Meditation Monday ~ Reflecting on the Light and Dark of Us
Inside each of us are dark recesses,
corners of our psyche that deserve to be enlightened.
As we journey inward, seeking the Light,
we are hesitant to explore the darkness within.
Our own inner light,
our qualities of goodness, generosity, and love
act as a spiritual flashlight,
allowing us to focus a high-beamed intensity
on the dark nooks and crannies inside —
little corners where selfishness, prejudice, or envy may reside—
all the qualities that we deny.
Secrets revealed in the dark shed light on a new way of being.
Be not afraid of your shadows.
They are but deep pools of murky thought
waiting to be illuminated and transformed into brilliant wisdom.*
Blessings of Light to you this day and, as always, I welcome your thoughts ...
~~~~~
*Excerpted from Awakening the Spirit Within (Jan Forrest Lundy, 2000)
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23 comments:
This is a great piece of wisdom that really resonates for me.
thankyou for the reminder to be not afraid in the dark spots
"Painful though it may be, this is in itself a gain — for what is inferior or even worthless belongs to me as my Shadow and gives me substance and mass. How can I be substantial if I fail to cast a Shadow? I must have a dark side also if I am to be whole; and insasmuch as I become conscious of my Shadow I also remember that I am a human being like any other. "
~Carl Jung
Though we may want to eradicate the shadow, that is not the goal as human. As human we are simply to help acknowledge the shadow and come to terms with or be "enlightened" by it. We can not exist in this realm with out the yin/yang of darkness and light.
The shadow self serves a purpose, kind of like a rudder, if you will, as to the direction one is taking themselves. Paying attention to it in that way can be most beneficial. (wow, that was long winded)
Peace~
Dawn
What a beautiful piece of wisdom and poetry, all in one! Without the dark places, we wouldn't appreciate the light. Thanks so much for this!
Jan, I picked the perfect day to return to blogging! Thanks for your lovely thoughts. As always, you inspire and soothe at the same time. I miss you up here...when are you coming home? xo
Sol,
I am glad to know that this stirred up your own inner wisdom. Blessings!
Kel,
We ALL need reminders like this when the path gets shadowy. This is what soul friends are for. :-) None of us is impervious to the darkness...
Dawn,
Beautifully said. I used to have a very strong opinion about my ego and worried about its presence. Now I truly see it as a call to pay attention....Amazing!
Cindy,
So true. It does bring appreciation for the totality of our experience, doesn't it?
Diantha,
Well welcome back to blog land! Hopefully your site hopping today enlivened you. Nice to have you here. (Home in May, miss you too!) I'll write...
I needed to hear that. Thnks
So glad Jung came up already in the comments! This is so much a part of my path. Coming to view shadows not only as things that must be faced, but as powers that can be owned once transformed, has been everything to me. And Spring Equinox is the perfect time to think in these terms I think.
Hi Jan - Thank you .. really good Monday meditation .. I'm in a dark place right now and am struggling to come out into the light - I will get there. It is time to get the winter of my discontent sorted and spring cleaned ready for our days of light and hope. Im just glad to hear my murky thoughts are waiting to be transformed into pearls of wisdom .. they will! Thank you .. Hilary
this part resonated with me:
'secrets revealed in the dark shed light on a new way of being.'
like finding our beautiful life song ;) thank you for this confirmation today, Jan especially before Easter! ;) hugs, Jenn
Beautiful Jan, may we all embrace the richness of the dark recesses within...there is much to learn from these parts of ourselves.
Missy,
Welcome and so glad to hear that you got a little bit of what you needed and were looking for. Be well!
Lisa,
I appreciate your perspective and share your thoughts on Jung. Looking into the dark of us will bring clarity, compassion, and growth beyond measure. Thank you for the reminder about the Equinox. It is a powerful time to re-dedicate ourselves to and celebrate our unfolding. :-)
Hilary,
I will hope that your dark days are soon visited by glimmers of light and clarity. It's important to remember that times like these are transitional, not likely permanent; indicators that we are ready to open to more.But sometimes we have to walk through bit of muck before the going gets easier, lighter, brighter. Take care and be well. And don't forget to breathe. xo
Jenn,
Well, Easter is such a perfect illustration of moving from darkness to light. Embracing the wisdom that can be found in dark times and bring them into the light of a new day for rebirth and transformation. May your Easter be lovely and light-filled.
Laura,
It IS all about learning, isn't it? And embracing the all of us - every little thing that emerges and allowing it to take us into greater self-knowledge. :-)
Oh Jan, I really like this. It is such a gentle way of viewing our flaws. When we accept that we are light beings, with mostly light and mostly love in us, casting a ray upon our shortcomings doesn't seem so difficult or shameful. Peace to you! Jodi
Hello Jan (and all),
It's so good to drop in and see this extraordinary thought.
Hope you've been very well! I've missed reading the blog, but your book is right by my bed.
Just starting to come up for air!
Take care,
Laura
I have always been in love with my darkness as well as the light, maybe I like it the best, because even though I may not seem very dark, I am in may ways and I have never been afraid of it, it is my quirky side, my offbeat self :-).
xoxox
These words are a gift, Jan ~
I realized recently I have been "hiding" from myself and others, afraid of what I might find in the shadows. This thought first came to me while I was listening to Caroline Myss on CD. She says the ego has gotten a bad rap because the ego has a role to fill, too. I was relieved to hear that because I want to embrace all the parts of myself and figure out how all of me makes up who I am.
I am so glad you are still posting Meditation Mondays.
Jodi,
Yes, you put it well. A very gentle way to embrace all aspects of ourselves. And a good reminder that that shadowy places invite us to healing and greater growth IN the light.
Laura,
Wonderful to see you here again. :-) I will hope and pray that the challenging time you have just been through is full of light, love, and grace. And that any dark or difficult times will be elevated with beautiful memories of your mom. Blessings and hugs.
Annie,
What you've shared here is a beautiful embracing of the all of you. Perfect and poignant. Thank you for being you!
Sharon,
Happy to hear you found insight through C. Myss' work. It is very helpful. I am sure as you embrace all the parts of you, you will find new ease with yourself and life in general. It is quite freeing....Yes, to not be afraid is a lovely thing.
"Be not afraid of your shadows.
They are but deep pools of murky thought
waiting to be illuminated and transformed into brilliant wisdom."
Oh Jan, I will try to carry this concept and these words with me from now on. They are brilliant wisdom.
xo
Wow. Surprisingly what resonates with me today is "be not afraid of your shadows..". Obviously I have some residual fear about to surface/needing to be dealt with. Which is awesome because I think it is the very answer I was actively looking for all weekend but probably wasn't quiet enough to hear. Thank you thank you!!!
Full of wisdom, this. I MUST get your book. Soon, soon. Namaste.
Angela,
Oh, I love the passion in your voice to embrace all of you. It touches my heart so....
Joy,
I wonder sometimes what it is about "shadows" that frighten us so? Perhaps that would be a good blog post. (grin) When I think of shadows I often think of Peter Pan who actually lost his shadow and had to have Wendy sew it back on. I think his shadow represented to him a sense of wholeness - not something to be afraid of. Perhaps we could adopt his attitude about this...
Twila,
Oh, you are so dear. Check on amazon for a gently used copy...I'm sure there are some there. :-)
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