Meet Your Shadow

The shadow is part of us that we’re ashamed of, that we don’t want people to know about. It’s that part of us that we hide away in the closet. The shadow is dark, it’s secretive, it’s primitive, it’s shrouded in mythology. And if we ignore the shadow, it tends to say, “Well, I’m going to embarrass you. I want you to notice me.”

When you exhibit so-called positive and negative qualities, you are not flawed; you are complete. When you are comfortable with your shadow, when you embrace your shadow because this is how the infinite consciousness made you, then you are attractive beyond measure, and your life is an adventure. You are natural when you are comfortable with your ambiguity, and nothing is more beautiful than being natural. When you are comfortable with your body your strengths and weaknesses, you radiate simple, unaffected humanity.

The whole of creation is contrast, tension, divine discontent. If there were only truth, goodness, harmony and beauty, the universe would expand and disappear. There has to be something to hold it back. If there were only the destructive inertial forces, then the universe would rapidly burn itself up into the heat death of absolute zero. It would collapse into a black hole and disappear. So there’s both. There’s the play between both; otherwise this world would not exist.

Adapted from Power, Freedom, and Grace by Deepak Chopra (Amber-Allen Publishing, 2006).

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Tanya W.

4:12AM PST on Dec 17, 2012

Cheers.

December 17
send a green star

Mary J.

7:45PM PDT on Sep 18, 2012

thanks

September 18
send a green star

JL A.

9:02AM PDT on Aug 20, 2012

nice reminders

August 20
send a green star

Dale O.

8:24AM PDT on Jul 31, 2012

Fascinating and intriguing. "Only The Shadow Knows!"

Reminds me of an old 1966 Star Trek episode, "The Enemy Within" where the transporter creates a replica of Captain Kirk, splitting him into two halves: one half the Good and the other half the Shadow, the beast so to speak. Without each half to bring about balance the Shadow side would get itself into trouble displaying little empathy, taking by force what was wanted while the Good side was becoming indecisive unable to make decisions, waffling constantly with no strength. Both halves needed the other to bring balance, judgement, conscience, ruthlessness in the proper proportions.

Unless one is a predator, a sociopath, we need our shadow side as a balance.

July 31
send a green star

heather g.

3:36AM PDT on Jul 1, 2012

I've never spent much time contemplating my shadow.
However, I do hope that this applies to the majority of the time, because this is how I feel viz. Quote:
"When you are comfortable with your body, your strengths and weaknesses, you radiate simple, unaffected humanity."