Don’t delude yourself. Everyone, everything has an enduring shadow. They are part of the dual world, inner and outer, that we are born into and of which we are made. And there is a deep, spiritual (and material, ecological, economic, historical, philosophical and on and on) reason for its being. And i will only speak of one of these reasons.
Since shadows cannot be banished, they must be embraced.
Again, who knows, but i will tell you about my reasons. I am not saying that once you understand what causes yours you will be able to banish it forever. Far from it. I will address this aspect in another post.
But here are some of my causes.
Tiredness brings out my shadow. When i have been working hard on something and do not let myself rest because i want to do more and more — all in the name of achievement — my shadow springs from behind and brings me low.
illness elicits my shadow. when i am not feeling well but don’t slow down enough to recognize that i am not feeling well and keep going, bang!
when i feel powerful in my creativity and think i am unbeatable, wham!
Instead of giving you an academic definition of a shadow, let me describe my own.
I think that compared with the shadow of a criminal or a murderer, my shadow is quite genial, but it wrecks havoc in my life. It is no less dangerous for me than a murderer is for the victim. when my shadow overtakes and swallows me I am negative about my self, my life, my connections, my family, my work. I see no beauty, though beauty abounds everywhere; I have no peace, though there is no reason for agitation; my tongue buds taste nothing though the food is delicious; God disappears; love disappears. sweetness disappears. And I feel like a carcass left on the shore of the river of life.
