Everyone has a shadow side and everyone reacts from that shadow side from time to time. However, sometimes one’s shadow can take over and a person begins to live from a constricted, mercurial heart space. The shadow side of a person is created by life circumstances such as upbringing, societal influences, trauma and abuse. The only way to heal the shadow is to turn toward the pain and walk through the dark of the heart. 

You may not know that you are living in the shadow. With a little self-inquiry and reflection, you can easily find out.

Take some time to contemplate these signs of shadow and see if any resonate with you.

Signs of Shadow

• Intense reactions to events or situations that sometimes feel out of proportion to inciting trigger
• Putting others on a Pedestal
• Knee-jerk tendency to criticize others, especially their success and failures
• Numbness, malaise, depression, or feeling stuck
• Patterns, problems, and issues that keep showing up in your life over and over again
• Feelings of shame or unworthiness
• Troubles settings boundaries or sticking up for yourself
• Procrastination
• Background feeling of unease, depression or confusion.
• Chronic fatigue, grogginess, hyperactivity–can’t or afraid to slow down

Though taking a journey through the shadow is not easy and can feel scary, the rewards are exponential. It is like a scavenger hunt of the heart where a treasure trove of unconditional love and empowerment await your discovery. 

Check out the treasures that you will embody while doing this type of work!

The Awaiting Treasures

• More vitality, energy, and aliveness
• A more relaxed body resulting in more ease for yourself and others around you
• More authentic & deeper connections with those most important to you in life
• The ability to stay relaxed, grounded, and open no matter the situation
• A deeper capacity to consciously respond to the moment, instead of just reacting to it
• Spaciousness around addictions and compulsions powered by unmet shadow needs
• Lead with sensitivity without losing strength or power
• Express anger without losing your heart
• Express your heart without losing your balls
• Release your armor without collapsing your boundaries
• Cut through what stops you from expressing raw masculine power

My upcoming program, The Heart of Shadow, is a great way to begin looking at and working with your shadow side. It is a 10-week journey for men to become intimate with their shadows and become more fully alive. The program consists of nine weekly virtual sessions wrapped around a 3.5 day live intensive, and a private online community for during and after the program.

The program is limited to 14 men and we start January 3rd.

I will also be offering retreats like the The Heart of Shadow for women in 2023.

Listen to this podcast where my co-facilitator for The Heart of Shadow, Jason, and I discuss shadow work, our own journeys, and why we’re creating this program here: https://evolutionary.men/podcast/the-heart-of-shad…

You can also watch a video on Instagram where Jason and I talk about the benefits of men’s work.

If you a know man who could benefit from this program, pass this along or forward me his contact info. and I will reach out to him.

All Love…Luke