by Raven Digitalis
This article and meditation focuses on the idea of shadow being something metaphysical and sacred. Interpretations of what shadow means span numerous traditions crossculturally, is viewed in a myriad of forms, and is applicable to Neopagan practice and philosophy.
As a spiritual force, shadow manifests in countless forms — just as countless as its equal-opposite counterpart, light. At the same time, is there really any division between darkness and light … black and white … good and evil … or does reality operate and fluctuate in varying shades of gray? Why do we have distinctions such as these in our reality? I’ve come to believe that easy-reference labels can be beneficial for purposes of identification and discernment. On the other hand, it’s all too easy to latch onto labels of any sort, becoming dependent on them, which can change an occurrence of discernment into one of judgment.
Some spiritual systems teach that identifying something under any of these extremes (dark/light, black/white, good/evil, and so on) is spiritually counterproductive, and is both inaccurate and limited thinking. In this view, looking at reality with an eye of categorization only leads to hierarchical thinking, distorted views, and divisive mental cataloging. Many spiritualists, magicians, and esotericists tend to perceive reality, and all its facets, as a massive grayscale. All is One, and divisions of any sort are there for convenience. Qabalah (Kabbalah) sees Oneness dividing itself tenfold (or more, depending on the school of thought), as per the vision of the Tree of Life discussed in the Sepher Yetzirah. While monotheistic religions tend to draw strict lines of division between “this” and “that” (generally the sacred vs. the profane), polytheistic religions tend to recognize the duality in all things, but see both sides of the spectrum as sacred and holy in their own right.
In terms of the force we label “shadow,” its existence is highly interpretive. What can be termed shadowy for one person may or may not be termed the same by another. Going back again to monotheistic viewpoints, light is often aligned with the sacred, while shadow is aligned with the profane. As Neopagans, we realize the folly in this type of extreme dualistic thinking: reality makes no distinction between extremes, and is indeed constantly fluctuating between them. There would be no day without night … no life without death … no joy without sorrow … both polarities are equally sacred, and both must be examined to cultivate spiritual wholeness. Neither shadow nor light can be neglected if one is wishing to make their life a truly holistic spiritual experience. Witches, magicians, and spiritual seekers of all varieties must examine all sides of reality’s divine spectrum.
The word shaman originates from the Tungus people of Siberia (Russia), but is now frequently used to refer to particular practices of indigenous people across the globe, often citing Native American shamanism, Amazonian shamanism, Aboriginal shamanism, and so on, even if the term was never originally applies to these cultures. Part of the shaman’s role — which can be seen in a variety of forms across the globe, yet all with similar characteristics — is to voyage the depths of darkness to uncover the light of awareness, revelation, and insight. This can be done for a person, a community, and so on. Shamans are initiated through pain and trauma, or have inherent abilities borne from living on the edge of a society (as a necessity, such as having a disability). Shamans were and are venerated for their abilities, and are often simultaneously feared for their power. When shamans and shamanistic practitioners help clients, they often work to heal them from a platform of interpersonal darkness. Parallels can be drawn between this and Jungian psychology: it’s from the repressed, deeper portions of the self that shadow accumulates (to degrees either healthy or unrestrained), and it’s from this deeper psychospiritual that the Light of Awareness is born.
Contrary to popular misinterpretation (even within some Neopagan circles, sadly), the force of shadow is not purely destructive, evil, or manipulative. At the same time, “black magick,” predatory sorcery, and manipulation can be aligned to the shadow-side … but there’s more to it than that. Can dreaming or astral projection be classified as benign aspects of shadow-work? Heck yes! Can illusions of perception, such as an artificial mask of compassion (false-kindness), be classified as a negative aspect of “light?” Most definitely.
I have personally come to see the shadow under a number of forms, and tend to catalog these along a certain spectrum. For the convenience of this article, allow me to review my own perceptive divisions of shadow, and propose what can be included in each. I examine a number of these points in my book Shadow Magick Compendium (Llewellyn, 2008). These lists can easily be expanded, and even rearranged and altered to some extent, by any reader who has their own personal interpretations of shadow and light:
The Internal Shadow : The Internal Shadow is the darker side of human nature, and is purely psychospiritual. Herein exists portions of the emotional body that have been repressed by the mind. When denial occurs, thoughts are pushed to the back of the mind, and into the unrecognized Internal Shadow. This draws on the Jungian view of the psychological shadow. When darker emotions palpably arise, such as sadness, anger, and apathy, it may be considered a conscious surfacing of the Internal Shadow. Just the same, a person may be objectively aware (or at least somewhat aware) of their darker characteristics, which is the first step in magically and spiritually working with one’s Inner Shadow.
The External Shadow : One’s External Shadow can be seen as a projection of the Internal Shadow. Gone unrecognized, the External Shadow can manifest through projection. For example, a person may believe that no one thinks they are smart, when the truth of the matter is that they do not accept their own intelligence themselves. External projection can happen in limitless ways, and can arise from any repressed beliefs. Also included in this definition of the External Shadow are the shadows of others. In other words, any shadow aspects that are not your own can be considered external. External Shadowwork relies on external forces, yet connects with and affects one’s internal reality, such as with fasting or godform assumption (invocation). Demonic evocation, Qlippothic pathworking, binding, and cursing magick may also be categorized here.
The Astral Shadow: The astral plane is an etheric reflection of the physical world, and carries energies that are generally invisible to the untrained eye. The astral is also a realm of guides, guardians, and ancestors. Thoughtforms, deities, dreams, and etheric beings are said to exist on the astral plane, and magickal workings concerned with these forces can be considered operations of the Astral Shadow. Naturally, the astral plane carries currents of darkness that are directly linked to the shadow of the human psyche and the natural world. The astral plane and physical plane are intricately connected by the Web of Life — the threads of Wyrd — and connects all portions of reality (both seen and unseen) to each other. Many of the deeper mysteries of esotericism are indeed greatly astral, etheric, or energy-based.
The Shadow of Nature : As a prime example, the food chain may be considered part of Nature’s Shadow, as one life form must feed on (destroy) another to survive. The “death” side of “life and death” can be viewed as a Shadow of Nature. The destructive aspect of nature may be included here, such as natural disasters and even poisonous plants. Additionally, shadowed aspects of nature like eclipses, the infinite night sky, the dying season, the dark moon, and the dark half of the year may be considered the Shadow of Nature.
The Shadow of Society : The unseen, hidden, suppressed, or overlooked aspects of our culture and society can fall under this category. Insofar as my own definition, the Shadow of Society is predominantly not a positive one. Skewed cultural worldviews, underhanded corporate crime, religious fanaticism, prejudice of all varieties, and self-serving politics can be considered a part of the Social Shadow. The Social Shadow is greatly shaped by the Internal Shadow, which is to say that devastating sociopolitical crime is often no more than horrid projections of certain peoples’ inner fears and psychoses. Personally, I feel that the most devastating aspects of the Shadow of Society are the two extremes of fanaticism and apathy.
A Meditation on the Shadow Self
The following is a meditation is designed to access fears associated with darkness. This is not in reference to physical darkness, but to darkness as a vibration. This contains repressed fears, forgotten memories, and subconscious habits — many of which influence our everyday lives. Of course, this does not make internal darkness inherently bad or malicious, but makes it something essential to navigate for personal development.
In reality, our Internal Shadows can take years, if not a lifetime, to accurately study and come to terms with. Mysticism and magick are ways to better know thyself (as the Greek axiom states), and the meditation that follows is a suggestion to help this process. Please read through the meditation a number of times before enacting so that you are able to perform it by memory.
1 — Situate yourself in sacred space and have some comfy pillows to lie down on. Be sure to perform this meditation in darkness; the Witching hour (midnight) is preferable. If you can perform this on a new moon, all the better. Light a single black candle to partially illuminate the space, and cast the circle in your usual way. Summon the elements and dedicate the circle to your patron and matron gods (if you have any) and the spirits of the nighttime. Do what is comfortable.
2 — When you feel connected, fully lie down on the pillows and declare your intent. Say something like, “Behold! Great spirits of obscurity and darkness, I now wish to enter the shadow of my mind. I do not fear the darkness, but rather embrace it as a force of creation and mystery. Sacred spirits of the inner planes, I humbly ask that you guard me and guide me into myself, that I may grow and learn with patience and accuracy. So mote it be.”
3 — With your eyes closed and your body comfortable, visualize the room around you. Allow your mind’s eye to focus on the room from your perspective, and feel the placement of your body in the room. Become aware of your environment, and visualize your body for what it is: a temporary vessel for your spirit.
4 — While performing visualization, practice deep breathing. Take deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Continue to alter your consciousness and become psychically aware of your body and the environment. Take a decent amount of time to expand your perception.
5 — Now sufficiently aware, envision your astral body descending through the floor and into the earth. Descend only a few feet beneath the soil. You are comforted by the sensations of peace and stillness in this place. Open your psychic senses and feel the burrowing creatures and worms. Feel the roots of trees and plants brushing your body. Feel the damp soil, recognizing it as a center of nourishment and (re)birth.
6 — At this point, knowing that you are safe and protected by the bounty of the living earth, bring to mind two or three occurrences in your life that caused you great amounts of pain and emotional suffering. Take some time to remember these; some things may pop in your mind immediately, while others may be shrouded and even willingly repressed. If you happen to remember a large amount of painful experiences, you may wish to write these down after the meditation so that you can perform this again with different focuses in mind. Focus on the most traumatic, painful, and emotionally-breaking experiences you have endured in your life. If tears surface during the meditation, allow yourself to cry. Process each experience individually, remembering them even if you have already worked through them in the past. Claim your power. (Please note: If the weight of any memories are too strong to process on your own, please arrange appointments with a counselor or therapist – everyone deserves to talk to someone, so why not a compassionate professional? I highly encourage the therapeutic method of working with one’s shadow.)
7 — Sort through each issue individually. For each one, take plenty of time to recall the specifics of each situation: how, exactly, did you feel at the time? What was your role in the situation? Were you a victim? How has the situation effected your personal development? How has it influenced your life, both positively and negatively? Are any of your current patterns of behavior or modes of reaction connected to the event? Spiritually, what could possible reasons be for having to endure the experience? What can you do to resolve your pain attached to these occurrences?
8 — When you run through each individual event in your mind, one by one, you should feel a return of emotional weight. Now, envision your astral body — still submerged in earth — as covered with a dense, black tar-like substance. This represents the extent to which your mind still holds onto the event; the extent to which it may plague you now, even unconsciously. When ready, visualize a healing soft green-blue colored light emerging from your heart chakra, radiating through your body and eventually to the dense astral matter surrounding your body. Envision this light as a conquering force against the astral junk, permeating through it and dissolving it. With a strong exhalation, envision the black substance breaking away from your aura, plummeting down into the earth. Envision the healing light surrounding your astral body, ensuring against its return. Feel free to take as long as you need.
9 — Once you have performed this with one memory, occurrence, or negative incident in mind, continue with others that may have arisen. When you feel finished, completed, and relieved, visualize your astral body rising up from the earth, through the floor, and back into your physical body. Wiggle your fingers and toes, breathe in deeply, and come to center.
10 — To close, state your intention, saying something like, “Sacred spirits here this night, I thank you for protecting and comforting me as I journeyed layers of my mind. I ask that I be able to understand and release these issues by continuing to face them bravely and accurately. Thank you for attending this rite. Blessed be.”
11 — Take some time to come back to your body, and close the circle as you normally would. It’s a good idea to write down your experiences afterward, and spend additional time meditating on the intricacies of each experience of the past. Do whatever it takes to peacefully come to terms with the experiences of your past — most of us have endured trauma to one degree or another, and every one of us deserves to heal and claim our power. Nothing is every fully released; our experiences are simply come to terms with and accepted. Everything in life, no matter how dark and painful, can hold profound lessons beneath the surface.
MINI BIO:
Raven Digitalis (Missoula, MT) is the author of Shadow Magick Compendium, Planetary Spells & Rituals and Goth Craft, all on Llewellyn. He is a Neopagan Priest and cofounder of an "Eastern Hellenistic" Coven and Order called Opus Aima Obscuræ (OAO), and is a DJ of Gothic and industrial music. Also trained in Georgian Witchcraft and Eastern philosophies, Raven has been a Witch since 1999, a Priest since 2003, a Freemason since 2012, and an Empath all of his life. Raven holds a degree in anthropology from the University of Montana and is also a professional Tarot reader, small-scale farmer and animal rights advocate.
www.ravendigitalis.com
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