Nature Makes a Compelling Case For Looking Into Shadow Work — And Not Being Scared of It
Reconsidering shadow work
We often think of shadow and darkness with great fear.
One day when I was a little girl swinging on a swing set I got very frustrated with my own shadow that kept emerging and disappearing over and over again. I begged my mom to make my shadow go away. Amused and wise, she said she couldn’t do it and tried to explain that our shadows are always with us and they are our friends. As a young girl, I was already annoyed with my own shadow and avoiding it.
Now, when I wander through our backyard, shadows are my friend. They often are the first sign of the magical butterflies that grace us every growing season. When I see on the grass in front of me a shadow of something flying I often look up and find a remarkable creature: a monarch butterfly, a blue heron, an owl, or a hawk. In this way, shadows are a guide. I can now see from this concrete example that I can turn inward to my shadow self and not be afraid of her.
Shadows are also a comfort in summertime as they indicate cool shade. Funnily enough, it took me until I was quite far into adulthood to recognize even shade shadows — talk about resistance!
