It’s Groundhog Day and there’s so much more that we can learn from that adorable Punxatawny Phil than just the arrival of spring.
Folklore states that if the groundhog sees his shadow, he is frightened of a long winter and quickly burrows back to his hole.
Coincidentally, that’s exactly what we humans do when we’re about to come face-to-face with our shadow side.
We are TERRIFIED of what we perceive to be our negative characteristics and fears, that we hide from them, and bury them deep inside of our subconscious.
But it is precisely that which we avoid that has the power to transform.
Getting to know the inner (and darker) workings of our subconscious leads us to greater levels of awareness and empowerment. And our shadow side is not necessarily negative, but rather a neutral clue as to how we can transcend our perceived limits and soar to new heights.
Confronting our shadow side allows us to shine light on what is actually driving our decisions, and creating our current reality.
Neuroscience shows that 95% of our behavior and decisions are driven by the programming of the subconscious! Talk about “sleepwalking” through life!
Shadow work recently helped my client, Pam, to break free of the co-dependent attachment she had to her ex-husband. When we first started working together, she felt as though she would never recover from the loss of the marriage. She said,
“I’ve never really been on my own, and I’ve relied on others my entire life. I’ve always needed my husband’s approval for just about every decision.”
What we uncovered was that Pam’s fears existed long before she was married, and they ran deeper than needing validation on what type of car to buy or what color she should paint the kitchen.
Pam’s subconscious beliefs were that she was incapable of caring for herself and she doubted her ability to survive on her own. And although intellectually she could understand that her education, work, and life experience were worth a lot, her subconscious belief was that she was worthless.
After we exposed this truth, Pam was able to heal, and finally, allow her “inner child” to grow up. She worked on rebuilding her confidence and trust in her own abilities, so she could finally move on to living a more authentic and empowered life.
Shadow work is so powerful because revealing our inner shadows releases us from their toxic grip.
What awaits when we have cast the light on the shadow is nothing short of miraculous; we gain symbolic insight into the inner workings of the mind as it has been created through life’s experiences.
Liberation, empowerment, courage, and wisdom are the jewels of such deep excavation.