"There is no light without shadow and no psychic wholeness without imperfection.” ~ Carl Jung
The Fall Equinox is a time when the earth axis is such that we experience an equal amount of hours in light and shadow. And as we approach this event, we are reminded that the days will continue to shorten, as the nights continue to lengthen. With the decrease in daylight, we often find ourselves retreating earlier, spending more time indoors, and perhaps even taking the opportunity to be more reflective and examine within.
The shadow is a term that Carl Jung used to describe all those parts of ourselves that we do not see, qualities we do not recognize or claim. Often thought of as negative, these can also be positive qualities that we have tucked away through learned behavior. But just as a shadow cannot exist without light, we cannot understand light if we cannot compare it to darkness. Without both aspects, our understanding is incomplete. There is a dance between the light and dark where we can find balance.
As we prepare to retreat to the longer evenings of fall and winter, let us take this rare opportunity of the fall equinox to find equanimity, balance in the dance of light and shadow, balance between what we see and what we don't see, what we recognize and what we don't recognize as parts of ourselves.
Join me for a special Slow Flow class on September 23rd 7:30pm at Longwave Yoga focusing on embracing this balance of shadow and light.
