Shadow work and preparing for Imbolc

The last week of the Solitary Tarot and Oracle challenge is all about shadow work. And to be honest at first I wasn't excited about that at all. As soon as I heard Reacine mentioning the theme of this last week my I burst out  a whole repertoire of excuses: it is not the season to do this kind of exercises, my deck is far to sunny, I know my shadow part already, I don’t want/need to know my shadow parts, first I have to watch YouTube video or read blogs about shadow work etc. All these excuses were born out of fear and anxiety for the unknown.

And then I pulled the Four of Stones which summarized  how I felt perfectly: in the doorway to my path which will lead me to self-awareness is standing a huge heavy chest filled with blocking attitudes and false assumptions of safety. So reluctantly I've started with the last week of my challenge: I am dipping my toes in to shadow work. Since this is all rather too personal to blog about, I thought I’d show you my altar for Imbolc. 

The goddess statue is a thrift store find from last week. When I saw her I immediately knew I had to take her home. I love that she is not overly detailed so I can see in her many aspects of the Goddess. For now she is Bridget to me. Lately I feel very drawn to the creative part of The Divine; to seek inspiration. A few days ago I was trying to write some poetry when I remembered that Brigid is the goddess of fire and inspiration and yes even of poetry. I thought it was fitting she would be my focal point for Imbolc.

Slowly the earth is waking up for Springtime and I feel it is time for me to open myself up to her energy too and allow myself  to be playful and creative. 

Four of Stones - emptying my drawer

For today I've pulled the Four of Stones from the Chrysalis Tarot. The keyword for this card is “Possessions” which is beautifully depicted in this card as a bejeweled chest probable filled whatever stuff is most prized in your opinion.

I pulled this card when I was rummaging through my tarot drawer and my drawer with “magical stuff, like altar cloths, candles and crystals etc. I am very fond of these things. Playing with them, handling them is almost soothing. But I wonder if I am letting these items blocking my way to what really matters? The chest in the card is  “blocking the pathway of self-understanding.” Do I need these things to feel spiritually connected and if so: Why and to what extent?

Maybe because I am a very Swordy type of person, I think I need these items to instantly connect with Spirit, without having to read lengthy prayers, ritual texts or informative books. Smelling incense instantly puts me in the right mindset. Touching a crystal relaxes me and oh my goodness, playing with my cards is such a wonderful way to access my intuition. Maybe it isn't the fact we use these tools which might be hindering us, but more the way how we perceive them. They are nice but not necessary. They are not magical themselves but they can help to evoke the magic within us. Holding a mala while chanting is nice but buying the next perfect mala isn’t going to improve this practice. I wonder how I would feel if I would empty my chest/ drawer/room for one week and only keep three things….: one deck, one crystal,  one candle………..