An Experiment to Know and Be Who You Are
Meeting three random people who are non-judgmental, and trying out different parts of yourself to see what feels right and good to your body
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The Three Different “You”s Experiment
An experiment came to my mind, as I am a healer and hear many people who feel boxed into a society they do not want to conform to.
“The concept of ‘shadow work’ and the ‘shadow self’ originated from the work of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, who believed that everyone has repressed or unconscious aspects of their personality that make up their ‘shadow’.”
“Jung believed that the shadow self contains repressed or unconscious aspects of our personality, including traits, emotions, and impulses that we might not like or approve of.”
“The goal of shadow work is to become aware of and integrate these hidden aspects of the self, leading to greater self-awareness, personal growth, and a more authentic sense of self.”
“It’s important to note that Jung did not view the shadow as inherently negative or something to be feared, but rather as an important part of the psyche that needs to be acknowledged and integrated.”
Therefore, this idea I had came forth, to see if you can awaken your shadow self and become more of Who You Really Are:
Meet three random people on the street (or five, or…). They could be homeless. They could be sitting on a park bench. They could be somebody totally random. Feel their energy and that you would feel comfortable being a different character and they would be non-judgmental towards you. (And if they are homeless, I would suggest giving a few dollars or food their way.)
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Start a conversation, ask them how they are. Greetings in whatever way feels right.
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With each three try out something different. Maybe try being more crazy. Maybe try being more soft. Maybe try being a Native American if you feel you may have that ancestry in your blood. Maybe try being a zebra. Maybe try being more caring. May be try being an extraterrestrial. Maybe try being…xyz.
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See how they respond. See how you respond. How did it feel? Did you feel like you were able to come out of your box and did you feel more freedom? Did you feel more comfortable in who you really are?
I wrote this Medium article back in 2018. It also may be helpful to you:
The Costume Placed Aside — Poem
Photo by Aditya Saxena
We hear: do this, don’t do that.
Be that, don’t be that.
Born a mistake, unworthy at birth.
Who we are is unlovable. Untouchable.
Change.
So we rot from the inside, taking it out on the outside.
Telling others to do the same.
Follow the rules.
Never aware of our own truth, buried too deep to remember.
A slave to the system, a manufactured outcome.
Dull. Distant. Angry. Spiteful.
Jealous. Competitive. Hateful. In Hell.
To there we go with our head slumped down.
Thinking we are mistakes.
We just can’t seem to fit in.
Yet sometimes that still, small voice finds a crack in the mirage.
Screaming let me out!
I’m dying inside!
Maybe we listen, allowing it to state its case.
“You are me and I am you.
Be at peace, you are perfect as a jewel.”
We laugh and say that can’t be true.
Everyone else is drinking the juice.
I can’t be worthy. I can’t be that great.
I’m just like everyone else. In an ordinary state.
But eventually the pain gets too hard to bear.
The cave gets too damp and dark,
An unholy glare.
Do we dare step outside and take the leap?
Is it really worth our whole life, or should we continue to sleep?
One glimpse out and the sun shines.
One step forward and the trees wave.
We start to wonder why things weren’t always this way.
Free to create who we are, no longer beholden to society.
Reveling in the magic with each breath of sobriety.
And in this moment we realize.
The chains of our past.
Were not theirs but ours.
Illusions of the mind.
We were always free.
I was always me.
Those voices of society my own, and mine theirs.
A unified percussion of snares.
Placed to test the strength of my soul.
For gratitude to set forth like never before.
We are born again.
Remembering who we are.
Perspectives shift, opportunities no longer resist.
We wonder why we ever thought heaven didn’t exist.
We long to tell others what’s on the other side.
“It doesn’t have to be this way!” we say.
A crack in the shell, a glimpse of delight.
It’s only a matter of moments before your true self shines bright.
Silly and quirky. Brave and humble.
A gift to the world. An ignition of potential.
No longer consumed with comparisons.
The costume placed aside.
A uniqueness that will now dare be spoken.
A love from within that cannot be broken.
Yourself a reclamation.
Space clear in the mind.
Free to be.
A shrine of creation.
Written by
Ashley Heacock, Shaman, Medicine Woman, Mentor, Guide
Contact for Sessions: ashleyheacock@gmail.com
Website: awakeningconsciousness.community
