A Shadow Work Ritual
Workshop and Social
Saturday, March 15, 2025
6:30-8:30PM, 2100 Fairway Drive, #10
Doors open at 6PM – Informal social to follow
All of us have sides of us that we repress, pieces of us that scare us or that we would rather not come out. However, in repressing, these sides can have more power over us and begin to define our lives. For example, "I do not want to be angry like my father." We may, in avoidance of anger at all costs, be dominated in our lives by a story around not being angry that clouds everything else out.
In this workshop, we will take the vulnerable step of inviting our shadow out and inviting it into the open to be witnessed by the circle with the support of a partner who will help hold the space. By inviting the shadow out in a compassionate way, we can open ourselves to deeper intimacy.
Cost: Recommended $25 (pay what you can)
Next workshop: April 5 – Improv and Intimacy
A Shadow Work Ritual
Facilitated by Jim Macdonald
Week 8 of the 10-week intimacy workshop series takes us to a place we may not want to go, our shadow side.
The shadow is that piece of us we want to repress or are afraid to let out, sometimes for good reason. In my case, it is often my anger and temper that I push to the side as much as possible. And, of course, it would not serve me at all to be angry and hot headed in life. Yet, it is there, and the less I acknowledge and go deeper into the reasons why that anger can be there and what it has to tell me, the more it can color every aspect of my life to the detriment of the fullness of life. If I am always defining life by a judgment about anger and who it is I really want to be as a person, not only am I not getting to the story behind my anger, I am also missing out on all kinds of aspects of life that are not defined by being angry or not angry. In repression, I do not have full intimacy with myself, and therefore others cannot fully know me. Moreover, I have unwittingly given control of the unresolved dichotomy (angry v. not angry) to the detriment of the fullness of what my life might be.
In this ritual, we give permission within a container of witness and support, to let it out, to acknowledge it, to give that side of us a chance to express. It can be a hard and powerful place to go. Therefore, I plan to have others there whose role it is to help support, in addition to the person you partner with in the exercise, as well as the witness of the entire group. We will find some time for quiet and integration, and I'd encourage, if possible, for people to stay after to socialize.
While it can be hard in the moment, I have found this work invaluable to coming into a fuller, gentler relationship with myself.
If you have a partner or friend who can help support, this is a great one to invite them (just note that they will also be expected to participate). However, if you come alone, and I have always done this practice as a solo, it can be extremely powerful to surrender to the witness of strangers.
Remember that your boundaries are always respected in these workshops. If in the moment, it becomes too much for you, you can always say no. We provide a place for you to sit with yourself and be a witness. And if the room's energy becomes too much, as mentioned, I will have a couple others there to support me as facilitator who can sit with you in another part of the building. Remember that no matter what choices you make, you are honoring yourself. Therefore, we honor you and your choices.
The suggested price for this workshop is $25, but all of these workshops are pay what you can (even if what you can is $0).
Space for all these workshops is limited; so please RSVP to guarantee your spot.
Jim Macdonald