By Debbie Canavan Holmes
While our lives are on hold during this pandemic crisis, it’s a great time to work on our personal and spiritual growth. It feels to me like a gift from the Universe to allow us time to reset and heal ourselves. The following is a mediation that helps to integrate all parts of ourselves so that we may bring forth a better version of ourselves into the new world that’s emerging.
The Dark Side
The dark side of our psyche is the repository of all of our shame, regrets, emotions we couldn’t express, fears, thoughts we choose to deny and that hide the fullness of our being. It keeps us from expressing what we’ve come here to express, to do and to be.
In order to experience and express our wholeness, we need to honor and integrate our dark sides into the light of day – into the self that we show ourselves and the world.
The truth will set us free. We are as sick as our darkest secrets.
When we keep our dark sides hidden, it doesn’t mean they aren’t still perceived. It comes out in many forms. Personally we can experience crippling anxiety, self-doubt, and sickness. Externally we may unconsciously affect others with our negative moods, words, and actions, ultimately attracting the negativity back to us and keeping us from living out our best lives.
The following meditation is a great way to begin working on exposing your dark side to make room for the light to enter.
Disclaimer: Be prepared to experience emotional pain as the emotions and feelings come forth to be cleansed. It’s a good idea to have proper supports in place before you begin this meditation– a friend loved one or health care professional- someone you can call upon if it feels too difficult to handle facing the dark side on your own. In fact, it’s even more cathartic to share your experience and findings with someone else to further cement this new part of yourself into your current reality. You can also use this meditation in combination with the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), tapping out any distressing feelings as they surface, and/or journaling out your findings as they arise if journaling is an outlet you enjoy.
Dark Side Integration Meditation
To begin, sit in a quiet place with no distractions.
Ask for protection from your spiritual guides or angels and imagine surrounding yourself with a protective bubble of white light.
Picture yourself as the moon with its dark and light sides. (I like to picture being split in the middle with the dark on the left and light on the right but you can do it however it works for you).
Imagine your dark side is comprised of everything you are afraid to express. Let different thoughts or images come to mind – the embarrassing situation you’ve been secretly keeping to yourself since childhood, the abusive remarks or experiences you’ve endured from parents, teachers, and friends. Don’t forget to also include the injuries you’ve caused to others. All of these things are taking up precious space in your psyche and are draining your energy field of much-needed resources that you could be devoting to other things that are more in alignment with the higher path that you came here to travel.
As you bring to mind each of these memories, each of these secrets, imagine them being exposed, one by one, as the sun slowly moves over and gently illuminates the dark side.
As you think of each experience, accept each one knowing that it was part of your past but that it’s just a memory now. Accept that it happened and that there’s nothing you can do about it, except acknowledge the impact it’s had on the person you are today. Forgive yourself for anything that you did and give thanks for the lessons it taught you.
Next and most importantly, imagine standing there in front of everyone you know while they view all of your exposed secrets. Ask forgiveness of those you’ve harmed and imagine being offered forgiveness from those who’ve hurt you.
Feel all of the feelings that emerge, including any shame and guilt. Watch as the negative feelings melt in the heat of the sun.
Stand there, bravely facing everyone while they cheer you on with unconditional love, support, and acceptance.
Bask in the glow of your new life unfolding.
Do this meditation on the night of the full moon for extra impact. Or, do it daily and eventually, your own light will shine fully like the sun.
© 2020, Debbie Canavan Holmes. All rights reserved.
Debbie Canavan Holmes is a healing artist and aspiring writer who makes ceramic healing amulets cast from authentic 600 B.C. Egyptian molds, and memorial portrait oil paintings. You can visit her at www.dholmesart.com.
