An interview with Heather Dakota Jansen of The Wise Woman Society
| What is your practice? I dance in the shadows so I can shine my light through my life and business. Tell us about your practice. It is my belief that each of us has a divine light within us that the world needs us to shine. Some call it a purpose, which is really a combination of our experiences, our gifts and talents, and what is needed in the world. |  Heather Dakota Jansen.Big-Picture Thinker. Marketing Alchemist. Business Midwife. Creatrix of Soul-o-preneurs. |
However, if we have this bright light, we also must have shadows as well, because you can’t have the light without the dark.
If we let our shadows drive our Life Bus, they will hold us back from standing in our power and shining our light. Sometimes they sing like an angelic choir of our greatest fears and doubts.
These saboteurs (as I call them) can wreak havoc in our lives and keep us playing small. However, if you learn to dance with these shadows and embrace what they are REALLY trying to tell you, your power can’t help but shine forth. And that is pure magic!
The Big 8 saboteurs/shadows are:
If we let our shadows drive our Life Bus, they will hold us back from standing in our power and shining our light. Sometimes they sing like an angelic choir of our greatest fears and doubts.
These saboteurs (as I call them) can wreak havoc in our lives and keep us playing small. However, if you learn to dance with these shadows and embrace what they are REALLY trying to tell you, your power can’t help but shine forth. And that is pure magic!
The Big 8 saboteurs/shadows are:
|  |
First, recognize that what you are experiencing is a saboteur. It's a signpost to your deepest desires.
Then, have a little chat with your saboteur, ask it what message it has for you. This is the beginning of the dance. I write a Q&A in my journal where my dominant hand is me asking a question of the saboteur, and my non-dominant hand is the answer from my saboteur.
The more you dance with your personal shadows instead of fighting with them, the more you'll invite them into your heart. At that point, they’ll no longer be sitting in the driver's seat of your life and business. If you want to shine your light the brightest, you’ll need to dance in the shadows.
What’s your favorite part of this practice?
It feels amazing to accept yourself completely without labeling elements of you as good or bad. The truly authentic YOU is both divine light and divine shadow.
And YOU are powerful!
What benefits do you get from engaging in this practice? How does it make your life better?
The biggest benefit is fully accepting You as you. One of the side effects is being able to truly shine your divine light and achieve your biggest dreams. Your shadows point you in the direction of what your heart and soul desire. Once you know that, you have flipped the switch to “Go” mode!
When I started dancing with my shadows, I discovered that the dreams that I thought were mine, weren’t. As soon as I fully embraced my shadows (a never-ending dance), the light within me really started to shine and pointed me in the direction where my gifts, talents, and skills were most needed. Now I am happier and more peaceful.
Who might this practice be good for?
Dancing with your shadows is good for everyone, artists to healers and coders to accountants. I don't know a single soul who doesn't deal with doubts, comparison, overwhelm, procrastination, or any of the other saboteurs. If you want to shine your light, this dance is for you.
What would you recommend to someone taking up this practice? How should they start?
Then, have a little chat with your saboteur, ask it what message it has for you. This is the beginning of the dance. I write a Q&A in my journal where my dominant hand is me asking a question of the saboteur, and my non-dominant hand is the answer from my saboteur.
The more you dance with your personal shadows instead of fighting with them, the more you'll invite them into your heart. At that point, they’ll no longer be sitting in the driver's seat of your life and business. If you want to shine your light the brightest, you’ll need to dance in the shadows.
What’s your favorite part of this practice?
It feels amazing to accept yourself completely without labeling elements of you as good or bad. The truly authentic YOU is both divine light and divine shadow.
And YOU are powerful!
What benefits do you get from engaging in this practice? How does it make your life better?
The biggest benefit is fully accepting You as you. One of the side effects is being able to truly shine your divine light and achieve your biggest dreams. Your shadows point you in the direction of what your heart and soul desire. Once you know that, you have flipped the switch to “Go” mode!
When I started dancing with my shadows, I discovered that the dreams that I thought were mine, weren’t. As soon as I fully embraced my shadows (a never-ending dance), the light within me really started to shine and pointed me in the direction where my gifts, talents, and skills were most needed. Now I am happier and more peaceful.
Who might this practice be good for?
Dancing with your shadows is good for everyone, artists to healers and coders to accountants. I don't know a single soul who doesn't deal with doubts, comparison, overwhelm, procrastination, or any of the other saboteurs. If you want to shine your light, this dance is for you.
What would you recommend to someone taking up this practice? How should they start?
- Start by acknowledging that you have shadows. Don’t label or judge them. They are neither good or bad. They simply “are.”
- Begin dancing with them by trying the two-handed journaling technique.
- Give them some love and attention, and not by letting them in the driver’s seat. For instance, Comparison is usually very loud for me. I sit down with it, like a dear friend, and have a cuppa tea and a chat. Sometimes all they want is a little gratitude. I even have pictures of my saboteurs, so I know who I’m talking to.
- Then, analyze a bit. What are your saboteurs pointing to? If it is like mine, Comparison, I’ll change my inner dialogue from “I want what she has” to “I’ll have what she’s having.”
- If they still won’t quiet down, I do something playful. I send them on an imaginary task. For instance, I’ll send Comparison out to quality check millions of pennies. Or I might physically dance around the room with them.
- If the shadows begin to get louder, then you haven’t quite hit the sweet spot. Go back and start the practice over again until they quiet down, or maybe they need a bit more L-O-V-E? Ask them what they need from you.
What a favorite quote of yours?
"You only live once, but if you work it right, once is enough."
"You only live once, but if you work it right, once is enough."
| What have you got going on? Since fully embracing my shadows, I've completed a 193-page guided journal called I Am…A Guided Journal that is available NOW (!) on Amazon! I also designed and illustrated a 2016 calendar. (available for pre-order) |  |
I’m even working on a Two-week Ecourse Bootcamp for early in 2016 about Dancing with Your Shadows.
Then for more than 5 years, I've been dreaming of a society of soul-o-preneurs (soulful women business owners) who learn from and support each other, as we grow our businesses. I couldn't find what I was looking for, so I created it.
Then for more than 5 years, I've been dreaming of a society of soul-o-preneurs (soulful women business owners) who learn from and support each other, as we grow our businesses. I couldn't find what I was looking for, so I created it.
The Wise Woman Society opened a few weeks ago for Charter Membership.
Hi! Want to win a free 30 minute strategy session with Heather? Comment below before October 31st and I'll pick one lucky winner at random! What should you post? Your gift? A shadow you dance with? Or maybe just say HI!
RSS Feed
