I recently had a dream of someone spending all of their time looking for an old photograph. They were so engrossed in their search for this old photograph that they had completely lost the present moment. Not only were they completely unaware of the present moment, but I couldn't get them to notice me or acknowledge me in any way. They couldn't even see me.
We sometimes live our lives like that. At times we are looking for that old photograph by stuffing our present moment into molds that are defined by our past and that in truth have absolutely nothing to do with what is actually occurring in the present moment. We get so wrapped up in these old photographs that we tend not to notice that the present circumstance is really something completely different than what we are experiencing in our minds.
That old photograph that we are inserting into this present moment is a snapshot of a past time and space that bears no relevance to the present. When we insert our past traumas into current situations that have nothing to do with those past traumas we completely lose our ability to experience the present moment. We lose our ability to be grateful for the present. We forget the importance of gratitude. We do not even notice or experience what is really happening around us or to us. Everything is lost.
These old photographs are shadows in our minds. Identifying them and releasing them is a type of shadow work that we all must undergo. Living in this physical reality undoubtedly leaves remnants of our past experiences and past traumas that creep in and cast shadows over our present moment.
In shadow work we intentionally step out from behind our own shadows. We intentionally release those old pictures that we are holding onto so tightly that they've turned into programs that we subconsciously run. Once we've turned a traumatic past event into a program that we are repeatedly running, we will experience the trauma of that event happening to us over and over again in situations that are completely unrelated until we find a way to release that shadow.
We all hold onto our past traumas in this way and we all have these shadows to varying degrees. These programmed traumas can cast deep shadows over our light. If left unchecked these shadows can completely close us down until we lose our ability to experience the present moment as it is right now, and can ultimately lead to serious health issues.
These shadows form the negative beliefs that we hold about ourselves and manifest on a conscious level as the negative self talk that we may find ourselves repeating internally. “I'm awkward because I'm an introvert, I'm unattractive, I'm better off alone, I can't sing, nobody listens when I speak...” These are all stories that I have told myself in the past based on my own shadows. For a portion of my life each of these shadows became true for me because I made them into truth, but in reality, none of these were true. I have found each of these shadows and over time I released them from my consciousness.
In truth our shadows can also act as our greatest teachers and way showers to the changes that we are seeking in our lives. These shadows are wonderful guideposts to show us what we can release, because we can release these shadow programs if we can identify them.
We become aware of the shadows we are holding by intentionally becoming aware of our own negative self talk and negative belief systems. These are dead giveaways and anytime you find yourself in the midst of this stop, take note of what it is, and trace it back to it's root. Many times we can find a specific traumatic event in our past that formed each specific shadow. Sometimes the source of these shadows has become so buried that we cannot find them, but even if we cannot find the source we can still intentionally overwrite these shadows with new, more positive stories if we are persistent.
The act of releasing these shadows and finally letting go of these past traumas, although not always easy, is a catalyst for great change in our lives. This releasing can be a very effective way to raise our vibrations. As we find ourselves in a new, more vibrant, less constrictive world new doors and pathways start to appear before us that have always been there, but we just couldn't notice before because of the shadows we were casting over our own perceptions and experiences of this world.
What stories are you telling yourself? What contradicting programs are you running in the background? These stories that you tell yourself and these programs that you run don't have to define you, you can release them. Our past is only a program that holds us in the specific frequency of this current present moment. It was needed to get you here, but not to keep you here. Now is the time to release.
Releasing these shadows requires being open and honest with ourselves. We have to be ready and willing to do that. Seeing some of the stories that we hold and how this affects ourselves and the people around us can be a traumatic experience in and of itself, especially if we don't hold it in the right light. We have to realize that these programs were with us to help us to get to this place where we are right now, to offer us immense physical/emotional/spiritual growth. Without these programs we would not be where we are now. Be grateful for what they have done for you, their service to you. Release them in gratitude.
With the use of Sound Healing Journeywork we can give ourselves permission to just let go of all of it...maybe just long enough to hear our own intuition again. For more info on this visit: http://www.innerselfsustained.com/soundhealing/
By releasing these shadows and these stories that go along with them we become more and more of our true infinite selves. We become the ones that we have been waiting for, the harbinger of massive change and a guiding light for others. We can each live a life so full of love and light, we can each be an amazing inspiration to all around us when we release these stories and step out of our own shadow into the light. Our true nature is one of infinite light and infinite abundance.
Be the light that you wish to see in this world.