Medusa- Goddess of Sacred Rage

Medusa is mythical, compared to the feminine ascended masters we’ve explored so far, however no one embodies Sacred Rage like she does and is the most misunderstood of the goddesses, just as rage is one of the most misunderstood of our emotions. When Medusa came into my life with her potent medicine, it wasn’t in the way that she is normally perceived as an evil monster. She had snakes in her hair, wild and untamed but her story is that of surviving atrocities and being punished for crimes she did not commit. Even in her death, she was murdered and used by Perseus to turn the Kraken into stone.

For those unfamiliar with her origin story, Medusa was a beautiful maiden, a virgin priestess of Athena whom she adored. Athena and the god Poseidon were rivals. To anger Athena, Poseidon saw Medusa on the temple steps, raped her and fled, leaving her weak, vulnerable, and violated. Medusa prayed to Athena for guidance and forgiveness but instead of showing mercy, Athena cursed Medusa for betraying her. Medusa was exiled to an island to live by herself afraid of her powers and ANGRY for what was done to her. Wouldn’t you be too? She was destined to spend the rest of her life alone, turning men to stone who were sent to kill her.

Now, take a moment to just breathe and feel the emotions that may have been stirred within you, from her story. For me, it stirred up something primal and old. A feeling that had been within me for a long while yet tucked away because it felt inappropriate and unsafe. I mean, how many of us were taught how to process and assimilate anger? Most of us were taught that we shouldn’t show anger, especially as a light worker or a spiritual person… and let’s be honest, anger and rage can be scary, especially for those who like to stay in control. It doesn’t always feel good. Yet the emotion serves a purpose, otherwise, why would we have been given it in our divine design.

Anger and rage are emotions that come when we feel like we have been DISEMPOWERED in some way. Of course, it’s not an emotion we want to stew in for long periods of time, but there is often a message there for us to reclaim a part of ourselves that perhaps we temporarily forgot.

How can owning your rage be SACRED medicine to reclaim your sovereignty?

  • By owning your dissociated anger, you actually become LESS triggered by current volatile situations. Anger is no longer a trauma response from a past experience, but instead good feedback on how you are feeling disempowered.
  • By understanding that your rage and anger aren’t dirty, you can reclaim all the times you have ever felt disempowered, hurt, blamed, betrayed, or taken advantage of… and that you have a right to stand up for yourself when it is necessary.
  • You actually become MORE loving, understanding and compassionate because you are no longer looking at life through the lens of old wounds.

Sometimes, the most loving thing that you can do for yourself, for your child if you are parent, for your business if you are an entrepreneur or for your relationships… is to let down your wild, untamed medusa hair, show your fangs, let out your claws, shine your eyes and say NO, set appropriate boundaries and take your power back!

Why You Need Shadow Work in Your Life

I decided to make this little list on how shadow work could be beneficial to you in your life. I have been practicing it myself for several years now, not really knowing that this was what I was doing, but my desire to be more FREE {from my own emotional and mental trappings} lead me to this work and the aspects of yoga that contribute to this path.

7 REASONS YOU NEED SHADOW WORK IN YOUR LIFE NOW:

1. You feel like you have tried EVERYTHING, but in Bill Murray style via Ground Hog Day, you keep waking up to the same old story over and over again.

2. You know that you have enormous potential and talent, but need some help getting out of your own way to see them through. Using your disappointments as a stick to beat yourself up with… well that’s just getting old.

3. Your SOUL is calling and you can no longer ignore it. You know that it is time to connect with yourself and others on a deeper, more personal and meaningful level. It’s time to quit running from yourself.

4. You feel powerless, hurt, or bitter about not being able to create a world around you that feels beautiful and reflects your highest desires.

5. You have magic. You may or may not know what it is but you are ready to unlock your personal magic and make a difference in the world.

6. You are ready to RELEASE your energy from the grips of fear, lack, worry, panic, sadness or depression so that your energy can instead be used to create a life that is meaningful and satisfying.

7. You deserve to be free: free to express yourself fully… to be who you are totally, without shame or fear, without hiding in habits, addictions and aversions.

Shadow work is the process of making the subconscious conscious… of leaning into yourself, even the parts you never dared to love, and meeting them with radical self acceptance. We go through a systematic process, which includes energy work, that exposes you to yourself and shows you where you are holding on to fears, resentments, beliefs and patterns that have been running your life.

When I first heard, through meditation, that I was a “shadow worker” I had no clue as to what that meant. I’ve heard of light workers, but shadow worker sounded rather ominous. The process of becoming a shadow priestess was not through taking courses, but by going through initiations with the Dark Mothers such as Kali and Lilith, and also moving through my own crud with the insights and processes of how to access and move through the subconscious.

I’m pretty positive that all of my yoga training, reiki attunements, magical studies and hypnotherapy certifications acted as catalysts to help me along my path… and that all of my challenges are grounds for my personal training. It has been a process that has taken me 20 years to cultivate and is still being refined each day. The work is actually never complete and it is a pleasure being able to share it so that other magic makers, light workers and creatives are able to unleash their own personal power and talents.