I’d been wandering the garden for half an hour before I saw and knew this spot was for me. 

It was the tree’s twisty and intense shadow that drew me in. It called to my own twisty and intense parts.

Parts I’ve had the great honor of coming to better know and love in this last year.

You see, if we don’t take the time to know and love our shadows (aka the qualities of ourself that we don’t like and may even try to suppress) they have their own not-so-lovely ways of making themselves known.

depression. procrastination. misdirected anger. judgement. addictions. avoidance. blame. loathing. regret. the list goes on! I know my shadow contains elements of all these qualities and more. 

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Like ALL of us, our shadows really just want to feel

1. seen

2. heard and

3. loved

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That’s all. So now that I know this, I strive to do this for not only myself but also for her. Every day. 

When I put on red lipstick a give my shadow and her rage a wink — “this is the blood of our enemies,” I joke with a grin. When I feel triggered or upset and feel my shadow stir with despair, I welcome her expression of feeling with open arms and tenderness, “Your despair is valid. It is allowed here. ALL of you is allowed here.”

Do you know what happens when I have the courage to see and LOVE into the depths of the “worst parts” of myself??

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The parts I thought were stuck start to shift and change. The walls that once kept those parts of me hidden start to grow windows and doorways that flood with light and possibility.

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Like this garden corner.