It’s October and we are on the darkening side of the fall equinox, when on September twenty-third, day and night shared equal time. With the diminishing daylight and increasing darkness, this time of year naturally invites more rest, reflection and shadow. “Shadow work” is something I had never heard of until I became introduced to and began studying Jungian Psychology.   Carl Jung (1875-1961), Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology, presented the concept of archetypes which refer to universal ideas, thought patterns or images that are present in the collective unconscious of all human beings. These archetypes are thought to be the basis of myths and stories of many ancient, and present, cultures and societies. Archetypal energies and images are richly used throughout the Tarot and I believe why I am so deeply drawn to it. The archetype I’d like to focus on here is Shadow.
Jung suggests that to become whole we must acknowledge and accept our shadow, the unconscious part of our personality that does not align with the “ideal” version of ourselves, the almighty EGO. I have had many dances with my shadow and I’m sure you have too, seemingly aware of it or not, it can appear in the form of pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth (which coincidentally or not are listed as the seven deadly sins, the classification of vices within Christian traditions) These less desirable traits bring out even more less desirable feelings, behaviors and reactions that stem from fear, anger, anxiety, judgement, shame, etc. Most people I know avoid their shadow like the plague. A decade ago, I leaned into mine and healed (accepted)  many parts of myself that felt vulnerable and wounded by allowing myself to feel vulnerable and wounded. This, my friends, is shadow work.
If this sounds interesting to you and you’d like to begin to explore your shadow, Tarot can be an astonishingly useful tool in helping you to see where your Shadow may be lurking. Your “shadow card” is most likely hidden at the bottom of your deck, just as it is stored in your unconscious mind until you pull it out. As an exercise, I like to use a spread that I call “Shadow and Light”. I just shuffled my tarot deck and revealed the top and the bottom card. My top card is The Star, symbolizing hope and optimism.  My bottom card, Four of Swords. This card can indicate the need for rest and recuperation and setting some much needed boundaries. However it’s shadow side can definitely mean complacency, retreating from life and an escape from feeling or responsibilities. Inactivity due to fear and anxiety is what comes to my mind with the shadow side of this card. Then, as an example of taking this exercise further, I wouldn’t merely look at this card but ask myself how is this related to me and my shadow. I might deny it at first, but deep down I know that avoidance is a fall back response for me because I don’t like confronting a situation that might make me or someone else uncomfortable. Again, as an exercise and perhaps a suggestion to you if your wanting to give this a go, I would leave this card out on a table or altar and glance at it throughout the day, letting it’s energy ruminate within me. I always keep a journal nearby so I can jot down a key word or phrase as it bubbles up. That evening, I’d look at the card again and read any notes taken. What am I hiding from? I’m pretty sure when we ask ourselves that question we know what it is and that’s precisely why we’re hiding from it.
But what if we didn’t? What if we embraced it? What if we said, “I know I hide from unpleasant responsibilities and uncomfortable feelings.” What are some different ways we could accept it as part of our shadow, and instead of pushing it away,  try and work on it a little so that that part of ourselves might see a little more light? Owning our true nature is the first step to living an authentic life and if we don’t bother to look at our shadow side, we simply won’t be able to live fully in the light. Remember that “ME” isn’t just the person we want others to see, “ME” isn’t the person we’ve worked so hard towards becoming if in that becoming we’ve lost our essence.  My wish for you is that you give yourself the gift of honesty and then act bravely towards accepting all of yourself; adjusting, aligning and expanding as you go.

In shadow and light,
Stellaluna