You and Your Shadow

"Me and my shadow
All along and feeling blue."

That's a very old song, yet it expresses something that is key to our well-being. We think there is something wrong with our shadow, the opposite of what we are consciously striving to be or become. We want that shadow side to go away. It cannot, in the same sense that we cannot only have light. Without the darkness, it would not exist.

Last night, I attended an event featuring Debbie Ford, author of The Dark Side of the Light-Chasers and several other books. She was remarkable in her clarity and simplicity. It reminded me of another old song that echoed the mores of its day:

"Love and Marriage, love and marriage,
They go together like a horse and carriage."

Some things can only be explained in terms of their opposites. Debbie suggested we think of a quality we possess that we really like. That put a smile on everyone's face. Then, she asked that we think what the opposite of it is, the dark, shadow side of our best trait. Simply she asked if we had ever entertained that shadow quality in any recess of our being. There was no question that we all had.

We are the sum total of all our parts, the sun and the shadow, the wonderful and the not-so-wonderful. Embrace it all. Love it all. It's you.

So, the next time someone says: "You are a ________!" No matter whether that blank is positive or negative, it is part of you. And, that's ok because without the shadow the light would not appear.

Many blessings,
Rhoberta

www.SoulDrivenLiving.com

Are you feeling the presence of God each day?

This is a big question! Are you feeling the presence of God each day? In fact, I will make it even more pertinent: are you feeling the presence of God each minute? In my experience, this is what it means when we read "pray without ceasing."

Reading inspirational books is a good start. Meeting with other spiritually-minded folks is helpful. Listening to speakers can be uplifting. BUT, there is no substitute for sitting in the secret, sacred silence and listening to God. That to me is what prayer is: listening.

As a young girl, I was taught to ask for things when I prayed. Many people were. Just ask God for what you need. Tell Him (and it was always a him) what you need, what is in your heart. Well, that put a very understandable spin on God because, somehow, he was like my Daddy. I just asked him for what I wanted and he'd tell me yes or no. So, it made sense.

Then, there was the issue of really praying for forgiveness when I did something I knew I should not. In fact, I was given an idea that it was almost magic. I could do something, and then, if I asked for forgiveness, all was right again. That seemed curious to me because it was a system I could manipulate. Now, I won't admit to manipulating that system, but it did occur to me that it was quite convenient!

I was taught that God was Omniscient, Omini-present and Omnipotent. Big ideas! It occured to me that I could not believe that God was Omniscient AND think I had to tell him what was going on with me. It had to be one way or the other: He knows everything, or, he needs me to keep him updated. Life got simpler when I decided to believe in Omniscience alone. The only update I need is to keep me tuned in.

It's a bit like forgetting the electricity is in that wall socket and thinking myself so powerful that I can run with my plug out. Then, when things start going sideways, rush back with great benevolence, and put my plug in, promising never to un-plug again. What kind of spiritual convenience is that? Could that be considered a 'spiritual life.'

Now, after all these years of spiritual inquiry, study, meditation, yoga and (hopefully) learning, my view is quite different. It comes from continuing the search for understanding through the stages of my life. Now, there is only one goal: the moment-to-moment realization of God, that God IS. When I stand there, all is taken care of. There is nothing to be concerned about, nothing to fear. All is supplied. There is nothing to desire but the continuous realization that God is and all the implications of that Truth.

Many blessings,
Rhoberta

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
Founder, Spiritual Living Network, www.SpiritualLivingNetwork.com
Co-Author, SOUL SOLITUDE: Taking Time for Our Souls to Catch Up , www.SoulSolitude.com
Author of the upcoming book, SOUL-DRIVEN LIVING, www.SoulDrivenLiving.com