🖤 Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE- From the Shadows

[christina4]

Nice! Thanks for the info!!!

[anne2]

@BryWisteria

Please be careful and stay safe as you delve into Shadow Work, as yes- it can unlock and unleash the darker parts we usually keep locked up. For your first experience, I would suggest taking it slow and not digging too deep until you feel comfortable. Remember to take time for self love and care afterwards as well! Lots of love and light to you- good luck!

I’ll keep that in mind @BryWisteria , I’ll have thread lightly with myself when it is done. Thank you for the warning in advance too, Blessed Be, Anne

[Artemisia]

For those who were interested in doing shadow work but don’t know where to start…

• Shadow Work and Cartomancy - I’ve found a free workbook that shows you how to use tarot for shadow work. I printed out and will be working my way through in the next couple of days.

• Shadow Self Workbook - I also found this great workbook with thought-provoking prompts that also has an exercise for self-compassion.

Kat

[Liisa]

Thank you so much!

[Susurrus]

Thank you for the workbook links! I like to do Shadow Work & this will definitely help. I think I know what I am doing this afternoon!

[IrisW]

I love the idea of the workbooks but think I’ll have to give them a pass as I really don’t want to delve into parental expectations. It took a lot of years to acknowledge my mother’s toxic behaviour and the pressure she put on me and I’ve not spoken to her in five years. Finding peace in myself away from her expectations has been a long road and I can’t open that door again.

[NickWick]

Thank you for this @Artemisia

[fabian]

Thank you so much! I will work on them. It is really interesting and to the point.

[Artemisia]

@Susurrus Glad to share something I found and hope you find it useful. I am spending the evening working my way through part of one workbook!

@IrisW I absolutely understand! You need to do what makes you comfortable and gives you peace.

Kat

[Francisco]

Thank you @Artemisia for sharing that workbook! It looks really challenging and actually dark (some of the items).

I tend to use prompts as a template for picking up my journal to write or draw whatever I want. Eventually I land on some of the actual questions but only after I have distracted myself enough to be able to focus!

@IrisW That’s terrible, I’m truly sorry you had to go through that. And kudos to you for becoming a complete person and a powerful Witch on top of that!

[Garnet]

I gave up on journaling, again! I write a few days and start hitting my head on the desk repeating the Mantra " I’m so boring!"
“I can’t do this anymore!”
It’s like saying the act of contrition
and over when you were 8,
like a little girl could have sin.
Any ways, I have a lovely journal, hardly used…

[Rowan]

Garnet,
I struggle with journaling too, it’s weird for me because I prefer writing to express my emotions. I’d rather write a letter to someone if there’s an issue or tough discussion needed than having a face to face talk. Have you tried just doodling or drawing, maybe just jot down some words that come to mind while doing that? I call it my kick starter sometimes.
Blessed Be

[BryWisteria]

Absolutely, @anne2- Shadow Work can be very helpful, but it can also be a rough road to get to that clarify and peace. Practice safely and enjoy- wishing you the best of luck!

Awesome resources, @Artemisia! Thank you so much for sharing!

You are a very strong witch, @IrisW! It takes a lot of inner strength to look at an issue and find the safest way to handle it. Sometimes the best thing to do is to leave a door closed and move on peacefully, knowing that that part of your life has been left behind for good

[anne2]

Considering I’m still at the broom closet from the rest of my co living relatives @Artemisia , So I’ll choose the second link of the workbook. A tarot card deck will lead to questions which may lead to hostility later on, last thing we all need from each other is hostility in the household. Although by now I’m suspecting the youngest sibling is a more of a critical and analytical Christian or at least one with a potential Atheist mindset too, he’s so fortunate, probably because unlike the old faith members I was part of I never coerced him to enter it

I’ll see what I can do for the second workbook amongst the hectic schedule, professors seem to find it amusing to place even more workloads for their students in the Major subjects in my course

Blessed Be,
Margaret

[christina4]

My entry for this challenge is doing journal prompts. I’ve always forms that to be complicated. I usually free write. But here I have 2 books. One is for the moon phases with prompts leading you through the month.

The prompt for this book is replacing negative words/thoughts with positive thoughts. I did ten but it’s private. So, I’ll show you the page.

Then, there’s my shadow workbook…

It doesn’t say who made the prompts, no name at all.
The page I did was titled “These are some of the negative traits I have learned from my mother:”

Boy, walls that hard work! But you need to even out the light with the dark!!!

[Artemisia]

@francisco Glad to be able to contribute to my first Challenge Yes some of the work in the workbooks is dark but those prompts can always be skipped for those not ready to delve that deep. We’ll see how far I get!

@Garnet Journaling can be hard for sure! The only time I was ever good or consistent about it was when I was a teenager. Funny and strange to read through it now but glad I can. As @Rowan suggested, I write down quotes I want to remember or draw when I can’t think of what to write just to keep the habit of opening the book and putting ink to paper.

@anne2 I am in the same position. Hubby knows I’m interested in doing shadow work as part of my therapy so I will work on the second one when he’s home (although I do keep my responses in my journal and not on the printout) but he doesn’t know I’ve come back to magic again after so many years. As a man of “rationality and science,” he doesn’t understand the draw and importance for me. But life is a work in progress and things can change so I hold on to hope. Right now I want to get comfortable returning without the added pressure of openly integrating it into my life.

I did get through the first spread today and will work on the prompts that come from it tonight.

Kat

[Jeannie1]

Thank you for this challenge, I’m not sure were to begin honestly! I just did Silver Bears meditation.
Thank you for that I have some focus! I am doing a ritual right know to cleanse my soul first before I dive inn to any shadow work! Thanks for being her for me in spirit!
Jeannie

[anne2]

@Artemisia

(although I do keep my responses in my journal and not on the printout)

I have mine in my personal laptop, there’s a password to even use my laptop, I knew enough Japanese to make the password in its roman form. Anyone who’d even think of using it will have to figure out which Japanese word did I even write down as password for it.

@Artemisia

ife is a work in progress and things can change so I hold on to hope

Same, everyone changes for better or for worse, it’s a fact of life too

[anne2]

It is @BryWisteria , I did Shadow work yesterday, during it though, I think allowed all self control of mine loose in that typing I did yesterday in my laptop’s journal. I actually skipped the process of anger for most survivors and ended up in the 2 other stages instead of the first stage where anger is the typical reaction. So it seems I dealt with 8 - 9 years of compressed rage last night, the spirit guide I had was thankful I finally allowed it all out too, said it really wasn’t helpful I had sealed the anger off for so long. I can see now why there are those who need someone to vent all their frustration on but I won’t do that part, typing the rage out seems to be therapeutic when done in moderation too, Thank you and Blessed Be - Anne

[AliceInWonderdab]

I’d love to share a prompt from my shadow work journal!