event in your childhood that has made you feel uncomfortable. Do not relive this memory, but just acknowledge what occurred at that time. Soon out of the corner of the library emerges a version of you who went through this situation. This child comes and sits down in the opposite chair. I want you to take this child by the hands and tell them that this situation should not have happened to you. Tell them that you are them as an adult and you have grown and are strong now. Tell them that you are now big enough to take care of them. Ask them what they have been hiding, or doing to try and protect you. Tell them they no longer need to carry that burden for you, and that as an adult you may not need that protection anymore. Ask them how you can help them to feel better. Tell this child that you love them. Ask if they would like to come and live inside of your heart and always feel that love. Give this child a

hug. If they agreed to enter your heart, feel them slowly join with your body. Send a burst of love energy from your heart all throughout your body and the area surrounding your body. Feel this healing light calm you, and release any judgment of yourself. Turn that light blue and allow it to calm you and help you to relax. With each deep breath feel that calm energy; with each exhale release any pain, fear or judgment. Feel the energy from the earth and the sky entering your body to bring you peace. Continue to breathe, and when you feel ready, hear the sounds around your physical body. Feel where you are sitting or lying down; wiggle your fingers and toes. When you feel ready, open your eyes.

Integration:

What did you learn? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ____________Where have you become strong as you’ve grown?

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What did you believe about yourself that is no longer true? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

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Meditation: Personal Journey Breathe deeply, exhale and close your eyes. See yourself at the base of a mountain. The mountain is dark and the clouds above are ominous. You begin the arduous climb up the mountain. It is not easy but you know that is part of your quest. Luckily you know the summit is not your goal. After climbing for a while, you are tired but you still have the energy to go on. You then see a cave leading into the mountain. Walk towards the cave, as this is where you have been heading. At the mouth of the cave, a guide is waiting for you. The guide leads you into the cave. It is dark, but you see a faint light ahead. As you walk the light gets brighter. Walk towards the light. Soon, the light leads you to a large cavernous room filled with items. At first you think it is a treasure room, but soon you realize that amongst the treasure is all manner of items. Your guide tells you that this is the room where lost items are taken. This includes lost feelings, memories and talents. Wander around the room and pick up any item that feels like it belongs to you. You can ask your guide the meaning of any item you pick up. When you are finished here let your guide lead you through the mountain tunnel and out the other side. See if there are any other rooms to visit. Is anyone waiting for you on the other side? When you have completed your quest, thank your guide. You can then return to your physical body. Hear the sounds around you, feel your physical body. Wiggle your fingers and toes and whey you are ready, open your eyes.

Personal Journey: What did you learn? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ____________What have you gained from this work? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

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Conclusion What have you learned through this meditative process? Shadow work is a way to rewrite the story you tell yourself about yourself. So to conclude this experience, try doing this literally. Think of your life as a myth. When reading a legend or myth you never hear about the boring everyday parts of the hero’s or heroine’s life (I don’t consider the word “hero” as gender specific, so I will simply use this term going forward). What are the overarching themes of your life? Many theorize that some pagan Gods were stories of actual people that just grew to mythical proportions, so make sure to exaggerate as much as possible. Where does the story take place? What special strengths or abilities does the character have to share? What challenge will the character have to face? Does the hero have any special help in solving the problem? How was the problem solved, and was there a reward? You can use meditation and watch your myth as if it was a movie or ask one of your guides to tell you the story of your life. If you struggle with writing your myth, fill in the blanks below quickly without thinking too much.

Myth There once was a child who ____________________. As a child, they were always amazing how they could _____________. It was clear that they were guided to _____________________. One day they found that they were able to ___________________________. When faced with _________________ they proved that their power to ______________ could overcome this obstacle. They brought so much to the world with their ability to ______________________. ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

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______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ____Have your answers to these questions changed at all? What do you like most about yourself? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______What do you like least about yourself? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

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You are amazing! Congratulate yourself on completing this challenging work. Many people never take this step. Through Shadow Work you will find that you have more perspective on your life and you are less likely to over react to situations. You are able to focus on the current situation instead of dredging up feelings from past situations that do not apply. I am very proud of you and hope to hear about your experience with these meditations. Feel free to email me [email protected] or join my Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/JessicaCrossCommunity. I would love to welcome you into my tribe. Thank you so much for taking this journey with me and I hope we will take many more, Jessica Cross, LCSW www.jessicacrossasmr.com If you would like to listen to these guided meditations the album is available: https://gum.co/boJM. I always appreciate reviews on Amazon. Thank you so much for all your support.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jessica Cross is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Licensed Massage Therapist with over 15 years’ experience teaching and providing relaxation, stress reduction and meditation training.