The pendulum of the mind oscillates between sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong.—Carl Jung
Beneath your conscious mind lies a subterranean world of symbols, dreams, and buried drives. This personal unconscious shapes your reality, fuelling desires and fears and piloting habits you barely notice. To chart true sovereignty, you must map these hidden currents and learn to navigate, rather than be swept away.
Core Ideas:
- The unconscious speaks in symbols and patterns, not logic.
- Hidden motivations often drive your choices more than your ‘will’.
- Insight into unconscious content aligns your daily actions with deeper purpose.
- You can re-program unconscious patterns to serve your growth.
Shadow Writing Prompts
Prompt 2a: Unseen Drivers
Recall a moment when you caught yourself reacting in a way you’d described as ‘out of character’. Dive into that episode: what buried fear, desire, or belief surfaced? How did naming that unconscious pattern shift your understanding of why you acted as you did?
Prompt 2b: Dreamscapes and Symbols
Think of a recent dream, image, or daydream that felt vivid or unsettling. Journal its key symbols: people, places, objects, emotions. What unconscious message might this landscape be delivering to you? How could this symbol speak to a deeper need or wound?
Prompt 2c: Suggestion and Reprogramming
Draft a simple affirmation or visualisation designed to rewire one unconscious belief you’ve identified (e.g., ‘I am worthy of abundance,’ ‘I am safe to express anger’). Describe how you’ll anchor it daily—through journalling, ritual, or a trigger—and how you’ll track subtle shifts over the next week.
Prompt 2d: Ritual for Dialogue
Design a mini-ritual to commune with your unconscious: automatic writing, active imagination, or a symbolic ‘dialogue’ with an inner figure. Outline the steps: setting, invocation, method of recording insights, and closure. Commit to performing it at least once before your next session.
Your unconscious holds the map to your power and your patterns. Bring its wisdom into the light, or risk being led by shadows.
Back to Writing Exercises Index
Proceed to Exercise 3, Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious
