Aspire Magazine: Inspiration for a Woman's Soul.(TM) Dec/Jan 2019 Aspire Magazine Final | Page 58

UNDERNEATH IT ALL WE ILLUMINATE BRIGHTLY WITH HIDDEN JEWELS OF RUBIES, EMERALDS, DIAMONDS, SAPPHIRES, AND PEARLS. DURING OUR SHADOW PROCESS WE FIND A GOLDMINE FULL OF HIDDEN GIFTS WE CAN USE TO ILLUMINATE THE SHINE BEHIND THE DARKNESS. be brought into the light, so we can face and embrace them. The longer we put off facing our shadows, the more control they have over us. Instead of learning to meet, acknowledge, and befriend our shadows, they become our mortal enemies. I had lived over forty years repressing parts of myself, so no one could see the parts of me I didn’t like. I was in deep trouble, in denial, and living with a lot of anxiety and then my body crashed under the darkness I held deep within. A year later I stumbled upon Shadow Work and it was instrumental in changing my life. YOUR SHADOW If you have ever felt that overwhelming sense of not being in control and wanting to hide under the blankets, it is because your shadows are controlling you, not the other way around. Doing shadow work is a form of self-discovery and acceptance. When you learn to accept all parts of yourself, you are dedicating time to loving who you are and all your beautiful messes. When you learn to accept all parts of you, you are sending out love into the world. Finding the Gifts in The Downside of Repressing Your Our shadows are so much more than darkness. We often feel the wildness and primal raw edge that take us into our hidden beauty deep beneath the hard surface. Underneath it all we illuminate brightly with hidden jewels of rubies, emeralds, diamonds, sapphires, and pearls. During our shadow process we find a goldmine full of hidden gifts we can use to illuminate the shine behind the darkness. There is a very significant downside to repressing parts of ourselves. These parts begin to become internal wounds that fester, sabotaging our lives. Our shadows want to We often loose our luster from childhood as we become adults. We forget about our passion for life and the discovery and creativeness we had as children. I can remember searching for Fools Gold as a child and upon finding pieces I felt as though I had found the greatest gift in the world. SHADOW SIDE 58 www.AspireMAG.net | December 2018 / January 2019