The Best Book on Shadow Work to Step Into Your LIGHT Now

And how to embody your shadow self now.

There is never sunlight without shade. It can be easy to ignore our shadow self – or all the parts of ourselves that disgust us, embarrass us, anger us, shame us, etc. Any “negative” trait we ignore about ourselves will only manifest in its worst form, causing even more harm to your life and ultimately to yourself.

You can’t be fully light without having darkness be a part of you as well. That’s just how life is: a duality of good and bad, man and woman, up and down, and of course light and dark.  You must be able to accept it to transmute these seemingly negative traits into something that can change your life for the better. Instead of letting these so-called negatives ruin the aspects in your life that are most important to you, allow these negatives to empower you to live your best life. That’s where shadow work comes into play. 

What is Shadow Work?

Shadow work is a process of unlocking your shadow side, accepting it, embodying it, and fully integrating it into how you move. Originally coined from Carl Jung’s concept of the “shadow self,” your shadow includes the negative traits, subconscious thoughts, and patterns you are not fully aware exist within you. It is the ‘dark’ side of ourselves. But our shadow isn’t just our dark nature, it can include our light shadow as well, or positive traits that we deny within ourselves. (i.e. self-deprecation, worshiping other people, etc.) A shadow is an emotionally-charged projection of yourself that your ego does not currently acknowledge. You see why you can’t live your best life without first getting to the bottom of your psyche? The shadow work will lead you closer to having a more balanced, and fulfilling life by integrating both your darkness and light to be a whole human. 

We try so hard to be “good” people, accepted into society, but we don’t even realize we’re digging our own graves by not realizing that these negative traits can actually help us grow. 

The Best Book on Shadow Work to Step Into Your Light

The title of this book recommendation is The Dark Side of the Light Chasers by Debbie Ford. Debbie Ford was a life and spiritual coach, teacher, writer, and a pioneer of spiritual and emotional education that invigorated mainstream shadow work. I actually discovered this book from a friend, and decided to read it myself. 

This book will literally change your life – if you apply it and stay consistent with it. Shadow work isn’t done overnight, or in a few weeks. It takes years of spiritual development to come to terms with our subconscious darkness. But don’t let that deter you. As with anything in life, the first thing you must do is simply start, and just take it one step at a time. Shadow work does not have a destination, so please don’t think you can read it and that’s it. It’s more about the process than the destination.  

Why I Recommend Reading (& Applying) This Book

This book is one of the best because it is comprehensive, simple, and very functional in day-to-day life. Even if you’re a slow reader, you could probably finish this book in less than a month. For faster readers, you could honestly finish this in a week. It seems short, but it’s packed with so much necessary, meaty information that can guide you on a long, fulfilling spiritual journey. There isn’t a shadow work book quite like this one.

There aren’t many step-by-step guides like this one to starting your shadow work journey that are this easy to process. It takes out the anxiety of starting. This book gives meditations or exercises at the end of every chapter. This allows the reader to embody whatever concept that Ford was trying to illustrate, which is brilliant. You can apply everything you’ve learned in a way that builds upon itself to go deeper into your psyche. You’ll see results as you go, and have direction. 

In addition to that, she gives actual stories of real events – of herself and clients. These interesting stories also make the information even more applicable to your own life. Ford is not afraid to show the worst parts of herself through some of these stories to paint a clear picture for how we look at ourselves, and how to shift that for our benefit. 

This book allows you not to simply get rid of your negative traits, but allow you to turn them into its highest expression. 

Personal Recommendations & Tips on How to Use This Book for Shadow Work

Shadow work can really seem intimidating when you first begin, but this book can really shed light on that to get you started. 

Here are some of my recommendations on how to get the most out of this book while enjoying the process. 

1. Shadow work is a dark, painful process. There will be good days, and bad days. Be kind to yourself, and use those bad days as an opportunity to grow. 
2. There is no right or wrong way to start this process. The goal of shadow work is to see traits in you that you are not conscious of, and use them to your advantage. However you get there is all a part of your journey. This book is merely a tool to help you. 
3. Journal your thoughts after every session. You really want to be clear on how you’re feeling about yourself, your life, etc. It’s very easy to go “down the rabbit role” with yourself and let darkness take over, or just give up because it doesn’t make sense. 
4. Do yourself a favor, and record the meditations before (preferably with a binaural beats/frequencies in the background). This will save you time and effort so you can focus on the process, and not on reading along. It’s really hard to read and stay focused at the same time. Make sure to read at a pace you can follow, and take a slight pause between each step. It makes a huge difference in the pacing of the meditation. It’s also nice to have your own voice leading you through your own subconscious and feels amazing. 
5. Spend a few weeks on one meditation at a time. And also take your time going through them to really learn about yourself and feel the effects. 
6. I recommend reading the entire book one time through. Then going back and focusing on the meditations after you’ve internalized the message. It makes it easier to take your time with the meditations. You can also anticipate how long you should spend on each meditation. 

You Aren’t Just Your Shadow

There is a certain level of empathy that emerges as well with shadow work. Once you see all of the things that you judge as being bad as being a part of you – and accepting that – it’s much easier to accept others and show them grace for the stuff we could have easily gotten caught up in ourselves.  And really just seeing how these negative traits will help us. You’re not just a “jerk”, you are standing up for yourself and passionate. You’re not “bossy,” you’re taking charge of your vision. You’re not “weak,” you’re just aware and sensitive to those around you so you can make informed decisions and see people for who they really are. You’re more than your shadow, and this book can and will help you see that. 

If you leave with nothing else, just know that no one can tell you who you are. You have to see it for yourself. 

Photo by Jessica Felicio on Unsplash & Photo by Steinar Engeland on Unsplash

Tag: spirituality, spiritual journey, shadow work exercises