The Interior Life We Yearn For: Tending, Befriending and Integrating Shadow — with Pixie Lighthorse
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It’s much easier to ignore the darker parts of ourselves—the wounds, the fears, the biases, the anxieties. Sloshing around in our inner territory is scary, but there is freedom in the truth. And the more we can talk about our shadows without getting defensive, the more we can accept our humanness, our exhaustion and start to heal ourselves and the world around us. Only then we can go deep AND go home to ourselves.
Pixie Lighthorse is an artist, healer and author who uses words as medicine to “wander with people through the hard stuff.” Her most recent work, Goldmining the Shadows, primes us for an ongoing inner dialogue with damaging influences (both internal and external), so we can begin the process of liberation and restoration. On this episode, Pixie joins me to define what it means to do shadow work and explains why it’s crucial to explore our own inner territory.
Pixie describes our quest for balance between thinking/doing and feeling/being, offering insight around how to access the most truthful parts of ourselves from a liminal space. She also shares the idea of rigorous honesty, discussing how we can recognize our shadows as they come up, examine our subconscious biases, and avoid the push/pull in our relationships. Listen in to understand the role of rest in accessing clarity and wisdom—and learn how to liberate yourself by accepting what IS.
Key Takeaways
Pixie’s work in wandering with people through the hard stuff
How Pixie defines shadow work and why it’s so crucial
Why Pixie’s best writing ideas come from the liminal space
The quest for balance between thinking/doing + feeling/being
The idea of rigorous honesty and how it impacts relationships
How to examine our unconscious bias without defensiveness
Recognizing shadows when we use absolutes or complain
The danger in overidentifying with our specialization
How we harm ourselves/others out of loyalty to our wounds
Why we can’t access clarity or wisdom when we’re tired
How communication makes room for cooperative experiences
The shadow side of hope and how we use it as a mask
Pixie’s insight around the freedom of accepting what IS
Connect with Pixie
Resources
Goldmining the Shadows by Pixie Lighthorse
Boundaries and Protection by Pixie Lighthorse
Prayers of Honoring by Pixie Lighthorse
Prayers of Honoring Voice by Pixie Lighthorse
Prayers of Honoring Grief by Pixie Lighthorse
Healing Night: The Science and Spirit of Sleeping, Dreaming, and Awakening by Rubin Naiman PhD
Daring to Rest: Reclaim Your Power with Yoga Nidra Rest Meditation by Karen Brody
Yes to Rest Friday - Daring to Rest Yoga Nidra Naps for Women Facebook Group