New Worlds of Body, Mind & Spirit Since 1901
Shadow work is a term that is widely recognized as being rooted in Jungian psychology. It is commonly understood as a process of facing hidden aspects of ourselves in order to achieve greater understanding of our nature. However, this work is often cloaked in the idea or concept that we will need to face negative aspects of ourselves in order to gain more self-awareness. I agree, facing "negative" aspects of ourselves is absolutely a part of this process. However, I am suggesting that we need to identify who or what is labeling these aspects as "negative." Who is the judge in these situations? Is it societal judgements? If so, we must examine the society that classified these aspects as ...
As a Medicine Person (a shaman) from the Navajo Nation, I work with the shadow side of myself and other individuals all of the time. However, my approach is different from other forms of shadow work. Yes, I do approach shadow work from the psychological framework provided to us by Carl Jung and other great minds. However, as a shaman, I will approach shadow work from a more organic, natural world perspective. Within the natural world, everything that is in the light will cast a shadow. There is no shame, no blame, no embarrassment here. Shadows land in the natural world organically. And so, it is with us, we all have a shadow side, and that is natural. What are the nuances and benefits ...
The soul has many parts. With my work in shamanic practices, I have been astounded at the repeating presence of the number three. Various aspects of the number three will crop up in many ways on the shamanic path. For instance, there are three worlds in the shamanic universe: the upper, middle, and lower worlds. The shamanic healing process unfolds in three phases: the cleansing, the alignment, and the raising. Likewise, the psyche itself is comprised of three elements. This segmentation of the self is not just reserved for shamanic traditions. In Qabalah, the self is reduced to three expressions of being known as Nephesch (the primal subconscious), Ruach (the base personality), and ...
There is extensive literature on dreamwork, psychotherapeutic applications of dreaming, and, more recently, shamanic dreaming. In this article I explain what shamanic dreaming is and what you can use it for, such as your own development, for purposes such as creativity, or to help others. In this context dreams can include waking dreams or other visionary states, as well as dreams while asleep, all of which you can work with in the same way. Anybody can learn shamanic dreaming, although you still need to learn shamanic practices used in dreams (teaching of these may of course occur in dreams). A prerequisite for shamanic dreaming (or any other active dreamwork) is to be lucid and to take ...
