5 Best Crystals for Shadow Work

We’re approaching Samhain - the time of year when the veil is the thinnest and when we move into the dark half of the year. This is a time for withdrawing inward. This is not just about the ways that we withdraw from the world and start enjoying the warmth of the home as the weather turns colder (here in the northern hemisphere). It is also about how we start to reflect upon our own inner world. It is the time for getting comfortable with the darkness and following the flow of the earth’s natural cycles. It’s the time for Shadow Work.   Shadow work is a journey inward to reclaim the darkness and light within you. Shadow work helps you gain an intimate understanding of your inner self. It’s the conscious undertaking of exploring the dark, interior realm of your subconscious mind and the hidden feelings and wounds that reside there. In a modern, spiritual sense, Shadow Work is about uncovering and exploring the parts of yourself that are holding you back. These parts may be preventing you from living in authentic joy. They are created over time through social conditioning, personal fears, and trauma and wounds inflicted upon you by others (from your childhood to the present day). These shadow aspects of your personality are created when you have a traumatic emotional response to something that was deemed negative by others (and thus, seen as negative by the self). To cope, your subconscious mind locks this part of your psyche away in the “shadow.” Shadow work is the spiritual work of uncovering and reacquainting yourself with the parts of you that you’ve been made to feel are “unacceptable”. The discarded parts of yourself that you’ve locked up and hidden away because others (family, friends, society) have deemed them unsuitable or negative. It is the conscious reintegration of these aspects as part of your whole self. Your shadow self and your light self are two halves to one whole. Re-integrating and reuniting these dual aspects of yourself is important for balance and alignment. After all, both pieces are a part of you and contribute to the uniqueness of who you are. Thus, the Shadow is a necessary part of your being, it is part of your wholeness. It's Time to Walk the Path of Shadow and Illumination...Do You Feel the Call? Perhaps you’re brand new to this concept. Maybe you’re a little familiar but don’t quite understand it all yet, or maybe you’re even deeply immersed in this process as a part of your regular spiritual practice. Shadow work helps you get to know yourself better than ever before. No matter where you’re at on your path, healing crystals can be incredibly helpful for support during your Shadow Work Practice, (both the novice or the experienced shadow worker alike). /* The following are the 5 Best Crystals for Shadow Work: Black Moonstone: Black Moonstone is connected to the energy of the dark goddesses (especially Hecate/Hekate, Baba Yaga, and Kali) that rule the Shadow Realm.  These goddesses are often feared because of their perceived negative connotations, but in fact, they represent transformation. Black Moonstone assists you during times of uncomfortable change as both an emotional and energetic support. It’s also a stone of feminine empowerment and is linked to the archetypes of the maiden, the mother, and the crone.  It is an excellent companion stone for times of rebirth or transformation, especially spiritual rebirths.