Dear Reader,

Learning about the Golden Shadow, our untapped and submerged potential, was great, because it gave me a name for what I see so many people, especially women, repressing in their shadows.

The term Golden Shadow was coined by certain Jungians after C. G. Jung first described the Shadow, because there appeared to be a lot of misunderstanding about what the Shadow is and some felt a term was needed for the gifts of the Shadow.

That’s the thing about shadow work: So many people are put off by it, because they falsely believe their Shadow is full to the brim of all the parts of themselves they don’t like, or they think society won’t like about them, or the things they’ve done that they feel bad about.

Well, the good news is this really isn’t true at all. The bad news is that this means so many people aren’t living their best, most empowered existences. And I think we can all agree, the world needs great empowered creative people, healers, thought leaders and contributors now more than ever.

So, how does the Golden Shadow work? As the human psyche tends to project our Shadow outwards onto other people, many of us, instead of recognizing our own talents and strengths, project it onto people we admire. We see all our own qualities in them and ignore them in ourselves.

Step One – when you feel in awe of someone, a friend, teacher, celebrity, politician. etc., ask yourself and journal about what is it you so admire in this person?

Step Two – Ask yourself and journal about when and why you may have disowned these same qualities in yourself? What had caused you to dim your light? Be as honest as you can.

Step Three – Journal about the hidden parts of yourself that have these qualities, too. Ask yourself what steps you can take to nurture and develop these qualities instead of projecting them outwards onto others. Notice what feelings come up as you do this.

Step Four – take yourself back to a moment in your life where you chose smallness over greatness, passivity over creativity, or when you silenced your voice. Once you have the situation in your mind’s eye, re-create it with you choosing to step into you power in whatever way that looks like to you.

Th imaginal realm is one of the ways our unconscious communicates with us and vice versa. Through the power of imagination, we can reclaim our strengths and gifts instead of letting them languish in our Shadow.

Join Florian and I for an amazing live-online weekend of positive shadow work in “On the Scent of the Shadow" - Connecting with Your Unconscious through Your Sense of Smell. On November 23rd 24th. Book now so we have time to send you the aromatic kit included in the class.

Cathy