THe collective shadow of the dark goddess
If you live in the United States like I do, the past week hasn’t been easy for a lot of us. Within the Witchcraft, Occult and Spirituality corners of the internet,there has been a big buzz around The Dark Goddess, The Dark Feminine and Feminine Rage.
The Collective Shadow of the Dark Goddess made Herself known. But what does that mean?
First, we will talk a bit about what a Collective Shadow is.
A collective shadow is the accumulation of aspects that a society, culture, or community collectively rejects, suppresses, or denies in itself. While individuals have personal shadows traits, desires, and emotions you push out of our conscious awareness because they’re uncomfortable or don’t align with your self-image.
Entire groups can develop collective shadows based on shared beliefs, norms, and values. This collective shadow forms when societies repress certain traits or behaviors (we see this heavily with gender norms) or when they stigmatize marginalized groups and try to erase or white wash their traumatic histories.
And it’s not just women who are affected by this. LGTBQ, Indigenous and the Black communities are impacted and within this collective shadow of White Supremacy.
How Collective Shadow Relates to the Individual
The Collective Shadow affects the individual due to social, cultural and religios constructs that are imprinted into their psyche at a young age. In this day and age, we see it within our movies, liteature and social media. For example, up until the past decade or so, only White Disney Princesses were depicted and the social constructs for feminine beauty have been primarily Euro-centric. Many of the Villains were often LGTBQ Coded or POC.
The Collective Shadow is formed through repressing, demonizing and erasing the traumatic parts of a marginalized community, as well as associating emotions or behaviors as unacceptable or difficult.
For white individuals, the collective shadow around subtle racism can manifest as unrecognized biases that perpetuate systemic inequality. Especially with society’s avoidance of direct conversations on race reinforces blind spots, creating discomfort or defensiveness when subtle racism is challenged. This reflects a collective unwillingness to examine complicity in racial inequity.
As a white woman, I do not feel comfortable diving into speaking for other marginalized communities any further. However, there is a lot of information and conversation going on… Take the time to listen and sit with the discomfort. This has been one of my most personal tools of growth in these areas.
The Dark Goddesses Scream
One thing I have definitely noticed with the past week, and the energies of social media… There was a big focus on Feminine Rage.. Which is valid. As an AFAB, I get it. But, we must not forget that it’s not just Feminine Rage… especially White Feminine Rage. There are many marginalized communities who are feeling this energy, this Sacred Rage. Because underneath our rage, our anger is so much more than that.
The Dark Goddess is not just for women. Yes, she is the archetype for The Repressed and Rejected Feminine, but also for minorities of all repressed races, genders, sexuality, spiritual beliefs, and physical and mental disabilities. She is there for the all marginalized communities, an advocate for victims and the pathway for empowerment and liberation.
That’s why so many of us felt her call this past week.
However, if she has been calling to you during the time a Collective Shadow got scraped open… It still means you need to sit down and unpack your own shadow, your own cultural, social, religious and family constructs and conditionings. However, that looks for YOU.
Because she is the Queen and Goddess of the Underworld(the subconscious), and while community is important, we also have to unpack our shit individually as well to help the collective. As we heal ourselves, we heal others. As we heal others, we heal ourselves.
We must remember, it’s not our rage alone that creates change, but the clarity that follows. We can’t let this energy fizzle out; inaction and complacency are what brought us here. The Dark Goddess calls us to act with purpose, to carry this momentum forward, and to build something transformative from the depths of our truth.
