Shadow Work

Guidebook
Steps to Becoming Whole

Jessica Cross
Copyright 2015 Jessica Cross
All rights reserved.
 DEDICATION

To my parents who support me down all my paths.

 Forward

You do not need to have any specific spiritual belief to

benefit from this workshop. I do not dismiss or propose any
specific spiritual belief. What I do, is throw every tool
available at my brain when I feel stuck or have a problem to
overcome. I feel the most powerful tool is guided
meditation. It helps us to tap into parts of our brains that we
cant access when we try to think something out. It may
also help us to God(s) and/or the energy or spirit all around
us that can help guide us.
I use astrology and moon cycles to help set goals and
periods of activity and relaxation throughout the year. I
also use personal astrology to consider the way I may be
thinking about a problem and the vastly different ways
people can think and behave.
Stagnation is my enemy, and so guidance towards different
ways to think and perceive the world is what keeps me
growing. I use tarot and oracle cards in this way. They help
to look at problems in a different light and to sometimes
surrender our need to have all the answers and be in control
of every situation. Whatever your beliefs about why these
tools help, they work to help change your perception!
If you are watching a video workshop and are unfamiliar
with ASMR, I will give a short explanation. I will begin each
guided meditation session with an ASMR ritual to help you
relax and get into a meditative state.
Many people experience a tingling sensation on the back of
their head in response to a whisper, soft spoken voice,
personal attention (even through a video or audio recording)
or certain relaxing sounds (triggers). This is an
Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR). This
sensation (tingles) causes a feeling of well-being, relaxation,
and helps many people to sleep. ASMR is a popular
relaxation technique for anxiety.
 Introduction

What is your shadow? Your shadow is the part of yourself

that you have tried to push away or ignore. It is not
necessarily good or bad, but it is a part of you that you
dont acknowledge. Often as children we learn that we need
to act a certain way to be accepted. We therefore push any
parts of ourselves that dont fit that mold aside. As adults
we have the option to embrace those aspects of ourselves
again and become whole!
As children we see the world as black and white. If we have
to act one way to be good, than the opposite is bad,
and needs to be suppressed. Say you grew up in a
household that valued quiet; being noisy and standing out
may have been deemed as bad. This is not some sinister
plan set up by those raising you, just a noise level
preference, but the result may be that as an adult you
struggle to voice your opinions and stand out in a crowd.
Some shadow aspects are caused by trauma, and we may
learn some lessons that are very hard to undo. Our brain
may have learned that it is very unsafe to try and access
these parts of our shadow. We all learn these lessons while
figuring out how to function in this world as children, in
loving and not so loving families, from friends, teachers,
extended families, books, and television, really anything that
happens to touch and resonate in our young and malleable
brains.
We also can form shadow as adults but a fully formed adult
brain has an easier time recognizing that we have formed a
shadow. Those parts still need to be accessed and reclaimed
but the shadows formed as a child a harder to access.
Those shadows seem to have always been there and we
dont always remember their creation, so they seem to just
be truth.
What if we dont access our shadow? Often we lose
important parts of ourselves and those parts may act out in
order to get attention. Have you ever had an angry outburst
or a crying jag that was out of proportion to the situation?
That is usually your shadow trying to get your attention.
Accessing your shadow can feel scary but remember, it is
already part of you, and often a part that needs healing in
order to rejoin you as a supportive part of your whole
psyche.
Reaching for the shadow is an important process if we are
going to become the whole adult we want to be. We want to
choose who we are, not have it dictated by someone else.
Often our shadow aspects are scared children who need a
hug. They need to be appreciated for how the tried to help
us growing up, and they need to know that they can come
out and will be heard and supported. The shadow will rear
its head regardless of whether you acknowledge it. Would
you rather put your arms around your shadow and tell it you
understand, or have it periodically take over your body or
prevent you from accessing some parts of your talent and
abilities? Dont fear your shadow, it is you, but it is much
easier to handle when you know it!
Meditation Tips

Meditation takes practice just like any other skill. Many of

us have one of our senses that we can tap into easier in
meditation. It may be feelings, colors, smells, textures,
words or visuals. Use whatever you get in a meditation to
begin your practice. Eventually each of these senses will be
easier to access when in meditation. The most important
thing is not to negate what you feel, see or hear.
Many people who struggle with meditation do so because
they discount what they experience. Whatever we tap into
in meditation often speaks through the reality we are familiar
with. You may see clips you know are from films you have
seen or books you have read. You may see fairies or
dragons even though you do not believe these entities exit.
Go with it! You are being taught in a way that you can
understand and access. If you dont negate what you are
seeing I promise you that by the end of the meditation you
will have learned something that you did not know before
you started. Let the message come to you in whatever form
it needs to, even if it is silly or clich. Enjoy your time in
meditation and have fun!
Meditation: Raven

Get comfortable sitting or lying down. Take a deep breath

and close your eyes. Picture yourself walking through a
forest. Hear the sounds of leaves under your feet. Smell the
crisp air and the forest scents. See the light of the sun filter
through the trees as you walk on a path through the forest.
Soon you see a clearing ahead. In this clearing there is a
large tree the size of a small house.
Near one root of the tree there appears to be an earthen
staircase heading down into the ground. Walk down this
staircase and onto a path that leads through a tunnel, just
light enough to see through from a few holes to the sunlight
above. Soon you enter a part of the tunnel that is darker,
as there are no holes above and you seem to be sloping
downwards. This tunnel is soon lit by sunlight that seems
to be coming from the end of the tunnel. The end of the
tunnel appears, and remarkably leads to a clearing within
another forest. You are now in the lower realm.
As your eyes adjust to the sun you see a beautiful meadow
surrounded by trees. Look into the sky. Does it look the
same as the sky on the physical realm? How does the sun
look here? Are there any other differences here from the
land above?
Soon you notice, to the side of the clearing, a large Raven
standing on the ground. It comes closer to you and you see
that it has a piece of meat in its beak. It looks directly at
you and then turns its head towards the forest. It hops a few
feet away and then pauses. It looks back at you as if
waiting for you to follow; it then hops farther away and
you do start to follow. It begins to fly but stays low to the
ground and allows you to keep up. Raven leads you into
the forest and after a short walk flies to a nest up in a tree.
The nest is about half way up the tree.
You begin to climb the tree and find it much easier than you
expected. As you reach a limb across from the nest you see
that the Raven is feeding the meat to her young. You
recognize that Raven will find sustenance from almost
anywhere. Raven is not squeamish, and has adapted to
digest even the most unpalatable meal. Raven has learned
to survive where others could not.
As you look at Raven you see the rainbow of colors
reflected off her jet black wings. She lets out a cry. It is
loud and not at all lovely. Raven does not care if you like
her cry. Raven will call and sound alarms without concern
for how she is received. She calls again as if to reinforce
this fact.
At her third call she looks at you and raises her beak as if
to indicate that it is your turn. Reach for the branch above
you and stand on the limb where you were sitting. Think of
something that you have needed to say but have been
worried about how it would be received. Is there a
boundary you need to set or a truth you need to tell? Take
this time to shout that truth to the world.
Raven calls to you again, offering encouragement and
raises her beak higher. You feel strong as you climb up to
the limb where you were holding on and stand. Shout your
truth again, or shout another truth you need to express.
Raven calls to you again and raises her beak. You feel
powerful as you climb one limb higher up the tree and
stand. Shout your truth to the world without worrying
about the response, as it is the only voice you have. Look
out over the forest and see that no trees have toppled due to
your words. Breathe in the crisp air and feel the wind that
still blows despite your truth.
Climb back down to Raven and thank her for her gift.
Climb down the tree and begin to walk back towards the
clearing. It is not far and you have no trouble finding your
way. Head for the tunnel and make your way back up to
your realm.
Think of your fears about speaking your truths. Have they
changed since meeting Raven? They may change or
continue to change throughout the week.
Rise and begin to walk back down the path through the
forest. Soon you begin to hear the sounds of the room
where your physical body waits. Start to wiggle your
fingers and toes and feel where you are sitting or lying.
When you are ready, open your eyes.
After each meditation find a way to ground yourself and
return to your physical body. You can eat or drink
something. Feel your extra energy sinking into the earth. Go
outside and touch the ground with your feet and give your
energy to a tree or other plant. Physical exercise can also
help return you to your body. Find something that makes
you feel connected to your body and the earth so you can
go on with your day.
 Workbook

Write the first thing that comes into your head when reading
the questions below. You can go back and change your
answers after further thought but our first reactions are
often the most truthful.
Name three traits in others that really irritate you:
1.
2.
3.

What was the last situation where you feel you really over
reacted?
What do you like most about yourself?

What do you like least about yourself?

What three traits do you most admire in others?

1.
2.
3.
Meditation: A Tiny Dose

I want you to get comfortable and close your eyes. Take a

deep breath and find yourself in a library room. This may
be a room you have visited before or someplace totally
new. You notice that next to a fireplace there are two chairs
facing one another. In one of the chairs there is someone
you care about. This someone also has a trait, or many,
that really bother you. Sit down in the chair opposite this
person.
Neither of you speak but you may be able to hear each
others thoughts at some point. I want you to look at this
person and think of all the adjectives that you would use to
describe an irritating trait this person has, focusing on
aspects of one troublesome area. So, if this person is
irresponsible, you would focus on words like; unreliable,
unfocused, off in their own world, selfish, etc. Think of all
the aspects of that annoying trait.
Now you can hear the thoughts of the person you are with
and all the adjectives they would use to describe an
irritating trait of yours. This may focus on the opposite of
their annoying trait. For the example above, the thoughts
about you, if you are responsible are; rigid, inflexible,
domineering, bossy, etc. Dont take these too personally
but just realize how others may see this trait in you.
Now think about the ultimate extreme of your guests trait.
What terrible conclusions could this trait lead to? What
are your fears of having this trait? For the example above it
could be; losing your job, estranged from family, losing
money, addiction, etc.
What if you were to take a 1% dose of the trait of your
guest? It would not bring you anywhere near your ultimate
fears but what would it give you to be a tiny bit more like
your guest in this regard. Are there any positive aspects of
this trait that you would like? What are the personal
benefits of having this trait and would a tiny dose really
hurt you? Following the example above, how would it feel
to worry less about the expectations of other, allow yourself
to be more free, and to allow yourself to make more
mistakes?
Your guest hands you a tiny cup, will you drink? If you
have a guide in the room you may ask any questions about
this interaction. Has it changed the way you feel about
your guest?
When you feel ready hear the sounds around you, wiggle
your fingers and toes and open your eyes.

You may wish to write in a journal the adjectives you used

for each of the meditation questions and your conclusions
after the meditation.
 Exploration

In Astrology, the North Node is where you are going and

the South Node is often seen as the negative patterns from
childhood or past lives that you need to leave behind.
Sounds like the shadow, right? These are the challenges
you keep trying to overcome. The lunar nodes are
the orbital nodes of the Moon, that is, the points where
the orbit of the Moon crosses the ecliptic of the sun path in
the sky.
So what are your North and South Node? Your North Node
is easy to find with chart below based on your birth date.
Date
Sign
Jan 1, 1940 - May 24, 1941
Libra
May 25, 1941 - Nov 21, 1942
Virgo
Nov 22, 1942 - May 11, 1944
Leo
May 12, 1944 - Dec 3, 1945
Cancer
Dec 4, 1945 - Aug 2, 1947
Gemini
Aug 3, 1947 - Jan 26, 1949
Taurus
Jan 27, 1949 - Jul 26, 1950
Aries
Jul 27, 1950 - Mar 28, 1952
Pisces
Mar 29, 1952 - Oct 9, 1953
Aquarius
Oct 10, 1953 - Apr 2, 1955
Capricorn
Apr 3, 1955 - Oct 4, 1956
Sagittarius
Oct 5, 1956 - Jun 16, 1958
Scorpio
Jun 17, 1958 - Dec 15, 1959
Libra
Dec 16, 1959 - Jun 10, 1961
Virgo
Jun 11, 1961 - Dec 23, 1962
Leo
Dec 24, 1962 - Aug 25, 1964
Cancer
Aug 26, 1964 - Feb 19, 1966
Gemini
Feb 20, 1966 - Aug 19, 1967
Taurus
Aug 20, 1967 - Apr 19, 1969
Aries
Apr 20, 1969 - Nov 2, 1970
Pisces
Nov 3, 1970 - Apr 27, 1972
Aquarius
Apr 28, 1972 - Oct 27, 1973
Capricorn
Oct 28, 1973 - Jul 9, 1975
Sagittarius
Jul 10, 1975 - Jan 7, 1977
Scorpio
Jan 8, 1977 - Jul 5, 1978
Libra
Jul 6, 1978 - Jan 5, 1980
Virgo
Jan 6, 1980 - Sep 24, 1981
Leo
Sep 25, 1981 - Mar 16, 1983
Cancer
Mar 17, 1983 - Sep 11, 1984
Gemini
Sep 12, 1984 - Apr 6, 1986
Taurus
Apr 7, 1986 - Dec 2, 1987
Aries
Dec 3, 1987 - May 22, 1989
Pisces
May 23, 1989 - Nov 18, 1990
Aquarius
Nov 19, 1990 - Aug 1, 1992
Capricorn
Aug 2, 1992 - Feb 1, 1994
Sagittarius
Feb 2, 1994 - Jul 31, 1995
Scorpio
Aug 1, 1995 - Jan 25, 1997
Libra
Jan 26, 1997 - Oct 20, 1998
Virgo
Oct 21 1998 - Apr 9, 2000
Leo
Apr 10, 2000 - Oct 13, 2001
Cancer
Oct 14, 2001 - Apr 14, 2003
Gemini
Apr 15, 2003 - Dec 26, 2004
Taurus
Dec 27, 2004 - Jun 22, 2006
Aries
Jun 23, 2006 - Dec 18, 2007
Pisces
Dec 19, 2007 - Aug 21, 2009
Aquarius

Use this table in order to approximate the sign of the North

Node for a given date. If the date falls on the date of a
changeover of signs, you will need to have a chart drawn in
order to find the correct sign.
The South Node is the exact same degree of the opposite
sign in the zodiac of the North Node. Therefore:
If Your North Node is in:
Then Your South Node is in:
Aries
Libra
Taurus
Scorpio
Gemini
Sagittarius
Cancer
Capricorn
Leo
Aquarius
Virgo
Pisces
Libra
Aries
Scorpio
Taurus
Sagittarius
Gemini
Capricorn
Cancer
Aquarius
Leo
Pisces
Virgo

These are just to think of what things in your life you may
need to let go of so if your Node does not resonate with you
look at others to find one that might be more accurate for
you. These descriptions below are a very small picture of a
possible part your personality and not your entire birth
chart.
If your South Node is:
VIRGO
You may struggle with being domineering, conservative,
argumentative. You may worry a lot and dislike noise and
chaos. You may also be shy and pessimistic. You may be
hard to please and always need the last word.
SCORPIO
You may be jealous and possessive. You may hold grudges
and be self-centered at times. You may struggle with
obsessions or being overly emotional. You may have too
many secrets.
LIBRA
You may not be able to make up your mind and give in to
others too easily. You may be very gullible. You may hate to
be alone. You may procrastinate. You may be overly
flirtatious.
ARIES
You may be very impatient. You may be easily angered
and/or easily bored. You may be egotistical and sometimes
selfish.
AQUARIUS
You may seem unemotional. You may be very stubborn.
You may be overly eccentric and rebellious.
GEMINI
You may be very chatty and prone to gossip. You may be
argumentative and outspoken. You may sometimes be
nervous and tense. You may seem superficial or
inconsistent.

LEO
You may take over everything and be very bossy. You may
be overly confident in your own abilities or overly sensitive.
CANCER
You may be moody and emotional. You may be shy,
protective and overly cautious. You may be easily hurt and
have little self-love.

PISCES
You may be secretive and vague. You may be overly
sensitive. You may be dreamy and unrealistic. You may be
distracted easily and not detail oriented.

CAPRICORN
You may be shy and reserved. You may act before you
think. You may be pessimistic and seem unfriendly. You
may hold grudges. You may feel the need to always get
what you want.
TAURUS
You may be aggressive and throw temper tantrums. You
may take too much pride in your beauty. You may over
indulge yourself.

SAGITTARIUS
You may act childish and irresponsible. You may be boastful
and hypocritical. You may over indulge in luxuries and/or
gambling. You may be impatient and dont like having to
defend yourself. You may not like being confined mentally
or physically, even by clothing.
Meditation: Past Life Regression

Depending on your beliefs, this may be an actual past life of

yours, of part of your energy, of someone else or a metaphor
created by spirit or your brain in order to teach you. The
exercise is very beneficial no matter what your beliefs. Dont
censor yourself and see what you learn.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Find yourself in a
room with a large mirror on one wall. This mirror is taller
and wider than you and is the only item in the room. You
may have a guide in the room with you. Ask your guide or
the energies around you to take you into a past life that
will give you some insight into a current shadow trait.
When you are ready, I want you to step through the mirror
and into a dimly lit tunnel. The tunnel is long. As you
walk along the tunnel you feel at peace and you lose all of
your worries of the day. As you see a light from the end of
the tunnel, you also start to lose your connection to your
own current physical body. When you exit the tunnel you
have traveled in time and space to a past life.
Look at the ground. Are you standing outside or inside a
building? Is the ground earth or flooring? What do your
feet look like? Are they large or small? Are you wearing
shoes or are your feet bare? Travel up your body. What are
you wearing on your legs? What is on your torso? Is your
body large or small? Can you guess your age by the size of
your body? How are you wearing your hair? Are you
wearing any jewelry? Are you male or female? Dont
worry, if you cant answer all of these questions, more
information may come to you.
Now look at your surroundings. Where are you? Are you
alone or with other people? Listen to hear if anyone calls
you by name. Do you feel compelled to do something; were
you in the middle of a task? Hear the sounds around you.
What do you smell? How do you feel as this person?
Now I want you to move forward in this life to an important
time. What is happening? Where are you? Can you tell
your age? Why is this a significant moment? Who are you
with? How do you feel?
Move forward again into another important milestone in
this life. What are you doing? What is the situation?
Where are you? Who are you with? How do you feel? Why
is this time important?
Now finally I want you to move to a time shortly before this
persons death. You may know you are dying or this may be
shortly before an unexpected death. Do not continue to the
actual death. What are you thinking? How are you
feeling? Is anyone with you? What is important to
remember about this life?
Now I want you to head back towards the tunnel. As you
walk down the long tunnel, begin to feel fully yourself
again. Once you exit the tunnel you can ask a guide who
may be present or the energies around you the meaning of
the life you just saw? How does this life influence your
current life? What clarification do you need about what
you just experienced?
When you feel ready you can thank your guide or the
energies and begin to return to your physical body. Feel
where your body is sitting or lying down; hear the sounds
around you. Wiggle your fingers and toes, take a deep
breath and open your eyes.

As soon as you can write down what you experienced in

meditation. If it is unclear to you the lesson of this past life,
the act of summarizing it in a journal may clarify what you
were to learn. Remember, if you dont believe in past lives
that is fine. This technique may just be tapping into your
unconscious and using a story narrative to help explain
some underlying beliefs you may not be aware of.
 Self-Care

Shadow work is very difficult. Some people let the fear

paralyze them and they never learn to integrate the hidden
parts of themselves. As we are learning Shadow work
doesnt have to be all pain and heartache. We are also
integrating positive attributes that we hid away out of fear.
Lets explore some of the beautiful aspects of yourself that
we have hidden away. If you cant take this whole day off,
break it up into different segments and take this time when
you can. Read this a few days before your planned day off
and obtain anything you need (books, magazines, costume,
picnic supplies)
Duration Activity
Wake up
15 min Imagine you are a small
child and you are seeking the ultimate
snow or fake sick day. Know that Mental
Health days are as important as actual
sick days and even better when they are
taken as a preventative rather than when
you are actually starting to break down.
1-2 hours Spend the morning in
bed doing whatever you want that is
entertainment. Do you want to read a
book or magazines? Do you want to
watch TV or a movie, just make sure it is
something light and not stressful;
cartoons are a great choice at any age.
Have breakfast in bed. It can be a bit
indulgent but make sure it includes some
of the nutrients you will need for the day
so you wont be too lethargic.
hour-1 hour Shower. Before
getting dressed, like a child, think of
who you want to be today. What
costume do you want to wear? Think of at
least one attribute you want to obtain or
enhance today. How would someone with
that attribute dress, comb their hair, wear
accessories and/or make-up? Wigs and
capes are acceptable. If you feel like you
need to purchase something to make your
transformation complete allow yourself to
buy it, within reason (no you dont need a
Rolex to be powerful).
hour Pack a picnic lunch. Close
your eyes and think of what will bring
your nourishment emotionally and
physically, these are often very different
things so find what meets both criteria.
1-2 hours Go out into nature if in
any way possible. Even if it is cold,
bundle up and go to a park for at least a
few minutes. Look for the magic around
you. Dont ignore the flash of light
through the trees as just the sun peeking
from behind a cloud. Dont be blas about
an amazing climbing tree or a mist in the
woods, this is enchantment. Be in awe of
the beauty in nature. Find a tree you are
drawn to and place your hands on the
bark. Allow all extra energies that you no
longer need to travel down the tree to the
earth; let this tree ground you.
hour Have your picnic. If it is
too cold out, sit in your car and look out at
the park if possible.
hour Find a place to meditate.
This may be back at your home, in the
park or in another quiet place you know
of. If you have an inner temple this is a
good time to visit your Room of
Requirement. If not, a good question to
focus on is What do I need right now?
hour Start a gratitude journal.
Write down everything you are thankful
for today. You can go on to focus on all
the things you are grateful for in your life
but a good place to start is just a list for
today. At the end of your list add the
thing you like most about yourself. Try to
make a list each day.
-1 hour Listen to music from your
youth. Dance stupid dances from that
time if you want to. What was it about
this music that meant so much to you at
the time? What did it give you that you
lacked? What story did it tell you that
gave your life meaning?
1 hour Bake or buy cookies as an
after school snack (buying dough out of a
tube is fine). If you buy premade cookies
heat them in the microwave so you get
some of the smell of warm cookies if
possible. The smell in your house is a big
part of the joy. Feel free to eat with milk.
1-2 hours Play a game. A video
game is fine as long as it doesnt cause
you stress. Play solitaire. Do a crossword
puzzle or Soduko. Dig out an old Rubix
Cube or other puzzle game.
1-1 hours Plan dinner with family
and/or friends and play. Enjoy the people
around you for the evening!
 Get a good night sleep. Shadow
work takes a lot of energy
Meditation: Seeds in the Garden

Take a deep breath and close your eyes. Picture yourself in

a garden. This may be a garden you have visited before or
someplace completely new. It is early spring and there is a
patch of freshly tilled ground in front of a bench. You go to
sit on the bench and look at this new garden bed. Next to
the bed is a mound of compost and a shovel. There is also a
soaker hose running through the bed to keep the earth
moist. The area is sunny and someone has prepared this
area for optimum growth.
Walk over to the bench and sit down. Soon you see a child
of about 3 or 4 years old, running towards you. This child
is you at that age. The child sits down next to you and says
they have something for you. They open their little hand
and in it are some seeds; it maybe only one or several. The
child says the seeds represent abilities and traits that they
were taught not to let grow. They may have been planted
once and chopped down but some seeds from that planting
were saved and hidden. The child asks you to plant the
seeds again and protect them.
What are each of the seeds? You probably know, but if you
dont you can ask the child about the seeds. Before taking
any seeds, dig some compost into the soil. Follow the
soaker hose to the spout and turn on the water.
Will you plant all of the seeds, some or none? Are you
ready to embrace all of these aspects of yourself? Take
whichever seeds you will plant and use only your hands to
dig in the soil and plant the seeds one by one. Gently cover
each seed with soil by hand. Sit back on the bench, and
take the hand of the child in your now dirty hand, they
dont mind. You watch the soil together, as amazingly tiny
seedlings pop out of the ground. They are still small and
will need to be nurtured to grow strong roots, but they are
already visible.
You may ask any questions you wish of this child. What do
they need? How can you be of any more help? Tell them
you love them and will try to be there for them. Give your
friend a hug goodbye and agree to meet again to watch the
progress of the garden.
When you are ready, turn and walk through the garden and
begin to return to your physical body. Hear the sounds in
the room where your body is; feel where you are sitting or
lying down. Wiggle your fingers and toes and when you
feel ready open your eyes.
 Creativity

Think of your life as a myth. When reading a legend or myth

you never hear about the boring everyday parts of the
heros or heroines life (I dont consider the word hero as
gender specific, so I will simply use this term going
forward). What are the overarching themes of your life?
Many theorize that some pagan Gods were stories of actual
people that just grew to mythical proportions, so make sure
to exaggerate as much as possible. Where does the story
take place? What special strengths or abilities does the
character have? What challenge will the character have to
face? Does the hero have any special help in solving the
problem? How was the problem solved, and was there a
reward?
You can meditation and watch your myth as if it was a movie
or ask one of your guides to tell you the story of your life. If
you struggle with writing your myth, fill in the blanks below
quickly without thinking too much.

There once was a child who _ ___________________.

As a child, they were always amazing how they could
_____________.
It was clear that they were guided to
_____________________.
One day they found that they were able to
___________________________.
When faced with _________________ they proved that
their power to ______________ could overcome this
obstacle.
They brought so much to the world with their ability to
______________________.
Meditation: Mountain Download

Take a deep breath and close your eyes. Picture yourself

again in a beautiful garden. You are walking through a
new part of the garden and you notice a plant that climbs
all the way up into the clouds. Begin to climb, and while it
takes effort to climb you feel strong and full of energy as
you race to the upper realm. Once you emerge above the
clouds, step off of the plant and find the earth is solid, and
you are surrounded by a beautiful landscape. Look around
and see how this world is different from the physical realm
where your body exists.
Up ahead you see a large mountain. It looks far away, but
as you begin to walk towards the mountain you find that
you cover ground quickly. It is as if you have wings or the
gravity is different in this realm. Soon you are at the base of
the mountain. It looks immensely high, but as when
climbing the plant you feel strength and energy as you walk
up the mountain. Look around you as you walk. You may
see very different plants or animals. You may be joined by a
guide. Do not judge the form this guide takes. Continue to
walk up to the summit. If a guide has not already joined
you, there will be a guide waiting at the top of the
mountain.
Find a comfortable place to sit with your guide at the top
of the mountain. If your guide has hands, you may join
hands or simply touch your guide. When touching your
guide, you not only feel their energy but you feel that by
connecting with one another you begin to raise more
energy. You feel the wind pick up around you as the energy
begins to swirl and rise up to the sky above you. Once you
feel you have raised the appropriate amount of energy I
want you to ask to receive a download of the emotions you
have been hiding away and refusing to see. Do not pass
judgment on these feelings, just acknowledge them and
allow yourself to see them. No feelings are bad, and they
are all part of you, whether you acknowledge them or not,
but when you hide them they have to force their way out.
See these feelings as if they are balls of color in front of
you. Are there any of these feelings that you are ready to
embrace and allow yourself to accept as part of you? You
may not be ready, but it is a good first step to at least see
these feelings. You may be ready to embrace one emotion
and know the others will be there for you on that mountain
when you feel strong enough to admit them. Pull into your
body any emotions you are ready to acknowledge and feel
that change.
Take any bubbles of emotions that you are not ready to
embrace and give them to your guide. Your guide pulls
these into their body to keep safe for you. You may ask
your guide any questions you have about the emotions that
you received.
When you are ready, thank your guide and begin to walk
back down the mountain. Return to the plant, and climb
back down to the garden. Does your body feel different on
this realm? Does your body feel different with any of the
emotions you chose to embrace? Walk through the garden
for a bit to integrate these changes into your body. When
you feel ready you can begin to feel where you are sitting in
your physical body. Hear any sounds in the room; wiggle
your fingers and toes. When you feel ready, open your eyes.
 Transformation

It is time to create a representation of your Shadows that will

help you to remember the need to do shadow work regularly
in your life. You will need a bag or a box to store the items
you will use to represent your shadows. You may decide to
purchase items to represent the different aspects of your
shadow, but I often think it is powerful to find objects in
your home, or in nature to use as these representations.

Step 1: Write down the various aspects of Shadow that we

have explored. What were the truths Raven taught you to
voice? What are the irritating traits you find in others that
may reflect a part of your shadow you are repressing? What
are the aspects of your South Node that you may be
working through? What shadow aspects have you found in
your past lives? What seeds needed replanting in your
garden? What lost feelings were returned to you? Who is
your inner child?

Step 2: Walk around your house, look through a closet or

walk through nature and find objects that you can use to
represent each of your Shadows. This can be as simple as
rocks that you write on. You can also purchase stones
online or in a metaphysical shop. Anything that will keep
you from losing what you have found in yourself.

Step 3: Place your items in a bag or a box and write in your

calendar, at least one time when you will revisit this box and
continue with your Shadow Work. I like to begin Shadow
Work in the late fall and continue through to Spring on and
off. You might want to do one Shadow meditation each New
Moon. Find whatever works for you, but schedule it so you
wont forget this important practice.
Meditation: Integration with Childhood Self

I recommend you start with a memory that is not too painful

and work your way up to more challenging events.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Find yourself
again in the library we visited earlier. Look around the
room and see if it has changed. What is on the floor? How
does it smell? Is there a fire in the fireplace? I want you to
go and sit by one of the chairs in front of the fireplace.
As you look at the fireplace I want you to pick one event in
your childhood that has made you feel uncomfortable. Do
not relive this memory, but just acknowledge what
occurred. Soon out of the corner of the library emerges a
version of you who went through this situation. This child
comes and sits down in the opposite chair.
I want you to take this child by the hands and tell them that
this situation should not have happened. Tell them that
you are them as an adult and you have grown and are
strong now. Tell them that you are now big enough to take
care of them. Ask them what they have been hiding, or
doing to try and protect you. Tell them they no longer need
to carry that burden for you, and that as an adult you may
not need that protection anymore. Ask them how you can
help them to feel better.
Tell this child that you love them. Ask if they would like to
come and live inside of your heart and always feel that
love. Give this child a hug. If they agreed to enter your
heart, feel them slowly join with your body.
Send a burst of love energy from your heart all throughout
your body and the area surrounding your body. Feel this
healing light calm you, and release any judgment of
yourself. Turn that light blue and allow it to calm you and
help you to relax. With each breath in feel that calm
energy; with each exhale release any pain, fear or
judgment. Feel the energy from the earth and the sky
entering your body to bring you peace.
Continue to breathe, and when you feel ready, hear the
sounds around your physical body. Feel where you are
sitting or lying down; wiggle your fingers and toes. When
you feel ready, open your eyes.
 Ritual

In writing our myth we have acknowledged that the stories

we tell ourselves about ourselves can be negative or
positive. Neither are totally true but are just frameworks
we use to structure our lives. This is also true of some of
the negative stories we have told ourselves multiple times.
Studies have shown that the more we think of a memory the
less accurate it is.
Now as adults we can start to look at these stories for what
they are; they are the boxes we needed to learn to navigate
the world. Hopefully, we are now able to see that the world
is much grayer, than black and white. Very few things are all
bad and even good things are usually bad in excess. In this
ritual we will emphasize that our stories are not all fact and
we can change perspectives. We no longer need to live in
the box we created as a child trying to navigate a strange
world if it is not serving us now.

ITEMS NEEDED
- A small item you choose to represent your
mythical character. You may choose a stone that you
feel carries the characteristics of your hero.
 - A copy of your myth.

- Something to drink or a small snack that

appeals to you. Wine and/or chocolate are always my
favorite choices. You may even find a food or drink
that seems to fit with your myth.

- A rattle or drum, or something to make sound

with.

- Scissors

- A costume that represents a storyteller or your

hero, if you wish.

This is theatrical! Act out the part of the storyteller and

wear your costume, if that appeals to you. Walk clockwise
around your room, holding the items you will use for the
ritual. Once you complete the circle enter the center of the
room and place down the items you carry. Imagine yourself
surrounded by your people (you can complete this ritual in a
group if you have willing participants). You hold the stories
that bring cohesion and entertainment to your society.
You may decide to draw out the tension by singing, or
making music with the instrument you have brought. Read
your myth as if to a group of enrapt listeners. You may sit or
walk around, whatever feels most comfortable to you. You
may punctuate each sentence with your instrument or
simply play your instrument at the end of the reading to
symbolize the ending. Have fun, use the acting skills we all
had when playing pretend as children.
After completing your story, place the symbolic item you
have brought onto the written copy of your myth. Wrap
your hands around the item and think of the core
characteristic of your hero. Imbue your item with your
intention that it hold this characteristic. Touch your item to
the drink or food that you brought. If using a stone you can
place the stone in a glass of water. After giving the item
time to pass on some of its characteristic, consider the
strengths of your hero and then drink or eat what you have
brought and filled with this characteristic. Take these
strengths into your body as you eat or drink.
Next take your scissors and cut the copy of your myth into
puzzle pieces, that fit together to tell a story but in no way
tell all of who you are. You may decide to place your puzzle
pieces under the symbolic item in your sacred space, alter or
another meaningful or safe place in your home.
Circle back around your room acknowledging the
audience around you. Feel the hero in you grow a little
but recognize that this again, is a story we can use to help
us grow, but it is only one part of the story.
Meditation: Personal Journey

Take a deep breath in. Exhale and close your eyes. See
yourself at the base of a mountain. The mountain is dark
and the clouds above are ominous. You begin the arduous
climb up the mountain. It is not easy but you know that is
part of your quest. Luckily you know the summit is not
your goal. After climbing for a while, you are tired but you
still have the energy to go on. You then see a cave leading
into the mountain. Walk towards the cave, as this is where
you have been heading.
At the mouth of the cave, a guide is waiting for you. The
guide leads you into the cave. It is dark, but you see a faint
light ahead. As you walk the light gets brighter. Walk
towards the light. Soon, the light leads you to a large
cavernous room filled with items. At first you think it is a
treasure room, but soon you realize that amongst the
treasure is all manner of items. Your guide tells you that
this is the room where lost items are taken. This includes
lost feelings, memories and talents. Wander around the
room and pick up any item that feels like it belongs to you.
You can ask your guide the meaning of any item you pick
up.
When you are finished here let your guide lead you through
the mountain tunnel and out the other side. See if there are
any other rooms to visit. Is anyone waiting for you on the
other side? When you have completed your quest, thank
your guide.
You can then return to your physical body. Hear the sounds
around you, feel your physical body. Wiggle your fingers
and toes and whey you are ready, open your eyes.

Congratulations!
Thank you so much for taking this journey with me and I
hope we will take many more,
Jessica Cross, LCSW
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jessica Cross is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a

Licensed Massage Therapist with over 15 years experience
teaching and providing relaxation, stress reduction and
meditation training.