This time of the year, more than others, can cause us to become more aware of strange noises, weird feelings, and even those things that can only be seen in our peripheral vision – shadows.

This reality that we are traveling through is one of duality. There are male and female humans and animals; there is warmth and there is cold; there is right and there is left; there is daylight and there is darkness. Even we are of a dual nature. We are spiritual beings traveling in this reality clothed in a physical body. We are beings of Light but we also have Darkness – shadows.

Sometimes these shadows are referred to as “shadow selves” and refer to the qualities we may carry that are not coming from the Light – from Love. What is interesting about this is that here, in this reality, nothing is ever all Light or all Darkness. The Earth plane is a school and we have come to learn that without the Darkness we would never appreciate the Light. We’ve also come to learn to find the path of Balance between the two – Light and Darkness. Shadow selves are with us to remind us of that.

Shadows can also be rejected selves – parts we have overcome in order to survive. For example, someone who’s a workaholic may have a rejected self that is lazy and that may cause the person to have a tendency to criticize others who don’t work as hard as they do. What’s interesting here is that we may manifest a mate, friends, and/or co-workers who have these very qualities to show us what we have rejected. So, if you have rejected the shadow self of anger, you may find yourself in a relationship with one or more persons that has a temper. It’s us trying to tell ourselves, “Pay attention here. It’s about balance.”

Now reclaiming that rejected shadow part of oneself really has nothing to do with wanting to embody that negative trait. It means you accept that part of yourself and want to have a little more of that quality. Like the example of the workaholic who, in reality, might like to slow down a little. You know, find some balance between work and rest. Or how about the extremely docile person who never stands up for themselves. Perhaps reclaiming the shadow self of anger would allow them to stand up for themselves when needed.

Our “shadows”, when brought into balance with the Light in us, allow us to become less judgmental of others and also to stop manifesting that quality in those around us because now we are aware of the need to have both the Light and the Dark within us.

We are headed into the time of introspection – a time to learn the who and why of ourselves. This is a perfect time to grab a paper and pencil (or however you make notes and lists) and make a list of the traits you find objectionable in others. Go so far as to put a star beside the ones that really push your buttons. Put a checkmark next to the ones that are common in people close to you – friends, lovers, co-workers, etc. Then ask yourself the following questions:

• What was your own programming around these traits?

• What would have happened to you in your family if you had indulged in this behavior?

• What price would you pay now for being unable to have this behavior available to you?

• What part of yourself do you continually engage to keep your rejected self suppressed (such as an inner critic, a slave driver, a doubter, etc.)?

• What would happen if that inner control relaxed and you developed a bit of this trait?

• What could you do differently to allow this part of you to appear now and then?

This is an exercise in loving ourselves, in totality, for who we truly are as we discover who that really is. This is an exercise in not only “knowing yourself”, but opening your heart and living in balance. It is one of the lessons of this Earth-life well worth investing some time and energy into because the end result will bring you a more balanced walk through Life. It opens doorways, that had been filled with energetic debris, that allows abundance in any form you may want, need or desire to come rushing to you. It’s you telling the Universe you are now ready to fulfill the purpose you for which you truly came here.

The Veil between the worlds is very thin now, making it easier to touch that part or parts of your being that you hardly know exist. “Winter is coming.” and with it the darkness of the year. A perfect time to touch the shadows within, becoming reacquainted with them and discovering why they were rejected in the first place.

So, fear not those things that go bump in the night, nor the fleeting glimpses of shadows in corner of your eye. You are the Darkness and the Light and together you are made whole.

Love & Blessed Be