The famous therapist Carl Jung once stated that we are light and shadow. Shamanic therapists concur with this view. From the Shamanic perspective, we come from the light, from source. We need only connect to nature in order to witness that we too are light and shadow. As day turns to night, and the sun and moon move across the skies, when we connect and accept our polarities, we can live in greater harmony with ourselves and with all life around us.
Through nature we come to realize that we, along with all animal life, come from the womb. Just as all life in nature comes from the womb of the Earth. When we connect with nature, we see that we need to face the storms that come our way in life. We need to release what needs to die within us in order for a new part of ourselves to emerge, just as the flower expresses itself onto the canvas of life with its own unique aroma, in its own distinctive way.
When we learn to live life from the shamanic perspective, we too, like our relatives in nature, can live the life best suited to us. Just as the tree releases the old for new growth to emerge, we too need to face the storms and ordeals that come our way in life. When these ordeals from this or other past lives are not resolved, they continue to play out in our lives until they are felt, healed, and resolved.
These Challenges of the Shadow that we come here to face may include painful experiences such as trauma, abuse, relationship difficulties, addiction, loss, attachment issues, violence, depression and sadness. However, as Jung states, the shadow is not a completely dark place. When we meet and greet the trials in our lives, we come in contact with our inner gifts, strengths, jewels, and the many other talents within us that we would otherwise not have been aware of. Whereas if we resist tackling the painful episodes that come our way in life, they have a habit of persisting. We can often develop maladaptive behaviours that at first may alleviate or numb our pain. But without healing our wounds, they will continue to play on a continuous loop in the background and attract people and events into our lives that compound our pain until we address it.
The Soul, the Spirit, the unique part within us, is always whispering to us (or at times shouting at us) to step into our truth. When we don’t hear the whisper of the spirit, we often get a wake up call in the form of depression, sadness, loss, pain, accidents, addiction, or unhealed wounds which will persist within us no matter how hard we try to numb out our pain.
In contrast, when we hear the whisper we become aware of the dysfunctional and unhealthy patterns, themes and behaviours that are not enriching our lives. We can then address what is calling to be healed with courage and transformation can occur. When embarking on this spiritual journey, we may have to experience some upheaval and discomfort in our lives, as we battle the currents of our emotional seas on our quest towards new horizons. However, when we stay strong in the swell of life, we will surely reach these calmer waters and a new land will come into view.
If this speaks to you, you may be interested in joining our course, which is offered over four weekends. It will bring the learner on an experiential journey of the self, offering a toolbox full of therapeutic and spiritual interventions. This will involve journaling, intention setting, ceremonies, visualizations, and shamanic journeys and rituals. You will connect with helping spirits and allies that will assist you in your journey of personal growth. By uncovering aspects of your life that keep you stuck in the old paradigms of living, you will get to a place of dreaming a new life into being.
Furthermore, the spiritual interventions and rituals provided on this training journey will enable you to clear, transmute and heal unwanted pain, stuck energy, and repetitive dysfunctional patterns that appear in your own life. This will help you get to a place where you can befriend your woundedness and utilize it to start living from a place of wisdom, connection and healing.
The Shamanic and Psychotherapeutic Academy 