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Hello everyone! Micah here with an update on my Winter Witchery Challenge. We’re a week into December, so here’s a quick summary of what I’ve done for each day so far:
December 1st: A brainstorming day for where I wanted to go from here. I asked myself 4 questions: what do I want to continue or resume in my Craft? What would I like to explore? What do I want to do more of? What do I want to do…
Hello everyone! Today I have something for shadow work. I first came across this in a partial hospital program, so while it wasn’t referred to as “shadow work”, I realized its potential use in shadow work immediately. I found this visualization incredibly useful for getting closer to the root of something in your shadow, helping to realize why something is so painful. Of course, your experience…
I’m a person who’s adventurous… at least when given the chance. I’m hungry to see new things and meet new people. When I don’t get to do that, I feel like i’m stuck in a rut and get irritated and upset. I try to make changes and then get in trouble or get hurt. But somehow, that excitement is better than the boredom before.
I’m working towards making my life more adventurous. I hope I won’t have to wait much longer.
I notice when I travel, sometimes I feel sad or teary. I’m travelling today for an appointment halfway across the province and this happened. I think this sadness is something I’ve always felt and now that I’m somewhere new, or at least away from my home county, it bubbles up.
I’ve tried so many times to make a better life for myself and failed. I think these feelings and memories come up. I don’t feel like I’m a part of my home county but I’m stuck there. At least I’m a person who doesn’t give up easily.
I’m a person who doesn’t like people that pretend everything is okay. I don’t like people that put Harmony and Peace above all else because my experiences with these kinds of people are that they will lie to me, others, and even themselves that everything is okay.
A part of me understands them. I used to value those kinds of things because I grew up in an environment where I felt like everything was chaos and unsafe. That I had to be immediately competent, push my own feelings down and ‘ be understanding’ towards the family members who lashed out at me when stressed, and basically couldn’t say no or set a boundary - not without someone taking it personally. If I told someone and tried to lean on their shoulder, they’d run off to ‘fix’ the problem and leave me to fall.
But you know what? Fuck understanding. I don’t wanna value that as highly anymore. I don’t wanna understand other people, I wanna understand myself! I’m a person that wants to understand myself!
I‘m a person who understands that I don’t like people who pretend everything is okay because I feel like I’m being lied to. I know that not everything is my business, so I will ask people if things are great or not great and I can take a step back. When people tell me everything is okay and I believe that, the trouble they’re trying to hide seems to catch up to me. I’m accidentally walking into a situation that WILL shock me, hurt me, and possibly trigger me.
I am a non-binary person. There’s several reasons why.
1. Even if my society achieves gender equality, we‘ll still place expectations on people for their gender. I don’t want to live under the expectations of either gender. I’ve tried male and female identities online over the years and don’t enjoy either.
2. Going off on that last point, it feel like I’m limiting myself by picking a role. I’ve lived my life being told I could/couldn’t do things because of my gender, or the other gender being excused for their actions due to their gender.
3. It’s really affected my interactions around people. Maybe it’s just cuz I grew up in romance-obsessed North America, but I’ve found myself in situations where, when people assume my gender, they flirt and try to ask me for my number or a date.
4. I honestly don’t really care for gender. I actually find it irritating when people bring it up by calling me a gendered name or describe my body with gendered terms. It’s one of the reasons I bury myself in large shirts and sweaters. Being called a gendered name is like someone constantly calling you by the wrong name. It gets awkward fast and irritating after a few too many times.
5. Speaking of clothes, I can’t shop in just one gendered aisle. I have broad shoulders and wide feet, so I get shirts, socks, and shoes in the male department. I can fit into pants from both aisles due to my broad hips, and I like some of the designs on clothes in the gal’s aisles. I’ve felt people staring at me when I shop in the ‘wrong’ gendered aisle and had clerks asking me if i was lost. Clothes shopping needs to be done in a stealthy way or it’s a minefield.
6. I always feel like I have something to hide. I hide this body because if I wear more form-fitting clothes, people will assume my gender and treat me as that gender, which gets awkward quickly. So I avoid most people. I can’t live as who I really am. Like I have a mask stuck to me that I’m trying to take off, but I can’t unless I go online.
7. When I picture myself in my mind (my inner self), it’s as a non-gendered person. No notable curves or angles, unisex teal and goldenrod clothing like a shirt or hoodie, and simple facial features.
8. Furthermore, I’ve struggled to take care of myself for a lot of my life. At some point during my teenage years, I realized this isn’t a body I really care about. I thought it was just some kind of typical teen anxiety, but none of the usual stories on teens and changing bodies were relatable. There was this undefinable part of me for years that Girl Power/Boys Rule never fulfilled.
9. At some point, I’ve realized that it was always *someone else* telling me who I was, what gender I am, and what that means. Sometimes I’d wonder “If I had the chance to answer that question, what would I say?” That question was unanswered for awhile until I learned more about Queer identities during university.
10. When I started getting onto social media, making accounts, and picking usernames, I realized that what felt like for the first time, I could say who I was and people would respect it. That’s when I started realizing I hated that Pick Your Gender question on account profiles and avoided them when I could. I only answered that question if there was a third option.
I’m seeking out transitioning surgery because I’m sure that by de-gendering my body, I‘ll feel more comfortable with social interaction. People won’t assume my gender (and subconsciously push gendered expectations onto me). When they ask, I get to say what I am, so I’ll feel like I have a part in the conversation and it won’t feel awkward.
I’ll feel like my Inner Self and Outer Self are unified, so I can live more authentically. I can shop with more confidence, socialize without feeling like I have something to hide, and better communicate what people should or shouldn’t expect of me.
I’m someone who wants to help and be open-minded. Because of this, it’s been hard for me to say no to others - also because it seems like I’m constantly finding myself around people who take a “no” as some kinda personal insult and have even punished me for it. If I show that I’m angry towards someone, I feel like they try to please me and insist gifts on me cuz they see my anger as something to ‘fix’. I try to muster my confidence to talk with them and put things to rest, only to find out they haven’t put it to rest.
I’ve had times where I’m able to say no and walk away, so I just need to regain my confidence and let those situations define me. I’m still a product of my past, but I can grow from it and speak up. I control what defines me, what I think about, and how I act. There’s nothing for me to be ashamed of.
Hi Tumblr! As you might have gathered from my awful upload schedule I am a person who struggles from a large number of addictions, ranging from drugs to something as mundane as the validation of a lover. I wanted to show you a tarot method I have developed to identify when I am going off the deep end in hopes that it might bring some things to the surface of your life that you may have been avoiding.
It goes without saying that this is not a replacement for treatment and that if you suffer from any addiction no matter how embarrassing you think it might be, you need and deserve the help of others.
I’m going to try to take my own advice more often these days and I hope you do too. :)
I have been quite busy cleaning lately and I have been hastily cleaning up my deck storage, so reviews are few, and I have not had time to seek new decks. However, I do have enough time to give people single card readings with the decks I have on hand. So if you’re interested in a single card reading or a shadow reading, feel free to message me!
Aries is the firstsignof the zodiac marking a new beginning of the lunar cycle. Embrace this new chapter.
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Under this New Moon our manifestation abilities will be heightened. Be mindful of your thoughts, words, and choices at this time.
Allow your thoughts to be an expression of opportunity and hope. Shift your perspective from limitationtoabundance.
You may have to take some action… you may need to follow your instincts at this time…, and make those hard choices that stem from your intuition. Know there is cosmic support on your side.
The fire sign energyof this New Moon May heighten our emotions in general. We may feel extra sensitive, needing additional love & support from those around us or our higher selves.
Carl Jung theorized the existence of three levels/spheres in the human psyche: the Ego, representing the conscious mind, the Personal Unconscious where memories are contained and the Collective Unconscious, where all knowledge and experiences of the species are shared.
Each Sphere has in it a certain number of Archetypes, used to better describe the components of those structures, and the Shadow is one of them.
What is the Shadow
The shadow can be seen as a instinctual or primitive part of ourselves, it exists as part of the unconscious mind and is composed of repressed ideas, weaknesses, desires, instincts, and shortcomings.
It is this archetype that contains all of the things that are unacceptable not only to society, but also to one’s own personal morals and values, normally going against social norms and rules as well as what we personally consider right.
The Shadow is often described as the darker side of the psyche, representing wildness, chaos, and the unknown, and it is common for people to deny this element of their own psyche and instead project it on to others.
The Shadow in Witchcraft and Benefits of Shadow Work
Art: Unknown
The Shadow, in witchcraft, can represent The Unknown, hidden depth of ourselves. Speaking in terms of energy, this is an area that can be a deep source of energetic issues, because it’s locked up in the dark and always striving to reach the light.
To not work with one’s Shadow is to make it greedy and aggressive, as well as denying a big part of oneself, making everything a half of a whole.
Through that brief explanation, we can already establish the importance and role of the Shadow in witchcraft, and with that in mind, comes the concept of Shadow Work.
Shadow Work can be seen in a number of practices, meditation, trances, inner journey’s, lucid dreaming, astral travels, spells and divination.
The method can change, but the principle is simple: Centering your intent to self discovery, self knowledge and self acceptance.
Working with one’s Shadow is not only beneficial to one’s craft, as it allows one to get in touch with their intuition as well as allows for easier connection with one’s guide/guides, but it also allows for healing and acceptance of one’s feelings and needs.
Think of all aspects of life as a wheel. If there is one part bent, the wheel can turn, but with more effort. If the owner spends time fixing that bent part, the wheel will turn in a much more smooth manner.
That is what happens when you take the time to do Shadow Work, you have to put in effort, and most of the time it’s not easy, but once done, all other components on the wheel of your life will be relieved to move on without that obstacle that makes their job harder.
The Shadow is not evil, as evil is just a moral compass invented by humans. It is a part of one’s nature, and to deny it is to supress a connection with yourself.
Take the time to know and accept your shadow, and you’ll see that life will be a little easier.
References:
A Natureza da psique (Structure & Dynamics of the Psyche) by C.G. Jung
The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious by C.G. Jung
Lol, well this is just sloppy plagiarism. Come on, @natural-opposites , you couldn’t even take the time to remake the graphic? You just trimmed off my blog name? Had to leave my ages old avatar on there though, huh? Tsk tsk - my Virgo rising is up in arms right now, lmao.
I put this stuff out for free - I don’t even care if I’m not directly linked in external sources or whatever. But blatantly trying to take credit for something that obviously isn’t yours, not even making an effort to redesign and/or improve upon it, that’s just petty.
