How Shadow Work Can Change Your Ancestral Programming

There are not many people who would get excited about doing their own shadow work...well not in the beginning anyway. It might bring about feelings of discomfort, fear, worry or guilt. However, what are the outcomes for shadow work and how could it affect our ancestry?

Shadow work is a concept developed by Carl Jung, a psychoanalyst that might describe our "shadow" as the part of our unconscious mind believed to hold all the things about ourselves that we repress, whether because they are uncomfortable, socially unacceptable, harmful to others, or detrimental to our own health. This discovery and revelation opens a door to the possible benefits of accessing the information about ourselves that might free us from repressing and suppressing our emotions. As the research into the link between repressed emotions and disease develops (check out this article if you're interested: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16380318/), we are starting to understand that the things left unsaid, as well as the events swept under the rug, might later show up as imbalances in the body, leading to disease. Not only that, our diseases can show up through our ancestral line as unresolved trauma and the shadow work left undone.

But why do all that work for someone else?

By taking action towards your own repressed and suppressed emotions and thoughts, you are opening a door from the unconscious mind to our conscious thinking plane. The door that opens allows more deep seated pains and dormant feelings to rise to the surface and be acknowledged. We know that simply 'feeling your feelings', can lead to profound healing and transformation, lifting a metaphorical weight off our shoulders. When healing happens, our consciousness can expand into new states of awareness, particularly when it comes to where we came from and what comes next. This doesn't mean that you need to have children to justify doing shadow work. More so, it means that any doors you open for yourself frees you from unconsciously following the patterns your ancestors set up. When we leave shadow work untouched for a generation, or two (or even more!), the psychological "bill" so to speak, falls on the next generation. As the trauma and unresolved issues pass from one generation to another, we end up with coping mechanisms that can become deeply ingrained. 

When someone begins their journey towards shadow work, they not only discover the hidden depths of who they are, but they also reveal what lies unhealed from the generations before them. I'm not saying this is particularly fair (since this life is not actually meant to be fair), but I am voicing a way to take action towards what can liberate us from the burden of unconsciousness wounds. These wounds may not be yours, but they might be having more influence on your life than you think. Let's aim for what is balanced, rather than fair, shall we?

Shadow work is everything our egos would prefer not to face. Our setbacks, our mistakes, what we don't do well, our weaknesses, what hurt us, our self-sabotage and those deep, dark secrets. It's important to know, that revealing these uncomfortable truths to yourself is the most powerful remedy (although you might want to consult with a practitioner to help you get into the groove of facing things). After a while, once you see how much healing, freedom and transformation can follow this process of deeper introspection, you might actually start to enjoy it!

How can you get started?

There are many ways to approach this inner work, from reading books, watching videos or finding a counsellor or psychologist who can light the way. You can start by journaling some challenging questions or even using some pretty cool shadow oracle cards (wink wink!) if that's your thing. If you're interested in embarking on the challenge of shadow work, let me get you started. Grab a pen and paper and spend some time answering these two questions...

1. In what areas of my life do I sabotage my potential just like my mother did?

2. In what areas of my life do I sabotage my potential just like my father did?

I hope these questions will bring revelations of where you have fallen into ancestral programming that doesn't serve you. It's important to take our inherited gifts and use them as a blessing, but also identify our inherited burdens and take action to change them!

Soon enough, you might embrace the challenge of challenging yourself! A true measure of balance and stability is the ability to work through your strengths and your weaknesses with equal vigour!

Written with love by Heather Leighton on Wanggeriburra soil without the use of A.I.