11/02/13: Gift of the Shadow / Moon

“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” –Buddha

There are parts of who I am that I definitely would not have chosen. There are wounds that never healed properly, insecurities that quietly lurk in the back of my psyche, only paraded out for crisis.

I don’t really enjoy digging them up, but it’s damn important I’m willing to do so because rejecting these parts of oneself has a very high cost.

I have always loved “Shadow” as The Moon—such evocative imagery. See the sun and moon above the figures, along with the outlines on their respective robes? The circle behind them show both as part of the same cycle, as well as the staff they hold unites both. We see clearly, we’re looking at two sides  of the same person. You cannot deny one side and expect to be successful working with the other.

In full-blown Zoroastrian simplicity, so often we tend to see in black and white, good and evil. That’s a false dichotomy. There is NO perception of light without shadow—pure light is blinding–nor can we find shadow without light.

The world has a place both for the moon and the sun. Neither exist in isolation.

Today I am not looking at “the bright side” or embracing the light. Today, acknowledge the shadow.

What feelings would you rather not admit? What situations are you unsure about? What’s been unconsciously denied?

Look to areas where you over-react emotionally, ongoing pockets of craziness in your life for insight. Receptivity, an openness and attitude of acceptance, is how you work with Shadow/Moon energy. By opening up to the “crazy” and nonsensical without demanding illumination, a greater truth can emerge. Balance can be achieved by owning the whole instead of the part. Uncovered truths confer power. This is the gift of the shadow.

Have you ever found “gifts of the shadow”?