Shadow Work is Harrrd! How Can Rewilding Dreams Help?

Hello Shadow

This is my parents’ new puppy. While I was home visiting, she was a gentle guide in remembering to embody my true nature.

If only shadow work were as sweet as her…

And why can’t it be? For those of us who have experienced working with the shadow either through dreams, therapy and/or other forms of healing modalities - we know there can be struggles as we break free from old beliefs, deep programming, negative voices, to name a few. There are also times when it’s challenging to honor, embrace and integrate another side of the shadow, which I call our GOLD shadow aspects.

The NEGATIVE shadow will try to keep us boxed in, caged in a mold that only fits into the over-culture and societal norms.

How does this show up? You may notice parts of yourself feeling unworthy of your gifts, patterns of patriarchal thinking, and conscious/unconscious behaviors that lead to numbing out, addictions or depression.

You can bet your shadow will show up when you’re on the precipice of a breakthrough, transition, spiritual awakening or alignment, letting go, stepping into a new phase of life or creative path. Sometimes it shows up to protect you, support you, or keep you small, which manifests in struggles with the unacceptable part of one’s nature.

What are the “unacceptable” parts of one’s nature? This depends on what qualities / traits / behaviors were valued, accepted, nourished, or unaccepted and disregarded in your home, community, culture, and society. There is an inability to see, feel and know your truth.

For example:

*If you never knew how to create boundaries in relationships before, and you begin to set them with others - this potentially would show up as a shadow aspect - making you feel as if you are wrong in your intentions to create healthy boundaries.

*If your gifts and talents were never recognized and nurtured, it may be hard to believe you are worthy of a life utilizing those gifts.

*If you grew up being told you are poor, you may have feelings of lack.

All of these examples can manifest in different ways of intense spiraling; anxiety, depression, self-sabotage, guilt, longing, etc.

How can our dreams help? Our dreams can support and show us how to rewild to our true nature, where the soul lies and lives. The shadow tries to keep the parts of ourselves which are “unacceptable” from becoming embodied, from living through you.

When we embrace our shadow aspects and integrate them into our daily practices, rituals and share these gifts/qualities with others - this is when we begin to feel whole, nourished, cared for, seen as we truly are. With ALL PARTS INCLUDED.

What is Rewilding? Rewilding means to RESTORE to its natural uncultivated state or original habitat. For us humans, I see it as returning to embody one’s true nature.

How do I embody my true nature? Allow yourself to thrive through blessings and love, care and listening. Clarissa Pinkola-Estés, author of Women Who Run With the Wolves, said healers from her culture, would first ask and listen to what the individual’s soul needed. One way to listen is through your dreams. Honor your gifts and blessings. Remember who you are, who you are here to be. Communicate within -- Ask your Soul what it needs.

You’ve heard of soul purpose right? The soul comes alive through the creative things you love to do. This is what makes you unique to who you are. Your soul purpose is found in allowing yourself the time, space and energy to live honoring all the parts of yourself.

Types of dreams showing signs to suggest and/or support rewilding :

• Animal Dreams or Unknown Creatures - they may come fierce, larger than usual and many of them

• Nature Dreams - being with the land, plants, new territories

• Running/Hiding from Predators (this usually shows up as authority figures, dark, male)

• Tower Dreams such as natural disasters, dismemberment, death

• Losing Identity & Searching for a New One, ie. clothes, shoes, personal belongings, items with meaning

• Baby & Child Dreams - pregnancy, children showing up, searching for a child

If you’re interested in exploring your Wild, Shadow through Dreams & Embodiment

Please join me for this very special workshop

FRIDAY April 16

6-8PM

NOLA Cottage Magick

New space, recently opened, in person!

601 Elysian Fields, New Orleans, LA 70117

COST $35

Space is limited to 12 - Get your seat today!

Additional Workshop Elements & Benefits:

• Understanding the language of your dreams

• Discover the dream symbols that guide you to your authentic self

• Learn to use dreams as a resource through transitions & turning points

• Honor / Integrate the Shadow

What is a Dream Reading?

Similar to a tarot reading, Angela helps you discover the meanings & feelings of your dreams, dream symbols, images and recurring themes. Through Embodiment / Interpretation /Analysis you explore the deeper caverns of your dreams.

Where can I get one?!!!

You can always book with me online for a virtual session, but if you’re in New Orleans this weekend…

Angela will be offering in-person Dream Readings

NOLA MAGIC MARKET

SUNDAY 12-5PM

$30/30 mins

MARKET PRICES ONLY

Cottage Magick is a New Orleans based collective founded by Asia Strong. She's gathered a network of brilliant craftspeople, artists, artisans, healers, mediums, and psychics to bring you the best real magick New Orleans has to offer. Together, their talents are vast and include tarot readers, physical and mental mediums, Reiki healers, past life specialists, and those who are inspired to create products that are holistic, earth-friendly, witchy, or inspired.  

​Other metaphysical services are also offered throughout the weekend!

Importance of Group/Collective Dream Work

What is A Crow’s Calling?

A Crow’s Calling is the collaborative work under which myself and Susan Ackerman Joseph, aka Sackjo22, call ourselves. We are integrative creative/healing arts practitioners and facilitators. Our sisterhood began through developing/producing theatre & performance. We currently create multi-media productions and experiential workshops together. Some days our teaching looks like a virtual workshop where we guide embodiment practices, dreams, and/or sacred activism. At other times, we are exploring our personal growth & transformation through creative play, storytelling, sharing insights. The crow has been a mystical symbol with us since the beginning, literally and figuratively.

I’m excited to share the recent discussion/interview we had with Katherine Bell on her radio show, The Dream Journal. Katherine Bell is the creator of Experiential Dreamwork. We had the pleasure of first working with Katherine at the 2019 IASD regional dream conference, Festival of Dreams, which she produced in Santa Cruz, CA. Recently, we were asked to co-lead her weekly dream group, discussing/embodying “Dreams & Community”.

The past two months have been so full of profound experiences and collective aha moments through sharing this dream practice with multiple groups of people. If you’re interested in hearing more, I hope you take the time to listen to this interview and feel inspired - creative - hopeful - curious.

You can also find this podcast on APPLE , Google Play, Stitcher & Spotify.

Some of my favorite takeaways from this interview are around the benefits of facilitated group dream work:

• See the themes of the collective unconscious

• Build awareness how we as individuals play a role in community & collective healing

• Ability to support others just by showing up

• Integrate the group experience/awareness/healing into your individual waking life

• Ability to see from others/group perspective

• Opportunity to connect with others, and who are interested in the same things (especially during times of isolation)

If you’re interested in sharing in a dreamy virtual holiday party…Book your

I still have availability! And, I would love to share these gifts with you and your family & friends.

The Value of Rest: Staying Home & Taking (Self) Care this Winter

The time has changed, winter is coming. We’re heading for darker times, deeper nights and deeper dreams. Just as we’re approaching the holidays, we’re being asked to stay home and stay safe. In many ways, I know you’re feeling tired. I am too. So I’m resting. How will you choose to embrace what lies ahead?

Here are a few ideas to support you in making the best decisions for yourself and your loved ones. 

Listen to the wisdom of your body.  Trust your body knows exactly what it needs.

If you’re tired, rest. 

Healing will take place as you sleep. 

Sleep/rest will boost your immune system. 

Sleep can strengthen your heart.

Rest will support your nervous system / help you stay calm, patient, and positive.

Dreaming will help process all that you’re feeling / going through.

Dreaming can offer you a new perspective / sacred action to take.

What if you’re unable to rest? You feel overwhelmed, anxious, or longing to feel some sort of normalcy by being with your family for the holidays. What if you have to continue working, despite the discomfort? What if your feelings feel like too much to hold right now?

What else can I do?!

Desperate times call for transformative measures! 🙌

What if you took a moment to EMBRACE DISCOMFORT?

As you would for your child, pet, your beloved. What would this look/feel like for you?

 In your gut you know you’re not addressing the deeper sensations within, but the thought of being with the feeling is overwhelming. It’s hard to sit with your sadness/grief, and not know how to fix it.  At times, we’re not even aware of it - grabbing snacks, a drink, vegging out in front of a screen or shopping for things we don’t need. 

*For me, embracing my discomfort looked like laying on the bed in the fetal position, letting my tears fall down my face and a little bit of wailing, all while singing a song.

So what can I do to embrace my discomfort?

Begin by being with all of you and all that you’re feeling.

I assure you, there is comfort on the other side. This simple act of caring for yourself has big rewards. 🧚‍♀️

The Inner Growth Blueprint

So what exactly is the Inner Growth Blueprint ?

The Inner Growth Blueprint is the path to reclaiming your intuition and developing a sacred way of living, bringing you back into your power, wholeness and well-being.  By listening within and honoring your truth, you can sense into what no one else can, making conscious decisions with more clarity, ease and grace, creating a healthy environment for your continuous growth and success.

The Inner Growth Blueprint inspires inner growth through the support of sacred counsel.  As your intuitive support coach, I inspire you to step into the unknown, feel into what you’re facing and guide you to the best plan of action for the situation.  Making choices whether grand or small, we have to make them. 

Inner growth is choosing direction in life, it is (re)defining yourself, your identity, your sense of purpose and it is making challenging decisions.  We have to navigate, negotiate, collaborate, communicate, constantly.  Potentially profound growth can come during the darkest of times.  These are all times when we need to show up and stand in our power of inner knowing, our intuition and instincts.

My experiences have taught me that we can replenish the spirit and restore the feminine but only with the support of our allies.  The Inner Growth Blueprint developed organically through my own search for clarity and spiritual growth and continued to develop as I worked with others struggling through similar circumstances.  This transformative journey began in 2008, when I discovered the power of my dreams and creativity.  I looked to my collaborators and elders, connecting with members of my tribe who took the time to reflect and share in these inner growth processes.  Finding your support team is necessary for times of change, healing and growth.  Your cosmic army will be there when you are ready.

The majority of my life was spent overcoming the chaos and trauma of my childhood, leaving me searching for meaning and traversing radical transitions while healing endless heartaches from loss and break-ups, emotional imbalances, lack of energy, depression, fear and anxiety.  In breaking through unconscious beliefs that I could never be successful or loved by someone good, I cleared obstructions that prevented me from loving myself and others.  I learned how to set boundaries in order to safely express myself and I have grown to believe in my worth and know that my vision and inspiration is valuable. 

Through my years as an artist, creative collaborator, yogi, dream reader and really good friend, my holistic approach to living became all the things which supported me: dialogue & communication, movement & embodiment, yoga & meditation, prayer and ritual, honoring nature, creativity, dream reading, interpreting signs & symbols and sharing resources.  

The intuitive support coaching I offer as part of your counsel is in developing your Blueprint and working with the tools to support you in becoming grounded in your body and daily life, balanced in your emotions, build strength and confidence, navigate transitions, overcome fears, break through unconscious beliefs, hold space to grieve loss, and the action steps to build a foundation within of gratitude, love, joy, and wholeness. 

Namaste,

Angela

Sessions are 60 minutes. We start there.

You can schedule by clicking below or reach out to me and we can book by phone or private message.

I look forward to hearing your voice.

To schedule a free 15 minute consultation, click to email me!

Bridge Dreams During Covid-19: Feeling Our Way From One Normal To Another

Crossing bridges from one normal to another...?  This is happening within personally (feeling like everything is ok) and through the physical action of protestors and states opening up back up too quickly.  Once we cross this bridge, we cannot go back and why would anyone want to? Our system has and continues to fail us. Going back will only lead to extended uncertainty and more lives of those we love.

Bridge dreams are showing up collectively. The collective unconscious wants to cross this bridge. We must if we want to reach a new realm of being alive and supported within our communities.

Crossing Bridges are scary, they cross water which can hold deep truths, feelings and unknown territories. The bridge connects us and can support us on this journey. Take another’s hand and walk across with them now. Do not turn around and go back to what is limiting and separating us.

*Bridge Dreams often symbolize times of transition in life that are significant and defining to one’s path or journey. What are your dreams during this time holding for you? Are you crossing bridges or choosing new pathways? What kind of support are you giving AND receiving? We are all in this together.

Please reach out if you are in need of support in healing and/or creativity. Observe your dreams, insights and intuitions at this time. AND please share dreams with your loved ones and children!

Me, Too - The Intruder in Our Dreams

Image from Marie Louise Van Franz's Interpretation of Fairy Tales

Me, Too - The Intruder in Our Dreams

There is one that penetrates me deeply to the bones and it’s the man within my own psyche.

I feel this fear every time I have this dream. I can feel it now as I am writing about it.

Recurring Dream:

I am running from someone. A man. Him. I am trying to find a place to hide. It’s dark out. Night. I go through multiple places, sometimes an empty hotel or convention center or a house. Trying to find the best place to hide...I run through showers, spa like areas and locker rooms until I find a bathroom to hide in. (Bathroom, a place to express oneself.)  I crouch down, I am silent. I sweat. I feel the cold, damp floor. I wait and listen to see if I hear him coming. My heart beats. I’m terrified.

He, is the Intruder, that prevents me...all of us...from furthering. From owning our own power, beliefs, identity. 

I recognize him as my masculine shadow aspect in the self that "manifests as the spirit of courage" in all that we do including our thoughts, feelings, using your voice to express your needs and developing one's own spiritual beliefs. (Clements, Analyzing Your Dreams Dictionary).

I see him as the collective unconscious’ masculine energy energy associated with doing, creating, destroying, opposed to the female which is being, containing, nurturing. (Clements, p106).

In dreams, we may meet him and experience him through feeling fear of him.  He is the dark man in the shadows. In my dreams, no light ever sheds on his face or his build. I never see him hunting me, but he is behind me, coming after me. He is the intruder in our psyche.

The intruder doesn't only show up in women's dreams - he shows up in men's too.  You may be running from someone, authority, conflict or fighting with another man.  This would reflect the shadow not acknowledging this unconscious aspect of yourself, there is conflict between it and the ego.

I was unconscious of him for a very long time. Night/darkness unconscious. I had many different versions of this dream over the years. My sister recently shared one of hers with me, which was similar and carried the same weight of dread upon her. It wasn’t until I was well into dreamwork, studying Marion Woodman’s theory of feminine consciousness when I spoke of one of these dreams. It was suggested to me to begin reading “Women Who Run With the Wolves” by Clarissa Pinkola Estés.

There it was! Chapter 1: Stalking the Intruder, the Beginning Initiation - the story of Bluebeard. For those of you who do not know this tale, Estés will indeed tell it better than I, so please do read her stories. She also has a live performance series called “Theatre of the Imagination”, which is very powerful to listen to. Her storytelling is healing and truly transformative.

Bluebeard is a tale of a frightening man with a blue beard who entices the youngest of three sisters to marry him. This young woman is lovely and innocent and naive. Unlike her sisters who had the intuition that something was not right with Bluebeard, he had some sort of power over her. The young woman was not in touch with her instincts yet. There was no mother or father to teach her these things. As the story goes on, her sisters attempt to guide her. Through her unconscious desire she does something she was told not to do, which leads to the undoing of Bluebeard’s power over her life and so many other women like her.

I finally stopped dreaming of running and hiding in the bathroom, when I began to acknowledge my strength as a spiritual being.  I began embracing my power within and honoring my own beliefs, gifts and creativity. All the things I wasn’t authentically doing.

THIS is how we change consciousness. Tuning in, listening to the dreams, sensing, feeling - in order to become aware of the beliefs and belief systems handed down to us from generation to generation and making a conscious decision to believe you have the power within to change them, the power to think and act differently, the power to use your voice and discuss with each other - as I see so many sharing "Me, Too" stories on Facebook. 

So how do we share this power of awareness to those that were never taught differently or our young? How do we build trust in our feelings and instincts through our sensing abilities when something doesn't feel good or right? How do we protect our innocent, vulnerable, and delicate youthful beings? This is a discussion that I would love to be having.

I believe we all have to live this way. We have to trust our inner guidance, use the power of our voice and support one another through feeling. And stop letting others make poor decisions for us, our communities and our country. The transformation begins within. 

NOTE: Posts may only include part/s of the dream. 

*BOLD TEXT = DREAM IMAGE

*italicized text = interpretation and/or what resonates for the dreamer