In a world that is already too deeply polarized, we have recently shifted even further in the direction of running from our shadows, assigning the content of our shadows, our worst fears, to other people or other groups, and dropping further into despondency as we feel less and less complete.

Why are we feeling so empty? Why do we feel so helpless? Why is our sense of purpose fading? Why do we feel some kind of darkness consuming us?

That darkness that is engulfing us is the collection of our own shadows we work so hard to separate, destroy, and eliminate from ourselves. Our specific shadows are the first aspects we notice in others that are most offensive to us.

I came across this amazing image on Amazon! Not exactly the company to support, yet, the perfect image was there. To credit who created it, here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Sculpture-Silhouette-Hangings-23-6IN/dp/B0CP7R6VFX

Through this image, we can see that the further we run from our feared shadows living in our hidden darkness, the more we lose the roots of who we truly are. However, if we completely sever our roots, we won’t be able to sustain the visible part of our lives on the surface. We lose our grounding, and we lose our vitality and sustenance to truly live.

Once we face our shadows, shine our own light on them, accept them despite how we wish we didn’t have such “unacceptable” characteristics, we become our complete selves. As we continue to look directly at our shadows, they shrink and lose their monstrous terror. By accepting them as a part of us, our shadows integrate with our light and transform from grotesque, hidden secrets to be projected onto others into innovative superpowers we have learned to love, arming us with the gift of emanating harmony to all around us.

Accepting and integrating one’s shadows is not easy work. As much as I understand the process, I’m still deep in the bowels of my own shadow work that has taken years for me to begin to make progress. Yet, the more I seek out, discover, expose, and accept my shadows, the more I become able to feel and know who I am. My purpose in this world is slowly breaking through the surface from the ground where I am able to start seeing small pieces of why I’m meant to live this life, this strange life in a very, very strange and chaotic world.

If you are feeling lost, despondent, and helpless in how to find meaning and purpose in a world that is currently composed of far more shadows than light, consider digging into your own shadow work. By reclaiming your own shadows and integrating them with your own light, you will be doing your part in cleaning out some of the excess, confusing shadows that have overcrowded our planet. Once you have integrated enough of your own shadows, you’ll feel your connection to your roots, your purpose, and clearly see your pathway to being a part of healing a planet that is currently very troubled.