A Beginner’s Guide to Shadow Work

A Beginner's Guide to Shadow WorkThis week, I’m taking you into the barn aisle at Lavender Hill -- into the fog, the quiet, and the shifting inner landscape we all carry. We talk a lot about showing up for our lives, but we rarely talk about the selves that show up instead of us: the crisis-trained parts, the exhausted parts, the dreamers, the watchers, and the ones bracing for storms that never fully arrive.In this episode, I explore the “crowd inside us”—the sub-selves shaped in childhood, the ones that still pull the strings, and the deeper shadow layers beneath them. We look at why we react the way we do, why certain patterns won’t let go, and how shadow work invites us to name these hidden selves so we can finally lead from a truer place.I talk about the old versions of me that still try to run the show, the grounded self emerging in this new season, and how naming our inner parts becomes a doorway into clarity, compassion, and real change. Together, we look at what happens when we become allergic to our own shadow and how to stay present through the discomfort long enough to learn from it.You’ll also find three simple journaling prompts to begin your own shadow work practice—gentle ways to shine a light into the places we often avoid.If you’re in the Greenville, SC area, I’d love to see you at December’s Rooted Gatherings here at Lavender Hill. And if you’re joining from afar, I’m always here for a private Zoom session.Come stand on the ground with me this week.Let’s reconnect to the selves who rise, the ones who soften, and the shadows asking to be named. Get full access to Stable Roots at stableroots.substack.com/subscribe