Shadows II

Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ~John 3:20

There is another face to the shadow. This face is not benevolent, not a playful nymph twirling in complete synchronization with every twitch, every movement of our body, not a joyful sprite eliciting smiles as it dances to the rhythmic movements when we ride a bike along the lake front on a sunny, summer day listening to the waves lapping at the wet sand on the shore.

These shadows are dark, their faces malevolent, their actions sow the seeds of decay into our very souls. These shadows are the realization of our nightmares. Not the fantastical nightmares of vampires or lycans or goblins. No. These shadows are much scarier, these shadows are terrifying because they are borne of our reality. These shadows are the embodiment or our dark side. These shadows stand over us accusing us, never letting us forget the evil that lurks within us. These shadows are the remembrances of things we did in days distant past. The kid we bullied in middle school, the times we betrayed loved ones for selfish pleasures, our addictions, our weaknesses, the rancid thoughts that ooze up from the deep recesses of our mind for us to contemplate, to hold, to turn over and over in our consciousness until we catch ourselves and push them back into the darkness hoping to never see them again. But, deep in that darkness is where they grow, where they gain strength, where they wait to pounce again and again.

Unlike, the benevolent shadows that grow in the long rays of warming light, these malevolent shadows thrive in the darkness where light cannot penetrate, cringe in the sunlight that would expose them to the world. For their strength is in their ability to maintain secrecy, their power comes because they make us believe we would be reviled if anyone saw these shadows walking along side of us, that we would be shunned as demons ourselves if our friends had but a glimpse of our dark shadows.

Light is precisely the weapon we must use to conquer these shadows, exposure is what they fear. Bring light to bear on these shadows and the vermin will scurry away. We may suffer a moment of embarrassment when we bear light to these shadows, we may suffer a season of consequence when the truth comes out but, once these shadows have been exposed, they lose their grip on our souls, lose the power they hold over us, lose the tenacity that kept us powerless. Then we will be free. Free of their damning words, free of their accusatory glances. Free to enjoy life. Free to be.