Shadow and Light

As I near my home after the gift of an afternoon stroll with my dog, I notice the shadows of the trees stretching across the pavement; long limbs moving with the rhythm of the wind. I am struck by the brilliant example of the shadow and light, the yin and yang, of life. Nature truly does lay our philosophical pondering at our feet.

As a therapist and coach, I work with clients adapting to the ramifications of shadow, namely how it has encroached on their life path. It’s not the way they would have written their story. It’s not the negative space they would have designed on their canvas.

Yet, as they attune to the shadow, let it be present and feel how it is affecting them physically and emotionally, slowly the light becomes more visible and takes a new form. It is there to be recognized and claimed just as much as the negative space. Even more poignantly, it would not exist at all without the shadow’s gradient touch. The light evolves into the shadow and the shadow into light. It’s not a choice to see only the positive. That is actually impossible, for the positive would have no form without the shadow. They are intimately connected. Claiming positivity then is owning what empowers you, with the full knowledge that what drains and pains you also exists by its side.

Claiming the positive is walking the dog and remembering how good the sun felt on your face and how alive the wind felt against your cheek. It further means to go for a walk even though there are people hurting all around you and you yourself are hurting in many ways. The light casting shadows and light around you will mirror your own spectrum of emotions. How will you paint your canvas? How will you color your world? Can you see how the light moves through the painting of your life? Don’t be afraid of the gradient hues and shadows. Claim the masterpiece that emerges from the negative space.