Are You Living in the Shadows?

If life feels empty and unfulfilled, perhaps you have been on a spiritual journey for a long time, processed the same issue over and over, attended numerous workshops and retreats, read every book and yet there is still a great void within. Maybe you are consumed with grief and everything you have ever believed in as gone out of the window, you tell your faith to get going because it’s not worth the loyalty that you’ve given it and even question whether it’s a whole lot of rubbish anyway. If so then perhaps you are experiencing being in the shadow of your spirituality.

As a therapist, health educator and long term promoter of self awareness and positive personal power,  I am noticing that the times we slip into that shadow they become experiential times of great intensity and soul seeking, although we may be unaware of it during the experience, a transformation is taking place – leading to a higher consciousness and spiritual understanding.

The shadow is the contrast to the spiritual highs but then in all things there is a measure. If we never experienced the different degrees then we would not be able to distinguish the difference.

If your life feels bleak at this time then these words of optimism may be irritating to you as I have to say has been my experience at times over the past few months when others have tried to console me over the loss of my dear mother… Hopefully she has now joined my father in heavenly bliss since he passed from this life only two years before. Such heartache I must endure.

Life can plunge us into difficulty beyond comprehension bringing change and loss with major events such as, death, divorce, accidents, illnesses and these events all bring self enquiry of some sort.

This is a time to go with the flow of how you are feeling and embrace the shadow, as opposed to making big decisions and bringing about any drastic changes. This is a time that you are likely to feel withdrawn and more sensitive than usual, so give yourself permission to honour your own needs without feeling selfish or guilty, a time to be gentle and kind to yourself.

sWhilst in the shadow it’s no time to make big decisions and drastic changes but to dwell a while there and surrender to all that you are feeling. Out of the depths of despair you will at some point evolve, the shadow will lift and life will be brighter once more and bringing a deeper understanding and spiritual regeneration.

Whatever it is that plunges you into the shadow, after the time of intensity that it brings, then it’s time to get up again and get on with your life. To get in touch with that part of you that lets you know that no matter how many times you break down you must get back up. Of course it doesn’t take five minutes to get your life on track, this may be slowly at first but step by step you move on despite the changes that have come upon you. You may be put on notice to reassess your life and so now is the time to make changes or simply to get back into life as it was before or even dust off some dreams and make them happen.

Wherever you are at and everyone has to be somewhere, then I wish you faith, luck, peace, understanding and joy.

Do you have a inspiring story of overcoming a life in the shadows?

Please  share your  wisdom with others and contribute to  the discussion of this article.

NB:  ‘Shadow Self’ title image courtesy of Leah Day; for more information about her personal journey and masterful quilting, please visit her blog Free Motion Quilting Project and Day Style Designs website.