The road to authentic being might not be all flowers and butterflies. Sometimes you will be dealing with intense stuff. Having a skill or two or even a clue or two about how to survive those dark nights, is crucial. The consequences of not knowing how to properly respond to or deal with the darkness that's arising in you can be detrimental. You can end up damaging yourself psychologically and even physically. This stuff can get as serious as it gets. I feel like that's not being emphasized enough. I myself have always kept a close relationship with my shadow. I was in touch with it - to various degrees throughout my life. Most of the time; the darkness that arises in me is not alien or foreign. But.. I do get surprised or even shocked here and there. In most cases I can intuit the right steps right away. All I need is time, space and silence. And I can do my thing - in no time. But life's not always going to bless you with that gift. Sometimes you will have to deal with stuff on the spot. In the heat of the moment. No matter what the circumstances. This is where things get a bit Harry Potter. There is an art to transforming 'negative' energy on spot. Especially if caught off guard. The better you get at it; the easier and more natural it gets. You simply learn, or, remember how to respond to and neutralize these energies. And by energies I mean - quite simply; feelings. You become so highly in tune with what's going on energetically around you that you instantly know how to balance out any perceived imbalance in your field. You're doing this primarily for one reason; to stabilize your own energy. But it may or may not also benefit those around you. I'm not going to be getting too deep into how exactly one should go about doing shadow work in here. I imagine I will create another thread for that. But I will share a few pointers with you here. 1. It is not about you. The stuff that's arising, the turbulence, the shock, etc... all that has nothing to do with you, actually. It's just energy. Very intense feelings that are sorta like waves in the ocean.. during storm. Even if a character that's screaming in your face may seem to be having a problem with you directly - that's not actually the case. It simply represents a wave. 2. If you choose to reflect the darkness back to its source; try not making it personal. Be angry, be loud - but avoid shooting low. That's going to lead you to spiral even deeper into shit. If you have to reflect back the energy because you're unable to transform or neutralize it in the moment; try being loud and passionate for a higher cause. Try reaching upwards. Don't just rage mindlessly. 3. If you have the time, the space, the silence and the will to dedicate yourself to shadow work... That's awesome. You can really do a big thing for yourself. You can integrate aspects of your being that most people would not be caught dead daring to feel or think about. Let alone embody it and accept it in their heart. That is how you ultimately integrate anything. By facing it head on and opening your heart to it. Letting it consume you. I feel the need to warn you again here. This is serious business. You should not be pushing yourself over the edge if you don't know how to land. More on that later. In a safe and controlled environment; you can do wonders. I am yet to experience this fully. But I also already have - to some degree. Basically you purge the fuck out. Within four walls. You rage, you cry, you go insane, you laugh, you hate, etc. One rule only; Do not harm your body (or at least not severely). 4. Creativity  Obviously; another great and very important way to get comfortable with and express all kinds of thoughts and feelings. It can be extremely liberating. It can heal you - if healing is needed. I'm all about music, so that's kinda my go-to. But I'm sure there are lots of other creative endeavors that can serve the same purpose. Point is; being in touch with your 'dark side'. I feel like I have exhausted this now. It should be enough information for those of you who resonate with it, to get a sense of direction with this. I want to emphasize here and in future similar posts that this work should not be overlooked or avoided. But it should most definitely be done in a safe and responsible way.  So... If you like the idea of becoming friends with the darkness... Get excited. It's a very cool world. And it's not dark at all, actually. Peace.