Misconceptions of the Shadow self

As soon as I inserted this picture something became obvious and it seems to me that there is an inner dialogue going on that I haven’t noticed before. Every time I write about shadow work, or inner child healing or some other profound topic of self care, it always seems that my images that go along with the post are often black and white. So what you might think, what’s the big deal. I see it as the balance between the light and the darkness within all of us. Perhaps it is metaphorical for the light to transform the darkness. Perhaps it is the realization that the darkness has much to teach us and is required just as well. Once again balance is the key to finding a coexistence between both.

It is safe to say though that many shy away from shadow work and that the misconception exists that the shadow is the home to the worst parts of ourselves. Yet they still are a part of us, do we love them any less, do we dispose them and banish them back to the darkness. Far away from us so we don’t have to deal with it or face up to it. Whatever we do, this belief is false and the shadow is actually the home to the parts of ourselves that WE have rejected. So how could it ever be so intimidating if we made that choice? What we have done here is that we have judged ourselves, and in the process of it we deemed these parts of us as unworthy, as unlovable, as unacceptable. We have punished ourselves and inflicted what we are often scared to receive from others. Yet we did it to ourself, all while we should’ve been our best support, our biggest fan. We marked these parts as bad, yet it is not a place were our worst parts remain. It is for these rejected parts that the shadow, our shadow side remains full of untapped potential and creativity. Just like the light tries trying to transform the darkness we can transform these rejected parts of ourselves with love. Have you ever been punished by Love? Can you imagine what could be if we extended that kind of grace to ourselves?