A day does not pass that I hear discussion of two sides to every story: silver-lining to every cloud, Brighter side to every story, positive outlook in a negative situation, etc. It is the struggle of men and women alike…a struggle of seeing life as beautiful when we have been taught to focus merely on the flaws of the paintings.

Nature is God’s Canvas and so is the everything in between. Our daily lives depict the life we live. How we see it is our own perception and how the others see it is theirs. How can one person see pure beauty, when there is killing and destruction wherever you look, while another person sees ‘Hell on Earth’ when so many miracles surround them? Merely one’s own perception or as the old Cherokee story discusses, within each and everyone of us there are two wolves…which one we feed shall live.

I contemplated this lesson of the two wolves as it parallels with the study of the Shadow. Carl Jung did extensive research on the shadow of modern man and came to a conclusion that humans are often crippled by their own darkened past. Learn to embrace the flaws and darkened past, the shadow sheds more light in areas of growth. Debbie Ford has written many books on this subject and allowed her own shadow to shine more light upon her life…leading her to a place of Peace, Love and Joy…on the most authentic plain and not just merely faking it. The Shadow Effect is her work on unearthing the negative past, while allowing new thoughts of a brighter future to emerge.

While the discussion of unearthing a darkened past comes forward, we are not suggesting you forget it. Instead…remember it. Everything that has happened up to this point in history has made us who we are: if you are a stronger person it is the result of many events, good and bad, giving you strength; if you are weakened, it has given you inquisitive thought, seeking more strength…eventually becoming the strong person you most desire. Whatever the scenario, you are not complete.

Our journey is never really finished: if we are enlightened, we have room for more growth and self-discovery; if we are laying naked in a pit, vulnerable as can be, we have much room for growth. Continue seeking what it is you are looking for…for the seekers shall find what they are looking for.

As long as you are green, you are growing.~six year-old

Debbie also makes reference to allowing your Shadow to come forward. She discusses anger as a strength. This was not easy for me to grasp, as I was dissolving my anger…until one day I witnessed my anger serve my highest need…

I was building a tree-house for my kids, when something went terribly wrong. I had built the base of the tree house on the ground and needed to hoist it into position, approximately fifteen feet into the air. This was not really a tree-house, but a free standing fort with a base and a house on top of the base. The tree-house was too heavy for me to erect and nobody was there to help. I could feel my helplessness setting in and a feeling of “I am never going to get this finished.” At that point, I just sat for a moment, contemplating how I could make this happen.

I sat quietly, asking the Divine to intervene and lending assistance. Not hearing a response, I attempted one more time. As the base of this fort began to fall once again…something inside me rose to the surface…it was anger. Yelling as loud as I could, as if bringing down the Thunder of my beloved…it was raised. It was at this moment I knew that I needed to feed both wolves. I was created with a black wolf and a white wolf for a reason. On this day I witnessed the Dark wolf shine…he had served me well.

My conclusion to this lesson was that we are not to starve either of the wolves within our being, but we are to feed them both. Thich Nhat Hanh, in his Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames, discusses techniques for taming the anger within. He also discusses embracing the anger, as it is a part of you. As I have learned it may be necessary to unleash this emotion, but it is knowing when it serves our higher good.

Laughing as I write this…I texted a friend about feeling joy, as time permitted me to write. I texted “I am writing about wholeness and it is giving me a feeling of joy. Instead of wholeness, the auto text changed it to ‘whole mess.’ I find it amusing, thinking about the embracing of our messes in life, allowing us to find wholeness from our whole mess. Maybe I should title it “From Whole Mess to Wholeness?!”

Feed both wolves, walk in both universes; Left foot ego, right foot spirit.~Ani Po

Stepping into the Canvas in wholeness. As we set out to paint our Canvas of Life, we begin to paint over the old. Instead allow it to bleed through the new covering, utilizing the varying contrasts of the darkened colors of our past…blending with the vibrant colors of the new. We are both our darkened past and the brightened future…whichever we choose to see is who we will be in the now. Sit quietly, embrace the wholeness…from whole mess to wholeness…declare ‘I Am Here.’