Hayes Minich

“4. Affirmation
Affirmation as a term has been overused on every social media platform- so much so that it is often overlooked for the value that it brings to what we do. An affirmation is a simple, short, life-affirming statement that can be easily memorized and used as needed to shift one's attention upward toward hope and possibility.
For example, while doing this shadow work, if you were to feel suddenly confronted by an unexpected and hard feeling, you might have an affirmation at the ready such as: I am fully capable of facing and navigating this emotion. I am strong. This is a great example of an affirmation that can be pulled out of your pocket in any moment.
HOW DOES THIS SERVE YOU IN RETURNING TO WHOLENESS?
To affirm oneself is to love oneself. All self-improvement begins with self-approval. Affirming yourself supports this process. We must love ourselves where we are and as we are in order to evolve further into our whole, authentic selves.”
― Michelle Wadleigh, Shadow Work: A Spiritual Path to Healing and Integration

“3. Inquiry and Contemplation and Pondering
Socrates said: "To know thyself is to have the keys to the Universe." Inquiry and contemplation might just be the greatest tools of self-transformation there are. Merge the practice of inquiry with the practice of radical honesty, and you will be led to clues of who you are able to be.
Contemplation is about sitting with an idea, a feeling, or a reaction without shrinking back, so you can fully discover what something means to you. In life, things happen, but it is not what happens to us that makes up our lives; it is what we make of what happened, how we hold something inside, and how we speak about what has happened that creates our lives. When we invest enough time looking at our inner landscape, we begin to understand who we are. To practice contemplation, we want to sit quietly in silence for a period long enough to receive the messages of our innermost self.
Pondering is the simple act of watching ourselves and how we react to the world around us. It is lighter than contemplation because it can feel like simple daydreaming. Inquiry is the action of asking open-ended questions and listening deeply to our inner voice. Contemplation, on the other hand, is the more focused practice of spending time in stillness to understand, witness, and ponder what is before us. You can always write down your thoughts and experiences with this in a journal (see below).
HOW DOES THIS SERVE YOU IN RETURNING TO WHOLENESS?
A practice of contemplation will support you in activating your intuition and inner wisdom that has gone unmined.”
― Michelle Wadleigh, Shadow Work: A Spiritual Path to Healing and Integration

“7. Journaling
Using your journal as a place where you can purge miscellaneous upsetting thoughts, where you can release what has you worried, or where you can say what needs to be said without fear of judgment will support you in freeing stale and stagnant energy.
Journaling throughout shadow work will help you free yourself so you can make room for what's to come. Think of your journal as a place where you can take things like pain or confusion or anger out of your body and onto the page. A journaling practice is great for many things, but specifically it is a very supportive process for shadow work.
HOW DOES THIS SERVE YOU IN RETURNING TO WHOLENESS?
Some of your shadows have lived inside of you for an exceptionally long time. Journaling is a wonderful way to release some of the energy attached to these shadows. In a journal, you are free to express yourself without concern of any judgment or criticism.”
― Michelle Wadleigh, Shadow Work: A Spiritual Path to Healing and Integration

“9. Presence. Presence is an overused word that is accompanied by a lack of understanding. Presence is the experience of the present moment, the experience of this very moment in time, but is before me, when I am experiencing parentheses even as I read this line parentheses. Breathing is an extremely important part of being present you are present, you cannot simultaneously worry about the unknown future or being anxious about your mistakes. Presence is now, this moment, this breath, this current experience.
The benefits of practicing presence arise out of untangling yourself from the stories in your head. We don't experience the things that happen to us, we experience what we tell ourselves about what happened to us. Shut up often these stories are filled with your imagination, padded with drama to make it a better story to tell.
HOW DOES THIS SERVE YOU IN RETURNING TO WHOLENESS?
In Western culture we have only been learning about presence in the last few decades, yet learning to be present in the moment is important. To be present now in this moment will support you in detaching from how you have seen yourself, as you allow your new way of being to be fully expressed.”
― Michelle Wadleigh, Shadow Work: A Spiritual Path to Healing and Integration