Catherine Deneuve In Donkey Skin 1970

SHADOW WORK SIMPLIFIED

What is shadow work?

If I had to describe shadow work in one word, it would be introspection. Introspection is the examination of your own mental state and is necessary in order to learn more about your fundamental nature. Although it may sound off-putting and even scary at first, shadow work is a necessary component in the process of healing. We all have aspects of ourselves that we’ve rejected and hidden away out of fear. Through shadow work, we’re able to reflect on our thoughts, emotions, and habits so that we can find the root cause of our suffering and heal ourselves. By reincorporating those aspects of ourselves that we’ve denied, we feel more fulfilled and can begin to love ourselves fully. 

Where does shadow work come from? 

The concept of the shadow self comes from Carl Jung who believed that our shadow self is the subconscious aspect, or “dark side”, of our personality that our conscious ego doesn’t identify with. However, I would like to clarify that “dark” does not imply or equate with bad. That which resides outside of our consciousness can be either good or bad, but aren’t inherently reflective of our value or “goodness” as a person. 

Although these repressed aspects of ourselves can manifest negatively, it isn’t because those parts of us are “bad”, but that the process of repression is inherently painful and toxic. This is reflected by Jung when he states, “Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is.” He believed that until we’ve merged our conscious and subconscious selves, that our conscious would be “the slave of the autonomous shadow”. This is due to the shadow self overwhelming our conscious selves by falling victim to our own self-imposed traps. 

Through assimilating this shadow self, not over-identifying with it, Jung believed we go through the process of enantiodromia, thereby integrating the subconscious by reincorporating our shadow selves into our personality and allowing us to solidify ourselves through wholeness. He best described this by stating “assimilation of the shadow gives a man body, so to speak.” However, don’t fall into the misconception that shadow work is a short-term practice. Shadow work is a continuous practice and integration of the shadow self is a will take place throughout your life.

How do I do shadow work?

In the last question, I identified that practicing self-reflection is a key component of shadow work, but what does that mean? What am I supposed to be reflecting on? Well, the first thing that you should focus on is being present throughout the day. Identify feelings that come up throughout the day and observe them objectively. What situation or interaction triggered these emotions? How did I react to those emotions? Were my emotions controlling me or was I in control of my emotions? Why did this situation or interaction cause me to feel this way? How did I cope with those feelings (self-harming, lashing out at others, communicating my feelings, journalling, etc.)? Did I punish myself for getting upset? If so, why? 

There are numerous ways to reflect on your feelings and experiences in order to get a better understanding of yourself. Through evaluating how you react to situations, which situations upset you, and how you managed those feelings, you’re able to build the foundation to understanding your emotions and bridge the gap between your subconscious and conscious mind.

Once you’ve done this, you’ll find that the emotions you feel in the present are reflective of unhealed emotions from your past. Perhaps the reason you feel that you’re unable to set boundaries as an adult is because as a child, your parents never respected your boundaries by going through your phone or diary, yelling at you when you said no to a request, forcing you into situations that made you feel you had no choice. 

By identifying the root cause of your emotional pain, you’re able to address it in the present and heal from the trauma. The simplest way that I’ve found to address them is through journalling. You can purchase a physical journal or even use your notes app, either way, you’re writing out your feelings and reflections to gain deeper insight. It’s important to remember that this looks different for anyone and that the best way to approach shadow work is by doing what feels most natural! You can choose to stick to self-reflective journal prompts, vent about whatever is upsetting you, write letters to whoever has hurt you, etc. Ultimately, you can guide yourself based off of what you feel you need and where you are in your journey.

What parts of yourself do you find yourself rejecting the most? Many of us have experienced the pain of rejection in some aspects of our lives and sometimes, it’s incredibly painful and leaves us with long-lasting wounds. We end up going through our lives carrying baggage that we don’t even know we have! Many times, I’ve found myself wondering why I felt so repulsed by aspects of myself and why I felt so strongly that they needed to be locked away forever. I couldn’t allow myself or others to see my truest self, my whole self, out of fear. I was scared of being rejected, shamed, humiliated by the people around me. I was scared of hurting other people by being myself and of being hurt by others. That’s no way to live, is it? When we tell ourselves that aspects of ourselves aren’t good enough, we end up going through life devaluing ourself. We’ve broken our own trust by rejecting ourselves, we’ve told ourselves that we aren’t good enough or worthy of love. In shadow work, you’re called to go inward and unpack everything that we’ve kept hidden for years and sometimes even decades. 

Bring the parts of yourself that you’ve repressed to the surface and nourish them with love, allow yourself to see that ALL OF YOU is deserving of love and support. For you, that could mean unlearning your unhealthy beliefs about food or eating, allowing yourself to be emotional around the people you love (despite how much you were told that you were too emotional, a crybaby, too sensitive in the past), allowing yourself to relax without feeling guilty about not being productive because you recognize your needs (even though you feel your sense of worth is tied to being productive at the cost of your own health).

Common misconceptions about shadow work?

Shadow work is evil or bad, the shadow is evil or bad 

The purpose of shadow work is healing through working with your subconscious to release repressed aspects of yourself and heal from painful, traumatic experiences. Your shadow side is simply your unconscious and to believe that it’s bad is to believe that you are bad. It’s merely the part of yourself that you aren’t aware of consciously and shouldn’t be feared. 

Certain emotions are “bad”

When you let go of the idea that emotions are either good or bad, you’ll allow yourself to just be and stop putting so much pressure on yourself to feel “good” all of the time. Happiness isn’t a constant state of being so stop expecting to be all of the time, we have a range of emotions for a reason so stop being ashamed of them. Your feelings are natural and if you feel like they’re out of control and something to be ashamed of, there is nothing wrong with that! It’s okay to feel like your emotions are controlling you because that isn’t permanent. Your feelings aren’t permanent and are completely manageable with proper guidance! The reason you feel like your emotions are controlling you is because you probably don’t have the knowledge to cope with them in an effective and healthy way. It’s helpful to sit with your emotions alone and look at them objectively without placing any judgement on them, this will help you calm down and assess your feelings. From there, you can identify what you need to relax and recover as well as acknowledge to yourself that your feelings are natural. When you stop categorizing your emotions as bad, they’re no longer shameful to experience and therefore you can see with better clarity how to cope with them and move on.

I’ve already released it so…

Why am I still upset?

Why does it still keep popping up in my head?

Why haven’t I moved on?

Why am I not making progress?

With the rise of self development and spirituality, I find that more and more people are rushing to complete their healing. Healing is a continuous, life-long cycle and not a destination. Putting the pressure on yourself to reach the place of ultimate healing is not only toxic, but it impedes your ability to actually heal anything. Healing is about love, compassion, and patience and it’s not going to happen according to a timeline. Allow yourself the time to experience your emotions, see them objectively, forgive yourself and others and move on without the pressure of expectations. 

 Another reason that you could be experiencing this is that despite the work you think you’ve done, it hasn’t been sufficient. I’ve found that a lot of journal prompts provided online are surface level at best and can be more pacifying than revealing. If you’re not feeling anything while doing your inner work, you’re not doing it correctly. Ultimately, this is about uncovering what makes us UNCOMFORTABLE and moving through those feelings. When you allow yourself to experience the sadness, hurt, anger, and/or frustration than you’re telling yourself that these feelings are okay and don’t need to be suppressed. The reality is that no matter what you’re feeling, you are allowed to experience those emotions and it’s only human! Unfortunately, many people associate lower vibrational emotions as bad, but this is a huge misconception! Telling yourself that anger, sadness, etc. are “bad” implies that you shouldn’t experience these emotions and that you have to get rid of them which is not only wrong, but unhealthy. There is no right or wrong emotions so don’t buy into the belief that you should feel a certain way, simply allow yourself to be and you’ll find that it’s much easier to navigate your emotions and needs. The only way to make it to the other side is by wading through the water, be patient and know that you’re feeling exactly what you should be. When you stop censoring yourself, you’ll discover a newfound sense of freedom and wholeness. 

 If you find yourself circling back to certain topics, for example, your ex-boyfriend than perhaps there are triggers in your environment that remind you of the situation, you have more that needs to be addressed that you may not have been ready for or aware of previously (hence why shadow work is a practice that is ongoing), or they’re representative of a deeper issue that you’re repressing. Whatever the cause is, the same methods as earlier will apply and can be discerned through your own intuition. 

What are some basic journal prompts that I can do?

What feelings come up when you think of ____?

How did that experience make you feel emotionally? How did it make you feel about yourself? How did it make you feel about the other person or people?

Write a letter to yourself, your inner child, the people who’ve hurt you, and the people you’ve hurt. Express how you feel honestly, without holding back and then forgive yourself and the other person.

If you could say anything to yourself or another person for closure, what would it be?

How have these situations and experiences impacted your mental health? How have they affected your belief system about yourself, other people, and the world?

What about yourself are you ashamed of? What about yourself are you embarrassed of? What about yourself makes you angry? What do you regret? Why do you feel this way about yourself and where do these feelings stem from?

What makes you feel most alone? What makes you feel most loved? How can you incorporate that knowledge into your life to make it better?

What’s the most hurtful thing someone has said or done to you? Why did it hurt you so much? How does it still affect you now? How can you heal from it and allow yourself to move on?

What do you need to forgive yourself for? What do you need to forgive others for?

Where do you feel you lack security in your life? Why? How does this impact your life and your relationships?

This is a list of generic prompts for you to start with, but feel free to message me if you need help with more specific topics or I can make another post altogether for journal prompts.

Holey Stones

“Some stones have a hole naturally weathered through them by wind or water, or created by fossilized worm tunnels. These stones are called hag stones, Odin stones, or holey stones. Witches will sometimes tie a red ribbon through the hole of smaller ones and use them to protect a home or barn, or wear a very small one as a protective amulet. One legend says that if you peek through the hole, you will be able to see the land of Faery. These stones are most effective if you find one yourself or receive one as a gift.” -from “How to Become a Witch: The Path of Nature, Spirit & Magick” by Amber K and Azrael Arynn K

Photo credit

Grimoire Prompts

Here’s a few ideas if you’re stuck on what you want to do!

Pendulum board

Crystal grid

Your favourite song, turned into a spell

Pressed flowers

Photographs of nature

Your handprint, with all the things that make you ‘you’ written inside

Pouch to hold incense 

Black mirror page (Using some reflective black material)

Create your own alphabet

A letter to yourself in the future or in the past

Create an altar in your grimoire

Smells of witchcraft you love

Magical moments in your life

Dream diary

Drawings of places you have seen in meditation/ astral travel

Photos of your pets

List of reasons why you are glad to be a witch

Write a letter to a deity, or if you don’t believe in deity, to an ancestor 

Colour palette tabs found from paint shops

A pie chart of significant things in your practise

Unorthodox correspondences; (examples: Socks for protection and comfort, Blue tack for creativity, doritos for enjoyment)

What would your followers leave as offerings for you if you were a deity?

Make a tarot card out of old newspaper pictures 

Write a spell using the most ridiculous objects you can think off

Create a mythical creature that would be your familiar

🌻| Litha | 🌗

[ 📎 AKA "Mid summer's Eve ]

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Note: This came straight from my notebook

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🌿 | Litha takes place on June 20-23 for the northern hemisphere and December 20-23

🌼| Litha falls on the longest day of the year, It celebrated the triumph of nature, Shown as *"The green man"* for some. It also celebrates the leak of light but also the start of descent into darkness.

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💐 Important Litha things

FOOD

Seasonal berries

Honey

Milk

Colors

Warm colors

Creams

Natural spring colors

Other

Sun magick

Fire

Musix

Fae folk

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🌈 Litha Activities

Fae offerings

Look for hagstones

Leap a bonfire (SAFELY)

play or enjoy music

Burn your past (Images/letters)

Do a all nighter and watch the sun rise

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That's all from me today folks

Have a happy pride month

🏳️‍🌈

(Thanks @pinewhisky for pointing out a error)

Die Eberesche oder der Vogelbeerbaum

Mythologische Bedeutung:

Die Eberesche (Vogelbeere) - Sorbus aucuparia galt einst aus mythologischer Sicht als der heilige Baum von Hexen, Heiden und Druiden.

Rituale und große Feste wurden unter ihm gefeiert und Schutz, Kraft und magisches Wirken wurde ihm zugeschrieben. Aus dem Holz des Baumes fertigte man man Ritualgegestände und Amulette, die dem Träger Glück und Schutz bringen sollten.

Mit Aufkommen der christlichen Religionen und Reformation der Bevölkerung wurde der Baum, der die Menschen immer noch stark anzog, ein Dorn im Auge der damaligen Kircheväter und kuzer Hand erklärte man Blätter, Baum und Beeren für giftig und gefährlich.

Man erhoffte sich so eine vorteilhafte Umkehr! Auch heute noch glauben noch recht viele Menschen an dieses Märchen und halten die leuchtend roten Beeren für giftig & nicht genießbar.

Die roten Vogelbeeren, die im Herbst reifen Früchte der Eberesche, eignen sich wunderbar, um daraus Ketten und Armbänder herzustellen.

Fädeln Sie die frischen Früchte auf einen dicken Baumwollfaden, solange  sie noch weich sind. Im trockenen Zustand lassen sie sich dann sehr schön zu Ketten und Armbändern verarbeiten.

Die Eberesche war bei den Germanen hochgeschätzt, denn sie sollte vor

psychischen Angriffen schützen, übersinnliche Fähigkeiten unterstützen und die persönliche Kraft stärken.

E. Courtenay.

Getrocknete Vogelbeeren (Früchte der Eberesche) sind ein altes Hausmittel gegen Magenverstimmung und Durchfall. Bei Bedarf täglich zweimal 10 getrocknete Beeren kauen. Schmeckt bitter, aber die Bitter- und Gerbstoffe sind gut für Magen und Darm.

Markusine Gutjahr.

Ebereschen- Marmelade.

Herb- süß und gesund.

500 g Ebereschenbeeren, 250 ml Apfelsaft, zwei Äpfel, 500 g Gelierzucker 1:1.

Ebereschenbeeren über Nacht ins Gefrierfach legen, damit sie süßer werden. Am nächsten Tag abgerebelte Früchte mit Apfelsaft aufkochen und zugedeckt ca 30 Minuten weich kochen. Durch ein Sieb streichen oder eine Flotte Lotte benutzen. Beerenmus mit würfelig geschnittenen Äpfeln und Gelierzucker unter Rühren aufkochen und fünf Minuten sprudelnd kochen lassen. Eventuell pürieren. In sterile Schraubdeckelgläser abfüllen und erkalten lassen.

Aus: Haus und Garten. 2021.

Eberesche (Vogelbeere) - ein heiliger Baum.

Bei den Germanen war die Eberesche dem Gott Thor geweiht.

In der Göttersage Edda wird berichtet, dass sie Thor das Leben rettete. Als dieser bei der Jagd in einen Fluss stürzte & ihm das Wasser bis zum Halse stand, bekam er einen Zweig der Eberesche zu fassen & konnte sich so aus dem tosenden Strom retten.

Daher heißt der Baum in Norwegen auch Thorsbjörg (Thors Begegnung)

Wohl aus dieser Zeit hat sich in einigen Gegenden Deutschlands der Glaube erhalten, dass die Eberesche den Blitz abhält. Dazu werden die reifen Früchte in Kränzen oder Büscheln vor die Fenster oder an die Dächer gehängt (Schütt,1994).

Für kranke Ziegen soll das Laub der Eberesche eine gute Arznei gewesen sein. Fraßen die Ziegen von Thor, Tanngniostr (Zähneknirscher) & Tanngrisnir (Zähneblecker)  deshalb so gerne diese Blätter? Als Futterquelle für Ziegen & Schafe wird die Eberesche regional auch heute noch geschätzt.

Einst galt der Beifuß als die Mutter aller Heilpflanzen, ein Geschenk der Großen Mutter an die Welt. Hieraus leitet sich auch der Name ab: Artemisio = Artemis. Als Frauenkraut war er den Göttinnen der Geburt und der Weiblichkeit geweiht. Er gilt als wehenfördernd und soll die Geburt fördern. Zusammen mit Labkraut, Kamille und Johanniskraut gehörte der Beifuß zu den Bettstrohkräutern. In der germanischen Mythologie ist das Kraut den Donnergott Donar / Thor geweiht, der einen von Zwergen geflochtenen Zaubergürtel aus Beifuß trägt, Meginjard. Dieser Gürtel stand in dem Ruf, die körperliche und sexuelle Kraft zu vervielfachen. Wer ähnliche Kräfte haben wollte, knüpfte sich kurzerhand eine Nachbildung. Das Flechten beruht auf einer uralten magischen Tradition, dem Nestelknüpfen, mit dem Bindungen und Zauber gestärkt oder, öffnete man die Knoten, gelöst werden sollten. Noch heute werden in der Sonnwendnacht am 21. Juni Gürtel geflochten, denen man besondere Stärke nachsagt. Ins Wendefeuer geworfen, sollen sie ihren Eigentümer von allem Negativen befreien. Die Kelten nannten ihn Bricumum (Briga / Brigo = Macht, Kraft) und verwendeten ihn, um den „Mut des Kriegers“ zu wecken.

🔥Während der zwölf Rauh- und Mittsommernächte wurde zum Schutz von Haus und Hof Beifuß verräuchert. Diese Nächte stellten magische Zeiten dar, Grauzonen, in denen die Welt der Menschen mit der Anderswelt verschmolz. Ebenso wurde bei anderen Schwellenereignissen wie Geburt und Tod mit Beifuß geräuchert um Unheil abzuwehren. Darüber hinaus fördert Beifuß die Hellsichtigkeit, erleichtert Astralreisen und bringt prophetische Träume. Sein Rauch wird zur Reinigung von magischen Spiegeln und Kristallkugeln verwendet. Am Körper getragen zieht er die Liebe an und fördert die Fruchtbarkeit. Er schützt den Reisenden und wehrt Unglück, negative Energien und Wesenheiten ab. In die Schuhe gelegt soll er vor Müdigkeit bewahren. Im Mittelalter verabreichte man Extrakte aus der Pflanze gegen Gift, böse Geister, Dämonen oder gar den Teufel selbst. Dazu wurden die Wurzeln ans Haus genagelt. Als Mugwurz (Machtwurz) nutzte man den Beifuß zur Suche nach dem Haselwurm um sich die sagenhaften Fähigkeiten anzueignen.

✍️ Der grüne Hain

📱 t.me/HueterderIrminsul

Rosenfrüchte

(Hagebutte).

Rezepte:

*Hagebutten-Ketchup

*Schwedische Hagebutten-Suppe

(Nypon-Suppa)

*Hagebutten-Biscuits

*Hagebutten-Sirup

*Hagebutten-Dessert

*Hagebutten-Taler

*Hagebutten-Leckerli/Hagebutten-Quadrate

*Hagebutten-Likör

*Kernles-Tee.

Renate Lehminger-Mertens

Runen Bedeutung Fehu

Fehu ist die Rune für: Reichtum und Vollendung

Die Rune Fehu verkörpert materiellen Besitz, den man durch Fleiß und Fähigkeiten erworben hat. Sie entspricht dem materiellen Glück, welches ein Gefühl von Wohlstand vermittelt. Es gilt diesen Reichtum sinnvoll einzusetzen und auch an das Wohl anderer zu denken.

ÄLTERES FUTHARK SINNBILD

1. Rune Fehu - Rinder, Vieh

Als Sinnbild stellt die Rune Fehu eine Viehherde dar. Zur damaligen Zeit der Wikinger war der Besitz einer Rinderherde nicht nur persönlicher Reichtum, sondern auch eine grundlegende Nahrungsquelle. Mit ihr konnte die Familie versorgt werden, aber auch Handel betrieben. Somit war das Vieh nicht nur ein Zeichen des sozialen Standes. Es ging auch um das Wohl der Gemeinschaft.

Runen Entsprechung – Schlüsselwörter

Besitz, Geld,

Wertgegenstände,

Reichtum, Erfüllung,

(gute Zeit für Anschaffungen)

Bedeutung Runen Orakel

Fehu entspricht dem monatlichen Verdienst oder dem Besitz, den man sich durch eigene Mühen und Einsatz erworben hat oder daran noch arbeitet. Eine Situation entwickelt sich positiv und wird von Dauer sein, wenn man mit seinen körperlichen, geistigen und finanziellen Ressourcen sorgsam umgeht.

Die negativen Aspekte von Fehu zeigen sich durch Gier und Leichtsinn. Dann können sich Verluste und finanzielle Probleme ankündigen.

Magische Runen Wirkung

Die Rune Fehu zieht die Macht von Sonne, Mond und den Sternen an, stärkt die psychischen Kräfte. Sie fördert die persönliche und gesellschaftliche Weiterentwicklung und vergrößert den finanziellen Reichtum, die Herde oder das Land.

Spirituelle Runen Bedeutung

Die Macht von Fehu kommt direkt aus der Quelle des kosmischen Feuers. Sie symbolisiert die beiden Extreme Erschaffung und Zerstörung, der evolutionären Kräfte.

Fehu beinhaltet bewegliche Macht, was aus der Urbedeutung des Namens hervorgeht, welche Vieh oder Geld ist.

Ways to reconnect to the Earth and nature

Take walks with bare feet.

Take time to sit under a tree and appreciate it for it’s shade.

Crunch autumn leaves and thank the Earth for the promise of a new year

Actually take time to smell the flowers.

Grow a garden or take care of a succulent.

Pick a day and watch the sunrise and sunset.

Go cloud watching and ask the universe for messages in the clouds.

Go look at the stars, take a star map and identify the constellations.