What is the Shadow?
Debbie Ford says:
The shadow contains all the parts of ourselves that we try to hide, deny or suppress- that we judge as unacceptable.
Most of us expend huge amounts of energy trying to get rid of or control these unwanted aspects of ourselves.
We hope that by hiding or fixing our bad qualities we will have the peace, success and happiness we desire.
Most of us are convinced that we are flawed and inadequate so we become masters of disguise, and go to great lengths to hide our SHADOW from those around us – even from ourselves.
The result of turning our backs on our dark side?
A life that slips by only half lived.
Until we make peace with our shadow we will continue to be at war with ourselves.
And our outer world will mirror our inner struggle.
Until we feel authentic compassion for each and every aspect of ourselves, we will continue to draw forth experiences that mirror the negative feelings we have about ourselves.
Until we take back our power and forgive ourselves for being human we will attract people who push our buttons and reactivate our emotional wounds.
This is the benevolence of the Universe in action.
The whole world is a mirror of our own consciousness, and when we make peace with the disowned aspects of ourselves, we make peace with the world.
The Shadow Process is founded on the understanding that every quality, every emotion and every experience comes bearing great gifts.
When we receive the gifts of our dark side, something truly miraculous occurs.
Our wounds are transformed into wisdom and the parts of us we once believed to be our deepest flaws are revealed as our greatest assets.
Embracing our dark side also gives us a new found freedom to be with the darkness in OTHERS.
