Hello and welcome back for your monthly dose of Shadow Work prompts! As usual I will draw you a shadow and a support card to contemplate and explore this months.
This month we are dealing with the Shadow found within the 7 of Air, paired with Service.
If you are into divination yourself you can pull the 7 of Swords out of your deck and do a 3 card spread underneath it to reveal how this aspect has shown up in your personal life.
For these readings I have been using my very own the Inner Dimensions Tarot and the Hedgewitch Botanical Oracle by Siolo Thompson. For those curious the crystals in the images are creme, grey and black Moonstone
7 of Air – Worry
The 7 of Air shows us introspection during times of worry, uncertainty. It is a moment where we want to change, but things are seemingly holding us back. It could be ourselves, turning a blind eye to our problems and thus not dealing with them, or some other sort of deceptive trickery at play. When we know certain things are obscured, unclear, we may turn to worry. Our minds become more busy and clouded than they need be, and navigating that can be more tricky for some than others. It is, after all, much easier to just ignore certain things than deal with them, or to let us be consumed by our thoughts instead of our actions.
This shadow card asks us to take an introspective look at ourselves and situations we find ourselves in. To reflect on what is there and how we handle it. We can be ignoring things, deceiving ourselves or others, or be so consumed by our desire to change something, to start anew, that we are overcome with worry. Are you turning a blind eye to something you find uncomfortable? What are you worried about? Are you being honest with yourself?
So ask yourself, how does the shadow side affect you or those around you? Is there a trigger, a specific cause, an old experience behind it that needs attention?
I encourage you to write this down in a journal and write your thoughts and feelings about it, even if they seem unrelated. We are doing shadow work here, so getting all the nasty and scary things out is important, and likely will feel uncomfortable, but it is important work if we want to live more fulfilling lives.
Don’t try to satisfy the prompt in one day, revisit it throughout the month. What events come up related to this? If events inspire fear, how can you better deal with this fear? Write it all down, for only your eyes to see.
Service
Service is the support card for this prompt. It is not about what is special, remarkable or unique about you or a situation, but about the simple actions one can take to be of service to themselves or others. It is a step you can take into a direction you may be required to take. A small action can nourish us, distract us, motivate us to do other things. To pick things up where we need to. A small service can make us new connections.
When we worry or ignore issues we sometimes forget the simple things that will help us out along the way. Simple things that could be helping a friend or family member, or taking a moment to take care of ourselves. Having a cup of tea with someone can help us settle our worries or issues through a simple conversation, reaching out to check in with someone else can do similar things. Sometimes we require small actions to help us properly reflect on that which is going on.
Ask yourself, what small action or service can you do for yourself or someone else to help you out in your situation? Having been so focused on yourself introspectively, what service can you do for others to reconnect and make steps towards change? Have you been of service only to yourself or others?
I hope this reading has prompted some thoughts in yourself, consciously or subconsciously, and will help you build a better life for yourself. Remember, we are our shadow, and we are our light. We are both at once and neither, it all depends on how we perceive and interact with the things we come across.
Path of Ashes 