shadow work

quote on label:
Repressed energy returns to haunt us in symbols and symptoms. Our shadow may contain the best of ourselves.
~ Marion Woodman

 

color: gray with black swirls
scent: magnolia
gemstone: black obsidian

 

I have been profoundly affected by Marion Woodman's book Coming Home to Myself: Reflections for Nurturing a Woman's Body and Soul. Every page speaks to my life, my soul-work, my process. Her writings about The Shadow inspired new, deeper work with my own shadow plus the creation of this candle. Here's a smidgeon of her wonderful writing:

 

"When we stand in the light, we cast a shadow. Light and shade are to each other as breathing in is to breathing out. Some aspects of ourselves are in the light, visible to us and others. Other aspects, positive and negative, are in the shadow, unseen by us, even when seen by others. These are parts of ourselves that have been neglected, disowned, forgotten, judged, unrecognized or undeveloped.

 

"Some of the ways we can glimpse what is in the psychological shade include noting what we idealize or denigrate in others; recognizing our uneasiness about others' perceptions about us (good and bad); and paying attention to our bodies, where shadow can sometimes reside as a physical symptom (an aching back, a pain in the stomach).

 

"Our shadow is an infinite reservoir of energy. Learning to recognize and take responsibility for our shadow qualities gives us more choices in responding consciously and creatively to the possibilities life offers us."