In the past month, I have had the opportunity to speak to many  people about how their summers’ have been going so far. Rather than the general consensus being wondrous sunny memories, many told me that old, painful issues had resurfaced in their lives.   It had been hard for them.  One person described it as like they were staring at shadowy versions of themselves. They didn’t like it one little bit. I have also faced my shadows with varied success.  It can be hard work but it’s worth it. That’s why I thought this was a great subject for this month’s article.

When we are forced to face those dark places within us that lay hidden away, it can be traumatic and scary. This healing work has to do with the resolution of our inner shadows.  I define a shadow as a part of ourselves that we judge harshly and wish we could eradicate once and for all.  We all have shadows that we try to forget about.

Shadow work can be tricky business.  We spend much of our lives running from our shadows.  For those of us embracing life’s journey, we will all be required to look at those shadowy aspects of ourselves eventually.  From my own experience, it can be very easy to get stuck while working with them.  I have done a great deal of shadow work in the past year and through this I learned so much about myself.  It was not a perfect journey for me at all. I tried several things to heal my shadows but got frustrated along the way. 

Here are a few of the ways I tried to do shadow work that did  not work:

Running is the first way I dealt with it. Like most things we run from, that doesn’t solve anything.  It seemed like the more I ran, the more I had to deal with.

Next I tried the head on approach to whatever I felt was a deficiency inside of me. That didn’t work very welleither. Doing this wasn’t at all self-loving as I sought to pummel all the
areas that I felt were not perfect. All this did was increase my shadows not decrease them.

Then I got more creative. I thought if I could amplify the light in me more, then the darkness would simply melt away. I wouldn’t have to face the shadow at all because I could change
it if I tried hard enough.  So I tried hard. But no matter how much light I created, my shadow was still there. It was as if it were taunting me.

Through trial and error I came up with a better way to embrace my shadows.

Here’s a few viewpoints to keep in mind while facing important unresolved issues in your life:

1. Make the decision to stop running. Running away from your shadows gives them more energy and power in your life.
   
   
2. Remember that your shadow is simply another part of you.  Try not to treat your shadows as an unwanted step-child. View this as another aspect of yourself. Not as good or bad
   but simply accept it as part of the spectrum of your human experience.
   
   
3. Realize how you are judging that particular aspect of yourself. Evaluate how you feel when you think of a particular undesirable trait. Does it make you
   feel weak? Less than worthy? Guilty? How you feel is important so you can resolve your inner conflicts.
   
   
4. Forgive yourself for your perceived failures. Embrace the idea that all things in life are not good or bad but are about growth
   and learning. Just as a child must learn through their experience, so must you.
   
   
5. Give yourself the gift of understanding.  We can sometimes understand with empathy the reasons other people make the choices they do, but not
   ourselves? Allow yourself the room to learn and grow without judgment.
   
   
6. Embrace your shadow self.  If we can gain the capacity to accept and give love to all of ourselves, we can liberate ourselves from layers of fear, doubt, anxiety,
   turmoil, pain, anguish and worry.

Remember that we exist in a world of duality. There can be no light without the dark. Our shadows serve a purpose. They illuminate the areas where we do not fully accept and appreciate ourselves. They teach us to be compassionate under all circumstances. When we view our shadow as worthy, we move from judgment to unconditional love for ourselves.

Invite your shadow to play.  Become like the child who chases after their shadow perplexed by the way it matches each movement in synchronicity. 

Let your summer days be filled with truth, light and love.

Take care and have a great month!

About the Author:

CJ Martes is an international healer, author and creator of Akashic Field TherapySM (AFT), an integral method of Soul Clearing that helps individuals identify and then remove subconscious negative patterns and beliefs at the mental, physical and spiritual level. Trained in Vibrational Healing and advanced Soul Clearing and inspired by Quantum Theories and Spiral Dynamics, her work blends Behavioral and Integral Psychology, Vibrational Medicine, and cutting-edge Western science to produce amazing results.

An accomplished writer and teacher, CJ has lectured and trained students throughout all over the United States. Using her healing gifts and AFT method to assist others in creating clarity of mind, body and spirit. She has touched the lives of thousands of clients both in the U.S. and in over ten different countries.

She can be contacted by visiting her website: www.cjmartes.com  or by calling (816) 841-4890.