Step Eight
AUTHENTIC SELF
Here is the deepest truth and why all of this applies to manifestation. Your shadow is your authentic self. Meaning when we are born, we are already completely whole. The most successful way to parent would be to allow a child to unfold and show us who they are, rather than projecting all of our stuff and what we need them to be onto them. Therefore, we have splits in our personality and a lot of our true authentic nature is lost hiding in our shadow.
Worthy authenticness = magnetism. Therefore, we must rehabilitate and love the aspects of ourselves that we learned to hate so long ago. It's the only way to begin coming together back into completion.
INTRODUCING LOVE
Loving your whole, shadow-self.
Bring the main aspect you've been walking through this workshop forward now. Say it is "fraud." I want you to bring to mind a mental picture of yourself as a child and what the child version of you in this aspect would look like.
IMAGE • For instance, when I bring forward "fraud," I see a young me that is so deeply uncomfortable in my skin. So deeply insecure and not feeling worthy or truthfully in my body. I'm only "pretending" to know or "pretending" to be confident enough to survive.
COMMUNICATE • Close your eyes. I'd like you to place your hand over your heart and communicate to this version of yourself as a child. I'd like you to console it and give it what it needs most. Mine needs to be "seen" and needs "affection." I'd like you to tell it that you love it and accept it as part of you regardless of how much you've spent hating it in the past. That you accept it and you are going to love it from here on out and give it anything it needs.
Anytime it's triggered, I want you to close your eyes and give it what it needs most. This is usually: connection, love, acceptance, affection, to be seen, to be heard, and to know how authentic and wonderful it is regardless of its circumstances. You can live all of this out in visualization.
Do this now and anytime that you are triggered by this same split in yourself in the future.
This is my own exercise.
EXPANDERS TO KEEP YOU GOING
“2018 has brought a fair share of challenges for my thus far. But happening upon the F&N workshops and community has been life changing. Today I feel the need to share, as it’s something that’s helped me so much. Identifying our shadow self is not a new concept, but one that brilliant minds like Carl Jung famously taught, and modern philosophers like Jordan Peterson speak on regularly as well. Lacy Phillips’ workshops are the most pared-down simple practices to help identify our Shadow and subconscious identities so they can be acknowledged, healed, and you can truly be your most authentic and powerful self. Meditating and journaling with her workshops has been life changing for me. If you’re needing help or guidance in life this is a great place to start. Grateful for it.”