Kimberly Gomes
Soul on the Rise
Ep 20: Embracing Shadows & Rising into Higher Self
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Ep 20: Embracing Shadows & Rising into Higher Self

Latest podcast + a dancing-journaling exercise

Welcome back to another episode in our series on Using Creativity to Enhance Your Life. In today's artist interlude “Writing to Embrace Shadows & Rise into a Higher Self”, I chat with poet, writing teacher, and Pushcart nominee, K.R. Morrison on using writing to process the past and create a ritual to step into your higher self. As the author of poetry chapbook, Cauldrons, K.R. talks about how her process and how writing is a way to examine her own inner cauldron to see her shadows, her light, and the alchemy rising from it all. 

You can stay connected with K.R. Morrison at @k.r.morrisonpoet on Instagram and order her book Cauldrons from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and any other bookstore you'd like by simply calling them and asking them to order it. 

A Soul on the Rise Dance & Journaling Exercise:

So, I don’t know about you, but I don’t love digging into shadowy emotions. Yet, when I’m feeling something coming on that needs to be felt instead of dodging it like I used to, I dance into it. Now, this isn’t necessarily a happy, let’s party dance vibe. More often it’s dance as therapy. Dance as a way to get out of my head and into my heart. Dance to embody the rage, the sadness, so it finds its way through.

So if you’re feeling some funky feelings. Try this and see what happens.

  • Put on some music and start moving your body.

  • Now close your eyes and drop any resistance to the shadow/feeling/scenario you’ve been avoiding. As you move, let yourself succumb to that shadow/feeling. Dance as if you are embodying it, feeling it fully. Let your face take on expressions of sadness, anger, whatever it is.

  • Your movement don’t have to be on beat or “make sense”. Just move how you feel called to move. Imagine you’re shaking the feeling/shadow up and it’s rising through your body.

  • Continue for one whole song and if you feel called to, continue for a second.

  • Next, pull out a pen and paper.

  • Imagine that shadow, like an ocean, is bringing waves to shore. Along the shore, there’s a bottle with a little note it in from the feeling you’ve just danced with. What does it have to say?

  • Step a timer and for 10 minutes, write out what comes without filter.

  • Once done, put on a song again and dance as if you’re embracing the everything that you are. As if, like the ocean, you’re countless particles of water making up the same sea. Dance into relief. Dance into joy. Dance into the reality of always being more than one thing.

If you enjoyed, DM. me on Instagram at writeon_kim. Hearing feedback is super helpful as I continue to experiment with new offerings.

Have a beautiful week!

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Kimberly Gomes
Soul on the Rise
Conversations and inspirations to help growth-minded humans rise into their more full self.