Community Talk: Shadow Work for Eldest Siblings

Join us for a free Community Talk centered on the concept of shadow work for eldest siblings. 

You do not have to identify as an eldest sibling, have any siblings, or identify with any particular family dynamic or "traditional" family structure to participate. We value all experiences and expansive identities around this topic.

What do we mean by shadow work for eldest siblings: Shadow work is usually viewed as work that involves unpacking shame, guilt, or parts of ourselves that we tend to bury for different reasons. Shadow work can bring up many different memories and emotions. When talking about eldest siblings, there are some common experiences in the family dynamic that first born siblings can or might have experienced. So shadow work for eldest siblings as a concept involves the beliefs we hide or bury due to family dynamics as eldest siblings.

Here are some resources for exploring Shadow Work: 

• Shadow Work: A Simple Guide to Transcending The Darker Aspects of Yourself
• What Is The Shadow Self? And How Do I Do Shadow Work?
• Shadow Work 101: How to Start for Beginners
• 11 Must-Read Shadow Work Books To Deepen Your Knowledge

About the Community Talks: These Community Talks are monthly virtual meetings to come together to discuss various topics in the spirituality community and/or industry through a decolonized perspective. These events are always free with no reservation required but you can RSVP through this website if that helps you. To be clear, this is not an educational workshop or talk. I will not be in a structured teaching position within these Community Talks. Think of these as opportunities to explore topics around our collective healing with other people that want to do the same. 

This is the Zoom link to attend: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83432786580

This talk will support the following community guidelines and any other that the group needs at the beginning of the talk:

• Practice active listening and allowing a speaker to finish before jumping in. This especially goes for speaking over or interrupting Black and POC folks.
• Practice letting us know what the topic flags are for anything you think might be a difficult topic for someone to hear. We can't know everyone's needs or what might be difficult for everyone but we can practice centering care in our discussion.
• Practice using accessible language - consider using non-jargon or explaining jargon, state your name when you speak for low/no-vision folks, feel free to use the chat when needed.
• Be mindful of the space you do and do not take up in relation to power dynamics.
• No one knows everything, but we all know things. While this is a community talk on spirituality, practice making room for any perspectives on this topic with the caveat that we are centering decolonized perspectives.
• There's no need to speak, have your camera on, etc. This is open to any level of participation. Show up how you show up. 💗

Please note: This community talk will be recorded. If you would like to express something without being recorded, please let me know and I will turn off recording temporarily.

If there are any volunteers to help read questions or comments in the chat outloud, please let me know.

For transparency: I am organizing this community talk and sharing some parameters for the talk. That said, this is not an informational workshop. This is a space for us to all come together and share ideas around this topic. I am not a licensed mental health professional and will not be providing any professional guidance. Please understand that this particular topic might be intense for you - feel free to leave, mute, or step away at any time or otherwise prioritize your needs and bids for support.

Any questions? Email me: abejarise@gmail.com