Shadow Hunting Light Seeking

At this time of the year, it’s not unusual for us to want to be quiet. The days between the bright lights of Christmas and New Year can often find us needing to cocoon, to ease the pace, to nourish, nurture & restore deeply. The Winter Solstice, a full moon in Cancer (linked to our relationships with memories, our past, our inner child, food, the mother archetype, our ancestry, our sensitivity & our feelings) the darker, colder nights & the emotional tidal wave that can often accompany our holiday gatherings may find us dwelling in the shadows of our past, our fears, our insecurities, our sharpness, & our suffering.

Dark, light, heavy, joyous, sad, excited … our feelings are all a part of the human experience. The trick is to meet them without judgement, without the stories of things being right/wrong, good/bad, but observe them as is. The medicine is often in our ability to sit with all of ourselves, and not continue to run away, shut down or deny the parts of us that make us feel uncomfortable, afraid, or upset.

We ALL have these aspects of ourselves, no matter how proficient we’ve become at hiding them from the light of day. They’re part of our journey, our duality, our wholeness, our inner work. To ignore, avoid, push them down, or gloss over our shadows is to deny our self of our humanity and of our truth.

If we truly want to manifest the new goodness, call in the bounty, reach for our potential, attract the higher LOVE that awaits us, we have to stop recycling through the same choices, conditioning, mindset, behaviors and habits. We need to be spacious, clear and free of the energetic weight that creates disharmony and misalignment in our lives.

Over the years, I’ve come to know shadow work as a powerful illuminating teacher for game changing shifts, for new discovery, reconciliation, embracing my wholeness, deep healing & even deeper Self LOVE.

Take time to cast your mind back over all this year has shown you. Can you see a pattern, a revolving door that delivers a sense of familiarity?

When we listen to what our shadows have to say, we give them space to be heard. We honor ourselves deeply. We learn the true meaning of compassion. We begin to understand & know our deepest needs. We can be reminded that we’re all doing the best we can with what we know. We can feel safe in our courageous vulnerability. We can kiss the pain and begin to release the hurt. We can soften, be kinder and more patient with ourselves and with others. We begin to see our shadows as allies, rather than enemies. We can regard them as important light intel and life supporting allies for our inner work. We can choose to redefine our relationship with our shadows, and use them as a resource to LOVE all of ourselves fully.

You deserve that full, whole brand of LOVE that only you can give to your Self.

So I invite you to spend some time conversing with your shadows over the coming days. Get curious about where they came from. Are they even yours to carry … or were they handed to you via the expectations of society, culture, or family? What can they teach you? How can they bring you closer to your own personal truths? Where can you release the burden of things that don’t fit, or serve you?

Pulling these threads out of our watery, wintery depths, into the light of our awareness, acknowledging them, naming them, and making sense of them will lead us into enjoying a deeper, more beautiful, intimate, loving relationship with our Self and ultimately others.

Your hidden secrets can be the key to unlock your highest truths.

Your deepest fears can yield your brightest gifts.

Your darkness can be your greatest source of light.

Your reactions can be code for your deepest healing.

Your patterns can be clues to knowing your deepest needs.

Your chains that bind can be the release to your sweet liberation.

Our shadows are the sacred breadcrumbs that guide us home to LOVE.