Shadow Work & Pluto Retrograde

April 22 - Sept 30th, 2018

At the end of this first week of Pluto retrograde we have a giant exclamation point–the full moon in Scorpio, ruled by Pluto itself. I’m but a budding astrologer, and my language around these things is still being built, but even I can say: IT’S POTENT! Use this full moon to integrate the lessons you’ve been working on and struggling to make changes to support. This full moon is what prompted my thinking about the potential of committing to shadow work at this time. Pluto retrograde brings out the best in Pluto in a lot of ways: the heightened intensity and greater focus make for greater insights into the subconscious. This focus could be a valuable resource to you in your shadow work, if you’re so inclined. Pluto wants you to come into your highest power. It wants you to destroy what isn’t working, to initiate what will. That doesn’t make it easy work, but it does make it available to you if you’re willing to do what’s necessary.

What this period of time looks like will be specific to you. Take a look at where Pluto will be transiting on your natal chart to get an idea of what areas of your life will be touched by this intensity.

But regardless, it’s a time when we’re all encouraged to reflect on our attitudes and our emotions, especially around the themes of power (personal and non-personal), radical change and rebirth, what lies in the depths of the soul, and magic. Y’know… Pluto goodness.

You may find your capacity for working with your shadow higher than usual, and the fruits of the labor greater. BUT–beware burnout. Pace yourself. Chew your emotional food, so to speak, so that it can be properly digested.

[Supplies List]

[Suggested Directions]

SET UP.

Get comfortable somewhere, preferably where you know you won’t be interrupted for a while. Any place that feels safe and good to you will work. Bring a cup of tea or that blanket you love, light some candles, bring a talisman, make a supportive potion, whatever feels right.

GROUND.

Do some kind of grounding exercise or ritual. If that isn’t part of your practice right now, I really encourage you to look into it and start. Shadow work can kick up a lot of dirt and shake your foundation, so making sure it’s strong to begin with is just good sense.

DIVINE. If you use divinatory tools, bring them into the process! I like to switch it up–sometimes I pull a rune or a card or three before I do my journaling/meditation, sometimes after. DEDICATE. If you work with ancestors, spirits, dieties, etc., consider dedicating your work to them if it’s appropriate. Ancestors in particular are likely to be invested in you and your growth. If you feel accountable to something beyond yourself, you may be more inclined to continue the work.

CLOSE. When you finish writing/meditating on a prompt, clean up your supplies, do a cleanse of the area if that’s part of your practice. Thank anyone you called into the process. SELF-CARE. You did some heavy lifting, so give yourself a reward. A walk in the woods, a bath, ice cream… something that feels nice and nurturing. CHECK-IN. A hour, a day, a week after doing shadow work, check in with your feelings. Are you having echoes of emotion from the digging? Are you feeling more sad, irritable, forlorn, or angry than usual with no discernible reason? Do more self-care as needed, talk to a friend (ask first before dumping emotions on them!) or therapist about your process if it feels right.

[Suggested Prompts]

If the areas you feel urged to address aren’t covered on this list of prompts, make or find different ones! Your exploration of self is intensely personal, it’s not a one-tumblr-post-fits-all experience. 

SELF-LOVE. What do you love about yourself? What have you accomplished? What depth of resources and skills do you bring into the world? What does the world have to say about that ability/skill? Is it valued, or underappreciated (by you? others)? How does it make you feel? ENDINGS. What is ending in your life right now? How are you dealing? Where are you resisting that ending and where are you encouraging it? STEPPING UP.  What areas of your life have been asking more of you? How have you been answering that call? What have your feelings around this been, and where are they coming from?

LIES. What’s the last lie you told? Why did you tell it? How did you feel about it then vs now? CONNECTION. What/who do you want to be more connected to? Why? What stands in your way?

MASKS. In what ways do you hide your true self from the people closest to you? Why? RELATIONSHIPS. What wounding or detrimental patterns exist in your relationships and partnerships? 

CHOICES. How do you make the hard choices when they present themselves? How has that turned out for you? For those close to you? 

COMRADERIE.  What makes you feel close to people? What conditions have to be met to feel close? What builds that feeling? EX-FRIENDS. What has ended meaningful friendships in your life? What actions or feelings are behind that? What have you learned from these experiences? POWER. How is power exerted over you on the day-to-day, and on the wider societal level? What is your relationship with power like? What areas of your life does this affect? How does it affect your relationship with your personal power? PERSONAL MYTHOLOGIES. What is a story about you that is told, but not entirely true? Do you tell it, or do others? If others tell it, do you correct it or perpetuate it?

BAD HABITS. Is there a habit you have that you wish to change? Do you actually do anything to alter that behavior? Where did you learn it? How does it affect you?

APOLOGIES. Do you apologize? How often and for what? ANCESTRY. What in your family history is waiting to be healed? Is it your job? HELP. In what ways do you receive assistance in your life? In what areas could you use more help? Do you know how to ask for it when you need it? What narratives exist around assistance that impact you?

ROLE-MODELS. Who do you look to for guidance? What are their strengths and flaws? What lessons have you learned through them?

[Encouragement]

Shadow work can kick up a lot of feelings and shit to process. Take your time. Excavating the shadow isn’t a race. It took your whole life to build and bury it–how could it all be teased out over the course of 5 months? The point is learning about who we are at our deepest and most vulnerable and integrating it–and that has to happen at your own pace or not at all. For that reason, I’m not setting a suggested deadline or timeframe for any of these prompts.

That said, good luck in your work! I hope that shadow work and Pluto retrograde bring opportunity, depth of understanding, and unexpected growth to you all. It’s an intensely personal work and totally valid to keep to yourself, but feel free to share with me! I like hearing about other people’s process.

Shadow Work.

Shadow work is the proccess of transmuting ones suppressed aspects of ones self. Unconscious habits or some buried thought patterns inside it. 

When someone is not getting their shadow integrated they tend to be naive and is not their whole self anymore, thus, not being the best version of themselves.

Integration of the shadow could be a dangerous process. What’s even more dangerous is having an unintegrated shadow. This is a lifetime process and should be studied carefully. There’s no going back after you’ve started it.

Fundamentals of Integrating the Shadow Self

The first and most important step is admitting that you have a shadow self: stop being unreal and all fluffy living inside a rainbow and admit that there’s a dark part of yourself that needs to be balanced with your light self (lets assume).

To proceed, the next step is to look for triggers: anything that triggers negative emotions or makes you feel uncomfortable. This could be anything and it could be  thoughts and actions of your own, or someone elses. Look for similarities and start connecting the dots.

Then, you need to ask yourself questions: why am I responding this way? and where has this way came from? this is to know the root cause of that thought pattern, and it is very powerful and necessary in order to move into the next step.

Last but not least, Be the destroyer and the healer: Take the limiting beliefs and start asking: what is this belief causing me? is it serving me or not? then destroy it. Destroying a belief has multiple ways, but for me the most powerful way is to say: I reject that thought. you could say it out loud (and it’s more powerful) or you could say it in your head. Be attentive and creative about it.

How to Love Yourself More

1. Set aside some time to think through why you feel you’re not good enough, or don’t deserve to be loved. Then actively counter each of those reasons. This is a really crucial step for you to take.

2. Make a list of at least 5 of your positive traits and strengths. Each day, add at least 2 more items to your list.

3. Commit to only saying positive and affirming things about yourself – your appearance, your personality, your abilities, and so on.

4. Each day, tell your body how much you appreciate it.

5. Hold your head high, smile, look people in the eye, and always speak slowly, and with confidence.

6. Have the courage to list and face some of the worst mistakes you’ve made, or some of the challenges you’ve found hard to overcome. Then, gently admit to yourself that you are not perfect. In fact, none of us is perfect, and we all start from different places in life. What has been hard for you may have been easy for someone else. Choose to not be so hard on yourself.

7. Go through your closet and experiment with your clothes until you find something that you feel really good in. Choose to wear that – and to buy other outfits that make you feel good about yourself. Get rid of clothes that lower your self-confidence or self-esteem.

8. Learn to listen to your body and mind, and treat what they are saying with kindness and respect. If you are tired, rest. If you are feeling emotionally drained, then withdraw and do something that will help to build you up.

9. Do something nice for yourself each day. Go for a jog, get your hair or nails done …. Whatever makes you feel good about yourself.

10. Give yourself permission to say no to the things that make you unhappy, or that sap your energy.