Shadow (Part 3)

By Sara Neves de Sousa

In Catholicism, Shadow can be viewed as: Sin, Confession, and Illumination.

The Catholic tradition is often perceived as a religion of light: Christ is “the Light of the World” (John 8:12), and God is described as dwelling “in unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16). But wherever there is light, there must also be shadow. Catholicism does not deny this. On the contrary, its theology, rituals, and mysticism are permeated by the acknowledgment of darkness in the human condition. The shadow here is primarily understood as sin, but also as the mysterium iniquitatis, meaning, the mystery of evil and as the hidden depths of the human heart in need of divine illumination.

Catholic doctrine begins with the story of Adam and Eve. This story introduces not merely disobedience but a rupture between humanity and God. This rupture casts a shadow across all generations, The Original Sin, becoming The Primordial Shadow. Augustine of Hippo, one of the most influential early theologians, emphasized that all humans inherit this condition of burning desire (concupiscentia).

The Fall is not simply about eating forbidden fruit, it is about human beings stepping out of alignment with divine light. In this act, the shadow is born, not only as moral failing but as a condition of obscured vision. Augustine described sin as aversio a Deo et conversio ad creaturas, a turning away from God and a turning toward created things as ultimate sources of fulfillment. The shadow, then, is our inclination to idolize what is finite, and in doing so, to hide from the Infinite.

Thomas Aquinas later refined this into a metaphysical framework. For Aquinas, evil is not a positive force but a privation of the good. Shadow here is the absence of light, just as evil is the absence of good. This parallels the way physics describes shadow as the absence of illumination because it has no substance of its own, yet it still shapes perception.

The Catholic sacrament of Reconciliation or confession, as it is better known, directly addresses this reality. By speaking the hidden, by bringing what is concealed into the light, the penitent is healed. Confession is not simply the admission of wrongdoing, it is the ritualized process of shadow integration. What has been denied or buried is named, exposed, and transformed by grace.

The crucifixion itself is the Catholic symbol of shadow and light intertwined. On Good Friday, the sun literally “failed” according to the Gospel of Luke (23:45), and darkness covered the land. Here, Christ enters fully into human suffering and abandonment: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). This is the deepest shadow of the Christian narrative, God experiencing God’s own absence.

But this shadow is not the end. On Easter Sunday, light bursts forth from the tomb. Resurrection demonstrates the Catholic conviction that no darkness, however total, can withstand divine illumination. The shadow is not eradicated but transfigured, suffering becomes redemptive, death becomes the passage to eternal life.

The ritual of confession mirrors psychological “shadow work” remarkably well. Carl Jung himself, though critical of institutional religion, saw Catholic confession as a profound tool for confronting the unconscious. He said that “to confess is to overcome the split between conscious and unconscious.”

In confession, the penitent acknowledges what has been denied, hidden, or distorted, sins of commission and omission, known and unknown. The priest, acting in persona Christi, hears and absolves. Symbolically, the shadow is given voice and then dissolved in the light of grace. What modern therapy calls integration, Catholicism calls reconciliation.

Catholic mysticism goes even deeper into the shadow. St. John of the Cross, the 16th-century Carmelite poet and mystic, wrote of the Dark Night of the Soul, a stage of spiritual purification in which all consolations vanish, and the soul feels abandoned by God. This darkness is not sin but an initiatory shadow: a stripping away of attachments, illusions, and egoic certainties. He writes:

“In this nakedness the spirit finds its quietude and rest. For in coveting nothing, nothing wearies it upward, and nothing presses downwards, because it is in the center of its humility.”

This “dark night” is paradoxically the pathway to union with God. In Catholic spirituality, then, the shadow is not only what must be confessed but also what must be endured—the darkness that prepares the soul for radiant light.

An important counterpoint is Mary, the Mother of God, whom Catholic theology declares to be “immaculately conceived”, free from the stain of original sin. Mary is often portrayed as “fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army with banners” (Song of Songs 6:10, applied to her in tradition). She embodies shadowless purity, a symbol of what humanity may become when fully open to divine grace. Yet her very shadowlessness casts light upon our own shadow, we are reminded of our incompleteness in her fullness.

In Catholicism, the shadow is most clearly articulated as sin, which is the absence of divine light in the soul. But it is also deeper, it is the mystery of suffering, the dark night of purification, the concealment of self from self. Catholicism does not eliminate the shadow by denial, rather, it provides sacramental, theological, and mystical pathways to bring it into the light of Christ.

Where psychology speaks of integration, Catholicism speaks of redemption. The goal is not merely wholeness of personality, but union with God. In both cases, the movement is the same, from concealment into illumination, from shadow into light.

Love Blessings

Sara

Sara Neves de Sousa
Angelic Reiki Master Teacher, New Shamballa Master Teacher and Golden Heart
Merkabah of Creation Master Teacher

Crossing the Threshold – Holding Your First Angelic Reiki Workshop as a Teacher

By Melanie Eliseit

Holding your first Angelic Reiki workshop isn’t just a new chapter in your healing journey.
It’s a rite of passage. A sacred threshold.

No manual or teacher training can fully prepare you for that first moment when you open the space, and realize: I am the one who holds this now.

For many of us, stepping into the teacher role comes with excitement — and fear.
In the days before my first workshop, I felt everything all at once:
A deep inner calling… and resistance. Trust… and doubt.
A sense of readiness… and the quiet whisper: What if I’m not enough?

But here’s what I’ve learned — this sacred role doesn’t require perfection.
It requires presence. And a willingness to show up, just as you are.

The Preparation: Beyond Logistics – A Path of Devotion

Even though nothing can fully prepare you for what it feels like to truly hold the space, preparing thoroughly gave me something to anchor into.

I created a folder for each workshop day, printed the timetables, reflected on the topics I wanted to cover, and planned the rhythm of the sessions. This structure helped me feel safer — especially in the beginning.

But it was equally important to stay flexible — to follow the group’s energy, respond to their questions, and allow the Angelic Kingdom to guide the space beyond any plan.

Behind this preparation stood a much older dream. Ten years ago, I attended the Angelic Reiki Master Teacher training with Christine in England. It was one of the most beautiful and meaningful moments of my life. I knew, deep down: One day, I want to pass on this healing art. I want to teach.

But year after year passed.

I created a sacred space at home. I studied, I dreamed. But life came in — renovations, a growing family, responsibilities. And underneath it all: fear.

I never felt ready.
The closer I came to setting a date, the louder my doubts became.
Even just days before my first workshop, I secretly wished I could cancel — if it hadn’t been for the fact that my participants had already booked accommodation, I might have.

My mind was overwhelmed. My body was tense.
I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
But something deeper in me knew: It’s time.

One thing that gave me strength was reaching out to Christine.
I told her how nervous I was, how big this felt for me — and her response was kind, calm, encouraging. That exchange alone helped me remember: I don’t have to do this alone.
So if you’re about to take this step — don’t be afraid to ask your own teacher for guidance. Their presence lives on in your voice, your words, your way of holding the work.

And in the days that followed, it was as if Christine’s voice was with me — echoing the wisdom she once shared in the workshop I took part in, now flowing through me as I stepped forward.

So I jumped.

The First Day: Becoming the One Who Holds

The moment I opened the circle, everything shifted.

I could feel the angelic presence entering the space — gentle, loving, powerful.
And I realized: I was no longer just a practitioner.
I was the container. The vessel. The guide.

That came with responsibility — yes — but also with grace.
I didn’t need to “perform” or prove anything.
I didn’t need to hide that I was nervous.
In fact — letting myself be seen in my humanity created a deeper connection with the group.
We were walking this path together.

It’s not about being perfect.
You don’t have to know everything, or speak flawlessly.
You can be real. You can tremble. You can breathe.

Often, as teachers, we’re just one step ahead.
We walk with the group, not above them.
And the truth is: you keep learning as you teach.

There were moments in the workshop where I re-discovered the material in a deeper way — like seeing it again for the first time.
Memories of my own training came flooding in.
Sentences Christine once spoke years ago returned like whispers.
I felt myself not just teaching the method, but living it again, through a new lens.

The Challenges: Real Moments, Real Growth

Of course, there were challenges.

One participant went through a very intense emotional process.
The group energy was, at times, shaped heavily by her unfolding.
I had to find my center again and again.
To hold space for her, without losing sight of the group.
To honour what was happening — and still guide the larger container.

That was the hardest part. But also the most powerful lesson:
To stay sovereign within the group field.
To hold clarity, not control.
To respond, not react. And I felt guided.

The Transformation: Not Just for Them — For You

I thought the biggest transformation would be for my students.
But it was also mine.

In those three days, I shed layers of fear I didn’t know I was still carrying.
I found a strength that didn’t come from force, but from surrender.
I became more of who I truly am.

Each time I read a meditation, something softened.
Each time I guided a healing exchange, my voice became clearer.
Each time I trusted the angelic energy to flow through me, my own connection deepened.

The teacher role is not about having all the answers.
It’s about being a clear, humble, radiant presence.
The Angelic Kingdom does the rest.

What I Would Share with You

If you’re reading this and thinking about offering your first Angelic Reiki workshop, here’s what I want you to know:

• • You are more ready than you think. The fears are part of the process — they don’t mean you’re not aligned.
  • Thorough preparation can help you feel safer. Allow yourself to create a framework — but don’t get attached to it and don’t be afraid to let it breathe.
  • Reach out to your own teacher for support. Sometimes one sentence of reassurance can shift everything.
  • Let go of perfection. Your participants don’t need a flawless presenter — they need your presence.
  • You can be nervous. You can be real. In fact, that’s where true connection begins.
  • Expect the unexpected. Emotional releases, energy shifts, logistical surprises — they are part of the field. Trust yourself to navigate them with grace.
  • You will learn as you teach. Teaching is a portal for deeper embodiment.
  • Take time to integrate afterwards. You will be changed. Let yourself rest, reflect, and receive the blessings of what you just held.
  • And most of all: Don’t wait for the perfect moment. It will never come.
    If I had waited to feel “ready,” I might never have begun.

This first workshop wasn’t just a teaching experience.
It was an initiation into a deeper layer of my soul work.
And I know: with each group, with each workshop, I will grow again and it will become easier.

If you feel the call to step into this role — answer it.
Even if your voice shakes.
Even if your hands tremble.
Even if your fears are loud.

The Angelic Kingdom is already holding you.
And your light is more than enough.

With all my heart, thank you to my first students for walking this path with me — and to Christine, for your unwavering light and guidance that carried me through.

Melanie Eliseit

Angelic Reiki Master Teacher

Some Zen Wisdom
Abraxas continues its exploration of posts from Kevin Core’s blog, which he started in January 2008 and focuses on a book by Tim Freke called Zen Wisdom.

Below you will find a quote selected from Tim’s book which is followed by Kevin’s explanation.

You may also like to visit Kevin’s blog at shamballazen.blogspot.co.uk

Shamballa Zen

1st April

Buddhism has no room for special effort.
Just be ordinary and nothing special.
Eat and drink, then move your bowels and pass water, and when you’re tired go to sleep.
Fools will find me ridiculous,
But the wise will understand.
Lin-chi.
No comment needed.

16th April

Finding the universal in every particular, whether coming or going, they remain unmoving.
Finding the silence which contains thoughts, whatever they do they hear the Truth.
Hakuin.
The universal is, yet contains all that we identify with, constantly arising and sinking, always remaining pure Truth.

24th April

Just as the highest and the lowest notes are equally inaudible, so, perhaps, is the greatest sense and the greatest nonsense equally unintelligible.
Alan Watts.
No comment needed.

8th June

There is nothing lukewarm in Zen;
if it is lukewarm, it is not Zen.
D. T. Suzuki.
To experience reality as having qualities is not Zen. Zen is the freshness of every moment free of qualities or judgements.

14th June

My compassion to all sentient beings shall be like the limitless sky.
When released, Mind is freed from clinging to worldly things.
Even though living in this world of illusion,
My meditations shall be like the Lotus flower,
Lovely and unstained, rising up from the mud.
With purified mind I offer my respects to the Buddha – The Enlightened One.
No comment needed.

Thank you

We hope you’ve enjoyed the newsletter and we’ll be back for the winter solstice edition.
In the meantime, to get in touch about any of the articles or share any AR experiences, please contact Sara who will love to hear from you.

Previous issues of Abraxas can be found here