Shadow Work, Deconditioning and Magic

What is Shadow Work?

Our shadows are that part of us that lie dormant, that lie in the dark. That part of us which we’ve deliberately pushed aside or ignored. Our shadows carry the wounds of our ancestors and have been inflicted upon us, both knowingly and unknowingly. It is within our shadows that we find the resources to transcend suffering and find the key to our inner treasures.

Our society thinks shadow parts are all bad, but that's not really true.  Even the parts we reject about ourselves can have a purpose and that purpose is often to protect us in some way, it's pretty incredible, really. It's not just our "negatives" we can reject and choose to hide out positive qualities can be hidden away too.

The worst part is that this hiding takes so much energy and oftentimes, it doesn't even lead to the outcomes we were hoping for.  All it does is result in destructive behavior. 

That deep part of us all, our shadows, are powerful and insidious.  We can choose to ignore them, but eventually, if we don't take heed, they will take our power away, often times without us even aware of it.  To combat our shadows and keep our power, we must engage in a process of deconditioning. 

Luckily, Human Design can reveal these shadows, so that we can get to know all of true selves - the good parts and the bad parts.  We don't have to be scared of those parts we'd rather hide away - if we just take the time to get to know them, we can actually appreciate them and understand why they're there.

What is Deconditioning?

Have you ever felt like you’ve been carrying a heavy weight inside that you can’t get rid of?  Are you afraid of the shadows lurking inside you? Do you worry about what you might uncover when you look into the dark places of your soul?  

The shadows we carry, the darkness that often looms, can leave us feeling helpless, unable to move forward. That darkness can follow us, grow, and become a part of us, slowly chipping away at our spirit and our will. We watch, as we slowly lose ourselves to the shadows. 

Our shadows lurk in dark corners, wreaking havoc on our lives, derailing our growth and keeping us from reaching our highest potential. It can be a scary and overwhelming thing to accept. By understanding our shadows, we can also take responsibility for our own healing process and break down mental blocks as a result. 

But the truth is that deconditioning our shadows and facing them with courage and curiosity is a critical part of our healing journey.  Deconditioning is a process of deconstructing our old patterns and stories, untangling the webs we have woven in an effort to protect ourselves and replacing our old beliefs with more positive and healthy ones that can help us to regenerate. 

The journey of deconditioning is a journey of regeneration. A journey of self-exploration and discovery. We cut the ties and free ourselves from the internalized patterns, traumas, and conditioning that have held us captive and kept us stuck in a limiting perspective of ourselves and the world.

The first step in our own deconditioning process is to accept that we are enough as we are. Once we can accept ourselves, we can begin to examine our shadows; those parts of us that we fear to look at, that we want to hide from the world. We must be brave, and draw them out into the light of awareness until we can see them for what they are.

Deconditioning simply involves deconstructing and transforming what we could have inherited from our environment and in our context. By assuming responsibility for the stories that we have told ourselves over the years. 

Transforming the stories of our past, the parts of us that have suffered, is a powerful act of self-liberation. It’s a way of prioritizing ourselves and giving ourselves permission to heal. To regenerate and reawaken the forgotten parts of ourselves.

Deconditioning our shadows is a gradual and never-ending practice. It requires us to continuously practice self-inquiry, to create and implement a daily practice to wake up our inner-selves and to proactively make decisions that free us from the patterns of our shadows. We must face ourselves, returning to that innermost place of hurt, fear, shame and isolation and look within so we can safely and consciously choose our future.

It’s also important to remember that no matter how thick the shadows that surround us, we do have a choice. We can choose to either accept the darkness or decondition our shadows so that we can rise above them. Our shadows will be with us always but the power is in the choice that we make. We can decondition our shadows and reclaim the will to move forward in life. 

Deconditioning our shadows brings us back to ourselves and shifts what it is possible for us to experience and manifest in the world.  We create the potential to reconnect with our essence, and rediscover the parts of ourselves we have lost due to our conditioning. Deconditioning provides an opportunity to cast out our shadows and open ourselves to infinite possibilities and a renewed life.

The goal of deconditioning is to tap into our natural courage, strength, creativity and resilience - to reawaken our deeper essence. The pathway of deconditioning is one that that has the potential to regenerate the living spirit of our souls.  It allows us to reawaken to our highest potential.