Shadow Work 
Meditations & Interviews

Shadow work often involves work around our unconscious responses to our relationships and environment. Who are the people you experience an emotional "charge" ? Whether positive or negative, who are are the people you feel a lot of energy around? We don't have to invest so much energy here. We can create a standing internal boundary using two phrases: 1) I see you. and/or 2) I hear you. You don't need to know what you see or hear about them. These statements allow you to differentiate from that person and return to our own body. From that embodied place, you can decided what action YOU want to take, rather than reacting to the charge you feel from them\. Enjoy!

This guided meditation looks at internalized self-judgements. Self-judgement is often too painful and overwhelming to feel, so we project them onto others and seek to banish them from ourselves (scapegoating). What are the judgements you carry about yourself? I invite you to hold your self-judgements and suspend them, like a coat on a coat rack, so that you can experience what life feels like underneath those judgements. What if you could suspend your self-judgements as you enter new experiences that you deeply want to engage? How might that allow you to play and experiment with your life? Enjoy!

This guided meditation put us in touch with our judgements, both our judgements of other people, communities, groups, AND the judgements we feel from the outside. I invite you to simply feel your judgements. Don't judge your judgements! What are your judgements communicating? What messages do they offer you for taking action or centering back out of a non-reactive state? Let's practice trusting our judgements together. Enjoy!

This guided meditation leads us to our needs. Shadow work often consists of naming, knowing and taking action around our needs. This is because our needs are quickly suppressed as children, dependent on adults, caretakers, our environment, etc.. Two statements are helping to begin this work: 1) I can know my needs. 2) I can ask for what I need. Enjoy!

This guided meditation focus on self-responsibility and own back the parts of our life we can control. Shadow work is often a process of working with hidden narratives and stories about ourselves and others. "I am responsible for myself" may be a shadowed truth that has led you to abdicate agency, autonomy, and control of your life.

In this guided meditation, Michael invites you to pause, center yourself and scan your body. He invites listeners to hear the poem "Lost" by David Wagoner. This poem was inspired by the rights of passages David observed among Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. This is an opportunity to relax into your own experience, acknowledge where you feel lost in your life, and learning to trust "the forest to find you."

Thank you to my clients who make this podcast possible! If you’re interested in 1:1 shadow work please check my website for info and availability. If you enjoyed this episode, consider buying me a coffee! In this rich and illuminating conversation, Michael and, creator of the Zenfulnote App, Keila Shaheen explore the transformative power of shadow work and its deep connection to our emotional lives, and hidden potential. Together, they discuss how uncovering and integrating suppressed emotions can lead to profound healing and reveal our “inner gold”. Drawing on personal insights and professional experience, Michael and Keila delve into a poetic discussion around engaging shadow work and shadow play. They also discuss how inner work is truly more relational than functional. This episode offers listeners a compassionate and inspiring guide to embracing the wholeness of their true selves. Tune in for a heartfelt and collaborative dialogue that will leave you empowered and lifted to explore your own inner depths. References and Resources: 1:1 Shadow Work with Michael Preorder The Book of Shadow Work (Available Jan. 7th, 2025) The Shadow Work Journal: A Guide to Integrate and Transcend Your Shadows by Keila Shaheen Download the Zenfulnote App Robert Bly, the Long Bag We Drag Behind Us "The Guest House" by Rumi Robert Johnson, Inner Gold: Understanding Psychological Projection

“When you go out to the wilderness of the psyche, you need somebody to guide you. [Jung’s] map will guide you. You don’t need to make the map. What you have to do is have the experience.” - Dr. Murray Stein In this interview, Michael sits down with renowned Jungian analyst Dr. Murray Stein to explore his groundbreaking book Jung's Map of the Soul. Dr. Stein shares insights into Jung’s core concepts, such as persona, shadow, anima/animus, etc., which offer a map to guide us in our journey toward wholeness. Whether you're new to Jungian psychology or simply looking to dive deeper into your inner world, this conversation provides valuable guidance, reassurance, and invitation to experience life. Thank you to my clients who make this podcast possible! If you’re interested in 1:1 shadow work please check my website for info and availability. If you enjoyed this episode, consider buying me a coffee!

I bet you are familiar with the terms “ego,” “shadow,” “persona,” and “archetypes,” right? However, they likely feel a bit opaque in terms of their meaning and connection to one another. Carl Jung developed a “Map of the Soul,” which offers clarity for identifying and interacting with our inner and outer world. Understanding this “map” can guide us deeper inward to discover greater depths, soften our soul, and strengthen our relationships. For practical in-depth study, purchase Jung's Map of the Soul by Murray Stein PhD You'll leave with Clear definitions of key Jungian terms and how they practically relate to your life Trailheads for recognizing/navigating your “inner landscape” and embodied experience Ability to distinguish between ego, persona, and shadow Knowledge of negative complexes and how they are "triggered" Greater connection with the “Self” as the ordering and transforming principle of the soul Greater integration and connection between your inner life with your outer experience 00:00 - Introduction and Meditation 06:15 - Defining Terms (soul, map) 10:56 - Why do we need a map? 13:53 - Jung's Map Diagram 16:20 - Ego 23:49 - Shadow & Persona 44:31 - Awareness Journal 44:48 - Psychological Complex 1:06:38 - Awareness Journal 1:06:55 - Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious 1:24:05 - The Self 1:37:05 - Anima & Animus