Most law of attraction teachers, including some well-known channeled entities, caution us to focus mainly on what we DO want in our lives. The rest, including past disappointments and fears, can simply be surrendered to the light.
I think it’s wise advice not to get fixated on our past or on old beliefs. Focusing on and getting too attached to these stories will perpetuate the associated vibrations. That’s why non-attachment is a key part of many spiritual teachings.
That said, I believe that doing shadow work can be beneficial in helping us gain momentum toward living the life of our dreams.
What is shadow work? It’s a personal growth tool that involves taking a look at some of the old stories that lie hidden in your subconscious mind. Working constructively with your deepest fears and limiting beliefs involves, simply put, shining the light of your attention on them.
This work is most effective when aimed at an area of your life where you’ve consistently practiced the law of attraction, yet little to no change is happening. It’s the place where you find yourself getting frustrated. No matter what you do, negative thoughts seem to keep popping up. You feel like you’re not making any progress.
Seth, a non-physical entity channeled by Jane Roberts, advises us in the book The Nature of Personal Reality:
“Do not get upset with yourself when you find yourself dwelling on negative issues in your life. Instead, constructively ask yourself why you are doing so. The answer will come to you. Use the knowledge as a bridge. Let whatever emotions are involved happen. If you do this honestly, feelings of self-worthlessness or despondency will go through and vanish, changing of their own accord.”
That last part is particularly important in doing shadow work. Just by shining your awareness on them for a brief time, those shadowy beliefs and emotions lessen their hold on you.
Over the past few years, I’ve done a lot of personal work around prosperity. I’d been mired in poverty and scarcity for a long time. By putting my attention on the misguided beliefs about money that I learned as a child and a young adult, I’ve been able to let them go. My level of prosperity, and that of my immediate family, has been steadily rising since!
Some of the tools I’ve used to do my shadow work include contemplative thought, journaling, and EFT (aka tapping). Rather than diving deeply into the stories I was telling myself, I looked at them and then allowed them to fade, replacing them with a focus on my dreams and goals.
There’s no need for shame or blame when uncovering your shadow side. What those parts of your psyche most want is simply to be seen. Once they’ve been acknowledged, it’s easy to allow them to be reintegrated. Then you’ll find that you’ve freed up more personal power to flow in the direction of your most cherished dreams.
Look at your shadows, offer them unconditional love and acceptance – like your guides and angels do for you – and then move on. Acknowledge your lower-vibration feelings, and you’ll find that they will dissipate more quickly.
Bring your shadows into the light. Like me, you might find that this will free up a formerly tricky area and that your dreams will at last come true.
