448: Shadow Practice

This episode is a supplement to the previous two-parter on "sustaining" within Mormonism--concentrating especially on times when we find ourselves in some sort of tension with leaders or those in callings whose ideas, teaching style, demeanor, or general approach to the gospel fail to connect positively with us. It features the powerful spiritual teacher Thomas Wirthlin McConkie introducing and leading us through a "shadow practice" exercise. Shadow work is a path to self-discovery as well as loving kindness and compassion, but it begins in disturbance, tension, something unsettled, the appearance of negative emotions whenever we encounter a certain person or situation. Because we typically don't want to feel such things, we will often supress them or attempt to ignore them. Shadow work takes the opposite approach. We lean into the feelings, the negative energy, explore and name them, hone in on the exact things that trigger this negativity and let our minds and emotions have have free rein for a while. And then we take a final step. Find out what it is. Shadow work is a practice that will help us see others and ourselves much more clearly, allowing wonderful things begin to unfold.