Maria Arpa
This week
Spotlight on the Shadows
Plus…
Maria’s Midweek Mindfulness
and
The Wednesday Whisper
And I don’t mean the popular rock band of the 60’s
Our shadow is a secret storage space where we dump all the emotional stuff we don’t want to own but can’t get rid of. By keeping it hidden, we allow it to influence some of what we do and who we are. And by failing to recognise, acknowledge and understand our shadow we give it the power to control us.
When we tell ourselves that we can’t face the pain of these old wounds, we end up working very hard to keep them in the storage space because they constantly want to come into the light and get healed and, when prevented, they manifest in unhealthy ways which cause us distress and baffle people around us.
Meeting our shadow and engaging with it is how we can become confident and empowered. It’s not easy work and it requires us to be willing to unravel however, it leads to self-acceptance and self-love. When I am willing to accept myself warts and all and able to shine a light on my shadow others can see my authenticity and I can become more connected and less lonely.
When I first started the process of meeting my shadow, I compared it to jumping out of an aeroplane and free falling, not knowing if the parachute was going to open. Once I realised that the parachute always opens, it became easier and easier to process, to the point where it was thrilling and exciting to meet myself in every possible place. It’s a work in progress and I love my shadow.
Maria’s Midweek Mindfulness
Every now and again events unfold and I love to ask my shadow, ‘what would you do?’ The answers are no longer worrying or shameful, they are quite entertaining.
The Wednesday Whisper
Have you explored your shadow? What does it reveal? How do you ‘play’ with it?
And just in case you want a moment to remember the popular 60’s rock band called The Shadows, here’s a link: https://youtu.be/EzgbcyfJgfQ
Would you be willing to send this out to anyone you think might be interested in getting a little dose of mindfulness each week?