*Disclaimer I do not claim to be a therapist or mental health counselor. Should you need professional help please do not hesitate to seek it.
The Shadow You hear a lot of about Shadow Work these days. I have noticed that there is a lot of misunderstanding and confusion surrounding what it is. It is my intention to attempt to clear that up the best I possibly can in this blog post. I believe the reason shadow work is so poorly understood is because of the natural tendency of the human mind to want to label everything either good or bad. This view is often reinforced in our religious institutions, in our media, in politics and in corporate America. There is a great deal of conditioning related to this. The Shadow is neither good nor bad and it is crucial to address to heal painful emotions, overcome life's difficulties and unhealthy behaviors. Shadow work finds it's origins in the work of the 20th century psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung. He coined the term "the shadow self'. This term describes unconscious parts of the personality that our ego does not want to identify in itself. These shadow parts of ourselves came to exist as a result of wounding we experienced and the repression, denial, dissociation or disowning of those wounds and their associated emotions. If you are a believer in reincarnation, as I am, the idea that these traumas could have also occurred in previous incarnations is plausible and worth consideration. If not all that I am about to share will still be helpful to you. There are healthy and unhealthy ways to approach working with shadow. Unhealthy ways include being harsh with yourself, impatient with your process and not seeking support of some kind. Shadow work is not to be approached lightly. It will require time, gentleness, self love and compassion and a supportive individual or individuals that you feel comfortable being vulnerable with. Vulnerability is key and keep in mind that not everyone is suited to hold non judgemental space for your process. It is important to give this a lot of consideration when you choose an individual or individuals to witness your work. You should be willing to pause for a time if you begin to feel overwhelmed and pick it back up when you feel ready. There is no one way to do this work and no ideal time frame. There is no quick fix. There are many, many methods I could recommend. I will mention just a few I have worked with. My early exposure to shadow work was rooted in Integral Theory, Integral Zen and Mondo Zen. My more recent exploration has taken me to the very gentle and generous work of Richard Rudd, founder of The Gene Keys. Currently I am enrolled in his program to become a Gene Keys Guide. What is important to understand about The Gene Keys method is that the work is yours. It's your journey. Whomever you work with is simply there to witness and support your process. His method is founded in contemplation, gentleness, patience and inquiry. Shadow work, put simply, is all about welcoming home parts of yourself, hearing the messages they long to share with you and integrating them into your being. As Richard Rudd says, "The gift is in the shadow." I am finding this to be very true. These parts of ourselves that are tripping us up and causing our lives to be less than ideal are also the very things, when welcomed back, healed and integrated, that can become some of our greatest strengths! Namaste! #humandesign #genekeys #shadowwork #healing #knowyourself
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Friday July 30th the Sun will move into Gate 33, PRIVACY. In the I-Ching this hexagram is called RETREAT.
“People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child—our own two eyes. All is a miracle.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh If you have Gate 33 in your BodyGraph you might have a tendency to go inward, seek privacy or solitude. As this energy flows to all of this is an excellent time to meditate and examine painful experiences in your life and explore new perspectives. With the Sun in Gate 33 you have an opportunity to explore patterns in your life and make changes for your highest good! This is a time to let go of the past and embrace the present. Give yourself time to retreat and explore new possibilities and perspectives! Richard Rudd on Gene Key 33 Shadow-Forgetting Gift - Mindfulness Siddhi - Revelation "This Gift can turn the whole of our life into a blaze of presence and peacefulness. Retreat does not have to be something we do after we've been in action. The retreat can be in the action itself. That is a Gift from heaven." - Richard Rudd, 64 Ways Blessings! April Each year the sun moves counterclockwise around the gates of the mandala (like the sun moves through the astrological signs), spending approximately 6 days in each gate. As the sun (or any other celestial body) moves through a gate it **“activates”**the energy of that gate. This means that the energy is released to “flow” to us. The sun is considered the most dominant and important transit to be aware of.) **Human Design is a synthesis of ancient and modern sciences; proven to be a valuable tool for human understanding. Human Design is a cutting-edge personality assessment tool that shows you your unique decision making strategy, your special gifts and talents, where you carry your pain and potential for healing and wisdom. You can get your free chart here https://www.geneticmatrix.com/free-foundation-chart/ April Novoa is a certified Human Design Specialist. To get started living your design book an appointment with April by visiting humandesignsimplified.weebly.com , calling 404-808-690 or emailing her at [email protected] April will need 3 days to complete your report. Please keep this in mind when scheduling your appointment. Appointments are conducted on Zoom or at the House of Light on Thursdays. When you book your appointment a zoom link will be sent to you. #humandesign #knowthyself #humandesignreading #solartransit Saturday July 24th the Sun will move into Gate 31, DEMOCRACY. In the I-Ching this hexagram is called INFLUENCE.
I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second is frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others. Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men. — Lao-Tzu If you have this gate in your Human Design BodyGraph you may have leadership qualities that you are aware of. People seem to naturally look to you for guidance and you are well equipped to direct them. There is a dire need for good leaders in our world. Individuals that have the ability to lead us towards a brighter and better future are in short supply. The very best leaders simply lead individuals back to their own inherent wisdom that they already possess inside. They help uncover gifts, potentials, talents and abilities that a person has and empower them to make choices to bring those things into fruition. Probably the most important thing to understand about this gate, if you have it, is that it must be recognized or invited to be most effective and successful. It must be delivered powerfully but from a place of love and humility. Forced power or coercion, rooted in arrogance, is obviously a shadow aspect of this gate. And it's not sustainable. This week, as this energy flows to all of us, consider how you might lead others from a space of love and humility. How might you serve? How might you love? How might you bring out the very best in them? Gene Key 31 Shadow-Arrogance Gift – Leadership Siddhi – Humility “The true leaders, at least the New leaders, are forged by life. This isn’t something we decide. It’s something that’s thrust upon us. It’s something that our dharma decides long before we become an adult.” – Richard Rudd, 64 Ways Blessings! April Each year the sun moves counterclockwise around the gates of the mandala (like the sun moves through the astrological signs), spending approximately 6 days in each gate. As the sun (or any other celestial body) moves through a gate it **“activates”**the energy of that gate. This means that the energy is released to “flow” to us. The sun is considered the most dominant and important transit to be aware of.) **Human Design is a synthesis of ancient and modern sciences; proven to be a valuable tool for human understanding. Human Design is a cutting-edge personality assessment tool that shows you your unique decision making strategy, your special gifts and talents, where you carry your pain and potential for healing and wisdom. You can get your free chart here https://www.geneticmatrix.com/free-foundation-chart/ April Novoa is a certified Human Design Specialist. To get started living your design book an appointment with April by visiting humandesignsimplified.weebly.com , calling 404-808-690 or emailing her at [email protected] April will need 3 days to complete your report. Please keep this in mind when scheduling your appointment. Appointments are conducted on Zoom or at the House of Light on Thursdays. When you book your appointment a zoom link will be sent to you. #humandesign #knowthyself #humandesignreading #solartransit On Monday July 19th the Sun will move into Gate 56, THE STORYTELLER. In the I-Ching this hexagram is called THE WANDERER.
“We are all storytellers. We all live in a network of stories. There isn’t a stronger connection between people than storytelling.” --Jimmy Neil Smith If you have gate 56 in your BodyGraph you have the gate of the storyteller. When I was a little child I had a great uncle that would stop by for a visit and tell us all sorts stories about his adventures! I remember listening to him talk and becoming so deeply present and immersed in his stories that I really felt like I was in the story myself. I could see it all in my minds eye! We live in a time of constant entertainment and an overload of information thanks to technology. It's important to 'practice the pause' but often we find ourselves seeking distraction from the overwhelm instead. Frequently in the form of things that are not necessarily for our highest good. Boredom is extremely crucial to the creative process but we have a tendency to resist stillness. Overload is uncomfortable, and even painful, and it is natural to want to 'check out' to avoid reality. Unfortunately, by not being present, we also miss out on the inspiration to be creative and fully present with ourselves and others. As this energy flows to all of us let our intention be to be fully present, and yes, maybe even a little bored, and lets see what kind of beautiful stories unfold! Richard Rudd on Gene Key 56 Shadow- Distraction Gift – Enrichment Siddhi – Intoxication “To court the 56th Gift is to learn to appreciate all aspects of life, all its myriad layers and levels without judging them, without making any one better than any other. That’s the foundation we have to build – the cornerstone of Intoxication.” – Richard Rudd, 64 Ways Blessings! April Each year the sun moves counterclockwise around the gates of the mandala (like the sun moves through the astrological signs), spending approximately 6 days in each gate. As the sun (or any other celestial body) moves through a gate it **“activates”**the energy of that gate. This means that the energy is released to “flow” to us. The sun is considered the most dominant and important transit to be aware of.) **Human Design is a synthesis of ancient and modern sciences; proven to be a valuable tool for human understanding. Human Design is a cutting-edge personality assessment tool that shows you your unique decision making strategy, your special gifts and talents, where you carry your pain and potential for healing and wisdom. You can get your free chart here https://www.geneticmatrix.com/free-foundation-chart/ April Novoa is a certified Human Design Specialist. To get started living your design book an appointment with April by visiting humandesignsimplified.weebly.com , calling 404-808-690 or emailing her at [email protected] April will need 3 days to complete your report. Please keep this in mind when scheduling your appointment. Appointments are conducted on Zoom or at the House of Light on Thursdays. When you book your appointment a zoom link will be sent to you. #humandesign #knowthyself #humandesignreading #solartransit Tuesday July 13th the Sun will move into Gate 62, DETAILS or PLANNING. In the I-Ching this hexagram is called PREPONDERANCE OF THE SMALL.
Do you have Gate 62 in your chart? If so, you are probably a detailed oriented person. If it is colored in black you likely know this about yourself. If it is red you might not be aware that you have this tendency, as it is in your body consciousness, as opposed to your conscious awareness. You probably do this quite unknowingly although others may notice it and point it out to you. I bought the worst car ever when I was 16 years old. It had a great body, beautiful interior but a terrible engine and some of the parts were literally held together with band-aids and garden hoses. I am not kidding. I used every bit of my savings to buy it and even had to get a little help from my family. It was all I could afford back then. Thankfully I met a guy, who later became my husband, with a terrific eye for detail, who repaired it, and kept that car road worthy for many years until I could afford a better vehicle. As more of a 'big picture' person I have great admiration for individuals that notice detail. They often pick up on and see things that I miss! We really need detail oriented people. They are very important and contribute a great deal of structure and foundation to our experiences in life. Being aware and noticing little details is certainly a gift! As always, like any other gift, there is an imbalanced expression. The imbalance lies in over-intellectualizing, missing the bigger picture and sometimes the deeper meaning of things. This can make an individual susceptible to a flavor of dualism that fails to see the interconnectedness of all things....and all people. When Ramana Maharshi was asked, "How are we supposed to treat others?" He answered, "There are no others." This week this energy will flow to all of us! As it does you may find yourself better able to see the small, precise details of whatever goal you may be desiring to accomplish. And that can truly result in an impeccable outcome! Just don't lose sight of the big picture when you do! Richard Rudd's thoughts Gene Key 62 Shadow- Intellect Gift – Precision Siddhi – Impeccability “Many people have been shocked to find that one of the Shadows in the Gene Keys is the Shadow of Intellect. The reason that Intellect is a Shadow is quite simply because it’s rooted in dualism.” – Richard Rudd, 64 Ways Blessings! April Each year the sun moves counterclockwise around the gates of the mandala (like the sun moves through the astrological signs), spending approximately 6 days in each gate. As the sun (or any other celestial body) moves through a gate it **“activates”**the energy of that gate. This means that the energy is released to “flow” to us. The sun is considered the most dominant and important transit to be aware of.) **Human Design is a synthesis of ancient and modern sciences; proven to be a valuable tool for human understanding. Human Design is a cutting-edge personality assessment tool that shows you your unique decision making strategy, your special gifts and talents, where you carry your pain and potential for healing and wisdom. You can get your free chart here https://www.geneticmatrix.com/free-foundation-chart/ April Novoa is a certified Human Design Specialist. To get started living your design book an appointment with April by visiting humandesignsimplified.weebly.com , calling 404-808-690 or emailing her at [email protected] April will need 3 days to complete your report. Please keep this in mind when scheduling your appointment. Appointments are conducted on Zoom or at the House of Light on Thursdays. When you book your appointment a zoom link will be sent to you. #humandesign #knowthyself #humandesignreading #solartransit Important and impactful astrological event notice!
On Tuesday Venus and Mars will conjunct! This is a time to plant seeds of new ideas or your hearts desire. This energy will continue throughout Wednesday and on Thursday we will experience a ‘birthing energy’ of this new vision. Thursday will be a hopeful day! This will be true for you if you have been working on ‘leaning into’ what you hope to feel and see, as opposed to overly focusing on what you do not want to feel or see. This is strong medicine so Friday take some time to rest, but play and indulge in creative pursuits or whatever lights you up. Saturday is a great time to spend in meditation and contemplation! Namaste #astrology #humandesign Wednesday July 7th The Sun will move into Gate 53, STARTING THINGS, NEW BEGINNINGS, or THE STARTER. In the I-Ching this hexagram is called DEVELOPMENT. "The secret to getting ahead is getting started. " Mark Twain Often the biggest hurdle we face isn't doing a thing. It's starting a thing. If you have this gate defined in your BodyGraph you are terrific at getting the ball rolling! This week the Sun will activate this energy on a collective scale so it's a wonderful time to begin a project or set a goal. As with any gate or gene key there is an imbalanced expression of this energy. It is important to begin from a place of expansion into new possibilities, rather than reaction to the unwanted. Decisions made from a fearful, reactive place rarely bring in the kind of abundance we are looking for. In fact they manifest in quite the opposite. Whereas expansion is very natural and flowing; fear is all about resistance and control. This energy can flow in either direction. Pay close attention to the 'why' behind the decisions you make. Practice the pause and careful inquiry before moving ahead with any decisions this week. Richard Rudd's thoughts on Gene Key 53 Shadow-Immaturity Gift – Expansion Siddhi – Superabundance “Expansion comes without effort. It emerges naturally, slowly, quietly. It brings calm rather than excitement. It brings simplicity rather than complexity. It brings perspective rather than ambition. And it all comes through slowing down.” – Richard Rudd, 64 Ways Blessings! April Each year the sun moves counterclockwise around the gates of the mandala (like the sun moves through the astrological signs), spending approximately 6 days in each gate. As the sun (or any other celestial body) moves through a gate it **“activates”**the energy of that gate. This means that the energy is released to “flow” to us. The sun is considered the most dominant and important transit to be aware of.) **Human Design is a synthesis of ancient and modern sciences; proven to be a valuable tool for human understanding. Human Design is a cutting-edge personality assessment tool that shows you your unique decision making strategy, your special gifts and talents, where you carry your pain and potential for healing and wisdom. You can get your free chart here https://www.geneticmatrix.com/free-foundation-chart/ April Novoa is a certified Human Design Specialist. To get started living your design book an appointment with April by visiting humandesignsimplified.weebly.com , calling 404-808-690 or emailing her at [email protected] April will need 3 days to complete your report. Please keep this in mind when scheduling your appointment. Appointments are conducted on Zoom or at the House of Light on Thursdays. When you book your appointment a zoom link will be sent to you. #humandesign #knowthyself #humandesignreading #solartransit Today's Contemplation....
“Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.” — Rainer Maria Rilke #shadowwork #healing #loveyourself #knowyourself |
AuthorApril Novoa. Human Design Specialist. Autodidact. Forever Student. Archives
February 2023
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