Jessica Cross's Blog

Welcome to the New Year.  If you have been following this blog, you have been through an in-depth time of Shadow Work.  Now that you have done that important work, it is time for a Transformation.

 

This begins with letting go of what you will not be taking with you into the New Year.  Read through the following meditation.  Then close your eyes and remember what you can.  Let your meditation unfold in your own personal way.

 

Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes.  Find yourself in a dense forest.  The trees and vines make it hard to walk.  You have to climb your way through the thick foliage.  You see some light shining ahead.  You head towards the light and find a small clearing.

 

In the clearing is an old woman.  She beckons you forward and you cautiously move towards her.  Something about this woman is unnerving.  She looks at you in a way that shows she can see deeply into your thoughts and feelings. 

 

She holds out her hands and as if you have no choice you place your hands in hers.  You feel a jolt of electricity when you touch her.  She says that she can see into your heart and knows the things you keep secret from others. 

 

She says that she can take one of those burdens away from you.  She asks what you would like to release to her.  Think of something that you would like to let go of and tell the old woman. 

 

She asks what you will give her in return.  Ask her what she wants.  She tells you that in return you must get enough sleep each night.  She says that for any night you do not sleep enough to feel rested this feeling you have released will start to seep back into your heart.  She says that it will take five days of good sleep before you are back to your released state. 

 

Tell her if you agree to this bargain.  If you agree, she tells you to open your mouth.  As you breathe out, she breaths in.  You feel the burden flowing from you to her through your breath.  She releases your hands and places them on her heart. 

 

Bow to her slightly and back away.  She never takes her eyes off of you as you back into the forest. 

 

When you feel ready you can hear the sounds around your physical body.  Wiggle your fingers and toes and open your eyes.

 

Take some time to journal about the following questions or pull oracle cards for more insight.

 

What vision do you have for this year?

 

What will hold you back from that goal?

 

What expectation of yourself is unreasonable?

 

Get the Shadow Work Meditation book on Amazon.

 

Take Care,

 

Jessica Cross

Free meditation recordings on Spotify: CLICK HERE

Journals on Amazon: Click Here

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We have moved into the New Year. Many people are making resolutions and plans for the coming year.  For me, during this time when it is cold, I just feel like hibernating.

I take this time to reflect on the year past.  The holiday season seems too crazy for deep reflection.  I think of what worked for me and what I want to change. I like to try and give up something that I have been doing and see if it improves my life (TV, Facebook, News, Tarot, etc.)  Some I have returned to after a short break, but some I have cut down on or given up entirely.

I then start to think about what I would like to work on over this year.  I don’t start making major changes yet but really start preparing for a push in the spring.

This month’s readings may reinforce something you already know or help you look at an issue in a different way.  Take time to think about each statement and if and how it applies to you.

January




1

Take responsibility.



2

Take the easy path.



3

Don’t Hesitate.



4

Look for the humor in this.



5

Follow your vision.



6

Shape your destiny.



7

Don’t compare yourself.



8

Open a new door.



9

Follow your passion.



10

Be in the moment.



11

Ask for help.



12

Feel your connection with others.



13

Look at everything like it was for the first time.



14

Give compassion to others.



15

Speak your truth.



16

Truly understand your situation.



17

Center yourself for what is to come.



18

Follow your inner guidance.



19

Learn from past experience.



20

Make an informed choice.



21

Keep your mind open.



22

Follow your heart.



23

What happens next is up to you.



24

Look at the Big Picture.



25

Keep moving forward.



26

Let you true colors shine.



27

Let go of what you’ve finished.



28

Make this moment count.



29

Overcome your fear.



30

Don’t mourn what is over.



31

Your intuition is correct.

Take Care,

Jessica Cross

Free meditation recordings on Spotify: CLICK HERE

Journals on Amazon: Click Here

We are at the end of this Shadow Work Journey. This is something I do each autumn and I am always glad I did. I always examine something new I did not know was causing me problems.

I hope you have also taken this time to investigate yourself through meditation. I find it one of the best ways of reaching into my unconscious.

Take some time after this meditation to relax and enjoy your new found wisdom. Eat well, get enough sleep, and treat yourself kindly.

Read through this final meditation and then close your eyes and remember what you can. Enjoy your journey and let yourself go wherever you are led.

 

Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Find yourself standing in front of a thick hedge. There is a tunnel into the hedge and it looks dark inside. It is time for you to plunge into the final transformation in your shadow work.

 

Think of one final worry, behavior or thought that you would like to leave on this side of the tunnel. Pick up a nearby rock and think of your worry entering this rock. Allow yourself to detach from the rock. It no longer has any meaning for you. The problem can be handled without worry. The behavior or thought belongs to your past and no longer is helpful.

 

You may want to kiss the rock before letting it go to acknowledge that the thought, behavior or worry was created for protection. When you feel ready, throw this rock as far away from you into the forest as you can.

 

Now it is time to face your final trial. Take another deep breath and enter the tunnel in the hedge. It is dark and you move forward by feel.

 

The hedge pulls a bit at your clothing and occasionally scratches your skin. It feels a bit uncomfortable until you realize that with each pull or scratch you feel lighter. The next time it happens you pause and realize that the hedge is pulling away from you a connection you no longer need or loosening a connection that is too strong. It pulls away from your need to fix everything and preemptively worry about every possibility.

 

The hedge loosens ties with people that may drain your energy. This does not mean that you have to end contact with them, but it allows you to leave their issues behind when you leave them. It may cause you to end some relationships that cause too much pain.

 

The hedge pulls away connections to goals you no longer feel are important. It removes cravings for items and experiences that you do not have. It allows you to release your constant focus on the past or the future.

 

Although the climb through the hedge is uncomfortable. You begin to feel much calmer and are a bit sad when you see light ahead. Continue to push forward and let the hedge open to the light.

 

You are still within the hedge but you can see the sky above. You are in a courtyard surrounded by the hedge. The tunnel you just left is behind you and across the courtyard is another tunnel. In the middle of the courtyard is a pedestal. What is on the pedestal? Move closer and see.

 

What blessing has been left for you on the pedestal based on the shadow work you have done over the past few months? Look closely at the item and see if it contains a skill, feeling or thought. Is there a lesson within that you have learned on your journey? Take the item. You may place it in your pocket or it may join your body at your heart.

 

When you feel ready to complete your journey, enter the tunnel on the other side of the courtyard. The hedge continues to pull away what you are ready to let go of. This tunnel seems much shorter, or maybe the fact that you carry fewer burdens makes it easier. Soon you see light again.

 

When you climb out of the tunnel the sun shines right down on your face as you stand. You hear music and maybe horns as if your journey is being celebrated. Let yourself feel the joy of accomplishment and appreciate what you have gained. Bask in this feeling.

 

When you are ready you can return to your physical body. Hear the sounds around you. Wiggle your fingers and toes. Open your eyes.

 

Take a few minutes to write down notes about your meditation. Journal about the following questions or pull tarot or oracle cards to gain more insight.

 

What are you so attached to that it causes you pain?

 

Are there past goals you need to let go of?

 

Can you be happy with what you have right now?

 

Get the Shadow Work Meditation book on Amazon.

 

Take Care,

 

Jessica Cross

Free meditation recordings on Spotify: CLICK HERE

Journals on Amazon: Click Here

The days are short and cold where I am. The long night make it seem a natural time for introspection. It is a time for me to really investigate the emotions and thoughts that cause me distress.

I do not mean agonizing and beating myself up. I mean, wondering why I let these issues bother me and what beliefs they trigger in me. Also, why these beliefs may have arisen in my past.

I try to look at my own issues with compassion as I would for a client sitting in my counseling office. None of us is perfect and many of us have good reasons to be messed up. This is not a time for judgment but it is a time for putting these issues to the test. Do they hold up under scrutiny?

Use this meditation to uncover some issues you may not know are plaguing you. Sometimes the true issue is hidden and we only see and address the symptoms.

Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes. Find yourself standing in front of a table and comfy chair. Walk closer to the table and you see a book. Take the book off of the table.

 

Sit down on the nearby chair. Look at the cover of the book. Is there a symbol on the cover? Does it look familiar or have any meaning for you? Flip to the back of the book and you see on the back cover a picture of the author. This person looks very much like you but with some slight differences. Their hair is different, they may have glasses or facial hair where you don’t. They may even be another gender. The resemblance is striking though.

 

Now flip to the inside cover. The Title page says “A Memoir.” Flip through the book. You may read the words or you may receive thoughts or pictures of the story it contains. You may have strong emotions come up while flipping through the book as if you are experiencing the story.

 

When you are done I want you to flip to the back of the book again. Look at the picture and think about what you know about the author from flipping through the book. What kind of person are they? What are their skills and talents? Where do they struggle? How are they different than you?

 

Think about the ways you are the same as the author. Is this something you are proud of or something you would like to change or have changed? What benefit does this aspect give you? In what ways does it hinder you? Investigate this aspect of yourself and where it may have come from or been reinforced.

 

Look at the picture on the back of the book again. Try to send compassion to the author. Having read their story, can you understand why they may have may some of their decisions, even if you would not have done the same? Now can you turn that compassion onto yourself? Recognize that you will also make decisions based on the circumstances of the moment that you may regret. Give yourself the same compassion that you would another fallible human.

 

Let yourself bask in that compassion for a few moments. When you are ready, take a final look at the author. Send a feeling of gratitude to them. Get up and place the book back on the table.

 

Begin to hear the sounds around your physical body. Wiggle your fingers and toes, and when you feel ready, open your eyes.

 

Take some time to write down notes, journal or pull tarot/oracle cards about the following questions.

 

What do you expect from yourself that you do not expect from others?

 

What do you expect from others that you don’t usually receive?

 

What is one change you would make in your life right now?

Get the Shadow Work Meditation book on Amazon.

 

Take Care,

 

Jessica Cross

Free meditation recordings on Spotify: CLICK HERE

Journals on Amazon: Click Here

December already!  The Holiday Season can be tough for a lot of people.  Make some new traditions of your own that add in relaxation time.  Sleep more, spend some time in silence, get a massage, find a great book, whatever really helps you relax and take time for yourself.  One of my friends has found an Advent Calendar with a different beer for each day!

If you schedule these in before what may be a stressful time, it will help you cope.  Acknowledge that you may not be able to do it all this month.  You may not always make everyone happy all the time, but you deserve to set limits on how much you will take on. Take good care of yourself this month.

Use the calendar below to help set the dates you will take some time to store up your energy.  There are some dates where the energy is telling you to slow down, Listen!

December




1

Commit to others.



2

Open up to a relationship.



3

It’s not too good to be true.



4

What can be learned from this?



5

Appreciate how far you have come.



6

What have you created?



7

Let go of a past event.



8

What good has come your way?



9

Find an ally



10

Move with caution.



11

Lighten your burden



12

Be generous and kind.



13

Give your mind a needed rest.



14

Use your talents wisely.



15

Accept an offered gift.



16

Resolve a dispute.



17

Seize an opportunity



18

Wait for this to pass.



19

Be patient and relax.



20

An important decision brings renewal



21

Guard against pettiness.



22

Wrongs will be righted.



23

Don’t be hasty.



24

Approach with moderation.



25

Be kind but firm.



26

There is still hope.



27

Find harmony.



28

Don’t overlook a possibility.



29

    This reward is well deserved.



30

Be open to new ideas.



31

Make a clean break.

Take Care,

 

Jessica Cross

Free meditation recordings on Spotify: CLICK HERE

Journals on Amazon: Click Here

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This is the time to use your energy wisely. Do what needs to be done and then take time to de-stress. You can’t fix everything at once when you do Shadow Work. It is important that you take one or two aspects that are causing you discomfort and look at those closely.

Depending on what issues you are working through in your Shadow Work, this meditation may be comforting or very difficult. It should end with some relaxation to help you calm down if it was challenging.

Read through the following meditation and then close your eyes. Remember what you can of the meditation but there is no need to follow it exactly. Let yourself use the meditation in any way you need to.

Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes. Find yourself in a large, mostly empty room. There are a few chairs against the wall, and a few doors leading out. There is nothing on the wall or the floor and the room is quiet.

 

Go and sit on one of the chairs. After a few moments alone, someone enters the room and sits down next to you. Who is it who joins you? Do you have something you need to say to them? Do they have something they need to say to you?

 

How do you feel with this person? Try not to pass judgment on this feeling. Just acknowledge it and examine why you feel this way.

 

If this person is new to you, think of what it is about the way they look, carry themselves and talk that gives you a certain feeling. Can you think of others in your life who make you feel this way?

 

You may ask this person any questions you have for them. After you have discussed all you need to say goodbye. They rise and leave the room.

 

I want you to focus on the feeling you had with this person one last time. Now I want you to blow out that feeling on your breath. It looks like your breath on a freezing cold day leaving your body. It may also have a color or turn into a figure. Even if it is a good feeling, breathe it out into this bare room.

 

On each inhale feel yourself fill up with peace and calm. There is no feeling left just stillness. There is no need to do or think about anything. Just feel the stillness in your body. Breathe deeply and sink into this calm feeling. Sit for as long as you need to in this relaxed state.

 

When you are ready begin to hear the sounds around your physical body. Wiggle your fingers and toes, and open your eyes.

Take some time to think about, journal or pull tarot or oracle cards about the following questions.

How do certain people affect your emotions?

Are there some people who seem to drain all your energy?

How difficult was it to let the feeling go with your breath?

Get the Shadow Work Meditation book on Amazon.

 

Take Care,

 

Jessica Cross

Free meditation recordings on Spotify: CLICK HERE

Journals on Amazon: Click Here

We have come to the halfway point in our Shadow Work for this season. How are you holding up? It can take a lot out of you to delve this deep into the things you haven’t wanted to see.

 

Make sure to take good care of yourself. Factor in at least a half-hour of true relaxation (not TV, alcohol, drugs or other means of escape) every few days. I know that can be tough, I’m a working mom, but you have to carve out the time in your schedule or months will go by and you will wear out.

 

Self-care is especially important when you are doing Shadow Work. You need to refuel. Even if it just means a cup of coffee or tea when you don’t look at a screen or a book, or talk to anyone. Just let yourself be.

This is not an easy meditation, so that is, even more reason to make sure your tank is full before starting. Read through the meditation and when you are ready, close your eyes. Remember what you can of the meditation but also allow yourself to follow your own path.

 

Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes. Find yourself standing in front of a wall of vines. Each vine is the thickness of an arm and they are covered with thorns. The wall surrounds a tunnel made of these vines. The vines create an archway in front of you that you can enter.

 

The tunnel is menacing with all the thorns but you know you must enter. Steel yourself, and when you are ready, enter the tunnel.

 

You are occasionally scraped by thorns as you proceed. It stings a bit but it is not too bad. Continue to move forward.

 

Focus on the beauty of the green vines around you. Ignore the rare discomfort of the scrapes. See the sunlight through the vines and the green glow they send through the tunnel.

 

You find that your clothes are occasionally torn by the thorns. Small pieces of fabric are ripped away. Let them go. You begin to feel cleansed by your trial through the tunnel of thorns.

 

This tunnel is long. Eventually, you see some brighter light and you are almost sad the ordeal is coming to an end. You feel lighter and refreshed by the process you have undergone.

 

You exit the tunnel into a bare meadow. The sun beats down hard onto the ground. You lay down on the grass to recover.

 

Feel the lightness and clarity of this experience. Now that it is gone, can you identify some of what was cleansed away from the tunnel? What did you need to let go of? What were you unwilling to part with easily? Are you willing to bear the pain for the clarity it has unveiled?

 

Don’t grasp onto the things you have released or you may draw them back to you. Just identify them and try not to connect too many emotions on to them. Take a few more deep breaths and enjoy this feeling of renewal.

 

When you are ready begin to hear the sounds around your physical body. Wiggle your fingers and toes. Open your eyes.

 

Take some time to journal or choose tarot or oracle cards on the following questions to gain more insights.

 

1 – What do you need to let go of?

 

2 – Are you strong enough to withstand the pain of letting go?

 

3 – What can help you cope with the pain?

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Get the Shadow Work Meditation book on Amazon.

 

Take Care,

 

Jessica Cross

Free meditation recordings on Spotify: CLICK HERE

Journals on Amazon: Click Here

The air here is getting crisp and I have started making lots of soups.  I love this time of year.  I have an excuse to get cozy at home at night but many of the days are still warm and sunny in my part of the woods.

Have you been doing your Shadow Work with me?  I hope so.  I like this time of exploration of my psyche.  It makes me feel refreshed and ready to take on the world in the Spring.  Check out my last few posts for Shadow Work meditations.

The energies of November seem to be leading us to deal with problems and release old patterns.  I hope you have a wonderful month and work with the energies to make it awesome!

November




1

Divide the problem into sections.



2

Make a rational decision.



3

Release an old obsession.



4

Find a focus.



5

Don’t underestimate someone.



6

Don’t show off.



7

Relationships are more important.



8

Be willing to trust.



9

Be gracious in triumph.



10

Be patient in the moment.



11

Stop being stubborn.



12

Let things run their course.



13

Whose footsteps are you following?



14

Design your plan.



15

Look for Lady Luck.



16

Some choices can be remade.



17

Create your own path.



18

Face unlikely odds.



19

Waiting is worthwhile.



20

Celebrate your harvests.



21

Get things started.



22

Concentrate on a task.



23

No need to demand.



24

Prepare to succeed.



25

Consider others opinions.



26

Let go of useless action.



27

Accept a setback.



28

Think of a solution.



29

Share your time.



30

Be different but ethical.

Get Shadow Work Meditations HERE or get the physical book on Amazon.

Take Care,

Jessica Cross

Free meditation recordings on Spotify: CLICK HERE

Journals on Amazon: Click Here

 

Shadow Work meditations can be intense. This is the third of this Shadow Work series so they are starting to delve deep into who you are (if you missed them here are Meditation #1, Meditation #2).

We can often feel controlled and defined by strong emotions. This can hold us back from taking the actions we want to make changes in our lives. This meditation will explore a feeling that may be trapping you.

If at any time this meditation gets to be too much, stop and you can always try it again at a later time or with a feeling that is not as intense. Take good care of yourself in this process and remember to seek help if this is too overwhelming alone.

Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes. Find yourself in a pine forest with a soft breeze blowing. Smell the pine and hear the crunch of pine needles under your feet. The forest is dark and cool.

 

You see a hooded figure up ahead walking through the forest. Walk towards them and they greet you with a nod. Ask where they are going and they wave for you to follow.

 

Your guide walks through the forest until they come to a small cluster of rocks. The rocks form a tiny cave just large enough for one person. Your guide waves for you to enter. You crouch down and sit just inside the mouth of the cave as it is not very deep.

 

Your guide begins to collect sticks from around the cave. Your guide stands the sticks up in front of the cave like a makeshift door. The sticks are light so you know that you can push them to exit the cave at any time. The sticks are also not too close together, so they make the cave darker but some light still filters in.

 

You sit in the darkness of the cave and feel the cool air around you. The air seems to breathe with you.

 

As you sit with your eyes open in the cave, colored balls of light appear briefly in front of you. Watch them for a bit, until one seems to persist and solidify. Reach out to touch the ball of light in front of you. A feeling seeps into your body from this ball of light. When have you felt this feeling before? What does this feeling make you think of?

 

Try to feel this feeling while letting go of the situations in the past that made you feel this way. There is nothing you need to do or fix. Just have the feeling. Where does it reside in your body? Is the feeling bearable without feeling you have to act on it?

 

Does this feeling define who you are? Is it the only way you can feel? Imagine when you have not felt this way? Recognize this feeling as one of many you can experience. When you are ready, I want you to push this feeling away and watch the ball of color fade away into the cave.

 

Take a deep breath and clear the sticks away from the door of the cave. Your guide sits by a campfire in front of the cave. Your guide reaches out their hand to you. Sit next to your guide and take their hand. Feel the love and pride your guide has for you enter your body. This guide has given you an ordeal and you have completed it. Feel your body release any tension from the cave as the love of your guide fills you up.

 

Silently thank your guide with a nod as you stand. Release your guide’s hands as they nod back to you. Walk back through the pine forest away from your guide.

 

When you are ready, begin to hear the sounds around your physical body. Wiggle your fingers and toes and open your eyes.

 

Take some time to journal or pull oracle or tarot cards to explore the following questions:

 

How do feelings control your thoughts and actions?

 

Are you able to sit with difficult feelings without needed to change them?

 

Do your feelings define who you are as a person?

 

Get more Shadow Work Meditations HERE or get the physical book on Amazon.

Take Care,

Jessica Cross

Free meditation recordings on Spotify: CLICK HERE

Journals on Amazon: Click Here

We are fully in the season of Shadow Work. It is time to dive deep into the thoughts and beliefs that are holding you back. Sometimes those issues are clear to you although you may not be sure how to work through them. Other times you have hidden the root of the issue even from yourself.

In either case, this second installment of Shadow Work Meditations will help you explore these issues. If you missed the first meditation check it out HERE.

Be gentle with yourself. If you have mental health issues or severe trauma in your past you may want to do this work with a therapist that you reach out to. If these meditations become overwhelming, you are in control and can stop the meditation at any time. Take things slowly, there will always be time to delve deeper when you are ready.

Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes. Picture a dark pool in front of you. The moon is covered by clouds so there is a diffuse light shining down. The water in the pool looks black. You are a bit afraid to approach the pool.

 

Soon you are joined by a small guide. This guide is you as a child. This guide takes your hand and pulls you closer to the pool. You are less afraid with your little guide joining you.

 

Get down on your knees so you are eye level with your guide. Your guide does not say anything but they look deeply into your eyes. Take this time to deeply connect with this part of you with no words needed.

 

Your guide then waves at the pool and you take a deep breath. When you are ready look into the mirror-like black water. There may be a picture or a memory that appears in the water. Watch it as if it was a movie.

 

This picture or scene may bring up emotions for you, but it is just a story you are telling yourself. Try to consider if there are other interpretations of the emotional story you connect with the picture. Try to step away, even for a moment, from the interpretation you have always had of this story or picture.

 

Memories are seldom accurate. Open yourself to the possibility that your view of what you are seeing has been clouded or changed over time.

 

If you have a feeling or worry that appears in the water that is fine. Explore this feeling and consider why it is arising. Again, consider that your default interpretation of this feeling or worry may not be the only option.

 

When you are ready, look away from the water and turn back to your guide. Look in your guides eyes again and feel overwhelming love from this being. They are there to support you and appreciate all you have done to allow them to grow up. Let this love calm you if the memories or feelings from the pool were strong and painful. Let your guide see that you have survived and grown stronger. Take one last deep breath and feel bathed in the love from your guide.

 

When you are ready stand up and release your guide’s hand, knowing they are always there for you if you need them. As you and your guide walk away from each other enjoy one last wave. Then begin to hear the sounds around your physical body. Wiggle your fingers and toes and when you feel ready. Open your eyes.

 

Take some time to journal or pull some oracle or tarot cards for further insight:

What emotions arose from this meditation?

 

What alternate interpretations did you consider?

 

How could your default interpretation of a past situation keep you from moving forward?

 

For my previous Shadow Work Journal check it out HERE or get a physical book on Amazon.

Take Care,

Jessica Cross

Free meditation recordings on Spotify: CLICK HERE

Journals on Amazon: Click Here