Visiting With Our Shadow Self

Many people are fearful of the shadow world. They would rather not explore it, face it or even discuss it. But as a shaman I know the gifts to be found there, the lessons to be learned and the beauty of my soul that has been revealed there. As the late Debbie Ford said, “You can't be fully yourself if you have aspects that are hiding. The shadow holds the truth of all authentic parts of being human - your vulnerability, your discontent, your jealousy, or an experience from the past that you haven't digested. The only way to invite them out of the shadow is to bring them into the light. The light is a new perspective in which you see everything that's happening is happening to help you develop your soul. Then you're free - free to be who you are most authentically, free to ask for what you need, free to find your joy and bliss, free to share your gifts.” There is so much wholeness and greatness to be embraced once we face our shadow world. We all have a shadow self that needs to be revealed, understood and brought into the light of the day. Our soul then can be fully embraced, it can expand to all its possibilities and receive the healing it may need. Without doing the work we need to do to explore our wounds, uncover our disappointments and sadness and accept our vulnerable parts we stay stuck. Our freedom is the gift for this effort. We are given freedom to be our beautiful self, to share our gifts, to trust our truth, and to share these attributes with the lives of others.

Working with the shadow of self requires having self compassion. Ego will want to shame or blame us. Anger may try to enter the equation. Peace, patience and flexibility will serve you well when working with this aspect of our self. Working within the shadow world means being open to different perspectives on a situation and exploring the possibilities we have not been willing to entertain in the past. Many times it helps if we have someone to support us in the shadow work process to help keep us balanced and in our truth.

A shaman has worked extensively with shadow in order to get to the place where they can offer their strengths in healing and soul retrieval and to be able to decipher the messages shared for the soul from the other realms. As with many spiritual practices, learning to be fully in one’s truth can take time spent in personal reflection. Learning to see the beauty in all things, even within our pain and loss, helps to bring the balance and focus onto one’s personal spiritual path.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

The Essence of Shamanism

How does one explain the essence of shamanism? How does one explain the power of dreams, the connection to nature, the healing found in beauty, or the depth that being present takes you in a shamanic practice? How does one explain the clarity that can be found and the shift that takes place when one practices this way of life? It feels trite to say that nothing is the same, yet it is so fully the truth. Shaman John Cantwell, from Ireland, states, “Shamanism is not a faith, but a wisdom tradition in which we learn purely from our own individual, collective and personal experience. It is not a religion and is dogma-free; indeed it supports any existing spiritual practice one already has. Many of us deeply desire a connection to our own ‘soulfulness’ and that of all other living beings in a free and natural way. This is the essence of Shamanism.” It is within this thought that one begins to understand that unlike many types of spiritual practices, shamanic practice cannot be put into a box of simple definition, as it is expansive and fluid in its measure.

Shamanic healing seeks to make one whole again. It may at times result in bringing back lost parts of the soul from a place of hiding or retreat in realms that go beyond what our eyes can see, our bodies feel or our ears hear, yet exist in a reality that is felt when one is experienced with the journey to them. This healing can help restore a person’s power, remove spiritual blocks, open the life of the healed to other perspectives, and help in discovering and restoring the impact of the energetic origins of illness and more.

Shamanic presence means being open to the relationships of spiritual guides, trusting on the use of rituals, being open to the life long lessons that are necessary for the evolution of ones shamanic path and remaining connected to the energies and creatures of the earth and the Universe. Soul care is a priority in the shamanic practice. This care can take on many different forms and utilize a variety of shamanic tools and practices that each individual soul care practitioner hones and develops to create a unique and personal relationship with.

No one book can be read, no one practice is for all, no one rite or ritual applies to everyone when it comes to shamanism. Yet the one aspect of shamanism that does apply to all is that when one is called to practice shamanism there is a resonation of truth, a freedom and release of what feels negative, old or blocking, and an embracing of what feels empowering, transformative and expansive. Life presents itself differently when on this path. Beauty is found in all aspects of it. This beauty transcends any current definition we currently have and the soul awakens in to a brilliance that was not seen before. Life looks different because it is. And so it is for those who share in the gifts and essence of the shamanic practice.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

Living WIthout Expectation

Are you open to the messages of your soul, of your guides and of your life? How do you honor them? How do you breathe into them? I believe that each moment of each day brings to us gifts. We simply need to be open to receive them and ready to celebrate them. If the gifts are shrouded in what we consider to be pain or challenge how can we break through the initial fear or disappointment and ready ourselves for the lesson and beauty that will be revealed with time and understanding? Robert Moss states this, "Living by synchronicity isn't merely about getting messages. It is about growing the poetic consciousness that allows us to taste and touch what rhymes and resonates in the world we inhabit, and how the world-behind-the-world reveals itself by fluttering the veils of our consensual reality." How do you welcome the resonation?

For me I find that I am more receptive and able to live in the moment more fully, gathering the essence imparted to me with cupped hands and open heart, when I let go of my expectations. Expectations often lead to disappointment because we are only holding one possibility as an outcome of the many that are available to us. We invest our energies, our hopes and even our fears into this possibility and if and when it does not occur…we feel let down or that we have wasted our time or even frustrated and angry. But if we hold back from expecting and stay open to the options we are ready to “taste and touch what rhymes and resonates” within us.

I have learned with this practice that when I live this way the Universe provides me with experiences that far surpass my expectations. Life is fuller, sweeter, and so satisfying. The flow of the energies within my days is so much easier, there is a grace and a peace filled rhythm to them. When I get out of step from this walk in life, it quickly becomes clear. My days suddenly hold stress in them. Things look and feel less than positive. My relationships begin to suffer and my connection to Source feels distant. Lots of red flags begin to wave! Doesn’t take long to figure out something is up! And so a shift brings me back to center. And I begin again.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

The Space of Compassion

Many times people who believe themselves to be full of compassion, with the best of intentions, when seeing someone in pain will attempt to ease their suffering. They will make suggestions, offer distractions, will make comparisons and more. There may be times when this approach brings a temporary relief to the sufferer, but it is not always the balm that is appropriate or needed. As author John Gray states in the following quote, “When we experience the pain of another person, we instinctively want to take away that pain. But by taking away the other person’s pain, we also take away his or her opportunity to grow. To be truly compassionate, we must be able to share another person’s suffering and pain -- knowing there is nothing we can do to relieve it and that we are not responsible for it, and yet knowing and understanding what that pain feels like.” Holding someone in compassion and stepping aside in your need to fix things or make them feel better is often exactly what should be done. It opens a doorway for the person in pain. It allows them to be their own truth. It creates opportunity of support as they lean into a life lesson. Offering compassion offers an understanding, it offers a witnessing, it offers love and it offers room for the person in need to be whatever they need to be in that moment…it could be in pain, it could be in anger, or it could be in acknowledgement that things need to shift or change. It could be all this and more. But when we remove ourselves from any other role than that of compassion, they are given the supported freedom to be whatever it is they need to be.

Compassion is a quality of the soul. The soul can hold this space comfortably. It does not need to be anything more than loving witness. Our ego sometimes wants to be the hero and soothe the pain. Our minds may want to solve the problem. But our soul understands that there is beauty in all that life brings our way, even our pain. And in the expansion of this beauty we grow into more of who we are to become. Compassion welcomes this unfolding beauty. This is part of the soul’s journey. It glows with the energies of life, the highs and the lows, the joy and the sorrow and the wonder and the disappointment. And in each of these spaces it finds the beauty, the gifts, the lessons, and the depth of love and understanding of the truth that is revealed.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade