Flo Oya

Online rambles I’m too lazy to write in my journal and wanna be seen

[practice-is-praxis]

Planetary Days

These are some of the meanings, correspondences, deities, etc. associated with each day of the week. These can also be used for planetary hours. For example, if performing a working during the planetary hour for Jupiter, one could use the information listed under Thursday, the day that corresponds to Jupiter.  This is not a complete list. Consider this as a list of possibilities to add more layers, structure, effectiveness, and symbolism to your rituals, and magick. Not as necessities, or anything like that. Enjoy. 🖖  SUNDAY Works of: Wealth. Planet: Sun. Numbers: 6, 66, 666. Color: Gold, Yellow, Orange. Rules: Leo. Metals: Gold, All Yellow and Lustrous Alloys. Stones/Minerals: Tiger’s Eye, Topaz, Goldstone, Zircon, Citrine, Chrysoberyl. Trees: Pine, Walnut, Date, Oak, Witch Hazel, Mimosa, Acacia. Herbs: Sunflower, Chamomile, Yellow Rose, Chrysanthemum, Marigold, Eyebright, Pineapple, Mistletoe, St. John’s Wort, Laurel. Incenses/Oils: Cinnamon, Frankincense, Saffron, Vanilla, Heliotropin, Cashew, Copal. Element: Fire. Direction: South. Tools: Symbols, Lamen, Lance, Sword. Deities: Apollo, Baal, Belenus, Grainne, Helios, Lugh, Mithras, Horus, Osiris, Ra, Sol, Shamash, Vishnu. Angels: Michael, Raphael. Shape: Hexagon, Hexagram. Design: Radial Forms, Swirling Spirals. Concepts: Advancement, Dominance, Healing, Egotism, Friendship, Prosperity, Abundance, Illumination, The Self, Joy, Leadership, Power, Wealth, Success, Will. Intentions: Developing Harmony, Giving/Receiving Healing, Acquiring Money, Obtaining Patronage, Gaining Promotion, Establishing Peace, Increasing Wealth, Improving Willpower. MONDAY Works of: Mystery. Planet: The Moon. Numbers: 9, 99, 999. Color: Silver, White, Gray, Lavender, Purple. Rules: Cancer. Metals: Silver, Platinum, Yttrium. Stones/Minerals: Beryl, Moonstone, Alexandrite, Rock Crystal, Alabaster, Fluorspar, Mirror Glass. Trees: Willow, Coconut, Bay, Hazel, Papaya, Carob, Laburnum. Herbs: White and Purple Lilies, Hyacinth, Iris, Narcissus, Gourds, Peas, Beans, Turnip, Yam. Incenses/Oils: Camphor, Orris Root, Galbanum, Artemisia, Wintergreen, Eucalyptus Oil, Jasmine Oil, Aromatic Seeds, Ylang-ylang. Element: Water. Direction: North-West. Tools: Bow and Arrow, Magick Mirror. Deities: Artemis, Bendis, Diana, Hecate, Isis, Khonsu, Luna, Selene, Shiva, Sin, Ta-Urt, Thoth, Tivs, Varuna. Angels: Gabriel. Shape: Nonagon, Enneagram. Design: Circular, Crescent, Elliptical, and Maze-like. Concepts: Astral Work, Birth, Psychic Ability, Cycles, Divination, Dreams, Glamor, Illusions, Balance, Shapeshifting, Subconscious and Unconscious, Spirituality, Tides, Transformation, Transmutation. Intentions: Astral Travel, Safety for Birth and Children, Developing Psychic Senses, Increasing Intuition, Increasing and Remembering Dreams, Developing Glamor(s), Accessing the Subconscious and Unconscious Minds, Creating/Dispelling Illusions. TUESDAY Works of: Power. Planet: Mars. Numbers: 5, 55, 555. Color: Red, Amber, Pale Yellow. Rules: Aries, Co-rules Scorpio. Metals: Iron, Brass, Rust, Steel, Nickel, Strontium, Magnetized Iron Fillings. Stones/Minerals: Ruby, Garnet, Red Agnate, Bloodstone, Amber, Rhodochrosite, Red Jasper, Lodestone, Flint (worked flint particularly). Trees: Ash, Mountain Ash, Holly, Pepper Tree, White Fig, Mountain Mahogany, Arbutus. Herbs: Thistles, Cacti, Dandelion, Snapdragon, Stinging Nettle, Arrowroot, High John Conqueror, Bloodroot, Wild Ginger, Bamboo. Incenses/Oils: Opoponax, Dragonsblood, Nicotiana, Peppermint, Mustard, Cumin, Asafoetida, Turmeric, Sweet Woodruff, Galangal. Element: Fire. Direction: South-West, North-East. Tools: Anvil, Burin, Hammer, Scourge, Spear, Whip, Magic Sword. Deities: Aries, Bellona, Horus, Mars, Nergal. Angels: Khamael, Zhamael. Shape: Pentagon, Pentagram. Design: Zig-zag, Pointed Forms. Concepts: Anger, Atavism, Conflict, Courage, Ego, Energy, Passion, Sex, Strength, Vengeance, Vigor. Intentions: Controlling Anger, Enhancing Courage, Causing Discord, Increasing Energy, Dispelling Fear, Increasing Sex-Drive, Increasing Strength, Increasing Vigor. WEDNESDAY Works of: Mind. Planet: Mercury. Numbers: 8, 88, 888. Colors: Orange, Light Blue, Violet, Light Yellow, Mother of Pearl. Rules: Gemini, Virgo. Metals: Mercury, Aluminum, Aircraft Composites, Quicksilver, Lanthanum. Stones/Minerals: Fire Opal, Carnelian, Cairngorm, Sard, Banded Agate, Coins, Small pebbles, Skipping Stones. Trees: Birch, Aspen, Almond, Mulberry, Lombardy Poplar, Magnolia, Pistachio. Herbs: Marjoram, Lavender, Ferns, Medicinal, Castor Palm, Mandrake, Stillengia, Parsley. Incenses/Oils: Mace, Star Anise, Mastic, Sandalwood, Orange, Lemongrass, Lavender Oil, Fennel Oil, Walnut. Element: Air. Direction: East. Deities: Hermes, Mercury, Thoth, Ganesha, Nebu, Woden. Angels: Mikael, Raphael. Shape: Octagon, Octagram. Design: Segmented Shapes, Mirror Images, Countercharged Patterns. Concepts: Business, Communication, Deception, Flexibility, Healing, Hyperactivity, Magick, Memory, Music, Poetry, Protection, Psychopomp, Science, Speed, Theft, Travel, Trickery, Divination, Education, Mystical Knowledge and Insight, Predictions, Resourcefulness, Self-Improvement. Intentions: Business Success, Improving Communication, Preventing Discord, Exam Success, Developing Flexibility, Divination, Developing Influence, Increasing Knowledge, Improving Memory, Improving or Learning Music, Establishing Peace, Recovering Property, Public Speaking, Improving Mentality, Mental over Emotional, Writing. THURSDAY Works of: Expansion. Planet: Jupiter. Numbers: 4, 44, 444. Colors: Blue, White, Lilac, Shell-Pink. Rules: Sagittarius, Co-rules Pisces. Metals: Tin, Zinc, Antimony. Stones/Minerals: Sapphire, Lapis Lazuli, Amethyst, Labradorite, Turquoise, Aquamarine.  Trees: Oak, Cedar, Pine, Olive, Juniper, Hickory, Sassafras, Maple, Chestnut, Horse Chestnut, Lime, Sycamore. Herbs: Flax, Borage, Brook Lime, Liverwort, Green Ti Plant, Agrimony, Purple Betany, Sage. Incenses/Oils: Nutmeg, Clove, Pine Gum, Sarsaparilla, Hyssop. Element: Air/Water. Direction: South-East. Deities: Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, Jupiter, Minerva, Marduk, Indra, Amun-Ra, Thor. Angels: Tzadkiel, Sachiel. Shape: Square, Four-Pointed Star. Design: Regular Rhombic and Rectangular Forms, Parallelograms, Squares, Intersecting lines. Concepts: Ascendancy, Devotion, Enthusiasm, Ethics, Expansion, Honor, Fortune, Humor, Law, Politics, Expansion, Health, Growth, Increase, Healing, Spirituality, Fortune, Luck, Philosophy, Optimism, Opportunity, Generosity, Justice. Intentions: Developing Ambition, Career Success, Increasing Enthusiasm, Increasing Health, Improving Fortune, Improving Health, Improving Luck, Developing Ethics, Dealing with Law, Increasing Wealth, Gaining Promotion, Seeking or Promoting Truth, Spiritual Contact, Taking Responsibility. FRIDAY Works of: Beauty. Planet: Venus. Numbers: 7, 77, 777. Color: Green, Turquoise, Pink. Rules: Libra, Taurus. Metals: Copper, Bronze. Stones/Minerals: Emerald, Malachite, Peridot, Jade, Rose Quartz, Amazonite. Trees: Apple, Pear, Lemon, Lime, Orange, Cherry, Cinchona, Beech, Elder, Fig. Herbs: Rose, Hawthorn, Vervain, Myrtle, Columbine, Anemone, Strawberry, Periwinkle, Cyclamen, Foxglove, Tulip, Hibiscus. Incenses/Oils: Storax, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Valerian, Geranium, Licorice, Tonka Bean, Cardamom, Spearmint, Lemon. Element: Earth. Direction: Center. Tools: Belt, Girdle, Harp, Necklace. Deities: Aphrodite, Venus, Freya, Turan, Ishtar, Ushan, Lakshmi, Hathor, Bast. Angels: Haniel, Anael. Shape: Heptagon, Heptagram. Design: Branching Forms, Flowing and Harmonious Lines, Arabesque. Concepts: Attraction, Art, Beauty, Creativity, Culture, Emotions, Fertility, Grace, Inspiration, Love, Passion, Pleasure, Self-Confidence, Sensuality, Sexuality, Sociability. Intentions: Increasing Attraction, Developing Beauty, Increasing Creativity, Increasing Fertility, Developing Friendship, Obtaining or Promoting Love, Satisfying Lust, Increasing Passion, Pleasure, Self-Confidence, Improving Social-Skills. SATURDAY Works of: Form. Planet: Saturn. Numbers: 3, 33, 333. Color: Black, Brown, Rules: Capricorn, Co-rules Aquarius. Metals: Lead, Antimony, Tungsten, Zirconium, Cobalt, Titanium. Stones/Minerals: Diamond, Jet, Onyx, Basalt, Slate, Black Salt, Anthracite, Geodes, Obsidian, Pumice, Smoked Glass. Trees: Yew, Elm, Cypress, Pine, Ebony, Acacia, Pomegranate. Herbs: Violet, Trillium, Poppy, Nightshade, Horsetail, Amaranth, Mullein. Incenses/Oils: Myrrh, Spikenard, Guaiac Wood, Tamarind, Cassia, Patchouli. Element: Earth. Direction: North. Tools: Hourglass, Scythe, Scales, Sickle, Veil. Deities: Kronos, Saturn, Hera, Juno, Kali, Brahma, Ea, Uni. Angels: Tzaphkiel, Cassiel. Shape: Triangle, Three-Pointed Star. Design: Abstract based on Natural, Concentric Circles, Geometry suggesting Spatial Perspective. Concepts: Agriculture, Austerity, Binding, Conservation, Duty, Equilibrium, Formation, History, Legal Matters, Limitation, Patience, Practicality, Preservation, Prudence, Reservation, Restriction, Self-Discipline, Teaching, Time, Wisdom. Intentions: Banishing, Binding, Dispelling, Establishing Equilibrium, Performing Duty, Studying, Self-Discipline, Protecting Home, Developing Patience, Developing Practicality, Decrease, Teaching. Sources:  “Planetary Magick: The Heart of Western Magick” by Melita Denning, Osbourne Phillips. “Practical Planetary Magick” by David Rankine, Sorita d’Este.

[softheartremi]

It’s SATURN-day 🪐

Saturn is all about structure, accountability, responsibilities, authority, and karma.

🪐 May you achieve all of your goals you have set today 🪐

🪐 May you hold yourself accountable today. 🪐

🪐 May you receive the harvest you deserve and is owed to you 🪐

Weapons may form, but they never prosper.

🎰 ONE of the best day for protection spell work. Cleansing your space. Floor washing. Sweeping and recharging your home. Don’t forget to place your salt or red brick around the front and back door.. and around your window seals after cleansing.

Psalms 91:7-8

“A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.”

[punkylilwitch]

Warding Methods

General wards

Sigils

Moon water

Run water

Rain water

Holy water

Grave dirt

Salt

Crystals

Burning protective herbs

Growing protective herbs

Oils

PSI balls(around what needs protecting)

Spell jars

Personal Wards

Enchanted jewelry 

Pendants

Most glamor magick

Witches bottles

Poppets

Herb satchels

Spatial wards

Circles

Candles

Incense

Hearths

Outdoor decor(sigils, etc)

Nature

Waterways

Stones

Trees

Herbs

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/531565562272684814/

[hillbillyoracle]

Shadow Work 101: Ruminating vs Reprocessing

I need to start this off with my usual disclaimer that I am not a therapist and really underline it here. I speaking on this based purely on my own experience and a little bit of reading I’ve done on the subject. It in no way constitutes a expert opinion. (Also it’s 3 in the morning here, so even if I was an expert, this would not exactly be optimal material here)

However, it’s important enough that I want to at least bring this part of shadow work up because I realized recently that I’ve not addressed it very explicitly.

When you’re working with difficult memories and even trauma in your shadow work, it is incredibly important to evaluate whether you’re reprocessing the memory when you bring it up to explore it and sit with it.

What I mean is usually in going through old memories there’s this discovery process, where you suddenly see your past experiences in a new light. But it’s important to then move to the next part which is reintegrating that memory in a way so that remembering it isn’t painful or causing dysfunction. There are a ton of ways to do that. Therapists have a ton of tools at their disposal to help with this so if you can see one, I highly recommend it. But tarot is also a good way to begin to reexamine and reintegrate these difficult memories. Spreads can help you see those memories in new lights and help balance out the intensity of our negative thinking.

However, there’s something I’ve seen with some folks where they’ll almost obsessively recall memories and do not reprocess them. Or they’ll bring up more memories than they can possibly do any sort of reintegration work at a time. This can be overwhelming and even damaging in my experience. It can lead to folks freezing and shutting down. It can wind up being used to justify poor behaviors that might have sparked the exploration in the first place, keeping the person locked in their dysfunctional patterns.

That sort of obsession without reprocessing is called rumination. Where you feel as if you can’t stop thinking about a difficult memory or that you have to in order to prevent something bad from happening again. Rumination can almost become a form of self harm depending on how it manifests in a person’s life. If when someone messes up they then recall a bunch of times they’ve messed up and they don’t follow that up with any sort of reframing, it’s essentially like yelling and humiliating yourself. Rumination, even in it’s milder forms, is highly correlated to depression and, at least in my experience, can totally stall the shadow integration/healing process.

So when trying to figure out if you’re ruminating or reprocessing a memory, here are some questions:

When you recall the memory, do you see it in a new more compassionate light (reprocessing) or do you feel as if that’s the end of line, there’s nothing more to do (rumination)?

Afterward, do you feel lighter and more relieved (reprocessing) or do you feel heavy and shameful (rumination)?

When you’re thinking about the memory, do you account for the complexity of the situation (reprocessing) or do you find yourself believing you or another person was all good or all bad (rumination)?

While these aren’t perfect in their wording, they’re at least a start. If you find yourself ruminating a lot, there are a host of strategies you can use to cut down on it. One option, is just not doing memory work until you’re better able to manage that rumination. Sometimes we push ourselves too far too fast and we just need a chance to recoup in order to get back to reprocessing. There’s plenty of other shadow work skills to work on in that time - keeping small daily promises, describing things neutrally, breathwork - that don’t require you to bring up memories in order to be helpful.

If you’re really in a rut, I recommend TMS journaling - stream of consciousness journaling for 20 minutes with the focus on writing down things we’re afraid to admit to other people and then deleting or destroying it - twice a day. It’s been incredibly helpful for me to break the habit of rumination. Another option is talking for 20 minutes into a camera if journaling that much is too difficult. My question and answer method I wrote about can also be helpful here.

But maybe you’re like some folks I’ve talked to and you’re realizing you don’t really know how to reprocess a memory. While I definitely recommend a therapist above all else, one way can be to select a card as a signifier for the memory, shuffle you deck, find the card, and the cards on either side will offer a different framing for how to think about it. You can also check out some of the spreads I’ve posted under shadow working in my free resources. Working with stuck points if you’re in a good enough place can also be one way to shift the needle forward.

So I just wanted to put this out there for folks who might not realize their shadow work is actually rumination heavy and as something to consider if you’re stalling out in your shadow work. I really hope you all are well and I’m looking forward to writing more about this in the future.

[knifenymph]

inner child work 7/6/20

i was asked to explain what inner child work looks like for me 💗 so heres a little explanation and run down ✨ 

what is inner child work? inner child work is a form of shadow work in which you acknowledge your “inner child” (the younger version of yourself), and work through the traumas you accumulated in your childhood. based on the conditioning and traumas we picked up as children, we tend to act out of those cycles, even if they are harmful. 

why is inner child work important? inner child work is very important because it helps us release those fears and traumas. acknowledging and honoring your inner child helps provide you with a sense of peace within your current self. shadow work in all forms are crucial to spiritual development, and inner child work is a branch off that tree.

how do you do inner child work? the practice can look different for everyone, but i will provide some examples on what it looks like for me:

i will think of a traumatic/hurtful childhood memory, and imagine my current self standing in front of my younger self. i tell her all the things i wish i knew/i wish i had heard in that moment. telling her that she is loved, she is cared for, she doesn’t have to change herself to receive attention, she is worthy, she is valued, etc. this practice always brings me to tears, as i am letting go of those traumas and hurts

i envision myself holding my younger self, allowing her to feel safe and loved within my arms.

i tell my younger self that i am proud of her and show her who she has the potential to become. 

i indulge in the “childish” things i was unable to do when i was younger. for example, expressing myself through yelling and being loud, putting myself first, taking time to take care of myself, resting, dancing, being silly, etc

i have written more on this topic here 💗 i hope this helps, best of luck 💗 

[hillbillyoracle]

Shadow Work Skills to Develop

Shadow work can feel very…vague to talk about. There’s a bad habit of just kind of handwaving things and hoping people figure it out on their own. Part of that is that it’s so intensely personal. It’s so hard to come up with things that will work for everyone. The other part is that I want people to experiment and add to what we know about shadow work so I don’t want to be too prescriptive in how I teach others to do it.

So, for this post I wanted to dig into some of the most basic skills I use in shadow work in the hopes it’ll help people no matter which methods or paths they take.

Describing Events Neutrally

I put this one first because I think it’s the most important and the more difficult. Our emotions cloud how describe events to ourselves and others. For us to look critically at actions or words, we really need to be able to describe them without intent or emotion. Now, I’m not saying to leave that out entirely, I’ll get to that next. But you have to be able to get a clear view of what was done. This is so important when working with anything that might be triggering. We are too used to describing events with the goal of justifying thoughts, feelings, and actions and in shadow work it helps to break that instinct where you can.

When you can describe events neutrally to start with, it’s easier to see whether the feelings where in line or out of line with what happened. Were you way over reactive? Maybe under reactive? It’s easier to judge that when you have a neutral account to work with.

To practice, try listing out some events as they happen neutrally. An example might be after a tense interaction with someone, listing out what was said and done. If you can, get someone who was there to look at it and someone who wasn’t there to look at it and see what they say as far as how factual and neutral the account is.

Naming Feelings

Many many people cannot tell you what they’re feeling. There’s a myriad of reasons for this but no matter where it comes from it hurts shadow work. Your mood is like an internal weather system, you need to be able to do shadow work that’s appropriate for the weather. How you dig into things if gonna be different if your reaction to feeling trapped is to give up and binge movies or to lash out in anger. Gotta know what you’re working with.

It’s absolutely vital that you practice naming your emotions in day to day life. I did a week where I had an alarm go off five times a day and I wrote down what I was feeling in a note on my phone. A lot of my entries were “I’m not sure”. The practice showed me how often I have no connection to my feelings at all and prompted me to get to know them better.

Try using a feelings wheel or a feelings chart at least once a day to get used to checking in with yourself and putting a name on it.

Defining What You Want

We live in a society that has a very complicated relationship with wants. People often say we live in a consumerist society but we don’t often talk about what that’s done to us psychologically, to be so consumptive. There’s a lot of morality around them too that we internalize. We identify strongly with what we want. We define ourselves through our ambitions and our goals. But it means what we really want gets lost in the pursuit of shaping our desires to be acceptable or admirable. We ignore our desires that don’t fit with our narratives which is such a block to shadow work. How can you work on what you won’t let yourself be conscious of?

You have to understand that you and your desires are not one in the same. Just because you really want to enact violence on someone for what they’ve done doesn’t make you a bad person or a mean person or what have you. It’s a natural human desire. That doesn’t mean that’s it’s justified just that you are not bad for having those thought or desires. This extends to other things people don’t like admitting they want – finding other people more appealing than their partner, wanting someone who’s wronged them to suffer, wanting more for yourself even if it means someone else goes without – they’re all desires we have from time to time.

Practice writing what you want out on paper. Remind yourself you don’t have to act on it and that it’s better to be aware of it so doesn’t sneak into the driver’s seat. It’s important to break the idea that we’re owed what we want or that we have to act on what we want. Desires, much like feelings, come and go. But they’re important to be aware of while they’re here.

Taking Responsibility

I still am unsure of how to describe how to do this. It’s really distress tolerance at it’s core; learning to be okay with not being okay. Because where I see people going wrong with responsibility in shadow work is that they either explain everything away with context or they go it’s all my fault and it’s so terrible I can’t do anything about it.

Part of taking responsibility is being able to answer the question “What do I owe in this situation?” If your answer is always nothing, you’re wrong. We are social creatures, we’re only here because we evolved the intelligence to work closely and creatively with other members of our species. We do owe each other things in any interaction. It’s important to practice thinking about what those things are. Equally important is thinking through what you don’t owe as well.

Practice sitting with your mistakes when they happen and trying to think what’s owed in this situation. Shadow work depends on our ability to take responsibility for the roles we play in what keeps us stuck.

Pattern Recognition

I don’t know that I have much explicit advice for this category other than it’s incredibly helpful. Seeing your patterns is really key to zeroing in on automatic behaviors or thoughts. Pattern recognition is kind of like playing Minesweeper. It gets you a little closer to what you’re trying to uncover without having to step right in it and maintain yourself to be reflective.

Journaling can be really great for this. If you see yourself writing about the same actions or feelings or thoughts again and again and again. Going back through old conversations where you’re venting might give you some clues.

Whenever you find yourself frustrated you keep doing something, take note. When are you doing these things? What does it offer you? What does it protect you from?

We don’t do things repeatedly if they don’t serve us in some way which can be hard for us to admit.

Compassionate Problem Solving

So you’ve dug up these unpleasant truths about yourself, what’s a shadow worker to do? The only way forward is compassionate problem solving. Which is best summed of for me as working with yourself, not against yourself. I’m reminded of permaculture – the problem is the solution.

An example of this in my own life was ADHD. Once I finally realized what I was dealing with was ADHD, I spent several months ignoring it completely and being shocked when I couldn’t will myself to be “normal”. I felt a lot of shame. It was only when I started accepting where I was at and then going okay what can I do that things started to shift. “Okay, if I know I’m gonna forget my keys what can I do?” I put spare house keys and car keys in my car so when I inevitably forgot them somewhere I could call AAA and I’d be able to drive home. “Okay if I’m gonna forget my papers what can I do?” I made digital backup galore so I could access them and print them off at the last minute on campus. My life got so much better with the approach.

Wherever you’re at there are things you can do to make it better going forward and it’s important to get creative and stay reasonable. Getting triggered frequently? Make sure you have a cool down list of some kind on your phone. Too scared to grab groceries by yourself? Grab a buddy or order them and pick them up. Spending too much time in bed because you’re depressed as shit? Set a 5 minute timer and do one thing to make your life better. Literally all of these are personal examples.

There’s always something you can do. Small wins are still wins. Count them. There’s no need to be cruel to yourself while doing shadow work. Practice coming up with at least three different ways to respond to issues that you face. Even if you know a solution isn’t the one you’re gonna take, get used to putting out more than one “right” answer. In shadow work, there’s always more than one path.

Conclusion

I hope this is helpful. A bit rambling, but I think I could have used a post like this when I was starting out. Shadow work gets very individualized, very quickly, but I’ve yet to talk to anyone who wasn’t using at least a few of these in their personal shadow work journey. Hope these skills and how to practice them help!

If you liked this post, consider tipping me here.

[tabithalovesstuff]

10 Prompts for Shadow Work

🌒 🌕 🌘

Keep track of your feelings from day to day. Record how you felt and try to pin point why you felt certain ways in different situations. How could you habe handled it better? Why did you react the way you did?

Write a letter to your past self, or your future self. Then break down your thoughts on why you said the things you did. Address any emotions that pop up during this process and record them. Why did you feel that way? What events in your life made you right what you did?

Are you living true to yourself? Are you changing who you are based on who you're around? What are those changes? Why do you make those changes?

Are you holding on to something or someone that you should let go of? Why do you hold on to it? What are steps you can take to let go of it?

What are your fears? Your REAL fears not just spiders or heights. Why are you afraid of those things? Are there any steps you can take to lessen that fear?

How do you treat the people in your life? Is there anything you could do for them to better your relationships? Are you being a positive, healthy influence on their life or are you being a toxic one? If toxic, what changes are you going to make to your behavior to stop being toxic?

What do you wish other people knew about you? Why do you keep it hidden?

Are you healing from past traumas and or incidents or have you just distracted yourself? What healthy ways could you address unhealed trauma in order to move to a healthier place?

Make a list of people you don't like. Why don't you like them? Are they actually bad or do you see bad parts of yourself reflecting in them and that's why you don't like them? Be honest.

Write down everything that happens to you in a week that makes you feel bad in any way. Examine this list and ask why certain events make you feel bad.

BONUS: Write down what you believe about a variety of things (from religion and karma all the way down to relationships and your career path). Why do you believe those things? Are these feelings set in stone or are you willing to accept alternate views? Why or why not?

Remember Shadow work is all about unlocking your subconscious. This helps you understand yourself better which is important for many different aspects in witchcraft, and your star seed will thank you for it.

🌟 🔮 🌟

[sacerdotessa]

HOW TO SPOT TRAUMAS AND FEARS IN A BIRTH CHART pt.1 🦇☕️

⚠️ If you want to repost this on your Instagram, please tag the creator: @sacerdotess4 on IG⚠️

Pay attention  to the 8th HOUSE:

The 8th house is all about fears, taboo, the dark side of the human mind and what’s hidden. It’s connected with Scorpio and associated with Pluto, the planet of regeneration and rebirth, it suggests that we’re all able to find the key for heal our traumas and win over our fears.

First, look at the sign on the cousp on the 8th house, here some examples (maybe I’ll explain in another post and in a more detailed way what does the sign on the 8th house cousp mean):

Aries 8th house: fears related to taking action, defining your individuality, competition, doing something exclusively for yourself, expressing your anger, impulsive behaviors.

Taurus 8th house: fears related to your own stability, expressing yourself in a creative way, expressing the sensual side of your personality.

Gemini 8th house: fears related to communication, expressing your opinion, being chatty, being superficial, not feeling smart enough.

Cancer 8th house: fears related to your roots, your family, expressing your emotions, being vulnerable.

Leo 8th house: fears related to self-expression in general, standing up for yourself, being extra, taking leadership, vanity, feeling confident, expressing yourself through art.

Virgo 8th house: fears related to rejection, being criticized, responsibility, respecting high standards, not feeling smart enough, being imperfect.

Libra 8th house: fears related to cooperation, relationships, connecting with other people, love, loosing your balance.

Scorpio 8th house: fears related to secrets, not being able to know what’s happening around and inside of yourself, jealousy, expressing your sexuality, open up, intimacy.

Sagittarius 8th house: fear of missing something, not living your life at the fullest, being trapped, not being able to experiment and have the opportunity to learn.

Capricorn in 8th house: fears related to taking responsibility, not working/trying hard enough, showing your emotions, open up.

Aquarius in 8th house: fears related to showing your authentic side to the world, feeling weird, not being able to “fit in”, being different, loneliness.

Pisces in 8th house: fears related to chaotic situations, deep emotions, love, explore your dreams, explore your spiritual side, losing yourself.

Look at the position of Pluto in the birth chart:

The position of Pluto in a specific house of your birth chart suggests how you can heal your traumas. Pluto can be a tricky planet, it’s connected to karmic lessons and can be challenging keeping on repeat the same lessons again and again until you change the game in a definitive way.

Pluto in 1th house: define your identity, find your authentic self and don’t be afraid to express who you truly are, open up with others, accept unconditionally your unique way to independence is the key.

Pluto in 2th house: find your comfort zone, guarantee yourself a stable lifestyle, develop resilience and try to set reachable goals for yourself, try to express yourself through art.

Pluto in 3th house: speak your mind, connect with people around you, share your ideas, relationships are important for your healing journey, write down your emotions, heal the relationships with your siblings.

Pluto in 4th house: understand and nurture your emotions, heal the relationship with your family, understand your roots and practice unconditional love, heal your inner child, feel a sense of belonging with your community.

Pluto in 5th house: heal your relationship with your inner child or surround yourself with children, give yourself the opportunity to “act like a kid” again, work on being spontaneous and less shy, express yourself through art and theater.

Pluto in 6th house: follow a healthy lifestyle, eat well and drink more water, do gym, work on your goals and dedicate your energy to a project or volunteering, connect with animals.

Pluto in 7th house: establish healthy relationships with others, define healthy boundaries with others, open up, establish 50-50 relationships based on mutual respect and cooperation.

Pluto in the 8th house: establish a healthy approach towards sexuality, explore your spiritual side and activate yourself in a direct way towards your fears, be honest and don’t fear your deepest thoughts.

Pluto in the 9 th house: expand your horizons through  travel and education, learn is the key for healing your trauma, connect with new realities, explore your spiritual and philosophical side.

Pluto in the 10th house: find your goals and work hard to achieve them, you can heal your wounds through a carrier that makes you feel happy and aligned with your highest goals, you need a lot of structure and to work on your approach to responsibility.

Pluto in the 11th house: you need to find a community and work with people that shares your same view of life, find a place where you can feel a sense of belonging and community, don’t isolate yourself and open up with others, you can heal your wounds through friendships.

Pluto in the 12th house: you need to explore with your spiritual side, work on your internal dialog, try to sleep well, analyze your dreams and trust your intuition, your spiritual gift will guide you through the healing process.

[eclipsednodes]

SHADOW WORK SIMPLIFIED

What is shadow work?

If I had to describe shadow work in one word, it would be introspection. Introspection is the examination of your own mental state and is necessary in order to learn more about your fundamental nature. Although it may sound off-putting and even scary at first, shadow work is a necessary component in the process of healing. We all have aspects of ourselves that we’ve rejected and hidden away out of fear. Through shadow work, we’re able to reflect on our thoughts, emotions, and habits so that we can find the root cause of our suffering and heal ourselves. By reincorporating those aspects of ourselves that we’ve denied, we feel more fulfilled and can begin to love ourselves fully. 

Where does shadow work come from? 

The concept of the shadow self comes from Carl Jung who believed that our shadow self is the subconscious aspect, or “dark side”, of our personality that our conscious ego doesn’t identify with. However, I would like to clarify that “dark” does not imply or equate with bad. That which resides outside of our consciousness can be either good or bad, but aren’t inherently reflective of our value or “goodness” as a person. 

Although these repressed aspects of ourselves can manifest negatively, it isn’t because those parts of us are “bad”, but that the process of repression is inherently painful and toxic. This is reflected by Jung when he states, “Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is.” He believed that until we’ve merged our conscious and subconscious selves, that our conscious would be “the slave of the autonomous shadow”. This is due to the shadow self overwhelming our conscious selves by falling victim to our own self-imposed traps. 

Through assimilating this shadow self, not over-identifying with it, Jung believed we go through the process of enantiodromia, thereby integrating the subconscious by reincorporating our shadow selves into our personality and allowing us to solidify ourselves through wholeness. He best described this by stating "assimilation of the shadow gives a man body, so to speak.” However, don’t fall into the misconception that shadow work is a short-term practice. Shadow work is a continuous practice and integration of the shadow self is a will take place throughout your life.

How do I do shadow work?

In the last question, I identified that practicing self-reflection is a key component of shadow work, but what does that mean? What am I supposed to be reflecting on? Well, the first thing that you should focus on is being present throughout the day. Identify feelings that come up throughout the day and observe them objectively. What situation or interaction triggered these emotions? How did I react to those emotions? Were my emotions controlling me or was I in control of my emotions? Why did this situation or interaction cause me to feel this way? How did I cope with those feelings (self-harming, lashing out at others, communicating my feelings, journalling, etc.)? Did I punish myself for getting upset? If so, why? 

There are numerous ways to reflect on your feelings and experiences in order to get a better understanding of yourself. Through evaluating how you react to situations, which situations upset you, and how you managed those feelings, you’re able to build the foundation to understanding your emotions and bridge the gap between your subconscious and conscious mind.

Once you’ve done this, you’ll find that the emotions you feel in the present are reflective of unhealed emotions from your past. Perhaps the reason you feel that you’re unable to set boundaries as an adult is because as a child, your parents never respected your boundaries by going through your phone or diary, yelling at you when you said no to a request, forcing you into situations that made you feel you had no choice. 

By identifying the root cause of your emotional pain, you’re able to address it in the present and heal from the trauma. The simplest way that I’ve found to address them is through journalling. You can purchase a physical journal or even use your notes app, either way, you’re writing out your feelings and reflections to gain deeper insight. It’s important to remember that this looks different for anyone and that the best way to approach shadow work is by doing what feels most natural! You can choose to stick to self-reflective journal prompts, vent about whatever is upsetting you, write letters to whoever has hurt you, etc. Ultimately, you can guide yourself based off of what you feel you need and where you are in your journey.

What parts of yourself do you find yourself rejecting the most? Many of us have experienced the pain of rejection in some aspects of our lives and sometimes, it’s incredibly painful and leaves us with long-lasting wounds. We end up going through our lives carrying baggage that we don’t even know we have! Many times, I’ve found myself wondering why I felt so repulsed by aspects of myself and why I felt so strongly that they needed to be locked away forever. I couldn’t allow myself or others to see my truest self, my whole self, out of fear. I was scared of being rejected, shamed, humiliated by the people around me. I was scared of hurting other people by being myself and of being hurt by others. That’s no way to live, is it? When we tell ourselves that aspects of ourselves aren’t good enough, we end up going through life devaluing ourself. We’ve broken our own trust by rejecting ourselves, we’ve told ourselves that we aren’t good enough or worthy of love. In shadow work, you’re called to go inward and unpack everything that we’ve kept hidden for years and sometimes even decades. 

Bring the parts of yourself that you’ve repressed to the surface and nourish them with love, allow yourself to see that ALL OF YOU is deserving of love and support. For you, that could mean unlearning your unhealthy beliefs about food or eating, allowing yourself to be emotional around the people you love (despite how much you were told that you were too emotional, a crybaby, too sensitive in the past), allowing yourself to relax without feeling guilty about not being productive because you recognize your needs (even though you feel your sense of worth is tied to being productive at the cost of your own health).

Common misconceptions about shadow work?

Shadow work is evil or bad, the shadow is evil or bad 

The purpose of shadow work is healing through working with your subconscious to release repressed aspects of yourself and heal from painful, traumatic experiences. Your shadow side is simply your unconscious and to believe that it’s bad is to believe that you are bad. It’s merely the part of yourself that you aren’t aware of consciously and shouldn’t be feared. 

Certain emotions are “bad”

When you let go of the idea that emotions are either good or bad, you’ll allow yourself to just be and stop putting so much pressure on yourself to feel “good” all of the time. Happiness isn’t a constant state of being so stop expecting to be all of the time, we have a range of emotions for a reason so stop being ashamed of them. Your feelings are natural and if you feel like they’re out of control and something to be ashamed of, there is nothing wrong with that! It’s okay to feel like your emotions are controlling you because that isn’t permanent. Your feelings aren’t permanent and are completely manageable with proper guidance! The reason you feel like your emotions are controlling you is because you probably don’t have the knowledge to cope with them in an effective and healthy way. It’s helpful to sit with your emotions alone and look at them objectively without placing any judgement on them, this will help you calm down and assess your feelings. From there, you can identify what you need to relax and recover as well as acknowledge to yourself that your feelings are natural. When you stop categorizing your emotions as bad, they’re no longer shameful to experience and therefore you can see with better clarity how to cope with them and move on.

I’ve already released it so…

Why am I still upset?

Why does it still keep popping up in my head?

Why haven’t I moved on?

Why am I not making progress?

With the rise of self development and spirituality, I find that more and more people are rushing to complete their healing. Healing is a continuous, life-long cycle and not a destination. Putting the pressure on yourself to reach the place of ultimate healing is not only toxic, but it impedes your ability to actually heal anything. Healing is about love, compassion, and patience and it’s not going to happen according to a timeline. Allow yourself the time to experience your emotions, see them objectively, forgive yourself and others and move on without the pressure of expectations. 

 Another reason that you could be experiencing this is that despite the work you think you’ve done, it hasn’t been sufficient. I’ve found that a lot of journal prompts provided online are surface level at best and can be more pacifying than revealing. If you’re not feeling anything while doing your inner work, you’re not doing it correctly. Ultimately, this is about uncovering what makes us UNCOMFORTABLE and moving through those feelings. When you allow yourself to experience the sadness, hurt, anger, and/or frustration than you’re telling yourself that these feelings are okay and don’t need to be suppressed. The reality is that no matter what you’re feeling, you are allowed to experience those emotions and it’s only human! Unfortunately, many people associate lower vibrational emotions as bad, but this is a huge misconception! Telling yourself that anger, sadness, etc. are “bad” implies that you shouldn’t experience these emotions and that you have to get rid of them which is not only wrong, but unhealthy. There is no right or wrong emotions so don’t buy into the belief that you should feel a certain way, simply allow yourself to be and you’ll find that it’s much easier to navigate your emotions and needs. The only way to make it to the other side is by wading through the water, be patient and know that you’re feeling exactly what you should be. When you stop censoring yourself, you’ll discover a newfound sense of freedom and wholeness. 

 If you find yourself circling back to certain topics, for example, your ex-boyfriend than perhaps there are triggers in your environment that remind you of the situation, you have more that needs to be addressed that you may not have been ready for or aware of previously (hence why shadow work is a practice that is ongoing), or they’re representative of a deeper issue that you’re repressing. Whatever the cause is, the same methods as earlier will apply and can be discerned through your own intuition. 

What are some basic journal prompts that I can do?

What feelings come up when you think of ____?

How did that experience make you feel emotionally? How did it make you feel about yourself? How did it make you feel about the other person or people?

Write a letter to yourself, your inner child, the people who’ve hurt you, and the people you’ve hurt. Express how you feel honestly, without holding back and then forgive yourself and the other person.

If you could say anything to yourself or another person for closure, what would it be?

How have these situations and experiences impacted your mental health? How have they affected your belief system about yourself, other people, and the world?

What about yourself are you ashamed of? What about yourself are you embarrassed of? What about yourself makes you angry? What do you regret? Why do you feel this way about yourself and where do these feelings stem from?

What makes you feel most alone? What makes you feel most loved? How can you incorporate that knowledge into your life to make it better?

What’s the most hurtful thing someone has said or done to you? Why did it hurt you so much? How does it still affect you now? How can you heal from it and allow yourself to move on?

What do you need to forgive yourself for? What do you need to forgive others for?

Where do you feel you lack security in your life? Why? How does this impact your life and your relationships?

This is a list of generic prompts for you to start with, but feel free to message me if you need help with more specific topics or I can make another post altogether for journal prompts.

[noweyesee]

Shadow Work

Origins, Meaning and Utility

The Structure of the Mind

Carl Jung theorized the existence of three levels/spheres in the human psyche: the Ego, representing the conscious mind, the Personal Unconscious where memories are contained and the Collective Unconscious, where all knowledge and experiences of the species are shared.

Each Sphere has in it a certain number of Archetypes, used to better describe the components of those structures, and the Shadow is one of them.

What is the Shadow

The shadow can be seen as a instinctual or primitive part of ourselves, it exists as part of the unconscious mind and is composed of repressed ideas, weaknesses, desires, instincts, and shortcomings.

It is this archetype that contains all of the things that are unacceptable not only to society, but also to one's own personal morals and values, normally going against social norms and rules as well as what we personally consider right.

The Shadow is often described as the darker side of the psyche, representing wildness, chaos, and the unknown, and it is common for people to deny this element of their own psyche and instead project it on to others.

The Shadow in Witchcraft and Benefits of Shadow Work

Art: Unknown

The Shadow, in witchcraft, can represent The Unknown, hidden depth of ourselves. Speaking in terms of energy, this is an area that can be a deep source of energetic issues, because it’s locked up in the dark and always striving to reach the light.

To not work with one’s Shadow is to make it greedy and aggressive, as well as denying a big part of oneself, making everything a half of a whole.

Through that brief explanation, we can already establish the importance and role of the Shadow in witchcraft, and with that in mind, comes the concept of Shadow Work.

Shadow Work can be seen in a number of practices, meditation, trances, inner journey’s, lucid dreaming, astral travels, spells and divination.

The method can change, but the principle is simple: Centering your intent to self discovery, self knowledge and self acceptance.

Working with one’s Shadow is not only beneficial to one’s craft, as it allows one to get in touch with their intuition as well as allows for easier connection with one’s guide/guides, but it also allows for healing and acceptance of one’s feelings and needs.

Think of all aspects of life as a wheel. If there is one part bent, the wheel can turn, but with more effort. If the owner spends time fixing that bent part, the wheel will turn in a much more smooth manner.

That is what happens when you take the time to do Shadow Work, you have to put in effort, and most of the time it’s not easy, but once done, all other components on the wheel of your life will be relieved to move on without that obstacle that makes their job harder.

The Shadow is not evil, as evil is just a moral compass invented by humans. It is a part of one’s nature, and to deny it is to supress a connection with yourself.

Take the time to know and accept your shadow, and you’ll see that life will be a little easier.

References:

A Natureza da psique (Structure & Dynamics of the Psyche) by C.G. Jung

The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious by C.G. Jung

[annieskywalker]

💸 Abundance flows to me with ease 💚 I attract all forms of green into my life 🔮 The Universe works in my favor

Have a blessed day everyone! ✨🐍

[daspiritualist]

Apologi without a changed behavior means nothing to me.

[prinnay]

Bubbles

[daspiritualist]

So after all this time. I am finally feeling free. I feel like me. I feel on top of my world. Leaving this narcissistic, manipulative and emotionally unintelligent man alone. Nothing he can say or do will keep me around for him anymore. I’m not his Schism. I will not take on his void

[lovelolla]

[daspiritualist]

Goals. And I know I am gonna make them happen. Just have to lose the dead weight

[daspiritualist]

Dear Saturn Return 🙏🏾

With my foundation crumbling, I ask for guidance on building an even better/stronger, more supportive one.

Asè

[daspiritualist]

I’m ready to leave this relationship and soar again. I’ve realized from the jump he was gonna keep me from expressing myself and from the jump I knew he’d NEVER leave this state. Which is fine, he’s allowed to live his life his way. I’m just ready to live my life my way. With travel and hiking and spiritual retreats and so much more. I will never allow myself to be caged like this again.

[hotlineamy]

So Whatcom Falls Park is GORGEOUS

[daspiritualist]

I miss this place so much