Tarot Prompts to Explore Your Shadow Self
What Is the Shadow Self?
Your shadow self is made up of the parts of you that you’ve repressed, denied, or felt shame around. These are often emotions or traits that didn’t feel “acceptable” growing up — like anger, sadness, selfishness, or fear.
Shadow work invites these parts back into awareness so they can be understood, integrated, and no longer run the show from behind the scenes.
Why Use Tarot for Shadow Work?
Tarot acts as a mirror. Each card reflects something happening internally — a belief, an emotion, a wound, or a pattern. Instead of guessing what needs your attention, the cards show you.
Tarot doesn’t judge. It reveals. That’s why it’s such a safe and powerful tool for shadow work.
7 Tarot Prompts to Explore Your Shadow Self:
Use one card per prompt. Journal what comes up — no filters.
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What part of myself have I been avoiding?
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What fear is keeping me from moving forward?
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Where am I giving my power away?
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What belief about myself needs to be rewritten?
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What anger or grief still lives in me?
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What part of me is asking to be seen and accepted?
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What hidden strength lives in my shadow?
Each prompt can lead to unexpected clarity. Let the card speak. Trust what you feel.
What If I Don’t Understand the Card?
Look at the image first — not the meaning.
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What do you see?
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What’s happening in the scene?
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What’s the emotion?
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If this card were a dream, what would it be telling you?
This process helps you connect to the message intuitively — no need to be perfect.
Want More Support with Shadow Work?
🖤 The Shadow Work Tarot Workbook includes 40+ guided prompts like these, plus room to write and reflect — whether you’re new to shadow work or deep in the process.
🃏 Or book a live tarot reading if you want to work through your current emotions in real time with intuitive support.
📺 Watch videos for more prompts and reflections:
👉 Ripecolor on YouTube
📌 Save or share the prompts on Pinterest:
👉 Ripecolor on Pinterest
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Also in News
How a Tarot Reading Can Help You Make Decisions
Can Tarot Really Help Me Make a Decision?
Yes — but not by telling you what to do.
A tarot reading won’t say “Take the job” or “Leave the relationship.” Instead, it shows you:
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What’s influencing you
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What fears or desires are present
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What energy surrounds each option
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What you’re not seeing clearly
The goal isn’t control — it’s clarity.
Why Is It So Hard to Decide?
Because decisions are rarely just logical.
They’re emotional. Energetic. Tied to identity and fear. Sometimes you're not choosing between Option A and B — you're choosing between comfort and growth, fear and freedom.
Tarot helps you name the real decision behind the surface one.
What Kinds of Questions Can I Ask?
Instead of asking:
Should I do this or not?
Try:
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What is the energy surrounding this opportunity?
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What lesson is present in this decision?
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What will I learn if I choose this path?
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What am I avoiding in making this choice?
These open questions give the cards space to speak honestly.
What Will the Cards Show?
The cards reflect what’s already happening inside you — your resistance, your longing, your truth. A good reading won’t push you. It will help you recognize the path you already feel but haven’t fully claimed.
Sometimes, you’ll hear what you already knew. That’s confirmation. And that’s powerful.
Want Help Seeing Clearly?
✨ I offer intuitive, honest tarot readings designed to help you cut through confusion, reconnect to your intuition, and make decisions with confidence.
📘 Want to start decoding the cards yourself?
Explore the Tarot Cheat Sheet and Reversals Guide
📺 Watch sample readings and decision spreads here:
👉 Ripecolor Tarot Channel
📌 Share or revisit this blog:
👉 Ripecolor on Pinterest
Looking for Honest Tarot Guidance? Here’s What to Do
Wondering what really happens in a tarot reading? Learn what to expect, how it works, and how an honest session can bring clarity and grounded insight.
Why Shadow Work Feels Hard (and How Tarot Makes It Easier)
Shadow work is hard because it’s real. Learn why it brings up so many emotions — and how tarot offers a safe, symbolic way to work through what arises.
Jeffrey Goldstein
Author