Welcome to one of my specialties as a tarot professional: Giving homework to my clients that they didn’t even realize they needed to do and definitely didn’t ask for as they seek answers to the questions they’ve asked of the cards! If you’ve had a read by me you very likely know what I mean. Now, over the years, “shadow work” has become a buzzword in spiritual communities and it’s often used for a lot of nonsense that it isn’t.

It can often be a challenge to figure out what exactly it is one should be working on in the range of shadow work, especially when you’re just starting on the path. I’ve long found tarot to be a very useful tool for digging up those things I don’t want to admit or face but need to confront and move through, and I discovered the Children of Litha Tarot to be an exceptionally wonderful deck for digging down into the soul of the matter. When I went through my personal burnout I made an effort to reconnect with my cards that had spent far too much time neglected in about the decade before then. I’d occasionally pick them up and maybe do a draw here or there for friends or myself, but not nearly to the levels I really wanted to. Over the next few years, especially after I discovered that particular deck, a new style of reading the cards started to develop for me, and I knew it was one to be shared with others struggling to find the connection between their shadow and their light and live the full balance of themselves. My prompts aren’t a simple “Who hurt you?” but rather one prompt is a deep dive of questions and reflections and ways to take your answers forward and make something new from them. My prompts encourage seekers to ask “Where is the disconnect and how do I make it connect?” This puts me in mind of Peter Pan chasing down his shadow and sewing it back on instead of allowing it to run unchecked. Our shadows and darkness are part of us, too, and are part of finding our wholeness.

Of course, a gentle reminder before we start that I am simply a guide here and not a licensed therapist or related professional. Nothing should be considered equal to or in replacement of work that is best done with licensed mental health professionals, though the prompts I offer can certainly be a great jumping off point for people who regularly engage with a therapist. If you find yourself in need of that type of assistance, please reach out to your trusted local professionals.

Shadow Work for Mercury Retrograde

In general, Mercury Retrogrades are times where we revisit the past, for good or for…well…maybe not as good. The most common experience and joke around Mercury’s retrogrades is hearing from past romantic exes, and reminders from spiritual folks and astrologers you follow to not text your ex (unless you’re like me, and demi, and still close friends with the people you’ve dated in your past–I’m always in regular communication with them regardless of the cosmos)! It’s usually not the best idea to do anything that requires travel or signing contracts or that relies on heavy communication or technology, as those are things often negatively affected in Mercury Retrograde periods. Protect yourself and use discretion when making big decisions during these retrogrades!

Tips for Successful Shadow Work Integration

• Follow the prompts as completely as possible! Each prompt I offer includes things to consider in your journaling that will help you integrate your discoveries into your life and either move you forward or allow you to move through them.
• Each prompt I offer asks something very different of you. Once you work through the prompt, brainstorm how you might be able to use this new awareness in your life or current situations.
• Learn to accept and love even the parts of you that are painful to face. Accept you were at one time this person, and forgive yourself as necessary.
• In situations where others have hurt you know that you don’t have to forgive those people, but you must come to terms with the reasons why you do not choose to forgive them. Take time to come to terms with those reasons and let their hold on you dissolve as you do.
• Work to make amends to people in situations where you have been the person at fault. Understand that just as you may not be able to forgive those who have hurt you, those you have hurt may choose not to forgive you. You cannot tie your growth to their personal autonomy.
• Take care of yourself! This is difficult self-care work you are doing–treat yourself for doing the hard thing! Find a special way to unwind after you complete your deep-dives into the work: maybe a relaxing bubble bath, or your favorite frozen coffee drink, or a special sweet treat you love and don’t often indulge in, or maybe a new book, or perhaps a movie or lunch date with yourself. This can be as simple or as big as you choose for it to be.

The Draw

Now…let’s move on to the good stuff! I drew this prompt for the collective of my followers to give you structure as you revisit and work to move forward again. As soon as I drew the cards I shared with a group I’m in that if I did not know it was a retrograde in Pisces before, these cards may have tipped me off, as we’re leaning heavy into that emotional Cups energy with this one. As I mentioned and linked above, these cards are drawn from the Children of Litha Tarot by Xia Hunt.

Five of Cups and Four of Cups

In general, the Five of Cups represents being caught up on what’s gone wrong in the past instead of looking forward to what is waiting ahead for you. The Four of Cups suggests you might be feeling stuck and disillusioned and not particularly motivated to make that shift between the past and the future.

Questions to ask to get unstuck and make the shift:

• What things in my past am I currently fixating on?
  • What emotions are those events/situations bringing up?
  • Why might I be fixating on these particular things?
• What are some things I can do to bring resolution to these situations?
  • If there is no resolution to them, what are things I can do to bring peace to myself in relation to them?
• What am I ignoring ahead of me by staying focused on this past instead?
• What steps can I take that will help me shift my focus and make progress on these things ahead of me?

All the best, and happy shadow work-ing!