As every photographer knows, some of the best pictures occur when the shadows are longest. During these times of day - especially just after sunrise and right before sunset - there is the greatest contrast between light and dark. As it turns out, this principle can be instructive in our own inner lives. Often we want to stamp out the shadow side of our personality - our imbalances, our obsessions, our neurotic tendencies, our ego-constrictions. However, if we remember that it is precisely the unlit parts of a scene that really "make" a photo, we can be empowered to realize that every spiritual transformation in our lives comes from working through the personality imbalances that are so much a part of life. "Enlightenment" would not even appear on our interior radar unless it were highlighted against a backdrop of the unenlightened aspects of our lives. An awareness of this truth helps us "lighten up" when the shadow side of our personality inevitably reveals itself. Besides, a person with no shadow side (if such a creature were even possible) would be quite boring and uninteresting!
Photo: Brainard Lake and Mt. Audubon at sunset, Indian Peaks Wilderness, CO, January 26, 2015
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