Shadow Work

Spirituality has become a big part of my life. I have devoted my time and energy into listening to the universe and exploring divination. Through crystals, tarot cards and spell jars, I have worked my way up to divination.

Connecting with the Lunar deity Diana and Hades, the god of the underworld, I have begun to tap in to my intuition and find the root of my emotions. It is within human nature to hide away aspects and traits that we deem "negative". However, we cannot be human without duality. Every trait that we hide away forms an aspect of our Shadow Self. Like it or not, our shadow impacts our daily life. Every instinctual reaction, gut feeling, or first emotional response is your shadow. What you display to the world is not the entirety of you.

Through shadow work, you are able to reflect on your emotions and instincts, acknowledging the root cause. The goal is to accept and become one with your shadow. Patience and self kindness is key; shadow work involves uncovering buried traumas and admitting that you are a bad person sometimes. This takes time.

I keep a shadow book with me at all times. I respond to these prompts, write down any enlarged emotional reactions that I have, and reflect on my day. I also pull a daily tarot card in the morning and reflect on that in my journal.

What does this have to do with my art?

The best way for me to connect with my shadow self is not necessarily through words, but through my art. My pieces are based on my life experiences; any strong emotional reactions or traumas I have experienced are interpreted into images. My shadow is represented by my paintings. Does your shadow have a definite image? No, but what I can feel from my shadow is best represented by these pieces.