10 Shadow Work Journal Prompts for Authenticity & Depth

I had a lot of fun with these Shadow Work Journal Prompts and if you love journaling—and the halloween-y time of year—this will be a treat for you! 

Inspired by Women Who Run With the Wolves by the wonderful Clarissa Pinkola Estés, I’ve created a set of dark and soulful journaling prompts with a Shadow theme—perfect for the season, or for anyone doing shadow work.

Jump straight to the Shadow Work Journaling Prompts >>

These questions delve into parts of our pysche that are hidden, parts of ourselves we may have ‘deadened’ in order to please those around us. (I’m getting into the theme, I hope you see where this is going).

Are you ‘brave’ enough to uncover the ‘bones’ of the parts of yourself you have lost? To find the key to unlocking your soul? To ‘resurrect’ what matters most to you? If so, here’s some journaling ‘drama’ for you!

If you love these prompts, we also have a PDF with the full 20 journaling prompts and fabulous witchy visuals available inside our Paid Fierce Kindness Community.

When to use these Shadow Work Journal prompts

These shadow work questions are perfect to ponder on or around Halloween, over the dark nights of winter or any time you want to explore where you may have ‘deadened’ yourself to fit in. You can consider them on a walk, journal on them over coffee, a glass of wine or with friends.

Important: before using these prompts: These prompts, while ‘dark’, are intended to be playful: a fun themed way to explore parts of ourselves and our lives that we’ve lost connection with, or buried. Often these are the good parts of ourselves we stuffed down to fit in. It’s possible you may find some of the terminology upsetting eg. What are the dead and dismembered parts of yourself? If you think you might be triggered by these prompts please choose one of our other journaling exercises like these Prompts to Nourish & Strengthen. And always ask for help if you need it.

Tips to Maximise Your Shadow Work Journaling…

These shadow work journal prompts have a mythological, fairy tale feel to them.The meaning of what you write will be unique to you. However, it may help to be aware of some common ‘symbol’ meanings:

• Doorways can represent many things—a personal journey, a decision, threshold, change or transition.
• Skulls can be a way to access the powerful knowledge of our forbears and ancestors. The eyes see clearly with their ancient wisdom.
• Bones can symbolise “that which cannot be destroyed”: an indestructible force which remains, even when buried or hidden.
• Wolves can represent “pack”: community, family but also sensing, sharing, love, loyalty, courage, adaptability and fierceness…
• Cellars, Dungeons and the “Underworld” often symbolise our unconscious…

Another important tip for powerful journaling is to connect with your intuition, your gut-feelings and physical sensations. Watch for those little blips that say, “Hello. I’m here, pay attention!”, then write from this place…

Practice listening to your intuition, your inner voice; ask questions; be curious; see what you see; hear what you hear; and then act upon what you know to be true. These intuitive powers were given to your soul at birth. Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With the Wolves

 

Your Shadow Work Journaling Prompts & Practice Write freely whatever comes to mind—a word, a list, a drawing, paragraph, a conversation with yourself, a poem or something else… Here are 3 ways to approach these shadow work journal prompts: Set aside an evening (or a morning—but the dark night-time will help with the theme!) for yourself. Make sure you’re nice and comfortable. Warm, cosy with a drink and/or snack. Answer the questions in order in your journal. Pause, ponder, feel into the questions. Give plenty of time and space for the ideas from your unconscious to bubble up. Work through the questions daily—or over the course of a weekend—one or two at a time. Allow yourself at least 30 minutes or uninterrupted time. Be somewhere you feel cosy and safe, whether it’s you local coffee shop, library or in your favourite room at home. Simply choose to answer the questions that appeal to you. Or if you’re feeling brave, just the questions that ‘scare’ you! Here are 10 Deep & Soulful Shadow Work Journal Prompts Pick over the bones of your life to resurrect what matters most… What, within me, has been deadened or overly civilized? What parts of myself have been lost or dismembered? What crucial hopes, dreams & goals have I allowed to be decapitated? What are the buried bones of my life—what is hidden yet cannot be lost? What unhealthy patterns & habits in my life need dismantling? What dismembered aspects of myself would I like to call back to life? Where have I abandoned myself? What is my soul starving for? What are the bones of my life that I must resurrect to feel strong & alive? Where must I evolve and blossom without interference from others? What energises me? What will I howl about? Now, with everything you have learned from these journaling prompts: What are your next steps? What action fires you up? What will you do? REMINDER: If something comes up for you while journaling—be sure to make space to ponder, feel sad (connecting to the truth can be painful but also empowers us), talk to someone or get help if needed. Other things you may like to ponder: Which of the journaling questions: Most UNSETTLES you & Most RESONATES with you? Then consider: WHY do you think you were drawn to/unsettled by these questions? What else do you notice? Lastly, remember not to judge yourself! Whatever we learn about ourselves is helpful because knowledge allows us to make change…

Wrap-up

Connecting with ourselves and seeing all of who we are—being authentic—is an important piece of the Fierce Kindness philosophy. Another important part of Fierce Kindness is creating a life we love.

So with these playful shadow work journal prompts we take a look at what may be missing in our lives, what parts of ourselves we have cut ourselves off from—and what we might consider ‘bringing back to life’. Enjoy!

Lastly, as always, remember:

Change the world. Start with you!

If you enjoyed these shadow work journal prompts, you may also like:

• 5 Journaling Prompts to Nourish & Strengthen you as the Seasons Change
•  Dr Albrecht’s 5 Types of Fears
• What I Learned from Time Alone & How to Create Your Own Beautiful Solitude!