When the trees begin to shed their leaves during the fall, could this act of nature possibly be applied metaphorically to ourselves… a time to let go of what no longer serves us? Maybe we could be like the leaves falling from their source and trust the process by letting go in order to create the opportunity for something new to come into our lives. I realized how symbolic transitions and change can be for all of us, but if we pay attention there are so many lessons from nature. Ever notice when trees begin losing their leaves, they provide us with the most spectacular color display showing us how “letting go” can be so beautiful? When the fall season arrives, I often feel let down; why did all this beauty cover the ground? I finally found solace in my heart today
Read more →Shadow-making happens in families and makes us who we are. It leads us to shadow-work, which makes us who we can become. Families define who we are; we are born into families, contained in families, nourished by families, and cherished by families. At the same time, we are neglected by families, betrayed by families, and witness violence in families. In the end, we die among family. The family holds so much power, the source of all good, the defense against evil. It ties each individual life to its fate, imprinting it genetically, biochemically, and psychologically with blessings and curses. To imagine life without family is to imagine life without a container, without a ground on which to stand. Our Family Image In the last thirty years, as a society, we have come to realize that our image of the family is just that,
Read more →TRACING THE ROOTS OF OUR PERSONAL SHADOWS It is difficult to accept that all of us sell ourselves out, sacrificing our complexity and authenticity in an effort to feel safe, earn money and win love. We trade off peace of mind for persona, building up a large debt to attain symbols of external status. We trade off authentic relationships for hot anonymous sex or an appearance of purity. We trade off lifelong struggles of soul-searching for the temporary pleasures of an addiction. We do make these pacts unconsciously, without knowing the sacrifice involved: the loss of vulnerability, intimacy, authenticity, imagination and soul. But, at some point we wake up to the cost of the bargain. We previously believed that by sacrificing ourselves we would avoid suffering; we would not have to acknowledge our own darkness. We discover we have committed the ultimate betrayal:
Read more →The secret is OUT: all of us, NO exceptions, have qualities we won’t let anyone see, including ourselves—our shadow. If we face up to our dark side, our life can be energized. If not, there is a price to pay; our true selves will be buried forever. If you are ready to seek greater self-knowledge and tune into the voice of your soul this topic is for you! My hope is to provide an accessible exploration of the mysterious dark side of human nature and provide tools for a more authentic way of living. A quote by psychotherapist Carl Jung; “What we resist; persists.” How true! We have a difficult time exploring our unconscious forces and acknowledge or hidden negative traits like jealousy, impulsivity, self-centeredness as well as our under-developed traits which hold our creative talents and have tremendous healing abilities. How are
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