My Shadow is My Friend

By Kerrie Dancing Butterfly My shadow is my friend. When my shadow appears, so does the opportunity to look inward and discover what illusions, delusions, addictions, attachments and projections are still present within me. When my shadow presents itself, during what seems like the most inopportune moments, it shows me where to shine the light. * When I find myself preoccupied with time and life’s daily “To Do” list—my shadow presents itself. * When I haven’t made my physical, emotional or spiritual needs a priority, and I feel out of balance—my shadow presents itself. * When I project permanence to things that are ever-evolving like relationships, finances or fragile life itself—my shadow presents itself. * When I attach a greater value to success or material items over a person’s feelings—my shadow presents itself. * When l look at a situation with fearful eyes instead of seeing the situation resolved with my loving faith—my shadow presents itself. * When I judge or criticize the choices of another—my shadow presents itself. It is during these times I realize that I have allowed myself to become disconnected from what really matters. I am separate from my true self, my self-love, my love for others and the Divine Source. My shadow and I are now face to face. There is no denying its presence. In order to get my attention my shadow whispers or sometimes shouts for the light to shine in upon the darkness that resides within. The shadow pleads for change by expressing itself through the emotions. When my shadow is present, I may act irritable, impatient, intolerant, angry, anxious, jealous, fearful, lonely, hungry, confused or sad. My shadow is emotional and wants my attention. It is here in this intimate space with my friend the shadow that I am exposed and vulnerable. I am in no danger, just more susceptible than ever to seeing the truth. Instead of looking in the mirror I sometimes turn away and search for someone or something to fill the void. In our world today, there are many places to hide from the truth—in a wine bottle, in a pint of ice cream, in other people’s problems, in pointing the blame elsewhere or in another person’s arms. These choices may only temporarily ease the pain. In the long run these choices exacerbate the feelings of disconnection from true self because they are self-sabotaging in nature. Nothing can dim my own light quicker than my own darkness.rnLuckily, my friend the shadow is here to help me. When I make the conscious choice to look inward and see the truth, I discover my shadow’s emotions are calling attention to a situation that is keeping my true light from shining bright. Once, I step back, take a deep breath and witness the situation, the emotional drama begins to dissolve, clearing the way for the truth to be exposed. In this calmer space, it is usually quite apparent where the real problem is and how to address it. Somewhere I am not being truly loving of myself or others. Somewhere I am projecting or blaming or attaching to a situation. Somewhere I have lost faith in myself or someone else. Somewhere I have lost site of those precious things in life that really matter. By remedying the situation, my friend the shadow has helped me to reconnect with my true self and reignite my inner light. The real opportunity presents itself when I allow my shadow’s subtle or overt clues from my emotional body to be heard. The rewards for listening, as well as acting, on the insights gleaned from this process are profound! It is I who am the keeper of my internal light. When I truly want to shine, no person or situation can dim my light. We are all meant to shine, each in our own uniquely resilient light. I used to be embarrassed by my shadow. Now, I am grateful to have such a close friend that knows me more intimately than anyone else. With gratitude, I receive the teachings my shadow offers me. It is with great humility and respect for my shadow that I have come to truly love myself as a whole beautiful being. “So, my friend, my shadow, I see you, I honor you and I respect you. I am here to listen and learn about my true self through our dance together. I choose to find balance in my life, love myself and others unconditionally and follow my path in faith guided by Divine Light. I trust that when I stray, you will show up to help me find the way.” What is the nature of your relationship with your shadow?