Hi, I'm Cory Muscara. This meditation is going to be an 11 step shadow integration practice. The same one that I discuss in my book, Stop Missing Your Life: How to be Deeply Present in an Unpresent World. We all have parts of ourselves that we resent or suppress. These could be emotional experiences, parts of our personality, or anything we feel that's getting in the way of the life we want to live.

Our typical response is to cast these parts of ourselves into the shadows of our awareness, which is why Carl Jung referred to them as shadow parts. However, the further disconnected we get from these parts, the more anxious, depressed, low energy and disembodied we become. This 11 step sequence is designed to help you befriend, integrate, and actually feel empowered by your shadow parts so that you can move to a greater experience of wholeness, peace, and deep fulfillment. So let's get started. The first step is to find a relaxed, seated posture.

If you'd prefer to lie down and think you can do so without falling asleep, then that's fine as well. The primary thing here is you want to feel comfortable and safe for this meditation. So you can use pillows, blankets, or even stuffed animals as a way to help you feel more settled and grounded. You're welcome to pause this meditation to set up your space before we move further. Once you set up your space, you're welcome to close your eyes, if that feels comfortable.

Knowing that at any point in the meditation, you're welcome to open them again. And if you'd prefer to do the entire meditation with the eyes open, that's fine too. Step Two is going to be identifying the shadow part that you'd like to work on. So what's a part of you that you struggle with or don't like? What's something about yourself that you resent or hide from other people? Or even hide from yourself> take a moment to reflect on that. And if you need more time to contemplate, you can pause.

But once you've identified this part, see if you can feel where you experience it in your mind and your body. So you're getting a sense of this part's presence, the shadow's location, its boundaries, its qualities when you start to really sense into it. In other words, when you contemplate this part of yourself, when you sense into it, where does it show up for you in your internal experience? And just start to get acquainted with it in that way. And once you have a sense of your shadow, the third step is about giving it some form. So if this shadow were to be a particular color, shape, sound or substance, maybe like a dark cloud or a yelling voice, or even a flimsy reed.

What would that be? It's okay if an image or character comes to mind like a mangy dog or a child. Just start to notice what form this shadow part manifests as for you. And the form doesn't have to be perfectly fleshed out. But as much as you can, really getting a sense of its color or its shape, its character so that you can sense its presence more deeply, because the fourth step is about creating trust with the shadow part. So once it has some form, you're going to imagine that you're sitting down and meeting with it.

You might imagine an actual bench in your mind that you and the shadow are sitting on, or you can imagine that the shadow is sitting in front of you. Whatever the arrangement, make sure both you and the shadow feel comfortable. You may need more or less space from each other. And let the shadow know, through words and body language, that you are not here to hurt it or get rid of it. Rather, you want it to feel safe in your presence.

You might feel some resistance because chances are, you've spent a lot of time resisting the shadow part. But as best you can trying to make it feel safe and really letting it know that you don't want to hurt it. You're purely coming from a place of interest and openness. In Step Five, we're going to move a little closer. So becoming curious about the shadow.

And you can ask it, what is it like to be you? And see what arises. And then ask, what is something about you that I don't know? And you can ask any other question to the shadow, just simply becoming curious. There's no agenda to get any particular answer. You're just trying to get to know this part of you a little more deeply and intimately. Once you've gotten a little more information and you feel more familiar with this part of yourself, Step Six is going to be about specifically exploring the shadow's positive intention.

We go into this, acknowledging that every part of us is trying to help us in some way. There's some positive intention. So let the shadow know that you trust it is trying to help you in some way and ask it if it could share its positive intention. Maybe saying, what are you trying to help me learn, to understand, or experience? How are you trying to serve or protect me? And see what the shadow has to say. I'll give you some space in silence.

And remember, you're just listening. We may sometimes have the tendency to be resentful or combative. Instead, see if you can just come back to an open space of curiosity and interest. Once you've heard the response from the shadow, Step Seven is just to show some appreciation. All of this is in service of creating more of a relationship.

So you can think to a time in your life when you tried to help someone, but you felt like that person dismissed you. This often feels painful, but this is also how the shadow must feel. On some level it's trying to help you, it's trying to participate, it's trying to share something or help you experience something. And chances are your relationship to it is to dismiss it as either a frustration or something getting in the way of the life you're trying to live. But now that you can see more clearly that the shadow does have more of a positive intention, if you're willing and ready, see if you can thank it for doing its best to help you.

Even if you don't fully understand its motive, what would it be like to open your heart to some gratitude toward this part of yourself? See what that feels like. And if it feels okay, we'll move on to Step Eight, which is to make a connection with the shadow. Specifically of physical connection, from a place of compassion. This is the first step toward feeling what it's like to actually embrace one another. So you can imagine giving the shadow a hug or holding it gently in your hands, or whatever sort of touch you feel inspired to make.

It's okay to go slow. Remember, you've spent a lot of time avoiding this part of you, so it might feel difficult to get close at first. You don't need to rush. But see if you can slowly start to make some physical connection and embrace. Now that you've moved closer, we can move on to Step Nine, which is to make an offering.

So here, you're going to ask the shadow, what do you need? How can I help you? What can I give you? And see what comes up in response. Once you get a response, imagine yourself offering this to the shadow. Whatever it is the shadow wants, see yourself offering this as a gift to the shadow, in whatever capacity you're able. And then watch the shadow receive this gift from you and watch what it's like for the shadow to actually receive something rather than be resented or shunned. Now that we've made an offering and really let the shadow know that we're here for it, we're here to understand it, and we're here to take care of it in the best way we can, we're going to move on to Step Ten, which is to invite the shadow into the light.

So as you rest here, imagine the many different parts that create who you are. The parts that are loving, positive, protective, sad, curious. A whole community of parts, all with different forms. And notice how most of those parts of you are in the light. They're able to be seen and understood and respected.

But the shadow part remains in the dark. As a community, imagining all of these different parts of you inviting, embracing, welcoming the shadow part into the light. So that it can be accepted in the community of you to be appreciated, understood, and welcomed. This embrace comes from the recognition that who we are is multi-dimensional. There are many parts that contribute to our sense of ourselves, our wholeness.

To dismiss any part of it is in some way, dismissing the whole. So we're welcoming this part back into its place in the wholeness of who we are. Recognizing that just like any other part of us, it just wants to be loved, it wants to be seen, and it has the potential to transform and become more of your ally rather than your enemy. In the final step, Step Eleven, we will move to integration. So once the shadow has been welcomed into the light, imagine all of these parts, desolving into one, creating an embodied sense of wholeness.

There's no longer separate parts. There's just one substance, one experience. And let the fullness of that envelop you and might have a corresponding color or texture or temperature. Letting yourself feel what it's like to rest in this wholeness. Breathing it in.

And exhaling, as you soften and relax into it. Just taking some time in silence to feel and experience the fullness of who you are, the oneness, the wholeness. All of these parts contributing to one being. Feeling the ease that comes when we're no longer fighting ourselves. And with each breath in, feeling the fullness and the lightness that comes with this unity.

And with each breath out, letting go of any residual resistance or tension that might be there. In the last moments of this meditation, see if you can offer yourself some gratitude, some appreciation for doing what can sometimes be painful work. It's hard to be a human and it's hard to embrace all the dimensions of ourselves. And in this meditation, you made a little more progress in that direction. So just thank yourself for that intention, that effort, that willingness and openness.

And when you're ready, you can slowly start to reorient yourself back into the space. Getting some movement in your body. And allowing your eyes to open again. So great job. You just went through the 11 step shadow integration process.

This can bring up different experiences. Sometimes we feel light and at ease at the end of it. Sometimes we might feel a lot of energy moving, like something shifted and opened. Make sure you prioritize your own self care. If you need some time to be still or walk outside, try and give that to yourself and really continue to reinforce self-compassion.

I can't overestimate the importance of that when doing this deeper kind of work. As I mentioned at the beginning, this 11 step sequence comes from the shadow integration section of my book, Stop Missing Your Life: How to be Deeply Present in an Unpresent World. If you're interested in continuing the exploration that you started here, that book may be a helpful next step and provide the extra support that I might not be able to offer in just a 20 minute meditation. It was great to walk you through this. I'm proud of you for making it to the end.

And if you'd like to continue to stay connected through audio, you can find me on my podcast, Practicing Human. I'll talk to you soon. And until then, take care.