Shadow Work to Free Yourself

Shadow Work to Free Yourself

By Ashley Heacock, 2026

You can look at the photos and read through the article on:

My Website: https://www.awakeningconsciousness.community/healing-yourself/shadow-work-to-free-yourself

or

On Medium: https://medium.com/new-earth-consciousness/shadow-work-to-free-yourself-1559df24653d

or

In my Book: Spiritual Awakening Guidance: Science, Philosophy, and Spirituality to help you Understand your Path to Ascension, Heaven, https://a.co/d/0c9CUM3S

Produced by

Ashley Heacock, Researcher, Writer, Mentor, Healer, Guide
MIT Sloan School of Management, MBA
Harvard Kennedy School of Government, MPA
The George Washington University, BA Economics, BA International Affairs
Contact: ashleyheacock@gmail.com
Website: awakeningconsciousness.community

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

All right, hello everybody. Welcome to the Awakening Consciousness Podcast with Ashley Hikak. Today we're going to be talking about shadow work, to free yourself. I'm not sure if you've heard of shadow work or not, but be open even if you are to learning something new. So this is about fitting in versus being you, unique, fascinating, curious, different. Again, all of these podcasts, most of them, are on my website, awakeningconsciousness.community, or on my medium profile. So shadow work in the most simple way I can explain it is reflecting back on yourself, what you judge or are jealous of in others, but that is actually a pattern inside of your own self. So if you bring this unconscious pattern to awareness, it can be a way to become aware of who you are or who you want to be, and you can heal yourself of that pattern. Alright, so shadow work originates from psychologist Carl Jung. He was influenced by Hinduism as well. Google AI says shadow work is the practice of exploring one's unconscious to integrate repressed or disarmed aspects of the self. So there are parts of us that we are kind of unconscious of, that we don't really realize are part of us. And then we get angry and jealous and mad at other people for being that way and we judge them, but we don't actually look at ourselves and say, how am I actually like them too? And so if you can act if you can start a diary of your judgments of others and then reflect back on yourself, you might start to be able to become conscious of your judgments of others. And then once you're conscious of them, then you can change them. So more from Google AI, Hinduism's focus on the realization of Brahman, the ultimate reality, and the connection between the individual soul Atman and the universal consciousness resonated with Yang's exploration of the human psyche's potential for wholeness. This influence can be seen in Young's emphasis on integrating the shadow into consciousness to achieve a more complete and balanced self, a process akin to the Hindu concept of self-realization. So also in society, maybe your parents or peers or others may judge you for you or you think they'll judge you for being too silly, too quirky, too different, too outgoing, to this, to that. But that's part of who you are, and so you're denying that. You're putting it into your unconscious instead of self-realizing, becoming that, becoming who you are. So you might have to switch friend groups, you might have to find people who love who you are, uh to be who you are, um so that you can self-realize rather than keeping these parts, you know, put down and and judged by others, actually loving those parts of yourself and finding others who love those parts of yourself too. And then you can have a much better life. Alright. So, what chatter work is and how to yield yourself so you can be free. I made illustrations that I will explain to you so you can do this process step by step on your own. Take time for this process, set an hour for yourself, perhaps, to reflect, uh take a weekend. It may also become something that you take seriously. It may take days, it may take weeks, it may take months, and that's okay. For me, personally, I spent months reflecting on my shadows. As I said, I would write it down in a journal and then I would self-reflect. And it really helped me gain awareness and set me on a higher frequency spiritual path by being honest and true with myself about who I really am. A lot of these uh shadows uh come from your parents, your grandparents, society, your peers. So it's being compassionate with yourself and realizing it's actually about them, it's not about you. And and so to love those parts of yourself that that others that you you might be creating a story that that they don't like this in you, but actually it might be a story, they may actually love it in you. Um and and those parts of you that are judgmental obviously are evil and sinful, and so you want to get rid of them, so you become conscious of them, and you you don't do it. You you realize wow, that's a pattern coming up in my neural pathways, I'm going to change my neural pathways and go a different route. And I'm not going to judge that other person, I'm not gonna judge myself, I'm going to be neutral, I'm going to be kind. Um and so there's kind of two paths I'm going on, right? The one is is is about these kind of judgments, cruelty, sinfulness, uh, unconscious patterns, and then the second is about these unconscious, repressed shadows of who you really are that you might think others wouldn't love, but maybe actually they would love. Or you need to find people who do love them. Okay, so so that's the important note. These patterns are not you. They typically come from your parents, great grandparents, great-grandparents, they may come from society, news, entertainment, media, etc. Think of yourself as a robot. Do you want to have these sinful, unconscious patterns running your life and be stuck in the cycle of death and rebirth and samsara, as the Hindus uh discovered? Or do you want to open your heart and be on the path of being a good person and on the way towards ascension, enlightenment, and eternal salvation? So uh this could really help you reach the kingdom of heaven, uh reach nirvana. So this is called changing your epigenetics, I would also say, from the entanglements and knots of trauma that block the light to opening your DNA with compassion, understanding, and forgiveness to be completely filled with light. So maybe you're really shy, maybe you've experienced a lot of trauma, so you heal those parts of yourself, and then uh those parts of yourself become filled with light, and then uh you can be that again. Um and so uh and so you you can fill be filled with love and light for yourself, for others, um by by doing a healing process. So I have developed a successful healing, quantum healing process I use with people uh that allows these traumas to be healed. Um I have testimonials on my website, awakeningconsciousness.community. Um you can also find a healer in in your local area. I don't recommend uh counselors as they just keep you in the same neural pathways by repeating the same stories over and over again. You need to get out of them. You need to get out of these neural pathways. Uh so I recommend shamans, uh, I recommend listening to what I'm saying in this article. Um, also a great book to read to free yourself from shadows and come into the light. It's called The Gene Keys, Embracing Your Higher Purpose. It's an amazing book, channeled by Richard Rudd. He also has a website. So Richard Rudd is a teacher, mystic, and award-winning poet. His inner journey began early in life as he experienced strange energies rushing through his body, culminating in a major spiritual experience at the age of 29, emerging from what he calls a field of limit life that lasted three days and three nights. Richard was entrusted with the sacred teaching, the wisdom of the wind of the gene keys. So this book contains knowledge about DNA, the Ai Ching, and our evolutionary future. Um it's it's it's a wonderful read and it might unlock something deeper inside of you. Uh it's it's about healing your shadows to open your gifts. So it's what I've been saying to let go of your judgments, your traumas, your sinfulness, your guilt, and then and then your epigenetics, your DNA is filled with light, and then your gifts start coming in, you start receiving maybe spiritual revelations. So I I was awakened by God, uh, similar to Richard's experience. Um I had uh a journey of about four days of being in a totally different dimension with uh spiritual guidance. Uh God spoke to me, um, and then that's when my my journey as a spiritual healer and shaman began. So um so here are my illustrations. You might want to consult my website or medium to look at the illustrations. I'll try to to uh explain them as much as I can on a podcast. So be kind and gentle with yourself during this shadow work process, dear so uh that's that's that's really um important. So this per first picture, um I I'm not sure if you might want to just do both. Listen to the podcast and then go online and listen and and read through the the article um or the opposite way around, either would work. Um so the step step one is awareness, as I said, consciousness, that that these that these patterns exist. So ask yourself, what am I jealous of? What am I judgmental of? What are you insecure about? What emotions do you feel around certain people? Do you feel hatred at times? Judgment. When and why? So just meditate on that for a little bit. Again, what am I jealous of? What am I judgmental of? What are you insecure about? What emotions do you feel around certain people? Do you feel hatred, judgment at times? When and why? Okay. So again, I took a journal or phone with me throughout the days. You could use your phone and write notes and write down when an ema when an emotion comes through. That will bring awareness to your unconscious hidden pattern. This allowed me to change it. I would then contemplate on how I could be a better person. This is the beginning of starting to be aware of your shadows that have been hidden. It is the beginning of honesty, of taking responsibility. Even though it might come from your mother or father or somebody else, you take responsibility and you change it. So this is uh similar to the process of meditation. You can also use meditation to heal your heart, brain, and soul and change these neural pathways. Also, note that the other person that you're judging may feel your energy and it could inflict harm on them. That's called karma. So God knows, and that's sinful. Every thought, intention, belief, and energy is known by God. Um if you have ill will towards others, this is called sin in Christianity, and it leads you to the pit, to hell, because you're hurting another human being. So even though a thought, an intention, a belief, energy is uh not physical matter, it is still an energy and it can be felt and it can and it's harmful. It's similar to when we discovered germs hundreds of years ago. We didn't realize until we had the microscope that germs existed. Um so I feel like this age, a lot of people are waking up to this concept of feeling energies, of feeling, wow, that person just threw a really cruel remark at me, but it's actually their own jealousy, their own insecurity. Oh wow, that person has a lot of shame and guilt, uh, and they're throwing it at me when it's not about me, it's about them. Right? So they will they will uh go through the cycle of samsara as Hinduism calls it. Um they will keep being reborn. Um uh they will go to hell in Christianity, that's what they call it. If you're sinful, you go to hell. So um, so this is this is negative karma in Hinduism. And you will continue the cycle of samsara, death and rebirth, death and rebirth until you heal yourself of the lesson your soul is supposed to learn and come into love for yourself and others. So I personally would set the intention of salvation, the kingdom of heaven, nirvana, enlightenment, heaven. Heal yourself, heal the world. Right? So a lot of people talk about uh like healing yourself versus healing the world. If we can't heal ourselves, then how can we heal the world? We need to be our thoughts, our actions are interrelated. So your your thoughts, your kindness, your compassion will then flow out into your actions, into being a good steward of the earth, of being kind to people. So it starts with yourself. Okay, so in the illustration on my website, I I give some solutions. For instance, if you find yourself judgmental of somebody who you feel is such an incredible person, why are they incredible? Is it because they're generous, kind? Can you find that in yourself? Maybe start volunteering with children, the homeless or immigrants teaching them English? That could make you believe your soul is really kind. Are they creative? And maybe start being creative, or maybe you're not creative and it's time to just be neutral. I'm not that creative. That person just really is, and maybe you can give them a compliment. Um and then you can feel good about that in yourself, that you were kind to them instead of judgmental towards them because of their gifts. You can reward you can you can appreciate the gifts rather than be judgmental of the gifts. And if you feel like that gift is also your gift, then find that in yourself and take actions towards reaching that in yourself. Okay. Let's see. All right. So take a stance of acceptance and non-judgmental awareness. Be kind and gentle with yourself. The neural pathways will change, will dissolve. Uh, again, I have I have uh uh uh an illustration about meditation and how it works on a website that might be helpful to you. Focus your attention on the breath, and then the attention demanders from the breath, be aware of what you wanted to. What was that about? Then you can be conscious of it. Um and then you can breathe through it, redirect your attention to the breath, to the heart, and breathe through it. What is that about? Can you let it go? Do you need to uh uh do a shamanic process to heal that trauma? Uh there's many different pathways you could take. So you could also talk to somebody who you feel comfortable with comfortable with who has been through what you've been through and is compassionate and understanding. You could find a shaman, a medicine woman, a man to help you. They could feel the energies when they were created as a child or in a past life or some other space or time. So we we carry this in our DNA. We we have these past life traumas as well that need to be healed. Again, I do not recommend counseling. Um, counselors at least, some might be okay. Uh, you just tell them the same story over and over and over again, and then it just creates the same neural pathways. You need to create a new empowering story for yourself. Uh in my work, I I I had a lady who was a client who said she went through seven years of counseling, and with one session with me, she was able to break through that pattern. So be careful with who you go to. Uh and uh I really recommend shamans over counselors. You may also need to find another friend group, as I said, who accepts you, who loves you as you are. You can go to different churches, Buddhist centers, synagogues, mosques, volunteer opportunities, find people who are on higher frequencies. You can go to different dancing opportunities, different uh activities. Yelp is a great website for that. Okay, so also consider is America actually living in a communist society without really realizing it? Are most people trying to fit in versus being you, unique, different, fascinating, curious, enchanting? Um we bringing each other down rather than lifting each other up? Are we trying to fit in versus being who you really are? So you might need to explore different communities to see where you really fit in. You might need to move, you might need to, yeah, just change different patterns. All right. So step two, daily practice to free yourself. Create a daily list of names of people and why you judge them throughout your day. Reflect back on yourself and how that pattern may also be part of you. That's that's your shadow. Can you be more aware of these behaviors and patterns? Can you try to be more sensitive, kind? And what if the opposite more good behavior pattern would be? Can you try to find that in yourself? Do you want to be more like this or that? The qualities of that person you are judgmental or jealous of, then take actions to do so. So, example one, you think let's just say Jean or Zayer is such an asshole. Does that mean for you, wow, I'm kind of like that too in this way and this way in this way? Then you gain awareness of that shadow and try then to be different, a better person and not like that person you don't want to be. You can also have more compassion for that person. Do they have trauma? Are they reflecting back to you who you are? What does it mean? I would like to be more assertive like this person. So I will take steps towards being like this. I will exercise, I will read books, I will gain confidence, and then I won't be judgmental or jealous of this person who is assertive and confident. I will become it myself. Or does this mean, wow, he's just incredible and I'm different. I'm not as good at basketball as he is, and that's okay. Find acceptance enough for yourself. Let go, release, empty yourself. You cannot be him, so just let it go. What is your unique quality that you can be proud of? Can you change your new pathways towards positive qualities about yourself rather than anger and hatred at somebody else who you cannot and never will be? Can you instead appreciate them and send them goodwill? It's a it's it's really uh that would be a lot better for your karma, for your soul. Um so so that's really important uh to understand, okay. So does this this you know whatever happened, did it did it mean I would like to be a kinder person because wow, that person is really ugly and that hurts my heart. And wow, there's really people in the world like that, then you probably need to stay away from that person. That person probably has a really low frequency. Um uh don't let that person bring you down, okay? You have to love yourself too. So uh I would try to distance yourself. Okay, so example two. You think Susie or slash Zoe is such a fill in the blank. So what does this mean for you? Well, I'm kinda like that too in this way, in this way and that way, and then you gain awareness of your shadow, and then you try to be a different, better person, and either like them or not like them, depending on if it's positive or negative. Um if Zoe is just really cool and you would like to be cooler, then maybe exercise, so so go to techno parties, try to find that sassiness in yourself that you're possibly your parents did uh made you repress. Um try to bring that back into yourself. Does uh this interaction mean I would like to speak my voice like she does? So I'm going to try to be less shy and do that and make that an intention in my neuropathways. Um does it mean I would like to be treated with respect, so I'm going to take steps to find myself worth. Does it mean again, wow, she's just incredible, and I'm different. I'm not as good as cooking as she is, and that's okay. Find acceptance and love for yourself. Let go release empty. You can't be her, she's she's just a really good chef. And so you can appreciate that quality in her. And and you can tell her, wow, you're really good at cooking, and that would make her feel better. That would be karma positive. Uh and what is your quality you can be proud of? Um think about think about what what what is your thing, what is your uh differential that you can be proud of and give appreciation to yourself and gratitude for that gift you have. Um or again, does it mean wow, this person's just really overwhelming? Uh I need to stay away from this person, I don't feel good when I'm around this person. Um I'm not going to see them ever again. Right? Okay, so so these are these are quantum illustrations. I'm giving many examples because well, there could be many differentials as you journal your emotions with others and yourself. So um those are just some examples, and there will obviously be others. All right. So I want to be careful with shadow work though, as well, because there is a socioeconomic nationalistic ethereal barrier. Some people are too poor to have shoes that are clean and cool. They may feel jealous or angry or judgmental of others, and that is actually a normal healthy response. It means that the community has failed to help them. Um this is similar to Trump supporters being angry. They lost the factory jobs and are in poverty. You can learn about relative deprivation theory by Google searching. Um, it's a really good theory that was developed. You can also read about this crisis in my article, on my website, or I also wrote an entire book about it. So this is a problem of society, this is a problem of injustice. We have massive inequality in our world. And so if you're jealous or judgmental of others who have more wealth than you do, uh that might be a sign that we have a massive problem in our community, in our world. Um UPS Global Wealth Report found that in 2023 the world's riches owned 1% of the wealth. Uh the richest 1% owned around 47.45% of all the wealth. That's like half the wealth, and 1% own it. Meanwhile, adults with less than $10,000 make up nearly 40% of the world's population, and only hold less than 1% of the wealth. So it's a drastic difference. So that's why I want to be really careful with this whole shadow work thing, uh, because there is inequality, and you might feel like, wow, uh that person has that, and I don't have that, and I I have, you know, dirty clothes and they have clean clothes, and that's not right. That's not Christianity, that's not that's not uh what what our founding communities were started upon in Africa. Uh you share what you have with your community, otherwise you are evil. Um so our world needs to be needs to change, obviously. So be gentle with yourself if you are part of this group that is uh more poor and that is uh unable to change, um uh that is unable to change or do what I list above because society is not functioning properly. Um and you're in poverty or in a situation that is not right, good, fair, or just also if you're part of the group that is able to change and do what is this above, perhaps realize wow, I am extremely privileged. That may change your neural pathways as well, towards compassion, less selfishness, and more inspiration to help those in need. Um that would be really kind. Uh so that's my article on charter work. Uh a lot of different perspectives, differentials. Um feel free to reach out to me with different insights, questions. Um I'm always here for you. So yeah, there's my website, awakeningconsciousness.community, there's my medium profile, there's my Apple podcast. Um, and so I hope this has been helpful to you. Feel free to comment uh or share with somebody who you think this could uh uh uh really be beneficial for. Okay, so this is the Awakening Consciousness Podcast with Ashley Heacock, and I hope you have a beautiful day.