We recently returned from a family wedding little vacation in Colorado. Before we left, I had been feeling this nudge to work on the part of me I keep hidden. It is often called shadow work. It is the part of us we do not want others to see and even acknowledge ourselves.
My thought processes stemmed from what those in Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon call the fourth step. It calls us to take a searching and fearless inventory of ourselves. It is a step I can say I have been stuck on for some time. I could not seem to wrap my head around it and understand what it really meant for me.
The term “shadow” was not something I had been taught to dwell on. It meant darkness and evil to me. Little by little, I have come to understand that darkness does not have to be something to fear. In fact, being fearful is one of my shadows. It is also something I would list on my 4th step inventory. When I respond from a place of fear, I am not responding with love. Part of the journey I feel I am being nudged to take right now is being able to recognize and acknowledge that part of me.
When I saw a blog post from an artist I follow, Valerie Sjodin, I had an idea. (Yes, “big ideas” will eventually fill one box in my shadow box.) “Shadow box”, Shadow boxing”, that is the idea that came to me. Valerie’s little work of art did not have anything to do with shadow work, but I thought it could be a creative way for me to express those parts of myself I keep hidden and symbolize them in some way in each box.
This is the photo from Valerie’s blog post:
This is the shadow box I found for $5 at an antique mall in Iowa on our trip. It was not an antique, but the price was right, and I knew it would work for what I wanted to do. I still have not decided if I want to paint it. A coat of black spray paint might end up being what I decide.
Then this morning I ran across a breath prayer by Sheridan Voysey a friend posted on Facebook. It actually read “I receive your love and release my insecurity…”. As a shadow work breath prayer, I changed the words a bit and found them to be meaningful then too.
Like Valerie suggested, I decided that I would make a little journal book with the words I altered from Sheridan Voysey’s prayer. Below is the little book I made. But, I decided that I might better use the little book as an actually prayer book vs putting it in the shadow box. It fit perfectly in the stained glass box where I keep one of my rosaries.
“Come, Holy Spirit” is one of my favorite breath prayers along with the one that came to me and I printed for the top of the stained glass box. I think I will now call it my breath prayer box.
Yes, the shadow box is still empty. I have some ideas of things I can use as symbols for the shadow side of myself, but my shadow work is just beginning. The shadow box idea, however, is making me think of the work in a more creative way. This is a “to be continued” post.
Blessing,
Christine
