Thanks to everyone who wrote in to help us get started with this column! It’s my hope that readers will continue to write in with a variety of queries, short and long – you don’t have to write in with a single sentence in question form, but instead I invite you to wax poetic on what has been written on your heart. Riff on the birds that keep showing up at your window, the old flame that texted during the full moon, the dark goddess whose name you keep hearing on social media. Tell me about your sadness, your longing, your best friend. You can even share that strange dream from the other night that you can’t get out of your head. It’s all welcome here. Come add it to the cauldron. Magic happens together!
Our first question is from MB. MB asks: When starting a personal journey with shadow work and the Akashic Records, where would you recommend someone start?
A short intro for those unfamiliar – the Akashic Records are part of a spiritual library that exists within the Akashic Field, a dimension of awareness that holds the memory of all that ever was, is, or will be. The idea is that each person’s soul has their own Akashic Records, which can be accessed and “read” as an informative portal to offer guidance for current experiences through stories from a culmination of that soul’s lifetimes (past, present, and future). There are practitioners and readers who work specifically within the Akashic Field (myself included, when I feel called to), but it can be accessed by anyone who wants to learn. When answering this question, I’m going to use “Akashic Records” and “Akashic Field” somewhat interchangeably.
Ok MB, first of all, I love this question. I’m going to start by sharing something that will hopefully simplify this noble quest a bit for you. If you are finding the right teacher or pathway to begin learning how to tap into your Akashic Records, the shadow work will be an inevitable factor in that experience. The two will go hand in hand. So my first piece of advice for you is to focus on finding the right (read: resonant) teacher(s) to begin connecting with the Akashic Field.
We tend to have this idea that spiritual work is lofty, that it somehow faces “upwards” and requires an exaltation of our being. Anyone who is really devoted to a spiritual lens or practice will tell you this is not it. Spiritual work, including Akashic work, is going to hold a fun house mirror to all aspects of your being at one time or another, including the shadow. The real spiritual work is often found in the mundane, in the devotion to our desire, will, and vision even when things get uncomfortable and heavy. If you find yourself thinking, “I’ll get back to my spiritual practice after I get through this crappy situation,” you’re missing the point. Working with the Akashic Field helps us to carry awareness of possibility and purpose in all elements of our wild human lives. At its essence, it’s a neutral lens. It offers creative non-attachment and profound love in all circumstances. And I mean in all circumstances. And it sure as heck doesn’t happen overnight.
The shadow, as coined by Carl Jung, is essentially the part of ourselves that we haven’t integrated. The shadow is often labeled “undesirable” or “negative,” but these labels have more to do with our conditioning from the overculture than an objective truth. If the shadow is the realm of our psyche that is unintegrated and hidden from us, then the intention of shadow work is to illuminate what is hidden, to make the unconscious conscious. Working with the Akashic Field is going to teach you how to love all of yourself, even the parts you try to hide. It’s gritty, messy, and irrevocably beautiful. I’ve heard practitioners encourage shadow work “so we can become whole,” and I have a spoiler to share with you – you’re already whole. Working with Akashic Field will remind you of that, over and over again.
The two cards I’ve pulled for you are The Star (reversed) and the Seven of Wands. You ask where to start, and the answer is in yourself and in your routine. In your space, in your time. Begin by cutting the fat. Honor your resonance and boundaries by saying “yes” when you mean yes and “no” when you mean no (if you’re looking for shadow work – this is it). Carve out time in your day to sit in stillness and take meaningful care of yourself.
The celestial wisdom will begin dripping into your awareness when your roots are strong and your heart and body are grounded. Protect and nurture your space as a way of watering the seeds of your Akashic intention. With the Eight of Swords making an appearance at the root of the deck, remember that you’ve already chosen to begin taking a new level of responsibility for the co-creative nature of your life. You’ve decided to move through the discomfort of the liquefaction process of the butterfly in order to grow your wings and fly. The medicine will come when you surrender the resistance to change and remember it is the way to fulfillment. “If you build it, they will come.”
If you need some contemporary Akashic teachers or resources to engage with, check out Linda Howe, Helen Vonderheide, Leah Garza, and Sophia Hornyak. And, as always, I’m available for private sessions if you want to go into a more intimate-depth of what this process could look like for you. I’d love to continue supporting you on your spiritual journey.
Our next question comes from AU. AU asks, “How can I transition from the matrix to off the grid? Where are the red pills!????”
All right, AU, this answer might be annoying but I bet you already know what’s coming! The red pill is within you. It signifies the choice to change.
We divest from the Matrix by divesting from the overculture and choosing to decondition our minds and nervous systems. It is not a quick pill fix (though there may be some plant allies that can help support this). If the idea of divesting from these things is overwhelming, we can reframe it as investing in what genuinely resonates for you.
Choosing to spend your precious time and energy in ways that resonate will adjust how you operate in the world, opening new pathways that lead to more opportunity, fulfillment, and exploration of what your heart truly wants. And, you’ll get the same perks of discomfort and strangeness on your journey! Yay?
Nurture your creativity. Go off-grid by generating the resources, relationships, and connections you need to do so. Gather your chosen family. Kiki in the wilderness. Trust the process. Invest in possibility and love.
Perhaps most notably, you – like all of us – will have to face your deep-seeded resistance to change. In the words of the late, great David Lynch, “keep your eyes on the donut, not the hole.”
Have questions about your year, your dreams, your life? Write in to Beth Metal for a chance to have your question answered in the new Ask a Witch column! Beth will consult her oracles and draw from her own experience to offer spiritual advice for what ails, intrigues, or mystifies you. Send your questions to askawitchmag@gmail.com or Motif Magazine at 545 Pawtucket Ave, Pawtucket, RI 02860. Beth is also available for private sessions and events through her website, www.nearbethexperience.com.