Shadows are following me around, at the moment. No, I have not lost the plot! Shadows have been appearing in my readings of late. Let me explain.
Yesterday, I conducted a memorial / celebration of life service for one of our Church members. The reading at the service was from the 23rd Psalm and I felt led to focus on one verse in particular;
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley;
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.(Psalm 23 vs. 4)
Although I am a bit of a fan of the NIV (the Nearly Infallible Version – as somebody once described it to me), I do feel that the poetic image of the King James Version is a better rendition of this verse;
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
(Psalm 23 vs. 4)
As I mentioned, during the talk, there is an essential element for a shadow to form – light. If there is no light, there can be no shadow. The darker the shadow, the more intense the light.
But, as I said, shadows are following me around at the moment. Today’s shadow appeared in a book I am reading at the moment The Jesuit Guide to (almost) Everything – a Spirituality for Real Life) (2010) written by James Martin. In it, he quotes a Spiritual Director, Bill Creed, as saying;
In the bright sunshine of God’s love, your shadows begin to emerge
(page 76)
This really hit me! It was the psychoanalyst Carl Jung who taught that all human’s have a “shadow side.” He saw it as the uncivilised, primitive side of our nature. I had always been taught that my shadow side was, somehow, sinful un-loveable and represented the worst part of me. An article published by Harley Mental Therapy seems to support this idea;
We all have a shadow self. It is generally made up of the parts of ourselves we deem unacceptable. For many people the means things like our sadness, rage, laziness and cruelty. But you might also see as uncivilised and unacceptable things like your personal power, your independence, or your emotional sensitivity
Somehow, in my thinking, my shadow side had become about shame, secrecy, those things that I would want to keep hidden and yes – even hidden from God. As I thought about Bill Creed’s statement, I began to think of my shadow side in a different way. Instead of shame I saw a part of me that needs healing by the warmth of God’s love and light.
Are shadows following you?