22 Signs You're Stuck In Spiritual Shadow (And How To Fix Them All) - Inner Work Library [173/500]

[@jordanthornton]

*1-1 Mentorship Information: Price & Structure (Maximum Capacity = 20 Clients Per Year)* It's an absolute pleasure to film these KZbin videos, and I feel fortunate to receive an abundance of meaningful messages every week, but I am unfortunately faced with the disappointing reality of turning away the vast majority of people who want to work together. I have significantly limited availability and can only support twenty people per year because I do not offer one-off calls or drop-in consulting sessions. Twenty individuals might not sound like maximum capacity, but the last few years of teaching have taught me the importance of maintaining tight energetic boundaries if I want to keep uploading these free videos in addition to serving my current clients to the best of my ability in 2024. To minimise confusion and enhance transparency, I've spent several hours writing this ridiculously long comment to help you decide if my Inner Work Mentorship is the right choice for your development & what you could reasonably expect from working closely together. Please take the time to read this service description before contacting me on Instagram… or feel free to stop reading right now if you’re not interested in my fees, session structure, client expectations, etc. ... *READ BEFORE SCROLLING FURTHER:* I'm interested in long-term change and structural transformation, which is why I've never offered one-off sessions. Complex issues cannot be resolved in a few hours, but we likewise need to define an upper limit for containment and collaboration. I've learned that deep and enduring self-integration requires at least four months of immersive effort. Why four months? It's enough weekly contact for us to work through multiple complex issues and developmental possibilities, but short enough to mitigate against unconscious co-dependency and motivational stagnation. I'm currently accepting a maximum of two new clients per month - message me after reading the following section to check my availability. ... *HOW I WORK & WHO I WORK WITH* Unlike other coaches and teachers who take an understandably more relaxed approach to healing and integration, my mentorships are characteristically intense. This is a highly-demanding, high-investment process which requires our consistent combined effort over a period of four months. If we were to start working together, I would reasonably expect you to be excited to show up for a minimum of 10+ hours of self-motivated transformative practice per week (daily reading, fitness routine, creative exercises, spiritual reflection, etc.) while also maintaining full-sobriety (no drink, no drugs, no cigarettes, no vapes). These strict standards of discipline and sobriety are plainly unsuitable for most people in most situations - even genuinely motivated individuals who resonate with my KZbin videos may not be the right match for four months of structured mentorship. If you want to get deeper, I've noticed that there's a certain type of ‘temperament' & 'timing’ to get the most out of me. I'm interested in alert, creative and purpose-driven individuals who aspire to exceptional standards of self-maturation and would enjoy the feeling of going through week-on-week of progressively stacked transformative experiences for a third of a year: my ideal client is somebody who is willing to bring forward their internal complexity with a sense of courage and transparency with the intention of nothing less than full-spectrum transformation & rapid acceleration on their personal path. I am yet to discover another supportive figure who offers something comparable to this mentorship: a four-month, structured yet flexible 1-1 container which is simultaneously therapeutic, academic and action-oriented; with primary focus placed on tangible improvements in your felt sense of self-knowledge and self-integration; in addition to making consistent and meaningful progress towards your unique goals and mentorship aspirations. I prioritise contact, compassion and accountability, which means that your work never really 'ends' at the end of your session. You can reasonably expect to be fed dozens of customised reading suggestions and follow-on perspectives outside of the formal sessions via friendly and informal messenger contact, where I am active and available four days per week to cultivate an intimate personal connection while likewise enhancing your positive momentum via accountability check-ins and additional support as required. By way of conclusion for what feels like an extraordinarily long comment and service description, I feel compelled to once more emphasise that working directly with me is unrealistic for most people in most situations. I often support people who are accustomed to wrestling with the emotional challenges associated with working through complex wounds in previous therapeutic relationships before we begin our coaching work together. Even individuals without 'hard trauma' can expect moments of pressurised darkness and heaviness during periods of shadow contact as you begin to restructure your personal unconscious. We will be exploring your psyche and soma at scale and depth, and it will be your responsibility to keep me informed about the emotional texture of your internal reality, especially if you encounter negatively charged experiences, and I will of course do everything in my power to support you through the hard times as we integrate the darkness and move forwards together. KZbin is a wonderful place for me to share free research resources and offer accessible inner work invitations; my private mentorships, however, are the place for collaborative partnership and emotional security as we identify, navigate and restructure oftentimes confronting and challenging conscious and unconscious physical, emotional and mental material. Ultimately, this is a highly-demanding but highly-rewarding process which requires the best of our shared intentions. ... *SESSION STRUCTURE & FEES:* The total fee for an Inner Work Mentorship (including 12 x 2 hr sessions) is £7,400 GBP or approximately $9,400 USD. This is my only coaching programme, and my mentorship pricing is liable to adjustment over time. Each private session lasts two hours, and is facilitated via Telegram video call at an ideal time for both of us. Your mentorship extends over a linear four-month period, with a total of twenty-four hours of structured session time, in addition to four days per week of unlimited messenger availability for accountability updates, voice note exchanges and informal calls upon occasion. I do not work on Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays, but I am fully-available across all timezones for regular calls and messenger contact on Thursday - Sunday. If you’ve scrolled this far, and resonate with what I’m offering, I invite you to message me on Instagram. It would be my pleasure to start exploring your goals and intentions in real-time. IMPORTANT: I am an intentionally independent coach, and not a licensed therapist or associated with any professional bodies or coaching institutions, and therefore enjoy the freedom to collaborate with my clients across all areas of life in an intimate, direct and highly involved coaching style. I work with no more than twenty people per year, and am currently accepting a maximum of two new clients per month. I also manage my own inbox and do not use automated systems or employ people to pretend to be me on Instagram, which means that it usually takes four to six weeks for me to respond to new messages and begin the interview process. Although my approach takes time, I hope you ultimately appreciate my personal emphasis on authentic and confidential communication from the very beginning of our relationship. I once again encourage you to message me immediately if you want to start working together within the next two months - bump yourself to the top of my inbox, and I’ll send you some voice notes to get our conversation started.

[@nadnad411]

I love this video! I was born in a Muslim family but grew up in a mixed community where I was exposed to different religions and had to go through a lot of research, then became irreligious (7 years) then agnostic (10 years). It was only last year when I went through a spiritual awakening after my loss in an earthquake and a painful break-up. I am currently irreligious as I believe in a divine power but not in the same way as some religious leaders do. I am still on the journey and enjoying the research, hoping to better understand the universe. Your book recommendations are really helpful. Thank you!

[@jordanthornton]

Thank you for sharing this snapshot of your spiritual journey - it sounds like it's been a real path of discovery. I'm glad the channel is supporting your next steps - any standout books for you?

[@nadnad411]

​@@jordanthornton It is difficult to define outstanding books, especially since some are available only in Arabic. Meanwhile, each book and genre adds something valuable to my understanding and perspective. Here are the genres I usually focus on: - History: to understand how religions were manipulated for political purposes. - Anthropology: to explore mankind's relationship with religions since the beginning of civilizations. - Psychology: to understand myself and others so I can understand each person's to God/divine power. I also watch videos by scholars in these fields for deeper insight and videos on religions by theologians and atheists to help me draw conclusions about religious texts. Here are some books that can be useful, but they represent very small proportions of what I have explored: - Black Wave by Kim Ghattas/Middle Eastern History in the last 100 years. (How politics and religions together have created catastrophe in the region). - Daughters of Abraham by Haddad.A feminist view of holy texts. Not the best book but it is worth reading. - The Righteous Mind by Haidt. This is one of my favorite books since it explains why people fight in the name of religion and politics. I think you will love this one. One last thing: religions are just languages between mankind and the divine. What is important is finding the language which can lead us to spirituality and love

[@christophertodd1980]

Fabulous video Jordan, really important content. I bought Spiritual Emergency not long after watching another of your videos and becoming sober in July 2023 and I’m very glad I did. It really helped me navigate the few months of crisis that began at that time and not float away in a bubble of spiritual bypassing.

[@jordanthornton]

Great endorsement for a powerful book, and I’m glad it helped back then - you’ll love the books in this video if you haven’t picked them up already 🌲

[@christophertodd1980]

@@jordanthornton I don’t have Halfway Up The Mountain, and Mysticism (although I do have Underhill’s shorter “Practical Mysticism”). You were spot on about “Halfway Up…”, pricey with only two copies available on Amazon.

[@gailaltschwager7377]

Thank you, Jordan! You are not afraid of challenging material.

[@jordanthornton]

Not at all, the real challenging material is inside your private mind anyway lol

[@gailaltschwager7377]

@@jordanthornton ❤️❤️❤️

[@moose5071]

thank u the one i really needed to hear was: being triggered outside of spiritual spaces spiritual people reflect back to me the beautiful parts of myself, but going back to the neurotic “i need this done RIGHT NOW” corporate space i inhabit make it difficult to internally maintain these states of peace and love and whatever. thank u for pointing this out to me. it feels like i just finished integrating the last 3.5 years of lessons and this is important for me to focus on now with this extra mental space i found halfway up the mountain on a smaller book seller’s website for $23 including shipping!

[@jordanthornton]

Great find, hope your ordered the book! And I’m glad that the last 3.5 years come to this deeper integration point for the truly actualising issues. Be well in this new month ahead.

[@MoodM4M]

Thank you very much. This is so important. Shadow work is a critical missing peace in our culture, and spiritual traditions. I wish this video had 100M views we need it ✊

[@jordanthornton]

These kinds of videos will never get 100M views, but somewhere in the 10k-100k would be more than enough for me. I'm already grateful that a few thousand people enjoy this kind of material - stay steady my man.

[@martinhandy7520]

I love this dude! Recommending him to my clients, students and friends in counselling and spirituality. Been reading the books. Great recommendations. Much love to this guy and fellow seekers climbing the mountain. Much blessings 🙏🏼❤🕉🌻✝❤🙏🏼🙏🏼🥰🧘🏻‍♂🔥❤🙏🏼

[@jordanthornton]

Cheers for being here! Happy to be helping both yourself and your networks 🌲

[@Indudevidasi]

This topic is sooo interesting. I myself was so deep in different spiritual shadows that you discribed. For 15 years I was studying Vedic scriptures and following a certain group. Anyhow the more I did partswork ( over the past 10 years) Icould more and more differentiate between my „material“ or psycolicical motivations and my true spiritual reasons why I joined that group. And it was mindblowing and helped me so much to develop a healthy more authentic relationship with me, god, and the material world. I really liked the way you presented the whole topic! Thank you for that! Greetings from Germany!

[@jordanthornton]

Greetings from UK, and thank you for sharing some of your story so far - it’s insightful and meaningful for me to read some of your experienced. It sounds like it’s been a multi layered journey.

[@Indudevidasi]

Thank you for the answer! Yes indeed it was and is a multilayered process of progress. Wonderful! Also what I noticed when I was in that group that especially people from Russia and China loved the whole system of strict rules that basically regulated your whole life. And I was wondering, because I myself grew up in the communist part of Germany, if people from that social upbringing are more likely to this kind of religious systems.

[@edwardmadden1998]

Excellent video Jordan. You can see with the boundaries you have put on social media use that your consciousness is pushing further out than before with the quality and quantity of your content, well done! So many important messages here. To anyone else looking for books on the topic I would add Meeting the shadow on the spiritual path by Connie Zweig and facing the dragon by Robert Moore ❤✌️

[@jordanthornton]

Appreciate you noticing these changes, brother. We're in week seven of healing the KZbin patterns and the energy is still growing - new levels to the game, all we need to do is cut away the poison and the inner light shines.

[@edwardmadden1998]

@@jordanthornton beautiful message man. Have a fruitful weekend ✌️

[@Braidzee]

You are literally one of the best on KZbin. For sure you will have millions of followers soon. More importantly you are helping so many people with your channel. Keep it up!

[@jordanthornton]

Will keep doing my best, rest is out of my control - thank you.

[@harryboll8727]

100% re. the Amazon algorithm, I love seeing the linked recommendations influenced by this channel 😂 I was fully in the spiritual bypassing camp for a while - Henry Shukman talks about a metaphor from Zen about the cart, the vehicle’s track having two ruts, healing and awakening. The awakening experiences opened my mind beautifully but I began to chase them on an unhealed foundation. Then I found your channel which has been perfect for letting the healing side catch up, so to speak. The somatic therapy side in bioenergetics and somatic experiencing has been the wonderful missing link, that earthly, grounded end of the spectrum to balance and anchor against the high heights of awakening. Thanks again! ❤

[@jordanthornton]

Beautiful to see the amazon algorithm influence... more golden books to more golden people. Thank you for sharing some of your journey so far, the snapshot in your comment is inspiring - stay steady with the grounding and awakening, in good balance.

[@harryboll8727]

@@jordanthornton Thank you my man 🙏

[@MaknaEXMachina]

Thank you Jordan. This is definitely something I would like to rewatch in a few months to see how I've shifted. I like the point you made on psychology books and health, and how it's unnecessary to ignore the studies in that region with sole reliance on one's spiritual practices. My practices are erratic, inconsistent and I heavily related to the point of constantly questioning my faith. I had many questions and a lot of anger towards life not providing me with opportunities, not introducing me to the people I long to meet or even showing me a path forward. I felt like I've reached the end and all that was ahead was a dark cliffside with nowhere else to go. Today I watched a different video about shamanic practices and yours here and I feel like my way forward is making sense now. I neglect my reading, believing that my beating around the bush studies on youtube and random readings will synchronistically lead me to exactly the knowledge I'm looking for. Or, perhaps they just did? Or, maybe I'm just convincing myself of that to make myself feel better? I'm not sure. My current idea is fairly simple, that I ought to put some greater effort towards reading my core spiritual texts, as well as some psychology studies and books which could help with some family and generational trauma which I yearn to resolve, and not just for myself for that matter. I've saved up the books you mentioned here but I think I'll look for a few that are more focused on what I'd like to knock out first. So much to do, I pray I'll draw forth the will to commit here as this is something extremely important to me.

[@jordanthornton]

Delayed response here, but I hope your last two weeks have flowed well with your intentions here. They’re strong, and meaningful. Stay steady in your new month.

[@wownicole81]

Strive for balance, avoid the extremes; solid advice for much of life. Regarding your 23rd point, I think the Bible’s parable of the talents lines up well with your message. Thanks for another great video! 🕊️

[@jordanthornton]

What 23rd point… that’s not a hidden bonus, is it? 👀

[@wownicole81]

Maybe…. 😉

[@sebastiangruffydd2765]

I really wish I could spend just one day and night with you to demonstrate my deep felt appreciation for you. Salom.

[@jordanthornton]

You’re here in spirit, and I appreciate that you’re taking the time for these deeper themes. I hope the new week ahead is steady for you 🌲

[@audrey..42]

I would call myself agnostic but very interested in many types of religious and spiritual ideas. I don’t think I’m very balanced though because I do question almost everything and feel like it would be very beneficial to have a strong foundational belief system. Right now I have been working on grounding into my body through Martial Arts, Alexander technique, and Primitive Reflex therapy. They do not at first seem to be necessarily spiritual but I am feeling a stronger sense of me which I think will help me be eventually more balanced spiritually. Thank you for all of the wisdom and time you are sharing.

[@duanef2634]

Absolutely incredible thank you.

[@Chris.innerwork]

Point 20 is bang on! And also ties in nicely with the spicy point 15...ie. if I was to do the uncomfortable thing, the thing I want to avoid, the emotional challenge creates an opening for potential disregulation and shadow entities to come up. Love this insight!

[@jordanthornton]

Thanks for being here, brother. Don't forget to pickup Halfway Up The Mountain if you liked this video - it's a great read which you'll love going into, plenty on the dysregulation aspects.

[@Chris.innerwork]

@@jordanthornton ordered it along with embodied spirituality in a sacred world, last night 🤓 thank you for the great content!

[@jordanthornton]

@@Chris.innerwork Great choices!

[@MoodM4M]

Have you read Ken Wilbur’s the Religion of Tomorrow? The section on the shadow has a comprehensive clarity that seems to be a masterwork to me.

[@jordanthornton]

Absolutely, it's a re-read book for me and is also going in my school curriculum. Without a doubt one of the highest level synthesis of these issues, and so much more than can be captured in a single KZbin video. You've got excellent taste, brother.

[@leahzlata]

Thank you for this Jordan, so resonate with a lot of your messages here. I’ve been feeling some shame about some of my comments here and maybe some of the shadow underpinning them and then here comes this video, feels like it’s addressing them :) There’s so much I’d love to discuss with you on this topic and I don’t know if that’ll happen so for now just saying am happy you’re out there and doing your thing

[@jordanthornton]

We’re all doing the best we can on this journey, and I’m right there with you stumbling on that soul path.

[@amnakhan7704]

Thankful for the content and book recs (I have only commented where I disagree or have something to add (obv)) 1. sometimes the nature of the questions itself is the decisive factor, are you asking to learn about the faith and the boundaries or are you in the apathetic state of doubt (is this even real?) I think the whole point of spiritual and religious practices is to clean and elevate the energy within you and around you. If, upon undertaking a mundane task, your consciousness is operating at a lower level, then that is not because the task is mundane but because you failed to bring the light within/around you into the task itself. Good energy is not something you step in and out of and I think that is the actual issue - keep the energy there and weave it into the rest of your life. 12. I think the middle ground isn't appropriate tbh - if you have experienced something/faith to hold true then why not accept that truth instead of being uncommitted and inconsistent and thus going backwards - if your faith is real, why wouldn't you integrate it into your life instead? I think you can have deep faith and also learn from other religions/people without questioning your own... 21. I think the synthesis occurs as follows - spirituality/religion creates the best possible energy and academic disciplines/research etc provide the directives on how and where to channel focus/energy for the best possible outcome. Some healing occurs through contact with and presence within that energy alone but much occurs when we apply the theories in that space.

[@jordanthornton]

Some insightful reflections here, thank you for engaging critically with what I presented. I appreciate that.

[@adambarbatov1445]

Thank you for your work as always Jordan.

[@jordanthornton]

Thank you for taking the time to watch, and likewise let me know with your comment.

[@TheInnerKingdom4]

Hey Thankyou very much for that Jordan. I’m trying to recover from life-long body dysmorphia and addiction. I was always opened minded about these things in the past and put a reasonably intelligent mind to bear on trying to uncover the nature of God in the past. I had a death experience around 8 years ago now and entered the unconscious realm, a lot had happened since then including the experience of miracles and working with disincarnate Intelligences etc, I am interested in training as a therapist and have been doing that to a degree. I would say that I’m gifted spiritually although I am more keen to be able to have a well rounded life, I have experienced archangel michael (blue sparks in the air as charged particles) and I have to say that he represents the middle path, it is this middle way between the body and the spirit that I regard as the way forward. Thankyou again for your work it’s been a big help to me Jordan. I have been reading about shame lately through John Bradshaws book, I seen that it was a book you also recommended as well, I am keen to get a copy of halfway up the mountain it sounds like a very sane text. Peace and Joy. ❤ Godbless. 🙏

[@jordanthornton]

Thank you for taking the time to so thoughtfully share some of your story here - your points about archangel michael are prominent for me, as I've been reflecting on the symbolism of his story and role lately too. We all try to find that balanced middle path. Be well in the fall season.

[@charmedprince]

Loss (the death of my younger brother in February this year), while letting go of a limerent object in the same time frame, and watching Dune 1 & 2, have impacted my beliefs greatly. I'm seeing the world now as a huge cosmic joke, questioning all the narratives of religion, politics, economics and other social structures (e.g. sexual orientations, coupling, raising children, education, jobs, etc.). The only things still sacred to me are creation/self-expression, beauty and art. I worship Nature now.

[@jordanthornton]

I’m sorry to hear of your loss, truly. I can imagine it’s been an intense journey, and I’m wishing you the best for the remainder of the year - it’s sounds like you’re finding your inner balance. Stay steady, brother.

[@mamathemeat]

Well here is the synchronicity - I’ve already started reading that book but was slacking so here is my sign to continue rather than play videos games or in addition to 😅 the fact that it’s pink also draws me near 💕

[@jordanthornton]

For sure, it's a really easy book to pick up and put down - keep going, you'll find gold.

[@mamathemeat]

@@jordanthorntonthanks ❤

[@bookdmb]

Thank you algorithm

[@jordanthornton]

God bless our digital gods - welcome and enjoy the books 🌲

[@Ivy-o6p]

Hi Jordan, when it comes to content consumption about spiritual or self-development videos of this nature, what do you think is the appropriate amount of time, and when do you think it's too much? I'm currently in a consumption phase, but idk what balance really looks like or if it's just a phase, I guess. I consume the most media when I'm lonely or not feeling fulfilled, but it's difficult to know if it's just right for the time or if I should get out there more and seek out balance. I can't tell if it's a spiritual shadow based on this video

[@jordanthornton]

I’m really not the one to answer this, I’m still healing my own timings and levels of these things. The context is truly what matters here. Wish I could say more.

[@Ariii...BM-M]

Hey Jordan, hope you're doing well. I've watched many of your videos, and I still haven't managed to find one where you talk or explore the shadow and archetypes, in relation to sexuality. I've read both books (archetype revisited and meeting the shadow) and they touch a bit upon how certain archetypes and shadow elements come out in adult life as expressions in sexuality, but I would love to know more from you on the topic. Unless its a topic that you don't actually talk about. Firstly, I hope that you read this comment, as I have no other way of contacting you, and secondly that you either maybe try and do a vid on the topic, or just provide some books recommendations, that way I can further explore the topic myself. Thankyou in advance. B.

[@jordanthornton]

Thank you for being here and doing the work, both with my videos and the books recommended - I have an entire module dedicated to shadow sexuality in the course, which has zero censorship with 'adult issues' but I unfortunately can't post this on KZbin because it flags my content when I mention 'adult themes' - the best bet is to look through the Shadow Work Playlist and see what you can find there... otherwise it could be a great time to join the course and really go deeper into the material together. In short, I've taught this material in detail... but it's only for my students until KZbin find's a way to be more open about sexual mental health etc.

[@Chris.innerwork]

Hey Jordan, is it a sign of spiritual development when one becomes more sensitive to foul language? I’m noticing I’m becoming more sensitive to the language people use when ‘joking around’ …particularly with crude, vulgar and somewhat teenager type jokes, they really disgust and trigger me. I know humour is a key component in looking at the shadow, so perhaps my shadow has just changed to a healthier shadow. Or would you say it leans more towards spiritual grandiosity? There’s also a real difficulty in calling them out on it. Hmm. As I think on this I’m seeing some red flags in these long standing friendships, purely based on their humour at times.

[@jordanthornton]

Hmm. I'm not sure about the language - although I did a video about dark jokes a few months, go check out episode 143/500 (very useful hahah)

[@Chris.innerwork]

@ thanks for the guidance as always 🙏🏻

[@JEColquhoun1]

🌠Synchronicity 🌠

[@7erruckte5till3]

How can we help someone close to us who suffers from some of the symptoms mentioned in this video? It's quite difficult to experience, and at times it feels harder to detach.

[@jordanthornton]

Generally speaking, if I'm being truthful, we can't help others with these issues. It's an inwards, soul-driven need towards healing that's required. I wish it could be different, but I've never seen it be the case.

[@7erruckte5till3]

@@jordanthornton you're indeed correct.

[@sharondavenport3601]

What if one rejects the "systems", i.e corporations/government bc its killing and destroying? Is that spiritual shadow? Or is that a conscious effort to do a small part to at least not contribute to the problem....i know this comment might sound sarcastic, i swear its not. Im genuinely asking for ur opinion

[@jordanthornton]

Great question, and I truthfully don’t know how to respond fully - there are many factors to consider, and no choice can be perfect in a flawed world.

[@maddie9050]

Hi Jordan, I have so much praise for you and your content but don’t know where to start. Based on what you said in the video, I highly recommend the study Quran (2015) by Seyyed Hossein Nasr, it’s an in-depth, rich and accessible translation that really helps in accessing the meaning and flow of the Arabic language and opens up the beauty of the Quran.

[@jordanthornton]

Sure, I've read the full Quran and keep a copy on my desk. God bless and be well.

[@rshicks256]

♥

[@jordanthornton]

Cheers!

[@mamathemeat]

What if you love Sekhmet and lillith and preach about them but also love Jesus 😅😂

[@jordanthornton]

I have no idea, that's your path - good luck.

[@mamathemeat]

@@jordanthorntonI was joking playing on the fact you said some ppl don’t act like Jesus 🙃 thank you

[@moose5071]

just an fyi to all: hohm press is reprinting the halfway up the mountain book and u can get it for roughly $25 including shipping. i’m about 15% into in and i guarantee u it’s worth it just for the first 15% even

[@jordanthornton]

Great news, and thanks for encouraging everyone scrolling the comments today.