Turning Within: Reclaiming Your Soul from Shadow

Turning Within: Reclaiming Your Soul from Shadow by Steven Twohig (Amazon) presents a profound reimagining of shadow work. It guides readers through a transformative process to reclaim aspects of themselves that are buried within the deep conscious. Steven expands the traditional view of shadow work, showing it as a tool not only for personal healing but also for evolving collective consciousness. This treatise on the evolved mind offers weaves process with the masterful art of storytelling to leave the reader spellbound.

At the core of Turning Within is the idea that shadow is not simply the repressed or hidden parts of ourselves. Rather, it is the result of constructs running in the deep conscious—an active part of our consciousness our awareness operates in and through. These constructs shape the experience of reality, at every level. The suffering-rooted constructs are repressed, creating patterns of suffering or limitation when projected onto our surface of life. The solution is to bring them into conscious awareness, integrate and tend to them.

Steven introduces the practice of Turning Within, a form of strategic contemplation that allows individuals to identify and reprogram deep-seated patterns and projections. The book is structured around three phases of transformation:

1. Intervention: Recognizing and interrupting automated patterns that stem from beliefs and narratives rooted in the deep conscious.
2. Transformation: Engaging with shadow work and other tools, including plant medicine (for those inclined), to explore and heal the underlying constructs.
3. Integration: He applies the insights gained through shadow work to everyday life, allowing individuals to live with greater agency and awareness. He leverages what he refers to as "strategic integration," reflecting his training in business strategy and his decade-long pupillage under the legendary Tony Robbins.

Turning Within emphasizes that shadow work is not just about personal healing but about sparking the evolution of collective consciousness. As more people engage in this powerful practice, society will shift toward a more conscious, connected way of being. Steven draws from over two decades of experience, including his work with Tony Robbins, to weave together personal stories, leadership insights, and practical applications of shadow work for both personal and organizational growth.

Key concepts include:

• Deep Conscious: The active, yet often unseen, part of our awareness that influences much of our behavior and perception. It's not "un-anything," but rather an essential part of the self that needs to be brought into conscious awareness.
• Constructs and Projections: The narratives and patterns formed in the deep conscious, which shape our experience of reality, often without our knowing. Because what we know is too limited.
• Shadow Contracts: The automated meanings and agreements we hold that impact our relationships and reality, which go largely unquestioned until brought into awareness.

The book also explores advanced tools for shadow work, such as plant medicine, while emphasizing that these methods must be carefully integrated into everyday life. Steven’s vision is to reclaim the innate genius in each individual, using shadow work as a vehicle for personal transformation and broader societal shifts.

In summary, Turning Within is not just a guide to shadow work; it’s a manifesto for recalibrating the stories we live by and a call to action for anyone seeking to evolve their consciousness and contribute to a global shift in awareness.