It’s been a powerful year – release and regeneration have been the themes of 2018. In the process, many relationships, ways of being, communication styles, and other ingrained situations and habits have been considered, upended, and ultimately reformed or released entirely.
One consistency in all of this is that those things that have buried deep in our psyches have continued to come up in our lives – the stories, traumas, conditioning, worries, doubts, and secrets that we have tried so hard to push down keep rising for our examination. For those souls who haven’t been working continually to resolve lingering wounds, these issues are likely to have risen in an even more dramatic way, forcing heavy review. And as we prepare to head into Scorpio at the end of October, which rules the house of death and rebirth, those things that haven’t yet been addressed are likely to rise again for clearing.
How to deal? First, it’s remarkably important to address things head-on instead of pushing them down. Those facets of our being that we don’t like to acknowledge or express are collectively known as our “shadow,” and it’s essential with any self-love or spiritual practice to love all of ourselves, even the parts that we don’t normally rave about. The ultimate goal of “shadow work” is to bring those hidden pieces of ourselves into the light so that we can heal them and integrate them fully without shame.
But what if the memories, analysis, and healing get to be too much? Are there ways to alleviate some of the pressure or to cope? Absolutely. First, grounding is essential. If you don’t know much about grounding, here’s a link to a recent article that I wrote. Additionally, make sure that you’re getting adequate rest, drinking plenty of water, and eating nutritious foods so that you have the physical support to move past tough emotions and properly detoxify your body of the associated energy.
Next, pull out your crystals! As your shadow rises and forces your attention, work with the following crystals to uncover, illuminate, address, and shift the patterns and other issues that you need to heal. I also recommend carrying a grounding stone like black tourmaline or smoky quartz throughout this healing process.
- Labradorite
- Rainbow Moonstone
- Black Moonstone
- Rhodochrosite
- Malachite
- Kunzite
- Hiddenite
- Smithsonite, especially pink or green
- Astrophyllite
- Nuummite
- Sardonyx
- Onyx
- Pyrite
- Chalcopyrite
- Copper
- Amber
- Turquoise, especially green
- Rainbow Fluorite
- Rainbow Calcite
- Green Calcite
- Citrine
- Golden Healer Quartz
- Smoky Quartz
- Lithium Quartz
- Lepidolite
- Orthoceras Fossil
- Stromatolite
- Black Tourmaline
- Dravite (Brown / Champagne Tourmaline)
- Watermelon Tourmaline
- Mookaite Jasper
- Polychrome Jasper
- Picasso Stone
- Black Obsidian
- Gold Sheen Obsidian
- Silver Sheen Obsidian
- Rainbow Sheen Obsidian
- Platinum Sheen Obsidian
- Apache Tears
- Sapphire
- Emerald
- Heliodor
