[Barra]

South African –

From – https://safloweressences.co.za/shadow.html

By Jannet Unite-Penny ©

Understanding the Shadow side of ourselves is one of the major challenges to humanity today, particularly as it holds the key to transforming ourselves and, thereby, our world. In the following pages I will attempt to present material which will be of assistance in coming to an understanding of the Shadow. Please bear in mind that the subject of the Shadow is too vast to begin to do it real justice in an article of this nature. Although I am also writing about how to use The South African Flower Essences in the context of working with the Shadow, I will discuss the Shadow first, in some detail, before looking at the relevant flower essences.

Many of us have heard the term ‘Shadow’ without really understanding what it means. Perhaps we have some vague idea that it may be a rather undesirable part of ourselves and feel that it is best ignored. Maybe we imagine it to be dark, or evil and, consequently, tend to be rather afraid of it and avoid the whole issue. Thus, the subject of the Shadow often remains a mystery, swathed in misunderstandings.

So, let’s look, then, at what the Shadow is and why it is relevant to our daily lives.

It was Carl Jung who first popularised the concept of the Shadow in his work with the unconscious aspects of the self. In the Healing Power of Illness (Element Books Ltd.) Dethlefsen and Dahlke define it as “The sum of all those rejected aspects of reality which people either cannot, or will not, see within themselves and of which they are therefore unconscious.” The Shadow is actually a component of the Self, more than just the sum of its parts, and since it is always with us and holds so much of our life energy, anyone serious about increasing self-awareness or about growing spiritually, must, of necessity, tangle with this Shadow Self for the reasons we shall examine below.

A way that I, personally, find to be helpful in understanding the Shadow is as follows. When we are born, we accept our world as it is. We do not judge ourselves, the situations in which we find ourselves, or our interactions, as either right or wrong. At this stage, our sense of self could be pictured as spherical, rather like a huge beach ball, representing the totality of all that is. We do not differentiate into good or bad. We do not feel that we should not be this, or that we should be that. We just are.

Within a short time we begin to learn, in very practical ways, that this is a reality of duality. We learn that there are expectations of us already firmly in place, that certain behaviour attracts positive responses and other behaviour attracts negative responses. We learn that we are required to live up to those expectations in order to be loved, to fit into the roles in which we have been cast, with the family dynamic, with the society into which we have incarnated. As we need love in order to survive, we learn to adapt ourselves. Thus, the process of splitting off parts of ourselves commences and we begin to divide that sphere into what we accept as part of ourselves and what we reject.

The fact is, however, that we actually encompass both polarities, the good and the bad, the light and the dark. As Kahil Gibran put it:-

“The whole universe exists within you
And everything that is within you also exists within creation.
In a single drop of water is to be found the secret of the boundless ocean.
A single manifestation of yourself contains all life’s manifestations.”

Ultimately, we have to come to an inner understanding of this. We have to deal with each aspect, even that which we have discarded, as it holds part of our energy which we need to transmute and transform. And the Shadow is here to help us.

In life we learn to identify ourselves in certain ways. For example when we say “I am a woman, I am a mother, I am a teacher, I am kind, I am tolerant, I am capable” or, on the other hand, “I am unkind, I am intolerant, I am bad and I am incapable ” these beliefs form part of who we see ourselves being. However, all of these ways in which we identify ourselves are choices we make and each one implies, automatically, that we are rejecting from our consciousness the polarity of what we define ourselves to be. So it is that we will deny our hostility, our rage, our deceptions or our envy. Since we are, as Gibran points out, the totality of all that is, what happens, then, to all that we exclude? The nature of reality is such that banishing aspects of ourselves from our consciousness does not cause them to disappear anymore than the ostrich, hiding his head in the sand, becomes invisible because he can no longer see his foe! It truly is a major deception we foist upon ourselves.

My favourite description of the Shadow is given by Lazaris in Working with the Shadow (NPN Publishing Inc). For an in-depth understanding of this subject, and, in fact, of the spiritual paradigm in general, you cannot, in my opinion, do better than the Larazis Material?. He says that, particularly in our youth and young adulthood, “it is as though our arms are filled with bundles and packages, far too much for us to carry” and so we drop things. The Shadow comes along behind us and picks it all up, the garbage, as well as the treasures, and keeps them until we are ready to deal with them. He says that the Shadow is not, as many think, our enemy but our loyal friend. It “is there to hold sacred and protect all the stuff that we are unable to deal with and unable to accept.” So the Shadow is a part of us, a being, “who holds for us all the stuff we deny, discount, disown and pretend does not exist.”

Along with this, it also holds all that we refuse to be responsible for and also that which is too painful for us to handle at the time, all that we hide from ourselves. Thus, the Shadow serves as a faithful friend, picking up and holding for us what we discard and disown. Its function is to keep these parts of us until such time as we are ready to take them back and recognise them as integral to who we are.

As pointed out above, it is not only the so-called ‘negative’ aspects of the self that we disown. The Shadow also picks up the treasures we let fall. Now, why would we disown positive aspects of ourselves, you may ask? A starting point in understanding this is to remember that, as children, our primary need is to be loved in order to survive. In order to obtain this love, we will adapt to whatever is required of us, whatever it takes to fit into the required role, even if this entails giving up abilities we innately have or taking on a negative role in the family dynamic. Perhaps a sibling is the favourite, perhaps as a boy or girl we are taught that we have to be a certain way, perhaps the family needs someone to blame, someone to take on the role of black sheep. Perhaps our conditioning is that we are bad, lazy or incompetent. Perhaps, it is not acceptable to be powerful, strong, loving, intelligent, compassionate, empathetic or sensitive. In these cases, what happens is that we may well disown the light or ‘good’ aspect of ourselves and, this, our Shadow Self will pick up for safekeeping.

Another helpful tool in understanding the Shadow and in obtaining insights into its way of working in our lives is the astrological chart. To those unfamiliar with a chart, it may appear at first glance to be a mass of indecipherable and incomprehensible glyphs. With study, it can come to be a fascinating source of insight into our own very individual psyches.

In looking at any chart, one usually begins with the three most important factors –

the position and sign of the sun at the time of birth (commonly known as sun sign and the basis of the astrological reports you will find in the press); the position and sign of the moon and, thirdly, the sign on the horizon at the time of birth which is called the Ascendant.

The Ascendant indicates how you see yourself, how you present yourself to the world, what your sense of self is. Since determining where the Ascendant is on the wheel requires accurate information as to the exact time and place of birth, the average person is often unaware of what their Ascendant is. Unfortunately, this is such an important source of information that the lack thereof results in incomplete interpretation of the chart.

Well, what does all this have to do with the Shadow? On the wheel of an astrological chart, the Ascendant marks what is called the cusp of the first house. As the wheel turns, the Ascendant moves from the horizon up into the light of awareness of self. In a diagonal line, directly across the chart, the area moving down, away from the light and into the dark, is the cusp of the seventh house which marks the Descendant. It is also the indicator of the Shadow Self. Situated as it is, in opposition to the area of which we have the most awareness, this is the part of ourselves of which we have the least consciousness, the part of ourselves we disown and consequently, tend to project outwards onto others, situations or our realities in general.

Fittingly, this Descendant marks the section of the chart that deals with our relationships with ‘the significant other’ in our lives, the person upon whom we are most likely to project the disowned aspects of ourselves. Initially, we are likely to fall in love with our Shadow’s characteristics. The person who openly displays what we deny in ourselves has enormous attraction for us – in them we see ourselves completed. Later on in the relationship these are the very characteristics that infuriate us.

Understanding of this projection process is of crucial importance in learning how we can work with our Shadow and, thereby, reap the harvest of benefits that result from integrating it. In this process, we have set up a wonderful feedback mechanism in order to allow ourselves to attain self-knowledge which can lead us back to wholeness. Since everything we do not wish to be, or of which we do not approve, is held by the Shadow, this is what will be mirrored to us by our outside world. In this illusion we have set up for ourselves, what we disown is presented to us in order that we may recognise it as part of ourselves. In Lararis’ words, “when we are finally ready, the Shadow returns to us, meticulously, what it has held for us – to be processed and to be used”.

To work with our Shadow we need to look at the characteristics of the people in our lives whose behaviour pushes our buttons, at people we dislike or hate, at what irritates or angers us the most. It is very possible that we may pride ourselves on having the opposite of these particular qualities for, ironically, the more intensely we polarise ourselves in any characteristic, the more we will attract its opposite to us in our lives. Also we need to look at what we really admire in others. This is information that teaches us so much about ourselves.

The standard response we often have, when asked to look to see where we can identify ourselves in people, or in situations, which upset us or get to us in some way is “But I don’t do that!” And the answer is ” No, you probably don’t but maybe you would really like to”. Perhaps what stops us is the judgement we have on such behaviour that prevents us allowing ourselves to act in such a way. It follows that we are really infuriated when someone else has the audacity to do so.” Similarly, when we admire someone passionately and long to be like them, identify the quality in them that triggers this response and work on reclaiming it from your Shadow.

We should also look at the feedback we get in life – what do people tell us that we don’t like to hear, what are we ashamed of, what do we hide (even from ourselves), what patterns do we repeat in our lives? These are important ways in which our Shadow communicates with us. With practice and perseverance, we can find, in these areas, the hidden keys to understanding the disowned aspects of ourselves which the Shadow holds in waiting for us.

So the secret is to sit by yourself, calling on your Higher Self and unseen counsellors to help you and to give yourself time to work with whatever it is that evokes this response in you or that you have identified. With real self-honesty and integrity, examine the depths of your psyche. Admit the truth to yourself. I am not suggesting you need to admit the truth to anyone else nor that you go into the adolescent part of yourself and start beating yourself up about it. Castigating yourself or going off on a blaming trip of “Oh, I am such a despicable, horrible person, no one could possibly love me!” is going to achieve nothing at all. What is needed is the recognition of this aspect in yourself; the lifting of the judgement you have (for you judge what you disown); forgiveness of yourself – for having hidden the truth from yourself for so long – and for the pain you have caused yourself, and others, in the process and a desire to be different from now on.? Then, put into practice what you have learned about yourself and actually be different.

We have a choice as to how we process the stuff in our lives, not whether we process it. We can grow through struggle and pain or through joy and adventure.? Illness and crisis occur when we refuse to hear the whispers urging to us change voluntarily. The Shadow can be a very valuable teacher, if we choose to work with it.

So how can flower essences help us with this? The South African Flower Essences produce a wide range of essences that includes several individual ones aimed, specifically, at working with the Shadow Self. Additionally, many of the other essences have very pertinent uses in dealing with the issues that arise in the context of Shadow work.

Chinkerinchee Essence is the essence that brings in a resonance of integrity, so important if we are to face truthfully that which we have hidden for so long. It assists us in developing the ability to be honest with ourselves and to act with purity of motive. Coming face to face with that which we fear in ourselves takes strength of character and courage but, through doing so, we are able to transform our reality. Borage Essence can provide a valuable boost when this courage is needed. Strelitzia Essence helps us focus and persevere, giving us clarity of purpose and the ability to hold the vision of what we want to become and create for ourselves. Disa Essence is recommended for when it all feels too much and we hit despair and hopelessness. These are major issues we are facing and we should not underestimate the power of the emotions that may be unleashed.

Cancer Bush Essence works remarkably to assist us in confronting and transforming the ugly, or dark, aspects of our own nature. Meet and integrate these demons and there is little to fear in the outside world. Among the baggage the Shadow picks up and carries for us are our hostility, our anger, pride, greed and lack of morality. These are not very pretty and facing them can cause considerable apprehension and inner torment. What we fear tends to come at us in life. The Shadow draws people, circumstances and experiences to us so that we can become whole. When we find ourselves battling in the inner world, confronting fears that are generated by the disowned parts of ourselves, Cancer Bush Essence is the one to use. It helps us transform the dark and ugly aspects of our nature. If this generates fear Coral Tree Essence is amazing for alleviating generalised feelings of fear and Cape Almond Essence is a wonderful essence for grounding, centring and providing a sense of safety and security while you process these aspects of your nature.

When we polarise ourselves in the upright, moral side of ourselves, disowning our ability to be violent or hostile, judging this behaviour in others, there is the potential to meet this violent side of ourselves out in our world. Reality manifests from the inside out. The dark, Dr Jekyll, aspect of self may be represented to us by our realities, not to punish us, but to teach us to recognise these energies within ourselves and in order that we take back the power we have given away to outside forces in our lives. On a spiritual level we already know this.

Another important essence for dealing with these violent or abusive aspects, which we have projected outward, is Wild Ginger Essence . It facilitates the owning and accepting of these aspects, drawing them out of shadow consciousness and allowing them to be transmuted. We all know, perhaps first hand, of people who find themselves, repeatedly, in abusive relationships, replaying the old patterns set, most probably in childhood. The way to deal with this is to own this pattern so that reality no longer has to keep presenting it.

Geranium Incanum Essence can also be of particular value in such destructive or vengeful relationships, where we find ourselves attracting violent, threatening situations in our lives. Consciously integrating the Shadow aspect of the self in these circumstances will free the very powerful, magnetic energy which holds us locked into such relationships. It may well be that Crisis Remedy and Auric Protection Essence could be used most beneficially here, as well.

There is the probability, in these circumstances, that you will feel victimised, failing to remember that reality is a product of the inner world. Use Yucca Essence as it works to help transform feelings of victimhood through taking personal responsibility for what happens to us.

Grevillea Essence is another essence that works to assist in the incorporation of the Shadow Self. Because judging that which we disown in ourselves, when we see it is others, is so characteristic, we may similarly feel judged and vulnerable to criticism. Understanding that we create what happens to us, that it is our judgements which are being reflected back to us, frees us to take back our power from those onto whom we have projected it and thereby change our outer realities. Pompom Tree Essence can also be used for fear of rejection, feelings of shame and vulnerability to the opinions of others and Plumbago Essence deals specifically with the feelings of shame and low self esteem which can increase our vulnerability.

As mentioned in passing above, another major function of the Shadow is that of holding emotions, for us, which are too intense to deal with when we first experience them. When a loved one dies violently, when we are sexually abused, when a relationship ends, when the loss, pain, grief, abandonment or betrayal are too great or when we just cannot face the anger or shame, our Shadow will pick up these feelings and keep them until we can face them. There are many of the South African Flower Essences that are applicable in such circumstances. I will mention only a few to give you an idea of how to use them.

English Hawthorne Essence is for intense grief, when our hearts are broken, when the hurt and anguish are unbearable. We really cannot afford to leave pain of this type in our bodies, unprocessed, as it can easily lead to illness. We have to have the courage to tangle with it and this is a valuable essence to help us. Dog Rose Essence works, similarly, with unexpressed grief facilitating expression and integration of the pain. Peach Essence assists us with the effects of past trauma, or grief, which continue to effect the present. The beautiful blue Water Lily, indigenous to the Cape of Good Hope, has been used for the Water Lily Essence which benefits us when we have numbed ourselves against the pain and simply deny what we feel. Pelargonium Essence is indicated when the emotional baggage we carry results in a sense of alienation and isolation. It also facilitates the integration of the unconscious into the conscious.

In our world we are taught that anger is an unacceptable emotion -“Nice people don’t get angry!” Since we will all feel anger, regardless of whether society says we may or not, we often have to suppress it to keep it from view. Once again, the Shadow will keep this anger for us until we are ready to own it. Suppressed or depressed anger rapidly turns to poison in our lives and the sooner we deal with it, the better for us.

We can turn anger back upon ourselves to cause self-hatred and self-condemnation. It can result in depression and despair. This is when Daffodil Essence is needed. Another way that anger seeps out in our lives is when we use it passive aggressively to punish those around us, and we can be remarkably inventive in finding ways to do this. White Geranium Essence , for unreliability and irresponsibility, and Vygie Essence , for control and manipulation, are two to remember here.

Since women, in particular, are conditioned not to feel anger it is an important issue for them to bring to the surface. There are several essences which focus on this emotion in the context of female issues. The first of these, Touch-Me-Not Essence deals with anger which is in response to limitations and judgments imposed on women by chauvinism and patriarchy. Another is Gazania Essence for the woman who has to subjugate herself to the needs of others and who is sexually repressed. Lemon Essence is particularly helpful as an aid to processing anger in women which is disallowed by virtue of society’s judgements.

The negative ego and the Shadow are very different. Whereas the former really is the enemy, seeking to destroy us at every opportunity, the Shadow, as we have discussed, is our friend. One of the negative ego’s favourite games is that of superiority, feeling better (or in some cases – worse) than everybody else. However, when we encounter pride, elitism and prejudice in our world, we may do well to look to see what messages our Shadow has for us. If prejudice and unfair discrimination make our blood boil, if we hate people who hold themselves up as being elite, above others, and if we are convinced that we would never, ever, be so arrogant, perhaps we should take Roella Essence . However much we are convinced that this is, in no way, a characteristic of ours, the intensity of our emotional response is telling us something about ourselves. Roella Essence facilitates humility and allows us perspective on ourselves.

Another way we need to seek wholeness is by incorporating our masculine and feminine sides in balance and harmony with each other. With the identification of ourselves as men or women, comes the disowning of important parts of our nature. Men will tend to disown their feminine sides and women their masculine sides, leaving it to their partners to mirror these aspects to them. Of course, we are all both and focusing on either polarity will attract situations which challenge us to change. Take a look at your interaction with the men and women in your life to gain insight into the relationship between your inner male and female. If you don’t like what you see, change the inner world. The South African Inner Male Essence and Inner Female Essence Combination Essences are a valuable adjunct to growth when working with these aspects of self.

The South African Lotus Essence works on a very powerful, spiritual level to align the chakras and open the crown chakra to contact with our Higher Self, Soul and Spirit. Because so much of the resistance to growth and to attaining enlightenment is tied up in the Shadow, this essence is of great assistance in helping us integrate and incorporate our Shadow Selves. Coming into contact with the resonance of our Higher Selves breaks down the resistance to growth, allowing us to release the pain and anger of the past and transmute the energy to a higher level.

This, ultimately, is the gift of the Shadow Self – to use the discarded aspects of self it has lovingly kept for us throughout our lifetime and become whole.

 

Shadow Warrior – Living Tree Orchid Essences

An extraordinary orchid, this essence was brought into being to assist the integration of one’s shadow side with the onward journey of the soul into the light. It stops the shadow from interacting negatively with challenging archetypes, and enables grounding of primitive fears. Enters the base of the skull and goes down the causal body to the root chakra and below, connecting the soul to the root of the soul’s journey. This essence clears one’s inner vision causing a change in perception, a deeper reality, and enhances clairaudience. Shadow Warrior is a very ‘yang’ essence, and the effect is sustained with a minimum dose.

 

Shadow Facing – Living Tree Orchid Essences

Connects one with the Hoop of Nations, the Council of All Creatures. Here the mosquito and the moose, the sparrow and the eagle all have equal voice. Shamanic mystery is encountered with this orchid, which also invites you to face your deepest fears. Not to be taken lightly or whimsically.

Shadow Facing is not included in the kit of 60 essences.

 

Vital Core Orchid – Living Tree Orchid Essences

Vital Core is strongly energizing of the Root and 2nd chakras, as well as the gall bladder meridian. While having some activity on the Crown, Throat and Heart chakras, its action is primarily in the two lower chakras whereby it provides a strong ‘get up & go’ effect. The effect on the 2nd chakra is intriguing: though energizing, it is not a sexual energizing. It helps to release stored / blocked energies, including stored negative energies, and thereby helps to resolve shadow aspects of the Sacral chakra. In this way, it seeks to restore the natural sacredness of the 2nd chakra.

 

Mirror Orchid – Morningstar Essences

Recognising the Divine Perfection of your Being and having that reflected back to you in everyday life. Helps one to uncover and see previously unknown talents and gifts that one has brought into this physical life so they may be utilised and expressed more fully. Very helpful for those with low self-esteem, helping these folks to see that they too are truly Beautiful, Wonderful, Unique individuals who have so much to share with the world! This essence also helps to bring forth shadow aspects of the self that are needing to be shifted and healed. It does this though in such a way that this no pain or shame involved in the process, but with more of a gentle type of acceptance. These aspects are then lovingly released and replaced with a much more constructive and positive expression.

Lucifer Hummingbird – Morningstar Essences

This is an excellent essence for working with the Shadow Side and also for those who feel they are terribly wicked and evil and thus must be punished by others or who punish themselves because they believe they are such awful people. It allows the individual to release these sorts of beliefs and to see themselves as the beautiful and divine child of the Universe that they truly are.

Blackberry Viola (Pansy) – Morningstar Essences

Excellent for transits of Pluto, healing Plutonian issues. Also for accessing and integrating the shadow safely and gently.

Black Diamond Opuntia – Morningstar Essences

It is easy for us to fear our Shadow, it appears on the surface to be so terribly negative that we wish to flee from its presence within us in hopes that it will somehow become buried deeply enough that it will have no impact on our lives. Yet our shadow also has much to teach us and truly is full of Wisdom when we look at it rightly. The Shadow is nothing more than parts of ourselves that are filled with pain and fear, and when we bring these things to the surface, they become exposed to Divine Light and Love where they can begin to Heal. Then perhaps we find that these things have really taught us how to be more Forgiving, Compassionate and Understanding of others. We can then reach out to others from this greater, wiser place and help them to confront what they need to and Heal as well. All things contain Divine Gifts, yet we must also be willing to look for those Gifts and accept them.

 

Scarlet Monkeyflower – FES

Positive qualities: Emotional honesty, direct and clear communication of deep feelings, integration of the emotional “shadow”.
Patterns of imbalance: Fear of intense feelings, repression of strong emotions; inability to resolve issues of anger and powerlessness.

 

Black Cohosh – FES

Positive qualities:
Courage to confront rather than retreat from abusive or threatening situations.
Patterns of imbalance:
Being caught in relationships or lifestyle which are abusive, addictive, violent; dark, brooding emotions.

The Black Cohosh personality has the task of learning to wrestle with shadow parts in the Self and in others. These souls have the positive gifts of powerful magnetism and charisma, with especially strong activity in their lower energy centers. Therefore they naturally attract to themselves many challenging people and situations, which they must learn to confront.

They often experience quite tangible feelings of threat or fear, which are well-warranted due to actual circumstance. Their personal life, or the lives of those around them, usually contain themes of violence, abuse, or addiction. Such souls can easily get caught in a viscous cycle of destructive energy. The quality of the inner life is often disturbed, tending toward brooding, vengeful, or even morbid thoughts.

These imbalances can be reflected in physical illnesses, especially toxic or congested disturbances in the reproductive organs or general metabolism. Black Cohosh flower essence imparts the ability to confront and actively transform negative, destructive, or threatening circumstances. In this way such souls gain enormous power, and learn to balance and harness their innate strength and physical power.

Black Eyed Susan – FES

Positive qualities:
Awake consciousness capable of acknowledging all aspects of the Self; penetrating insight.
Patterns of imbalance:
Avoidance or repression of traumatic or painful aspects of the personality.

Black-Eyed-Susan flower essence is a powerful catalyst for confronting parts of the personality or traumatic episodes form the past that have been kept locked away in the recesses of the psyche.

Often these unclaimed parts of the psyche operate as shadow parts of the personality; for example, a person who as raped or abused may begin to exhibit the same behavior toward others later in life. In other instances this enormous repression does not manifest outwardly, but inwardly, in self-destructive tendencies or as mental or physical illness. In many cases Black-Eyed-Susan is indicated for individuals who suffer from emotional amnesia and paralysis, and are totally unaware of the healing issues they must confront. What is needed in these circumstances is an increase of awareness; the ability to shine the light of consciousness into the shadows of the psyche.

A great release of energy is felt in the soul once such buried parts of the psyche are consciously encountered and addressed in an appropriate therapeutic environment. Black-Eyed-Susan restores great light and conscious awareness, helping the soul to integrate and transform unclaimed parts of the psyche.

Antares (Alpha Scorpii) – Shadow Self
Inner awareness of the past-life connection to deep states of malaise is brought to consciousness. As this information becomes more available, the ability to understand the Shadow Self, to know it and release certain components of it, are enhanced. Deeper insight into how others struggle with their shadow selves and an enhanced state of group meditation may be noted. The process of exploring the Shadow Self with love and forgiveness is enhanced, providing one with a greater balance of karma and an acceleration of consciousness. – Pegasus Products

Cereus Cactus (C. jusberti) – Breakthrough
There is some relationship to the star Antares. Dealing with shadow-self issues can occur in an easier fashion. There can manifest a sense of unity or deeper connection amongst people. This is especially established at night during the dream state. What can occur with this elixir is a greater opportunity to connect with the collective consciousness of humanity in a positive way. There is a balancing of both halves of the personality – light and dark – and a real breakthrough experience is possible. Take this along with Antares elixir to provide more energy. – Pegasus Products

Enargite — Inner Conflict
This stone is useful for individuals who are contending with levels of energy that appear to be in opposition. Those who work with the Law of Opposite Expression can powerfully understand these opposites as important reflective qualities in themselves. Issues may be brought more clearly to the surface about one’s inner self, the shadow self, childhood grief, or the deeper side of one’s being. – Pegasus Products

Siderite — Shadow Self
This is an important doorway stone to assist in understanding humanity — to see the highest potential for humanity, coordinated with an ability to allow love. This sometimes is unable to come forth because the darkness and its higher purpose are simply not understood. Those who will usually be able to resonate with the stone most easily are those who, in their own way, have some acceptance of the dark side of themselves. Most individuals who use Siderite elixir will find, over time, that their ability to accept and work with the dark side of themselves is significantly benefited. The emotional body is cleansed gradually as a result. The energies are released to the mental body, giving a person greater perspective and understanding. Often a deeper awareness of, and ability to work with, the law of opposite expression is made available for individuals. This naturally leads to a deeper understanding of the law of love. It is possible, in utilizing the elixir of this stone, for individuals to release a number of negative functions within their own bodies. These functions can inhibit proper digestion or inhibit the ability to manifest healing light, or can be blocks of any kind at an emotional or even spiritual level. The stone has the ability to help people accept each other, to see the dark side in someone else, and to see that it is but a reflection or a mirror of some aspect of one’s own consciousness. In this way, one can more easily and lovingly accept another person, seeing that their ability to manifest light is also dependent on the ability to accept their darkness. A deeper conception of oneness emerges at an emotional level, and it is in this way a Buddhaic stone.  – Pegasus Products

Amethyst Deceiver (mushroom) – Korte Phi
Helps us in our inner transformation by bringing hidden inner “poisons” to the surface, then reducing their impact on mind, body and soul.

Slippery Jack (mushroom) – Korte Phi
Brings any unexpressed feelings of shame and guilt up to conscious awareness. Helps release blockages that are caused by deep seated negative feelings that deny self-worth.

Horn of Plenty (mushroom) – Korte Phi
The “breath of Hades” mushroom essence integrates us with our shadow side, grounds us and releases hidden blockages.

Enchanter’s Nightshade – Alaskan
Brings balance between the polarities of light and shadow, expansion and contraction; heals the imbalance that is created by too much exposure to the light; helps one find peace, protection, safety, and security in the shadow through the release of fear; for moving from isolation and separation to connection and union with all life; helps us release the magic of our potential.

Sea Lettuce – Pacific Essences
Embracing and healing the shadow; for dispersal and elimination of toxins

Aconitum delphinifolium – Alaskan
Indications – difficulties being in close physical contact with others; confused sense of spiritual
identity; fearful of contacting the shadow self.

Healing Qualities – provides protection and support for getting in touch with the deepest levels of
the inner self; strengthens our ability to interact with others by fostering a clear recognition of our
own divine identity.

Hermosa Rose – NM Essences

A flower essence for helping a person to fully integrate and come to peace with one’s so-called
“shadow self”.

The Shadow-Self is effectively a person’s own personal part of the mass-consciousness “shadow”,
or “dark side”, that part of humanity that always automatically delights in acting as if it is “evil”.

This could be likened to the “Dark Side of the Force” as depicted in the Star Wars movies.

The “dark side” does exist, and in a practical sense it’s actions are acted out by the so-called
“dark forces”.

The important thing to realize is that the “dark forces” are not actually separate from humanity,
they are an integral part of humanity, and because of the nature of the dualistic universe, and the
need for humanity to experience all aspects of “evil”, they are just as essential to all humans as
their so-called “good” side.

For practical reasons in the dualistic universe, there are actually “separate” beings who take the role
of acting out the “dark forces”, and, they are “evil”. However, it does no good to battle them as if
they were totally some external, evil force. A beautiful illustration of how the evil beings are actually
not separate from humanity is in the Lord of the Rings story, where every person who has been a
ring-bearer is severely tempted by their shadow-self into giving in to their base passions, the passions
of the shadow-self. Sauron is actually a separate, evil, lord; but he can only work through the base desires
of many other beings, and the ring acts as a magnifier of those base desires.

The shadow side is not to be feared, and ultimately it needs to be integrated into the whole, especially
in the context of humanity now moving into the “New Energy”, where there will eventually be no
more distinction between the dark and the light, they will be one integrated perfect whole.

“I now fully integrate my Shadow, and come to terms withe the Dark Side.”

Euphorbia peplus (Petty Spurge) – NM Essences

A flower essence for people who need to reclaim their shadow self.

Afraid of meeting their shadow.

Includes people who are determined to “be positive”
about everything, to the exclusion of their shadow side.

Our True Self includes the “All That Is”,
and “all” means just that….. all,
which must include the dark, and all the
many shades of grey, along with the light.

This flower essence helps people who wish to
reclaim and integrate this shadow self.

Deanes Wattle Arcacia – NM Essences

The flower essence for helping us to recognize our suppressed duality Ego, our shadow-self,
that secretly rules much of our lives.

Like the iceberg, that is mostly hidden under the water, so too is our shadow-self mainly
hidden from view, yet it has huge influence in all that we feel, think, say, and do.

This essence is to help us to have the courage to face up to this hidden demon, to recognize
that it is actually an illusion, and in this realizing, to heal all of our deeply buried monsters.

This process of healing our shadow is also very much to do with transcending duality,
because the Ego is a product of our duality, and once the Ego is fully realized to be an illusion,
we automatically become one, fully healed of our internal split.

“I face my deepest demons and realize that they are illusions.”
“I heal my internal duality split and become one whole, fully healed divine human.”

 

 

Flora of Asia – Hairy Toad Lily-

The healing potential I hold is for accepting the more unusual, even deviant, ideas and concepts.  For this is merely an outgrowth or expression of the shadow, and is rich in insight.  Of course, impulses of this sort are appropriate to “run past” one’s higher self and mission so that inappropriate actions are not taken.  This is not what this concept is about.  It is about the exploration of these ideas and impulses – not in the expression of them.  For it is related to the concept of evil, and the harm that comes from the cultivation and repeated expression of such things.  For those who do not have or form a strong connection to higher self are at times seduced by the impulses of the shadow, and follow this direction away from higher self.  It is not the problem of the shadow, for all can connect to this and it is part of the complete journey.  However it is the misguided drive to fulfill these impulses that causes the problem, the error of the creation of evil.  This is a topic that your culture is quite mistaken in its basic understanding.  For all have this connection to what you might term “evil”, which is merely expression of shadow.  By denying this connection, and damaged connection to higher self, the soul becomes lost.  In this lost state, the personality seeks the “realness” that cultivation of the shadow self generates.  This follows along in the train of thought and ends in harm to self and others.  Those who deny the knowledge of this shadow self create a sense of disconnection from those who follow it and label them as bad or other.  This does not resolve or heal the karmic setup, merely continues it.

Through understanding and personal awareness of what is hidden in one’s own soul, these lost souls can be guided back to balance.

While my energy deals with these large karmic issues, know that this is talk of extremes – the most notable case.  All souls can have a connection in smaller ways.

We are aware that this is unexpected information, but know that it can be taken in many areas.  We illustrate the extreme case, not the everyday application.  Use this essence for dream, for shadow work, exploration through creativity and art.  The embrace of shadow balances the soul.  Exclusive attention to the light is not sustainable, nor is it balanced.

[Barra]

AIR PLANT [T] Bryophyllum x tubiflorum, syn. Kalanchoe tubiflora (coral)
Crassulaceae, Stonecrop Family
Body: Aids assimilation of herbal nutrients.
Psyche: Dries up hysteria, ranting around issues that have been “buttons” to be pushed in the psyche. Detach; state preferences calmly and clearly without attitudinal uproar. Also for temper tantrums, young children.
Spirit: Helps focus concentration on spiritual practices without shutting out other levels of awareness and concentration: “chop wood, carry water” before and after enlightenment.

‘APE (AH-pay) [ELEPHANT EAR] [T] Alocasia macrorrhiza (cream)
Araceae, Arum Family
Psyche: Releases anxiety, fear of doing “wrong,” not living up to others’ expectations. Relieves stress around conflicts of ideals; one can feel, not merely think, what is best.
Spirit: Releases judgment and blame; useful in clearing early fundamentalist religious programming, authoritarian, patriarchal or judgment-based belief systems. Brings delight in simplicity, communion, connection to Spirit.

ASPARAGUS [G] A. officinalis (greenish-yellow)
Liliaceae, Lily Family
Body: Impacts solar plexus chakra.
Psyche: Clears unhealthy influences from the aura, psyche, mental body. Expands auric perception, to receive more clearly psychic/energetic information from another. Assists self-sovereignty, wise decisions: choose life, hope, joy; useful in depression, abandonment, abuse and fear thereof.
Aids self-examination of spiritual sustenance, discernment, boundary/power issues. Releases subconscious detritus from the aura, including unexamined childhood fears and prejudices. Assists release of self from the grip of powerful presences: strong parental figures, power struggles in partnerships/relationships, etc. Softens edges of boundaries for more harmonious interactions with others.
When feeling is conflicted between love and pain, hope and fear, joy and sorrow, this remedy clears projected obligations and psychic programming so that one may more easily grasp the higher option, thus release old patterning. Use in psychological self-examination to clarify goals and objectives, and to discern and support healthy relationships.

BABY SUNROSE [T] Aptenia cordifolia (red)
Aizoaceae, Carpetweed Family
Psyche: Initiates self-healing around wounded childhood; recognize safe environment and appropriate timing for healing work. Allows exposition, release of early childhood secrets and shaming, to clear and release childhood memories, rescue the inner child, and come to completion and healing regarding abuse, neglect, abandonment. Best option is to work with a trained therapist for help and useful tools.

BAT-FACED CIGAR FLOWER [T] Cuphea x neubertii (crimson & violet-black)
Lythraceae, Loosestrife Family
Body: Aids intestinal assimilation. Opens lungs for receiving oxygen; useful for asthma, especially in children and when related to psychosomatic distress.
Psyche: Enhances hope and joy, exuberance, optimism; use with Iris tenax to maintain stability and strength of focus in the face of negativity. Assists keeping on track with one’s visions; helps keep these ideals and goals in focus and priority. Huge assist for significant change.
Opens the psyche to innocence, joy, vitality. Helps release fears, issues of survival and soul-scarring from early childhood; nurturing to the inner child. An attitude adjustment for children in difficult family circumstances: assists unconscious restructuring in expectation of good flowing into one’s life, as opposed to assumption there is nothing of joy.
Useful for learning disabilities, to not so easily surrender to difficulty; enhances bright, curious, eager, enthusiastic qualities.

BLUE-EYED GRASS [W] Sisyrinchium bellum (blue-violet)
Iridaceae, Iris Family
Psyche: Assists separation of self from another’s self-destructive behavior; ideal in blends to transform unhappy relationships. Releases karmic entanglements and romantic images of “saving” people, that as they choose to “crash and burn,” we may pull away in time to save our self-respect and emotional survival. Brings sanity and centering; remain focused on our own path in context of the sufferings of another. This is not kicking someone out of our hearts, but distancing from delusional dramas.
Brings spiritual insight into causes and patterns of codependence with self-destructive individuals; allows us to acknowledge and release our own self-destructive desires.
Nothing in the universe says we must follow our loved ones into their self-selected purgatories. Remember this as you struggle to maintain center among the trauma of watching loved ones slide deeper into pain and confusion. Our most helpful response is to remind them we are there for them when they are ready to come out of these negative spirals, yet refuse to follow them into their hells.

DOUGLAS’ CAMPION [W] Silene douglasii (pale pink)
Caryophyllaceae, Pink Family
Body: Keeps heart rhythms in order, in those whose emotional hearts have been stressed. Releases mental and emotional impressions that lead to liver congestion.
Psyche: Heals emotional residue in the heart causing it to harden or shut down. Brings clarity and centering in chronic deep emotional distress; useful to understand karmic effects of inconsideration of others. When grief has become lodged in the heart as a dull, inner pain, this opens the heart to regain flow of emotions in stagnant situations of unresolved grief or sorrow. Softens and melts barriers to feeling and expressing, releasing sorrow and pain; this is the true beginning of healing a heart condition.
Spirit: Assists connection with the Higher Self.

GIANT BURMESE HONEYSUCKLE [T] Lonicera hildebrandiana (white to orange)
Caprifoliaceae, Honeysuckle Family
[The world’s largest-flowered honeysuckle; similar in effect to Bach’s Honeysuckle, but specific to past-life issues.]
Psyche: A remedy of choice when clearing past-life issues, this assists shifting into the present from past-life issues holding one back; specific for past-life work, releasing limitations. Often there is soul-scarring from loss, or lack of mastery regarding lessons previously presented.

GUIANA CHESTNUT [T] Pachira aquatica (greenish-white)
Bombacaceae, Bombax Family
Body: With conscious bodywork/therapeutic processes, limiting resonances can be cleared from the etheric and emotional bodies, allowing the soul and psyche to develop without inhibition. Use topically or orally to release blockages in the energy body, usually stemming from difficult interpersonal interactions, trauma or violence and abuse. Expands the crown chakra as a fountain of release.
Psyche: Enhances connection with the wisdom-body for accessing karmic origin of one’s current story, releasing it into Light; aids the physical body’s ability to release the story as well. Assists moving through difficulties in the psyche.

JAMAICA VERVAIN [T] Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (blue-violet)
Verbenaceae, Vervain Family
Psyche: Supports inspiration and direction in processing and clearing inner realities. Keeps the heart open during journeys into one’s dark side, “clearing out closets” of the psyche that more Light may be brought in; what is useful may be brought forth, and all that does not serve may be released. Helps “get a handle on” forces behind strange motivations negatively affecting one’s relationships or belief systems.
Spirit: Sweeps chambers of the heart clearing false, limiting belief systems to make ready a place for the indwelling Spirit. Enhances transmutation through understanding: examine, release unworthy/undeserving/limiting/victim belief systems. Helps access Higher Self to burn, transmute imperfections of the psyche; highly recommended.

JAPANESE ANEMONE [G] A. x japonica, syn. A. hupehensis (white)
Ranunculaceae, Buttercup Family
Psyche: Brings stillness and wisdom in human dramas. Creates a bridge with the Higher Self to regain strength of center and clarity regarding emotional and situational issues; understand and rise above tendencies of the lower self for self-abasement, abuse and belittling. Brings one out of tiny emotional dramas into limitlessness of the true Self. Useful for cleaning out one’s psychological closets, prioritizing points of perfection while sustaining purity and Light.
With centering and calmness, we can hear our souls saying what we need each step of our journey.

KENILWORTH IVY [G] Cymbalaria muralis (lilac-blue & yellow)
Scrophulariaceae, Figwort Family
Psyche: Self-esteem issues: useful for children and those caught in shame spirals of never being good enough, judged harshly by others. Allows for the possibility of magnificence in those battered by the meanness of others’ manifestations; brings the ability to endure and shine even when bombarded with an external definition of self as unworthy. Inspires the will to rise out of pain, confusion, loss of self, to come into the Light of one’s soul intention to manifest growth and healing, transformation and joy.
When one has been “hammered” for long intervals with the concept that one is ugly, useless, a burden, etc., it is difficult to remember one’s own inner perfection. This remedy reconnects us to our own self-worth and belief in our abilities, to survive with determination to grow and become all that we were intended to be.

LAPEIROUSIA [G] L. laxa, syn. L. cruenta (rose with red splotch)
Iridaceae, Iris Family
Psyche: Enhances softness and affection with oneself; release self-denigration, self-hatred, self-spite. Clears karmic stories that impact one’s ability to love oneself.

Lobelia cardinalis [G] (red)
Lobeliaceae, Lobelia Family
Psyche: Enhances transformation abilities in murky environments. Brings appreciation of self and lessons learned: up from abasement to self-honoring. Use to heal shame-based issues, sexual/moral/psychological: denigration, sexual molestation, family-of-origin issues regarding self-worth, empowerment. Brings clarity and release around limitation programming. Understand the impact of negative shame-based programming; find a model that validates all experiences, not just socially acceptable ones. Augments the flow of blessing into one’s life by adjusting the attitude towards expectation of goodness and joy.
Release your old stories as nothing but landmarks on the path; see the validity of the left-hand path of shame and blame that leads by default into denigration. Most of those with shameful past secrets have life-scripted this trauma in the attempt not only to burn off karma but also to be available, once healed, for assisting in the transformation of others: “We shall lift each other up.”

MULBERRY [G] Morus alba (white)
Moraceae, Fig or Mulberry Family
Psyche: Useful to examine, clear and release past-life traumas, limitations, and conditioning from a multi-dimensional viewpoint. Specific for difficult relationships and power issues: abuse, mistrust, betrayal. Useful in blends for clearing karmic difficulties.

ROSE ‘HANDEL‘ Floribunda Climber, pink & white bicolor
Body: Stimulates cerebellum and limbic system to release fossilized emotional patterns developed in early childhood: unreasonable fears, negative expectations. Useful in birth/separation trauma, abandonment, difficulties from lack of childhood emotional support and understanding.
Psyche: Releases old memories and experiences “loaded” with excessive judgment and over-reaction.

ROSE ‘NEARLY WILD‘ Floribunda, pink & white bicolor
Body: Provides a jolt to the nervous system, to clear enough psychic detritus to allow for new vision, opportunity and understanding. Increases nervous system vitality, alertness and information transferal. Informs the Body Deva regarding new input, allowing greater conscious choice in response; one becomes less restricted and reactionary in response to new stimuli.
Psyche: Brings conscious awareness of unconscious patterns. For those who have lost the capacity to imagine something better, this remedy brings possibility and delight, and the capacity to participate more fully within the world.

SCABIOSA [G] S. atropurpurea (dark magenta)
Dipsacaceae, Teasel Family
Psyche: Allows one to remember, examine, release early childhood/buried issues, old emotional wounds with wisdom, inner guidance. Understand karmic cause of hurts and blocks in the emotional body to clear karma, forgive and understand the roles of all involved. Releases emotional issues and complicated relationships, especially those played out over time. In past-life therapy, use with Angel’s Trumpet to access information from Higher Self and Karmic Council for spiritual overview. Examine original Cause; action/reaction; attitudinal exacerbation; and choose best options for release and healing. Combine with Mulberry, Rice, Golden Seal, Wormwood for completion and release of old connections based on “tit-for-tat,” oppression/repression.
Excellent past-life remedy to reconnect into the “knowing” that was tortured and defiled through anti-witchcraft practices, and for assistance in clearing these issues.
Spirit: Enhances communion with all life forms; useful in blends for devic, nature attunement.

SPOTTED CORAL ROOT ORCHID [W] Corallorhiza maculata (red & white)
Orchidaceae, Orchid Family
Psyche: Support for community bonding: watching for the shadow of a community, helpful in working through the dark parts. Increases understanding of each other’s needs, perfections, gifts; strengthens unity and cooperation for working together in harmony. Shadow issues in the group subconscious can be released and healed when community agrees this is a priority.

STARFRUIT [T] Averrhoes carambola (purple & white)
Oxalidaceae, Wood Sorrel Family
Psyche: Helpful in finding the roots of unconscious compulsions, sexual or habitual patterns. Allows one to trace fetishes and aberrations to subconsciously-stored sources for comprehension and illumination; useful in combinations for exploration, excavation, release and redemption within the psyche.
This remedy is not for light-hearted journeys into the psyche, as it may be unnerving to find weaknesses and shadows in the closets of our minds; but when the time for true transformation occurs, to “feel and heal,” this will expedite the inner journey.

WESTERN REDCEDAR [W] Thuja plicata (reddish cones)
Cupressaceae, Cypress Family
Body: Spine and spinal column; enhances alignment of vertebrae in stretching. Useful in craniosacral and osteopathy work, realigning energy flows.
Psyche: Tonic for the heart chakra; releasing stagnation, depression, hopelessness. Illuminates and enhances understanding of confusing, dark, tortured, or mentally unsettling parts of ones past. Perseverance in difficulty, taking the long view of projects and situations that may seem daunting. Useful in combination with Sisal or Wattle when dealing with difficult personalities, especially those prone to emotional violence. This allows one to separate oneself from the difficult behavior and attitudes of another person.
Spirit: Allows one to stay more connected to ones center and highest intentions. Enhances the ability to remain positive and open-minded, a virtue when facing the unknown.

WILD GINGER [W] Asarum caudatum (dark brown-red)
Aristolochiaceae, Birthwort Family
Body: Useful for healing herpes where the karmic source is sexual shame.
Psyche: Uncovering roots of sexual abuse trauma; significant remedy for healing sexual shame and negative early imprinting. Inspires and amplifies the courage to heal, in connection with the spiritual path. In recovering the joy of sacred sexual touch, release fear and frigidity/impotence. Use with Caladium for victim/perpetrator issues.
When too many choices become confusing, this remedy helps discern best choices for one’s life. Brings clarity in life direction, and the sweetness and joy of knowing one is in harmony with one’s purpose.

YELLOW FOXGLOVE BUD [G] Digitalis lutea
Scrophulariaceae, Figwort Family
Psyche: Tremendously healing to the broken hearts and suffering of those exposed to traumatic death, the loss of friends or loved ones. Transforms fossilized emotion around past traumas, where ordinary reality is snapped in a second.
Grief lodged in the belly deadens sensation in the emotional body, and makes difficult the process of healing. This remedy lightens the load of grief, and connects one into the wisdom of the spiritual body for eventual understanding; useful for post-traumatic stress disorder, Vietnam vets, those continuing to grieve and carry guilt.

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