The Shadow
Poetry Friday
Beloveds,
Have you ever been around a child who is seeing their shadow for the first time? They are usually curious about how it moves with them. They often try to run away from it. Of course, they cannot “lose” their shadow. It sticks right with them! Some kids find that disconcerting and become scared of their own shadow.
During Lent we have the opportunity to slow down and we can intentionally think about our “grownup” shadow. The shadow that is internal. It is unlike the qualities or emotions that we are conscious of and most proud of about ourselves. The shadow self is what we usually keep hidden and are afraid to look at or admit about ourselves. The shadow is the “dark side” of our personality that we subconsciously reject. It can be the negative things we tell ourselves or something we developed from events we experienced growing up. Adults can be just as afraid of their shadow as children. We often try to “lose” our shadow by neglecting to acknowledge it or by being oblivious to it.
When we don’t work on our shadow side, we tend to project these negative emotions onto others without realizing it. Your shadow can distort what is really going on in a relationship and it can lead to unintentionally hurting others. Even Jesus went into the wilderness to wrestle with his shadow!
How do you learn to walk with your shadow? The same way kids do. You learn to befriend it. It’s called doing shadow work. First, you have to recognize what causes you to react in ways that are harmful to yourself or to others. Pay attention to your reactions in situations where your emotions are strongest or when you come away from a situation where you feel you weren’t your best and it bothers you. Journal about what was going on inside of you in these situations.
Be curious to learn what pulls you into reacting in ways you don’t find congruent within yourself. And, if you really want to commit to learning to walk with the shadow - find someone to help you recognize and make peace with it. You need an ongoing commitment and active attention to do shadow work. It can be painful to do this work and it can be rewarding as you learn that your shadow is a part of what makes you who you are. You can learn to accept it, have compassion for yourself, and become aware of when it is showing up. The shadow never disappears. It’s there for life. When it shows up, you have a choice to let it run your life or you can learn to walk with it and recognize it’s not so scary after all.
Joining you in seeking balance,
Jace
Meet Your Shadow Self
Follow your excitement, your joy, they say and in your highest vibration
You’ll make space for life to send you gifts that were beyond your imagination
Just don’t be fooled by false perfection or run away from harsh truths and darkness,
Because this is also where we find our greatness.
The new you awaits, this transformation will awake
Unknown gifts and hidden truths will start to radiate.
Yes, jealousy feels like a nemesis, I’m struggling to see the benefit
Its bitterness causes chaos, makes life unbearably reckless
Feeds off this mind like a vicious devil, but why do I feel like the one who’s evil?
Or does her discomfort remind me that I’m only human?
The other face of inspiration?
Just breathe and let her flow and soon enough you’ll come to know,
The mask that steals your glow, shows up, so you can let her go.
Isolation is starting to suffocate me because of my inability
To open up, express, and let them see what’s underneath.
You see it’s my vulnerability that I mistake for being so weak
Dark demons will be exposed, afraid of raw truths that do withhold.
Anger must be my loyal friend then,
A valid emotion, I sense.
Said to fuel inspiration, give rise to inner revolutions.
Keeping this rage within can’t be the answer and my only solution,
It’s true that destruction can make space for and birth evolution
And the freedom to release does feel like liberation.
It’s time to break free from this illusion, step into radical unification.
You see, resentment is a bitch sometimes
Rising up after brewing forever inside
And all these feelings I’ve tried so hard to hide, feel as though they’ve intensified.
There’s no escape now, nowhere to run or hide, even though that’s something I’ve tried.
It works for a while,
Until the wrath of her storm can no longer be ignored.
She’ll come after you with more force to start this internal war.
Am I feeling overwhelmed yet? You bet! I’m still learning what it’s like to accept,
To not judge these emotions so much and see the power that lies inside these gems.
Negative versus positive, can we remove these so-called labels, please
We’re the ones who made them up, setting expectations none of us really need.
It’s time to embrace every version of you
You see, your darkness is exactly where you’ll find your truth.
Let it in, so it can reunite with the one inside they call your inner light.
And remember you’re the one who decides, how it shows up in your life.
https://medium.com/@navaulakh/meet-your-shadow-self-832c5ff71f29
Copyright © Navneet Aulakh
Jungian Schematics
Out of the formless potential
of the Self,
the Ego takes shape,
birthing forth awareness
as it begins to differentiate.
Bigger and bigger the Ego grows,
Deciding which inner and outer
narratives take hold.
In this subjective and objective fight,
Genetic code guides the light.
From this process,
the Personal Shadow is born,
Harboring every faceless form.
For individuation to take place,
The unconscious must be faced.
When the darkness is brought to light,
the soul's transformation begins on sight.
Wisdom is found in revelations trance,
As the Ego and Shadow harmoniously dance.
The Self evolves, blending shadow and light,
embracing wholeness in the infinite dance of
day and night.
Matt Sparks from poetry.comShadow work takes time, practice, and patience. It can be like learning to make shadow puppets. It can start out as a big fog. As you learn to pull back from the flame, you can see the shadow taking shape into something you can understand.