"Imagine there is a part of every human being that has the power to be our teacher, our trainer and our guide, leading us to strength, creativity, brilliance and happiness. Imagine this part of us is just waiting to be seen, to be heard and to be embraced. But it is not patient, and when left unexamined and ignored, this part of us has the power to sabotage our life, destroying our relationships, killing our spirit and keeping us from fulfilling our dreams. So what is this mysterious part of us, buried deep inside our consciousness? It is our human shadow." ~ Debbie Ford
I believe we are always receiving messages through signs in nature, and animals fall into that category. The Native Americans believed in animal totems in which each animal held a specific meaning. Both they - and I - believe that when a particular animal totem frequently appears, it brings with them a message, a gift, or it may simply help us spiritually learn and grow. The owl was one that would appear to me regularly, and I recently received a special gift from it. The owl is a teacher that shows us how to see and hear what is being hidden. Sometimes people hide words, feelings and actions from each other. But more often the one thing that most people hide is their shadow side. And that special gift I received is to see their shadow and bring it into the light.
The shadow side is our dark side - the one aspect of ourselves that we reject and attempt to hide out of shame and fear. It's the part of us that we loathe and believe is unacceptable to those in our lives and especially to ourselves. It is often a result of a tragic mistake, one in which we have deeply wounded ourselves or others. We see this part of us as horrible and mournfully regret we ever made this appalling mistake to begin with.
Our shadow has incredible power over our lives and controls how successful, or unsuccessful we will become - in any area of our life. In addition, memory of our shadow often shows up in the worst possible moments - just when we are getting ready to make a speech, go on that date we have been anticipating, or interview for that dream job. Our shadow steps in to remind us of the pain we inflicted and stops us dead in our tracks.
But the only way the shadow continues to have power and control over your life is by keeping it in the dark. And the only way to bring it into the light is to be courageous enough to explore it. Here are 3 reasons to help ignite your courage:
Success.
The shadow side or aspect of yourself will always undermine your best efforts to succeed in all areas of your life - even ones that you don't think apply. Until you face this dark side, learn from it and then integrate it, your success will consistently be sabotaged and the fulfillment of your desires kept on hold.
Freedom.
The fear, shame and guilt that you project onto your shadow, keep your spirit imprisoned and keep the real you from experiencing the wonder of life. When you bring what was dark into the light, you are free to delight and take pleasure in your whole self. Your heart becomes open and free of judgment and criticism - towards yourself and towards others. Life becomes a marvelous journey for us to travel.
Joy.
There is no greater joy than in expressing your true, whole self. No longer hiding anything out of shame, guilt or fear, in wholeness of self you are an unbounded, glorious being of joy. If a portion of your self is suppressed within the darkness of the shadow, your joy is drastically limited. By bringing what was dark into the light, you can then accept and acknowledge that portion that was separated from you. You are then able to see the good in it, thereby incorporating and allowing the whole of you to be expressed with the utmost joy.
We go to great lengths to avoid our shadow. And yet, our shadow remains desperate to be seen, understood, acknowledged and reintegrated into our being. There is good contained within our shadow, but we must be courageous enough to first look at it head-on. We must be willing to forgive the pain that it caused and to instead discover the gem that is hidden within. Embodied within our shadow is a distinctive beauty that was somehow misunderstood, misjudged or misused. No matter what we have done in the past, the holy truth is we are and will always be inherently beautiful, divine beings that are worthy and deserving of all we desire. Don't reject your shadow any longer - allow yourself to experience this holy truth of you.
I am now offering shadow work to help you face, understand and integrate your shadow side. Please contact me for details and information at pamela@passagetoinnerjoy.com
