So you want to do shadow work. An Introduction. - Written By Luna La Croix

So you want to do shadow work. An Introduction.

By Luna La Croix

So. You’re decently familiar with the term “shadow work.” You’ve seen the hashtag. You’ve heard it name-checked in the chaos magick groups. You’ve noticed the blog tags. Maybe you’ve spent a little time Googling the term. Perhaps you’ve even watched some of Kelly-Ann Maddox’s superb series of videos on the subject. (If you haven’t, there’s no better place to start. Peep her treasure of a YouTube channel:  Kelly-Ann Maddox YouTube Channel You’re welcome.)

“Shadow work” has become quite the buzzword in occult circles over the last several years. Even if you aren’t familiar with the term, you can probably correctly deduce the gist of it: Shadow work is about recognizing and reconciling with one’s own dark side. 

That sounds like a pretty broad definition, and it is. Still, there is a definite, singular purpose to shadow work, and that is self-evolution. Growing. Changing. Healing old wounds. Shedding aspects of yourself that no longer serve you. Becoming your best self, as the TikTok witches say.

Obviously, there are many different ways to go about pursuing such a goal. It’s honestly different for everyone. Shadow work means walking a path that only you can tread. It’s not easy, and not terribly pleasant. It can be difficult to figure out what this quest is going to look like for you. That’s OK. It’s not a journey completely without guideposts, however. So it’s worth taking a moment to consider what shadow work is *not.* 

• Shadow work has nothing to do with “dark/evil” magick. Or the left-hand path. It has nothing to do with spellwork, either. At least not in the traditional sense. It is much more psychologically oriented. If it compares to anything in the occult world, it compares to alchemy, the metaphorical, magickal process of turning lead (or shit) into gold. When you take on the process of shadow work, you are refining and purifying the basest aspects of yourself.

• Shadow work isn’t about feeding your inner shitlord. Yes, part of the process is being able to accept your destructive, negative, self-sabotaging traits. But acceptance isn’t indulgence, and recognition isn’t glorification. It feels good to truly accept something “undesirable” about yourself, to let go of that intense self-hatred. Some people experience this and decide that they should be feeding these negative aspects of themselves. Bad move. It’s a bad look and, more importantly, hinders your progress.

• Shadow work is not a “one and done” ritual, it is a long-term working. A lifetime project. It’s not a race, it’s a marathon. 

At the end of the day, it’s all about balance and equilibrium. Shadow work is not about eliminating the negative aspects of yourself, it’s about accepting and integrating them. Becoming aware of these shadow aspects of yourself is the first step. Learning how to make peace with them is the second. The third is figuring out how to move forward using the self-knowledge that you’ve gained. 

It’s not easy. It’s not pretty. It’s painful. But it’s worth it.