A post-birthday shenanigans/weather transition sniffle tried it with me on the same weekend Jordan Peele’s movie Us* was released and the whole thing turned out great.
[Context: I’m historically unsuccessful at gently hosting colds, I get grumpy and hypochondriacal, so my workaround is to see how quickly I can heal. This amounts to halting any non-essential events and leaning into all the immune-boosting wizardry a humanicorn can muster, including self-induced fevers and their corresponding dreams.]
I saw it during the day (essential) about 26 hours after Sniffle’s initial descent, (which hindsight impresses me anew re: immune function) thus sandwiching said viewing directly betwixt the two nights I threw myself into nocturnal febrility.
[*Note: Us is worth a watch, and – while it’s not torture-porn scary, you may consider girding your third eye before the opening credits. Pro-tip: tap the space about an inch above the middle of your brow bone and set an intention of protection, espesh if you’re super tender See? Easy.]
Anyway – picture me, post-flick. I’ve returned home knowing that, despite feeling betterish, I have asked my already-sensitive-healing-body to contend with a lot and it’s probably wise to boost my immunes. So, I douse and steam. I anoint and diffuse. I hydrate and bundle. I sleep – and Fever enters to dance with my subconscious, inviting an experience wherein I get to observe my brain process various existential themes triggered by the movie + previously lurking neurological whatnot = a decision to coalesce all that information into a conversation with my shadow self the likes of which I’ve never before enjoyed.
The key word there is “enjoyed” because can I tell you? Turns out: ShadowIlka truly IS. THAT. GIRL. Baybeeeee, we took a ride. Emotional ranges, y’all. Whew. Like: the moment we figured out her name was the moment we beyond doubt knew everything happening was true because its spelling is kind of annoying.
Anyway, here’s a suggestion: invite your shadow on a playdate. Make it nice, have toys and treats available, and see what happens when you interrupt all that “Bad Shadow” noise that we know is flimflam offered by the fear-fueled meant to condition us so that when It shows up (to alert us to the places within that require medicinal attention) we shame and blame into negative feedback loops. That’s old news. The new hotness is cuddling up to the underbelly. Collaborating on fresh ground rules and behavioral agreements. Coax ShadowYou gently (gently) into the light and see what y’all find there.
You might learn that you’re ready to rock with ’em. You might realize you already are. You might discover you’re not yet strong enough to withstand too much brightness, and that’s all right. It’s all pretty much all right because it’s all simply information-directional diagnostics guiding us toward our best treatment options.
And remember this truth trick: Light and Shadow are meant for each other. They’re part of our whole. They require each other for optimal performance. And (Healthy)Shadow is a bad bitch in the best sense. Shadow protects and presents that which Light illuminates. Shadow warns Light to take care when entering the unknown. I’d bet yours has gotten you out of (not just into) more scrapes than you credit them. So give them their flowers and watch them – and yourself – transform.
