
The shadow is the part of our psyche that contains all of our repressed and ignored emotions, habits, tendencies, desires and even gifts. This is an aspect of ourselves that we would rather pretend didn’t exist.
However if we ignore our shadow side completely we end up living lives rules by unconscious compulsions, never really making headway.
We all have a shadow or unconscious side, so we all have to do shadow work at some point. I would say go so far to say that shadow work is a crucial element to any spiritual practice.⠀
⠀
Sometimes the shadow is more relevant in our lives, while other times our focus should be on the lighter aspects. There doesn’t have to be a constant focus on the dark or unconscious, instead it’s all about balance.
⠀
However a big sign that you need shadow work right now is that specific lessons are repeating over and over, or your relationships are becoming cyclical. This is when the unconscious mind is ruling our lives, and we struggle to make healthy conscious decisions.⠀