Spring is here and
it seems like I’m getting an awful lot of emails lately about doing “shadow
work.”
Now, if you aren’t
familiar with shadow work, in a nutshell, it’s looking at the deep dark hidden
parts of your psyche with the intention of bringing the negative junk to your
awareness so you can transmute it into more positive emotions, and the varied
practices for accomplishing this have been around for decades.
Sounds great, but
think about this for a moment from the perspective of the shadow that your
physical body casts. When we are in a
brightly lit area, our bodies cast a shadow, and we all know that. Now, turning around to look at that shadow
does not in any way shape or form cause the shadow to change into something
else, or to disappear entirely. Further,
while we can be in areas where we can’t actually see our shadows, that doesn’t
mean that the next time we walk outside into the sun that we’ll never see our
shadows again, and it’s ridiculous to even think that is possible. All the shadow means is that there is light
source shining on us (and that we’re not a ghost!) and it isn’t neither bad nor
good.
And, it’s the same
with our inner shadows. Every single one
of us contains ALL the emotions and traits - we just express them in different
ways and intensities. Some people are
generally more upbeat, and others are more sad, but we all have the capacity to
feel every single emotion in any given circumstance, and we are meant to feel
those emotions! Note: feeling an emotion
is different from expressing an emotion, and too often we inappropriately
express our emotions because we haven’t been taught (or allowed) to simply feel
them.
Truthfully, we don’t need to get rid of our “negative” emotions (and we couldn’t even if we wanted to, any more than we can permanently get rid of our external shadow), we need to just allow ourselves to experience and feel them in a safe manner. Emotions, aka energy in motion, are meant to be felt and moved like waves lapping on a shore.
Beth
Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LHi-PNoHbiGwN4kMOz8LAZ4GWA5IcfwY/view?usp=sharing
Whether you've enjoyed reading The Chautauqua from the first issue 20 years ago, are a brand new reader, or somewhere in between, I sincerely hope that The Chautauqua has enriched your life, as much as it has enriched mine publishing it. If you would like to help ensure it continues to enrich others like yourself, I ask you to please consider making a donation to The Chautauqua. There are three methods available:
Mail a cheque or money order (made out to Beth Richardson – Chautauqua) to Box 261 Mirror, AB T0B 3C0
E-transfer to thechautauqua@gmail.com
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Your support and kindness is always greatly appreciated, and I look forward to continuing to bring joy and inspiration to you with each issue. Thank you so much and have a marvellous day!
And, if you are looking for a unique gift idea, please visit: https://thechautauquanewspaper.blogspot.com/p/products-for-sale.html
Well, life has
certainly been exciting of late.
As I’ve had so much
fun, and grown so much, I decided to sign up for a third year of the year-long
mentorship program I have been a member of since April 2020. I recently celebrated 700+ daily creative
shares to the group! OH MY!
My art exhibition at the Corridor Gallery in
Also, I finished
the 7-week singing/songwriting program and sang my song (an expanded version of
one of my 10-Day Immersion songs) for the wonderful gals in the program.. A video of me singing the song (not my “official”
debut, but a pre-recorded version) can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/beth.richardson.10/videos/1235772770282986 While I’m not singing as much as I hoped I
would be by the end of the program, I did discover that 1. singing and songwriting
isn’t as hard as I’ve always thought it would be, and 2. I am capable of doing
a
I have no idea what
is up next for me in this wild creative adventure of my life. So far, most of my biggest opportunities have
appeared because I showed up fully in a particular moment, and/or because I
took a step forward and doors suddenly opened up for me.
And that is one of the secrets to success. Just showing up fully in the moment - wherever it may be and whatever you are doing, and then taking a step - even if it is the tiniest baby step, because each step moves you further from where you were and closer to where you want to go. Even if you aren’t exactly sure of where it is you want to go because there is a bend in the road ahead that is blocking your view, just keep going, and soon you’ll be around the bend and seeing a brand new view.
Beth
Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1prdEUjXWMN0T6XSA8Rm2n0mr-tcBAaGe/view?usp=sharing
Whether you've enjoyed reading The Chautauqua from the first issue 20 years ago, are a brand new reader, or somewhere in between, I sincerely hope that The Chautauqua has enriched your life, as much as it has enriched mine publishing it. If you would like to help ensure it continues to enrich others like yourself, I ask you to please consider making a donation to The Chautauqua. There are three methods available:
Mail a cheque or money order (made out to Beth Richardson – Chautauqua) to Box 261 Mirror, AB T0B 3C0
E-transfer to thechautauqua@gmail.com
PayPal at https://paypal.me/thechautauqua (note: you will need to sign into PayPal first, and then specify the amount)
Your support and kindness is always greatly appreciated, and I look forward to continuing to bring joy and inspiration to you with each issue. Thank you so much and have a marvellous day!
And, if you are looking for a unique gift idea, please visit: https://thechautauquanewspaper.blogspot.com/p/products-for-sale.html
