As we enter the “dark” part of the year, with short days and long chilly nights, it’s time to look at the dark forces that we would prefer to ignore. It’s not just the ghosts and goblins of Halloween or the presence of dead relatives on the Day of the Dead that can give us the shivers.
Whether we recognize it or not, everyone has some darkness within. We store our negative feelings—jealousy, anger, bitterness, shame, hatred, insecurity (to name a few)—in our shadow side. When we don’t do the inner work of acknowledging and releasing these disturbing emotions, the shadow side can take charge and cause real problems for someone else.