Page 1 - 2021 January Listen - 16-1

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SPIRITUAL

JANUARY 2022 VOLUME 16 ISSUE 1

THE SHADOW

SPIRITUAL COMPANION

by Reverend SeiFu Anil Singh-Molares

We usually associate darkness and shadows with
fear: of the unknown, of being lost and never
finding the way home again, of getting swallowed
up, of entering territories beyond redemption,
the “dark night of the soul,” not seeing or being
unable to see clearly, in a fog or a haze, and so on.

But if we allowed ourselves to lean in to our
shadows, we might come to quickly regard
them as our ultimate companions, directors,
and guides. They show us our failings in their
rawest, most unadulterated forms, without blink alignment with the Universe or God. But they are
or solace. They are direct and revealing, exposing also powerful invitations to process that which
trauma, anger, fear, uncertainty, and many other ails us.
shortcomings that we need to address. And it’s
not as if we can avoid them in any event, because Seen in this way, shadows are not always harsh,
they don’t allow us to run away for long, despite and can be gentle, like those arising with the sun
our best efforts. in the morning, or those in the evening, when it
sets. At night, they comfort us as they become
softly illuminated by candles and intertwine with
For all of us with strong, deep and undeniable
spiritual longings, these traumas and fears wafting incense. And they encourage us as we
can certainly be impediments to our flow and start seeing beyond our hard edges, and move into
the unknown with grace, acceptance and faith.
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