Are you wondering how long does shadow work last?
Do you do shadow work forever, and does shadow work ever end?
You can do shadow work for the rest of your life. But, chances are, at some point, you’ll become mature enough that you won’t need to perform shadow work much anymore. There are stages of life that we go through, and it’s essential that as we go through one stage, we don’t forget the qualities of the prior stages. I’ll get into why in a moment.
Before I go into these stages, which we’ll refer to as Spiral Dynamics, I want to make sure you understand a few key concepts.
What is the shadow, and what is shadow work?
The shadow is the side of yourself that’s disconnected and unfelt. It’s the part of yourself that’s been rejected since childhood, and you have no awareness of.
Shadow Work is integrating the entire spectrum of your being. It’s the intentional process of admitting the parts of yourself you’ve ignored and repressed.
Why does everyone have a shadow self?
When you were born, you were a whole, complete being.
But as you grow, your family and culture encourage some parts of your personality while punishing other parts.
So as a child, you learn that you’re supposed to be one way and not the other. This other side of yourself is the shadow self.
Even though you don’t identify with it, it’s still a part of who you are. And you cannot eliminate who you are.
Instead, you can only repress it to the point that you’re no longer connected or aware that it’s a part of you.
It’s in the process of building up your proper persona that you indirectly create your shadow persona.
Everyone gets split into two, and it is vital for human beings to get along.
Roughly, these first 20 years are your “shadow-making” years.
Spiral Dynamics & Shadow Work
Spiral Dynamics has several key stages:
- Red – Power Hungry
- Blue – Conforming
- Orange – Ambitious
- Green – Spiritual
- Yellow – Integral
The one-word descriptions by each of these stages don’t do them justice by a long shot.
But the point I want to make is that if you’re in a 1st world country, you should have passed through stages Red and Blue around your first 20 years of life; “shadow making” years.
Your prior stages build the foundation of the following stages. But sometimes, your foundation is underdeveloped.
For example, too much blue and not enough red make you a passive person. Yet, too much red and not enough blue makes you a belligerent person.
The right balance is to integrate both red and blue qualities and balance them to the given situation. This is what’s considered healthy and mature.
The healthy and mature version of passivity-belligerence is assertiveness. Assertiveness is essential for having a healthy ego.
Someone who has successfully integrated the healthy manifestations of their red and blue stages will be much better off when experiencing stage orange.
Some people might skip a stage entirely. For example, stage orange is commonly overlooked by progressives into stage green.
It’s great that they are spiritually gifted. But stage orange is there for people to develop pragmatism, efficacy, and success.
People who haven’t integrated these orange qualities will seem out of touch. This is why many people are condescending towards the compassionate ideals of stage green people who have failed to take advantage of stage orange.
Stage Yellow is what I teach here.
Shadow work is very much a stage yellow practice.
It’s becoming aware that these stages exist and that we need to look at these past stages and integrate what we missed or mend what we have into maturation.
How long does shadow work last? Does shadow work ever end?
As long as you are immature and haven’t integrated these qualities, you will need shadow work.
But that doesn’t mean you will need to do it every hour or every day.
Personally, I’m very aware of how the spiral dynamics stages are playing into my life. As a result, I understand where I need to go next, and I do not have any mental distortions preventing me from my pursuits.
I might do shadow work, specifically “Active Imagination,” only two or three times a month now.
When my psyche was less settled, I did it more often. But that was years ago.
Brief Videos on Spiral Dynamics, Shadow Work, & Emotional Maturity
Here are brief videos on shadow work, spiral dynamics, and emotional maturity.
Did you like the videos?
Follow me on TikTok here.
Don’t forget your 30 FREE Shadow Work Prompts here.
Here are some resources I recommend:
A Light Among Shadows is a guide to self-love and being that helps you overcome negative self-talk, instill genuine self-acceptance, and overcome self-hate and resentment by making sense of people’s level of consciousness and your spirituality.
Shadow Work for Beginners Series helps you beat negative patterns and beliefs, integrate your shadow, heal your inner child, reclaim your projections, build emotional maturity, and take back your life by becoming whole.
Shadow Work for Relationship Series helps you heal your attachment style, navigate relationship issues, and build a healthy, mature relationship.
Advanced Shadow Work is an ongoing publication with continued in-depth insight and practical advice you won’t find anywhere else on the internet for practicing shadow work, self-awareness, inner healing, spiritual development, and more!
Social Media:
TikTok | Instagram | Threads
Twitter | Pinterest | Podcast | YouTube
Approved Tools
Tarot Cards (incl. Manifestation Manual ebook) provide insight and intuitive guidance for personal growth and decision-making.
Chakra Crystals (incl. Ancestral Healing ebook) can bring balance and harmony to your mind, body, and spirit.
Book of Shadows (incl. Shadow Work Journal) is your own special journal that you fill up with your energetic intentions as you scribe your own inner practices to be passed down to others.
Subliminal Bundle uses different hypnosis tracks to subconsciously improve your health, love life, motivation, self-love and much more.
These products are not affiliate links, we do not get a commission when you purchase these tools. We are supportive of our partnership with Sinful Goods for offering small websites a chance to promote their brands.
About:
Intro | Life Lessons | Newsletter | Coaching
Sensual Shadow Play is practiced through BDSM experiences. If you are 18+ and are interested, go here.
