Sometimes you need to be kind to the voices in your head. They are damaging, but they’re trying to help you in the only way they know how. Don’t listen to them, but hear the pain behind it. Bad self talk, intrusive thoughts, and negative thought patterns don’t go away overnight. Denying or pushing them down does nothing but make them stronger. You need to hold the parts of you that are hurting, even if they are trying to hurt you.
That said, sometimes you need to tell the negative voice in your head to go suck your balls because you’re too busy to deal with it’s shit. Sometimes you just need to walk away while giving a double middle finger. Sometimes you get done listening to their shit. Sometimes getting better involves getting angry.
The Shadow is the part of our psyche that we are born with, showing our darker natures. In Ancient Egypt, it was known as the Shuit. These entities do not usually look similar to us, but often appear as horrific or ugly humanoids or creatures. Throughout our lives, this Shadow grows stronger through our negative and traumatic experiences, and through us listening to their manipulations. Therefore, the Shadow is part of us, but is their own entity at the same time; an accumulation of all our pains, doubts, anger, and self-destructive desires. Furthermore, we all have two Shadows- one is this malevolent Shuit which is psychological-based, and the other is the Khaibit, our Dark Mirror. The Khaibit is not always hostile, but can also help us, and is there to make us stronger.
The Shuit Shadow seeks nothing but to always cause us more suffering, since it feeds off this and grows stronger. The only way to fight the Shadow is to stop feeding it, but this can be extremely difficult depending on how much your Shadow has grown over the years, since it entangles itself everywhere within you. In extremely rare cases, one’s Shadow may have a change of heart and choose to help their human self instead. But again, this is very rare and the vast majority of Shadows are always toxic and dangerous.
This dark part of our psyche is not ever to be underestimated. Because they are part of us, they know everything about us; every harmful detail about ourselves is known to them, even if we are currently unaware of certain things. They can use plenty of tactics to crush our hearts, but their style of doing this often depends on what your personal issues are, and what sort of Shadow archetype you have. The following are some examples of the archetypes:
Shadow Archetypes:
-The Abuser
This is typically the Shadow of someone who was hurt badly in the past, likely for many years. In response, you would become bitter and resentful, feeling betrayed by the world. Thus, your subconsciousness gradually empowered the Abuser Shadow, which in turn urges you towards the destructive tendencies of cruelty and selfishness. Deep down, you feel that everyone should hurt just as much as you have; why should the world be kinder towards the rest? This Shadow therefore convinces you that other people deserve to suffer, especially when you hit your lowest points of mindset or when you suddenly get triggered by someone. Such instances may cause you to become suddenly very angry, even to the point of making physical attacks. You may often dislike those around you, and are influenced by your Shadow to think and say scornful things towards others, especially due to your quick temper and impatience. The Abuser Shadow will have you lash out at anyone when you get triggered, even loved ones if it gets the chance. They may also tell you to try and be controlling towards others, using either manipulation or scare-tactics. Though you will always be its primary target, as it causes you to lose all the chances for happiness you could have had.
-The Director
This Shadow is cold and calculating, primarily focusing on strategic ways to bring you into a self-destructive spiral. It will quietly keep all your bad memories, thoughts, guilts, doubts, and fears organized, waiting for each perfect moment to bring them into your consciousness. It will carefully bring forward intense pessimism into your mind, tainting your perspective in order to destroy your happiness or any pleasant moment. This suddenly causes a wave of despair to wash over your vision, clouding you from your normal clarity and reasoning. This Shadow convinces you that it is always right, as they are very logical and can even provide "proof" for these things. This Shadow will strategically strip away all the things that make you happy through reasoning, showing you various examples as to why joy and hope are meaningless for you. It will distort your happy moments and even your loved ones, targeting things about them and your inner-weaknesses to try and force you into a dark, pessimistic perspective. The Director will often try to manipulate you into destroying your happiness through this way, sometimes it may even cause you to enjoy the downward spiral.
-The Freak
This Shadow is fueled by your self-hatred, often targeting your various faults and insecurities to make you feel ridiculous and humiliated. You likely felt ridiculed a lot while growing up, which helped fuel the strength of your Shadow, while also making you more likely to believe its toxic words. They love to say horrible things to you, making fun of whatever you do. And when people shun you or mock you, this Shadow is quick to point it out and make you feel even worse. The Freak will always want to make you feel like an outcast, a fool, and a nobody. "You're so weird and different from all of them, why would anyone like you or take you seriously?" it sneers. And not knowing any better, you usually listen, and feel deep shame. You beat yourself up for not being "cooler" or more perfect; nothing you do seems to be right. The Freak may also even convince you to do impulsive things that will cause you to look even more shameful, causing you to quickly regret your actions. This Shadow wants you to always hate yourself, causing you to never truly feel happy or even confident enough to go do what you want in life.
-The Leech
This Shadow is needy, childish, selfish, and overemotional. If you experienced a lack of attention and love while growing up, these experiences would have fueled your Shadow to make it even stronger. The Leech Shadow often likes to convince you to become starving for attention, especially from those who care about you. Jealousy may be common if those people spend time with others, as The Leech will try to convince you that you're being left out. If you haven't forced yourself to become more mature over the years, The Leech may likely cause you to throw tantrums when you don't get what you desire. You become so overwhelmed with frustration that your emotions may suddenly explode in this way. Though the irony is that The Leech knows very well that if you do this, or if you demand too much attention and become jealous easily, you will likely end up driving away your companions since your behaviour will become too toxic. This will leave you stranded many times, and even more starved for attention and love. This will fester inside you, and instead of channeling it in a healthy way, the Shadow will try to make you act out again and again.
-The Martyr
This Shadow is needlessly self-sacrificial and self-righteous. They will convince you that you are a better person if you sacrifice things for others, especially since you can handle the consequences better (supposedly). The Shadow will keep demanding that you give of yourself, claiming that you are helping the "greater good" and perhaps even saying that you are selfish if you look after your own needs. Other times, The Martyr may even tell you that your sacrifices have been pointless, and so you therefore have little purpose; if you wish to fix this, the Shadow tells you to sacrifice even more. Thus, The Martyr continues to urge you into doing more and more acts of self-sacrifice, until it finally kills you in the end. There is no nobility in this, as your life is your own, and is meant for you to evolve and learn, not to be wasted away on needless sacrifices. Of course it is noble to make a self-sacrifice sometimes, but only when it isn't overdone and when it is to help the deserving.
-The Monster
This Shadow is wrathful, stubborn, direct, and sometimes arrogant. If you experienced abuse or over-controlling parents while growing up, these experiences would have fueled your Shadow to make it even stronger. The Monster Shadow is very angry and often desiring to have complete control of their life, punishing anyone who dares come in their way. If anyone says or does anything that reminds you of past negative experiences, you may be quick to lash out (verbally or physically) to put the person in their place, even if what they did was actually well-meaning. The Monster tries to convince you that no one can truly be trusted, and that you are better off left alone. Anyone who tries to stand in your way deserves to be crushed. This Shadow may try to convince you that it is there to help and protect you, that it is the one who understands your rage and desire for power. Even if you don't consciously realize it, The Monster will come to remind you of those burning feelings during your darkened mindset.
-The Parent
This Shadow is often highly manipulative and falsely caring. If you experienced emotional abuse, over-controlling parents, or many emotional insecurities while growing up, these experiences would have fueled your Shadow to make it even stronger. It may also often try to mimic the tactics of your abusive parent. The Parent Shadow often speaks to your subconscious in a calm and seemingly protective way, saying how much they love you and want the best for you. Because of this, it tells you that many of the things in life are very dangerous, and you are better off avoiding them. The Parent convinces you to become afraid of doing many things that are necessary in life, such as tasks at work or meeting new people. It persuades you to feel as if many things and people are a threat, and therefore cannot be trusted. "Everyone else will just hurt you and let you down, so why try making friends or doing new things? Why not just stay safe and only do what makes you feel comfortable?" it gently says. The only one The Parent wants you to trust is themself. But in the end, if you choose to listen to this Shadow, you will end up lost in life and overwhelmed. Unable to meet the demands of society and unable to feel comfortable with people, you fall into a pit of agony and wasted potential.
-The Perfectionist
This Shadow is highly judgmental of you and demanding. If you had emotionally abusive, demanding parents who constantly told you to do better while growing up, these experiences would have fueled your Shadow to make it even stronger. The Perfectionist Shadow often brings up all your faults and things that your subconscious feels aren't being done good enough. It uses degrading words against you and torments you for not meeting your ideal standard, saying that you're nothing more than a shallow version of who you need to become. But nothing is ever good enough for this Shadow type, as they will always harass you into becoming better and better, even if the standards are impossibly high. Every mistake of yours is mocked, causing you to never truly feel good about yourself. The Perfectionist takes sadistic delight in bringing forth all your flaws, big and small, and having them haunt your mind, driving you mad as you try to meet your own expectations. But in the end, there is no way to please this Shadow, as it doesn't actually want you to become anything but an exhausted husk...burnt out from endless efforts. The Perfectionist indulges in making you filled with self-hatred and low self-esteem, forcing you to scrutinize everything you do until your mind is wrecked with stress.
-The Sloth
This Shadow is lazy and irresponsible. If you were often spoiled and didn't have many responsibilities while growing up, these experiences would have fueled your Shadow to make it even stronger. The Sloth Shadow often speaks to your subconscious in a calm way, trying to convince you that it is okay to rest often and not do some of your tasks. You have to look after yourself, why should others keep demanding from you? This Shadow may seem protective of you, telling you that you've already been through so much hassle and are deserving of plenty of relaxation. "It's your own life, isn't it? So why not live how you want and let others do the work?" it says. But in the end, if you choose to listen to this Shadow, you will end up lost in life and overwhelmed. Unable to meet the demands of society and unable to remain truly loyal in relationships, you fall into a pit of agony, inner-weakness, and wasted potential.
-The Indulger
This Shadow is highly impulsive and indulgent, always desiring more and more pleasures. The Indulger Shadow often speaks to your subconscious in an encouraging and tempting way, telling you how much fun it would be to do certain risky things, or how you need such things in order to be happy. The Indulger is never satisfied, and wants to make sure that you won't ever be satisfied either. Its goal is to make you so dependent on indulgences that you become addicted to them, enslaving you to these acts until you destroy yourself through them. But since you enjoy pleasures so much, it is often hard to resist, especially when your Shadow introduces another exciting new experience.
-The Submissive
This Shadow feeds off extreme insecurity and feelings of helplessness. It constantly tries to convince you that you are weak and in need of following another person, becoming subservient to them in return for safety. If you experienced any kind of abuse or many emotional insecurities while growing up, these experiences would have fueled your Shadow to make it even stronger. The Submissive Shadow often speaks to your subconscious in a demeaning way, telling you how incapable you are of facing the world and that you need someone to help you get through life. Its aim is to always make you feel weak and afraid, overwhelmed by your own freedom. So you then are influenced to seek out someone who can direct you and tell you how things are done.
-The Medusa
This Shadow is extremely envious, cold, self-centered, and spiteful. It feeds off your feelings of insecurity and bitterness, especially when you feel envy towards others. Envy is one of the most dangerous emotions, and although nearly everyone has it, those with The Medusa Shadow have it even more strongly. It is envy that seeps its way into the joys of others, it is envy that clouds one's mind from seeing the joys they already have, and it is envy that tears apart things that were meant to be gifts. It sows discord everywhere and makes one's own heart and mind vile, similar to the personality of Medusa. With this Shadow type, The Medusa whispers to your subconscious about all the things you lack and how much better others seem to have it. It constantly compares you with others, making you bitter and resentful towards many people. "Why should they be happy and not you? Don't you deserve such nice things?" it says with venomous words. These thoughts boil in your head, causing you to feel anger or even hatred towards even the innocent. But the treachery of the Shadow will likely make it so that you'll end up with far less than how you began. Envy rots everything, and if you submit to the toxic mindset of your Shadow, you will end up losing much, especially loved ones and various opportunities.
Basics of Shadow Work:
Shadow Work is extremely important for every person, it is essential for our well-being and self-understanding. This process of Shadow Work is a psychological assessment of ourselves, by delving deep into our subconsciousness and analyzing our various negative reactions to things. It is important to make note of your various negative emotions, self-destructive behaviours, and limitations. But remember, self-destruction comes in many forms, and we all take part in it in one way or another. When doing Shadow Work, ponder deeply on your reactions that are unnecessary or harmful (to yourself or others); ask yourself why you do them, then ask why you have that reasoning. Continue this until you get to the very root of the issue, allowing you to gradually pull it out from yourself by healing and reprogramming yourself to behave differently. For example, you may notice yourself becoming easily angered over certain things when with other people. Ask yourself why you feel that way, and you may get the answer that you feel you are being degraded or mocked, even if they don’t mean it. Ask why these reactions make you feel that way, and you may get the answer that it stems from being emotionally abused in the past, causing this toxic imprint and distrust towards others.
It is best to analyze yourself each day if you can, making sure to understand your negative reactions to everything…even if you feel you were in the right. Through doing these things, you can understand what you need to do in order to starve your Shadow, gradually shrinking them and making yourself stronger instead. You will never fully get rid of your Shadow while alive, but it will help you immensely to achieve personal freedom and wisdom. And for those who wish to pursue training in spirituality or magick, Shadow Work is one of the first things you should begin undergoing since it is impossible to rise past your limits and achieve your potential unless you defeat your Shadow first. If you do not do this, your potential and achievements in the spiritual path will be limited, and there will be many issues. So while you train in magick or spirituality, make sure to be doing Shadow Work at the same time, working relentlessly against your darker natures.
Conclusion:
At the very end of life, when we are escorted to the Underworld, we are placed through many trials. These trials are put in place in order to help us move on, and also so we can atone for our misdeeds. These trials will be lessened if we overcome our Shadow, and restrict ourselves in life from doing harmful things to ourselves or others. During this long process in the Underworld, one of the things we must do is confront and overcome our Shadow, but in person. The Shadow will try to attack us and rip us apart, which will cause us to reform and try again until we finally succeed. But the Shadow knows all your weaknesses, and unless you know all your weaknesses as well, you will have the disadvantage. Once you succeed, your Shadow will be permanently destroyed, and you will be free. So in the meantime, while you still live, remember to always strive to understand your Shadow, and what you need to do in order to cut away your limitations.
There are certain lifestyle habits that affect our brains. These habits can threaten the health of our brains significantly, even when the connection isn’t obvious.
From denying the brain important nutrients to the killing of brain cells and exposing us to mental disorders like depression or anxiety, as well as physical ailments like Alzheimer’s,…
7 negative habits you must stop in every child before they become adolescents
7 negative habits you must stop in every child before they become adolescents
It is important for us to understand that the way train our children in the early stage of life is critical for their destiny realization. That is, it determines the outcome of the child both in time and in eternity.
Note that children learn things very fast even more than the majority of the adult. So do your utmost best in inculcating them with the right knowledge and information.
5 Negative Habits That Is Killing Your Brain Slowly
5 Negative Habits That Is Killing Your Brain Slowly
Everyone and earth have the liberty to do whatever they want to do. But it is a pity that the freedom that we enjoy have led us to do a number of things which to may be detrimental to our brain of which we may not even be aware of.
Everyday we go about our usual activities with little to no knowledge of the impact it has on our general health.
Every day, the health of many deteriorates by the…
Dish away the Dirt: 7 Negative Habits Holding Back Your Positive Vibes
Dish away the Dirt: 7 Negative Habits Holding Back Your Positive Vibes
A positive state of mind leads to self-belief and assertiveness – it’s a given. I mean how many successful women do you see walking the walk, and talking the talk without an air of confidence? A positive attitude is something every urban girl on the path to success needs. Like any good trait, it takes practice to obtain. (more…)
