Facing Shame with Sobek

Could the anxiety, adrenal fatigue, and digestive disorders you are experiencing be rooted in shame?

At this moment in time, so many things could be contributing to what we feel physically. The old rules no longer apply and this deconstruction can leave us feeling confused, anxious, and fearful. These emotions can become internalized even more now that we no longer have our regular social outlets of processing our reality.

Part of this introspective period has me looking deeper into the imprints that drive certain behaviors and patterns that can create feelings that then become internalized and manifest on a physical level.

One such deep imprint that I will be exploring during my next healing circle is that of shame. Shame that drives perfectionism, anxiety, fear, feeling like one's survival is threatened, isolation, and loneliness even if one seems to be an extrovert. 

God/Goddess knows that I have moved through my own cycles of shame. We all have and yet it's such a "shameful" topic to talk about.

Brené Brown highlights this topic in her bestseller, Daring Greatly: "Shame hates having words wrapped around it. If we speak shame, it begins to wither." Thus naming and shaming your shame will assist you in dealing with it as openly as you can.

This is the awareness I received as I concluded a meditative procession through the healing temple of Kom Ombo in Egypt. This is a Vortex place, where I resonated with how some metaphysical teachers refer to it: a space to embody neutrality.

Light and Shadow at Kom Ombo Temple, Egypt.

Isis on her birthing chair and surgical instruments at the healing temple of Kom Ombo.

Kom Ombo is the only temple in Egypt dedicated to two gods. It has a light and a dark side, and two high holies (the most sacred altar rooms in Egyptian temples).

The walls of the healing chambers at the end of the temple are decorated with hieroglyphs that resemble modern medical advancements, such as surgical tools and medicine (even though these were built thousands of years ago in the time of the ancient Egyptian civilization). We also see the goddess Isis sitting on her birthing stool.

Pharaohs used to travel far distances to come stand here among the pillars to be re-balanced and healed.

The Ancient Egyptians knew a thing or two about re-attunement through sound, color, oils, incense, imagery, chants, and symbolism. They worked with embodiment practices and practiced animism (the attribution of a soul to plants, inanimate objects, and natural phenomena) for healing and acquiring higher skills and strength.

Many of these practices were made taboo, but some practices remained in various traditions and it is only of late that more and more people are turning towards these "mystical" "energetic" ways again for healing.

Temple art at Kom Ombo depicting healing with water.

The crocodile god Sobek, at the temple of Kom Ombo.

I mean... tell me what kind of doctor would help you heal shame that is stuck in your body in order to address your physical symptoms?

In our archetypal explorations of mythological figures, each one of them offers wisdom to mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual afflictions that we may experience.

For me, Sobek, the crocodile god, honored and revered for their power and strength at the healing temple of Kom Ombo provided deeper insights into the imprint of shame.

Of course, the archetypal aspects are already a part of our psyche, just as we can relate to mythology and stories that have been shared for thousands of years.

In this way, Sobek serves as a symbolic devourer of shame: one to snatch those imprinted conditionings from you through guided visualization, and initiate you into your regal, revered power. This I experienced being in front of the mummified crocodiles at Kom Ombo. Words cannot express the reverence I felt and so much more.

Painting of Sobek by Dr. Kathia, painted during meditation in sitting with Sobek and his mythology.

Mummified crocodiles at Kom Ombo Temple.

During my 17 years of practicing functional medicine, I have seen how these feelings can be deeply internalized and manifest on a physical level as anxiety, adrenal fatigue, and digestive disorders that can only be resolved to a certain extent through physical medicines and a functional approach. Many of these symptoms need a deeper spiritual and energetic approach to clear the imprints that are the root cause of the physical symptoms (like shame for example). If you are intrigued by this, I invite you to set up a discovery call with me and discuss Spiritual Directorship.

I also invite you to attend my virtual healing journey to the healing temple of Kom Ombo next Tuesday, October 6th, 2020! We will deepen with the teachings of Sobek and discover how working with that archetypal exploration can help you move through your own imprints of shame. It can be difficult to put into words what I have experienced myself in this regard, except to say that it was incredibly powerful. The best way to share this with you is to offer you your own unique experience.

With love,
Dr. Kathia