Transforming shame into self-love resembles an alchemical journey within the depths of your psyche—a concept Carl Jung explored throughout his life's work. At the heart of alchemy lies the 'prima materia,' the raw, unrefined substance that alchemists believed contained the potential for gold. In your inner landscape, this represents your deepest feelings of shame—the heavy lead you carry within. This shame, painful as it may be, is your starting point—the necessary material without which transformation cannot begin. When you acknowledge your shame rather than hide from it, you've already taken the first courageous step on this path.