‘Perched in perfect balance’ is the message of Spring Equinox – the day of equal hours of daylight and night. So why does this time of year often feel polarizing and challenging for so many? In addition, my sense is these shadow triggers may be around for some time and not only isolated around this Equinox. We have reached a collective touchstone – a point of greater global awakening.
What nature, so often, does for us is to show us our weaknesses – our shadow side. When put in a place of natural balance between light and dark, we suddenly gain a perspective which may not be as evident during the playfulness of high summer or the cocoon-like stillness of winter.
This spring brings with it the added difficulty of coming off of an unprecedented period of hibernation or ‘quarantine’ under the threat of a global pandemic. As the light begins to increase and the feelings of threat lesson, many will find themselves in a dark night of the soul. Fears, addictions, negative behaviors, looping negative thoughts, emotional spin-outs, anger, grief, sadness and any myriad of stress responses may flare up. They may build slowly or, like a lightening strike, come out of the blue and blind-side you.
When this happens it means it may be time for some shadow work.
The Shadow = Your Pain Body and Subconscious Mind. It feeds the negative aspect of your ego and is surfacing now for your compassionate witnessing and ultimate clearing. When cleared, any fragments or aspects of your inner spirit will return to you, helping you to feel whole and connected to your source and the world. In terms of our biology – our shadow is the sum total of repeated hits to our nervous system: brain stem, hypothalamus, adrenal (and amygdala), pituitary (HPA axis).
During my session work with people I’m finding that these shadows come from several places: entangled relationships and their associated belief systems (like family patterns in marriage, work, health or money); ancestral DNA trauma; phobias, traumas, seduction patterns of behavior; past life traumas and future life traumas. In most cases of intense emotional outburst there is an associated fragment (mental, spiritual or both) and stuck patterns in the brain. When we find these fragments and integrate them, the pain body can heal and systems reintegrate and find inner coherence.
This is the dark side of light work. Sadly it must be walked through in order for you to integrate higher aspects of your soul/spirit. The higher you go, the more important shadow work becomes. It’s like Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey – you, as the hero, set out on an adventure and along the way meet up with fears and foes that must be faced and conquered in order to move on. This is the time when you may need to call upon a deep deep reservoir of inner strength and courage.
Interestingly enough, it takes these challenges to bring the gifts and strengths forward. And, what in the past was your weakest aspect can become your greatest strength. Like creating a diamond from the intense pressure put on carbon.
The good news is you have no idea how strong and bright you are under your shadow. You have a God-given right to a level of spiritual connection you cannot conceive of from your current vantage point.
Is it My Fault or Yours?
This is always the toughest part of the work I do with clients. The part where I tell them that the issue they are experiencing with a partner could be coming from their own internal wounded programs. When they truly get this and do the work – unwind the traumas – miracles happen. It’s amazing to witness.
I have been here myself and it really can be excruciatingly painful to face our own inner demons.
There is no shame in admitting that some dysfunction is our fault. It takes tremendous courage to look at our darker sides – the places where we may be unkind, playing the victim, controlling, lying or manipulating. If we have the courage to look at ourselves through soft compassionate eyes, we will see that the behavior comes from some event in our past and we’ve created a work-flow of behaviors to attempt to compensate and regain a sense of power, love and acceptance.
My body isn’t working . . .
Many times your Central Nervous System, Autonomic Nervous System and glands in the brain are compensating and attempting to balance very old stress responses – the urge to fight, run away and when stress has been prolonged, the mechanism that causes the body to freeze. Lately, I have been finding that people are stuck – or rather – organs, glands, muscles and portions of the brain are stuck in the freeze response. That means these parts of the body are playing dead to avoid the danger at hand.
Simply, glands are under or over activated, muscles are lax or tonic, parts of the brain are shut off completely making it incredibly difficult for some people to complete simple tasks, plan for the future, exercise, and, the biggest loss is, the ability to open the heart and receive help or sensations of well-being.
You are now at the mercy of over or under amplified signals in your nervous system. YOU ARE TRIGGERED.
What Can I Do When My Shadow is Triggered?
- Stop the looping or fixation by doing something that stimulates whole brain function and helps to balance your nervous system – movement of any kind, meditation, brain gym, yoga, dance, martial arts, most sports. If you move your body you can move your mind. Even if you believe you have PTSD, you can retrain your brain.
- If your shadow is triggered by a thought ask “Is it true?” Check out the work of Byron Katie.
- If your shadow is triggered by an emotion notice which emotion is foremost and what event is at the base of that emotion. 9.9 times out of 10 the emotion in the NOW is rooted in something from the past. The work of Abraham Hicks fabulous and simple. All you need to do to repattern the current emotion and then think a better feeling thought. Moving up the emotional scale is the goal and will shift your mood.
- Ask for help and support through friends, family, counselor or energetic practitioner. Accupuncture can be used to balance your nervous system and re-activating closed down systems.
- Journal what is happening and the story you are telling yourself.
- Give yourself a time-out to notice and observe your own motivations behind your actions and those of others.
- Refocus and Shift Your Attention (see below).
- Practice Good Energetic Hygiene (Use the 12D shield for protection and clearing).
(from the wise ones at Energetic Synthesis)
Emotional Refocus Technique
When tempers flare and we feel an automatic response of pain and fear to an immediate circumstance, here are 5 Steps to immediately shift your emotional reaction.
Choose to respond and not react. Identify the emotional trigger and apply discipline to not allow this trigger to impact you or lose control of yourself. Dismantle that emotional trigger from reactive and automatic behaviors. Stay Calm.
No matter how “bad” the external situation looks, or what you may believe is an injustice, getting emotionally out of control is never positive for you or for anyone involved.
1.Patience: Pause, step back, take a breath. If emotionally heated remove yourself from the circumstance briefly to get control over yourself.
2.Surrender to the process: “There is a process happening that I may not entirely understand. I may not know the answer right now, but that is okay. I will get myself out of the way as to not escalate the negativity. “
3.Acceptance: “I may not like this situation and I accept that I do not like it. I am choosing peace because I trust something larger is at work in this situation. “
4.Forgiveness: When you can – calmly tell the story, feel your feelings, and allow the situation to be accepted and forgiven for what it is right now. Revalue the situation and do not allow it to take your personal strength and power away. When we get very upset or angry, and act it out, we drain valuable energies and resources from our vital forces.
“I can only change how I respond internally to external things and I accept the things that I cannot change. “
5.Be Here Now! Be Here Now! Be Here Now! Be present in the moment and apply neutrality as the Observer.
Affirm: I am the Power, Master and Cause of my Emotions.
A loving command for brain and nervous system autonomy from negative energies (modified from ES)
Amplify and connect with your 12D Shield.
Stabilize your core. Feel free to call upon God, Guardians or higher self to support and amplify your Divine Purpose. I am Divine! I am Sovereign! I am Free!
Once your shield and inner core feel as stabilized as you can get them, speak to your body, brain and nervous system with loving care:
My body, I speak to you as an intelligence and I speak you with love. I will take care of you. Thank you for all you do to keep me healthy and balanced.
(Take a moment to feel this connection come alive. Then say the following.)
I now command my Brain and Nervous system:
Accept only messages that are organic to my highest expression.
Accept only messages that support my higher good and God Spirit.
Accept no messages that are inorganic.
Permit only that which supports my higher good and Divine Sovereign Purpose.
All else is evicted and cleared now. All else is evicted and cleared now. All else is evicted and cleared now.
Any inorganic intrusive or artificial messages or impulses are evicted and cleared now.
From the light of God that I am, I command this to be completed immediately, and by beings of 100% pure light.
Beloved Body, thank you and so IT IS.
Seal and end session procedure.
Take heart my dear friends. The light of the divine is anchoring in ways it never has before. Take very good care of yourselves – you are precious. And, know that your spiritual path is blessed and you are protected and loved deeply.
As always please take what serves you and aligns with your truth and disregard the rest.
Infinite love and blessings,
Kaye
English 