Beneath the Surface

It’s officially spooky season and my favorite month of the year. I don’t know about you, but this time of year always makes me feel very introspective and self-aware. It’s the perfect time to do some shadow work.

If you’re new to shadow work, don’t worry. We’re not summoning spirits or conjuring fiends … we’ll save that for another time. Shadow work is the practice of bringing awareness to those parts of ourselves that we often hide or suppress. You might suppress these aspects out of fear. Perhaps you’re ashamed of what these shadow parts reveal about your true nature. Perhaps you’re afraid of confronting past trauma.

In either case, our shadow self or shadow traits are still a part of who we are as a whole. To fully accept and love ourselves, we must learn to accept these aspects of ourselves.

Enter The Hanged Man. This card often appears when you’re going through a major transformation or transition. It represents a suspension between our past and future selves. The Hanged Man suggests we are in the midst of radical change. And with this change comes self-reflection. You must clearly see the person you were to evolve into the person you want to be.

What aspects of yourself need to change to allow you to grow into your ideal self? Are you willing to look beneath the surface and address your shadow aspects? Are you willing to surrender to the flow of change and accept the enlightenment that comes with it?

We all deserve love and acceptance, and to receive love and acceptance from others, we must learn to love and accept ourselves. And that includes those parts of ourselves that we dislike or fear or are ashamed of. They are all small pieces of what makes you who you are. And you are an incredible being!