Your Truth is in the Shadows: How Our Darkness Reveals Our Inner Light

In the season finale of "Leaving the Church to Find God," host [Your Name] invites you on a transformative exploration of shadow work and the profound connection between light and shadow within ourselves. What if you are literally made of light, and your shadows are part of your spectrum?

**Highlights of this Episode:**

- **Personal Shadows & the Inner Child:** Delve into how we create personal shadows through the lens of the **Inner Child** and **Internal Family Systems (IFS)** therapy. Learn how suppressed emotions and childhood experiences shape the hidden parts of ourselves.

- **Ancestral Shadows & Decolonial Shadow Work:** Explore the importance of **Decolonial Shadow Work** and its impact on ancestral healing. Discover how confronting ancestral shadows can lead to decolonizing capitalism and transforming societal structures—a mission deeply connected to our host's own journey and brand.

- **Collective Shadows in Society:** Understand how collective shadows manifest in societal issues like racism, sexism, and inequality. Recognize the shared human experiences that affect us all and how addressing them can lead to collective healing.

- **The Quantum Science of Light and Shadow:** Uncover the fascinating quantum perspective that we are beings of light emitting biophotons. Learn how our unique energy spectrum relates to our personal growth and the shadows we encounter.

- **The Dance of Light and Shadow:** Embrace the idea that stepping into our light makes our shadows more visible—not as something to fear, but as an opportunity for profound self-discovery and healing.

- **Practical Tips for Shadow Work:** Gain actionable advice on how to begin your own shadow work journey through journaling, meditation, seeking support, and celebrating personal growth.

**Special Mention:**

We revisit insights from **Dr. Christena Cleveland** and her transformative **28-Day Shameless Liberation course**. Her work is a powerful resource for anyone ready to delve deeper into self-compassion and liberation from shame. Learn more at [www.christenacleveland.com](https://www.christenacleveland.com).

Join us as we navigate the intricate dance between our inner light and shadows, fostering growth, authenticity, and a ripple effect of healing in our communities. This episode is not just a conclusion to the season but a gateway to ongoing personal and collective transformation.

**Don't miss this enlightening conversation that bridges quantum science, spirituality, and practical healing.**


**Stay Tuned:**

As we conclude this season, we extend our deepest gratitude for your support and openness. When we return next season, we'll continue to delve into profound topics, bringing new insights and voices to the conversation about decolonizing various aspects of our lives.

**Subscribe now** to "Leaving the Church to Find God" and embark on a journey toward embracing your inner light and shadows.

Transcript

1:15

(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Aloha, God Potters. Welcome to the final episode of this season of Leaving the Church to Find God. I am so happy to have you here with me today. We're going to dive deep into the concept of shadow work and exploring how our inner light is essential for understanding our shadows. I've been teasing at this one for a while, and I've been really waiting because I wanted to get it right. I feel like shadow work is such an important part of one's spiritual awakening, understanding ourselves, our inner growth, all of those good things. Today we're going to journey through some personal reflections, some scientific insights, and spiritual perspectives to uncover the profound connections between light, shadow, and our human experience. So what are shadows? In the context of our inner world, shadows are the parts of ourselves that we suppress or deny, often out of fear, shame, or misunderstanding. These are traits, emotions, or memories that we hide away, hoping that they'll stay out of sight and out of mind. However, that which we resist persists. I know you'll hear me say that often, and it's true. The more we hide from these shadows, the more we look away, the more they're going to show up in our own lives and in our perceptions of others, because we are always reflecting what we see as a reflection of our own inner world, inner light, which includes the shadows. So what we're suppressing and hiding from, it's not making it go away. It's just going to show up in other ways in our lives. So let's consider this from a scientific standpoint. Our bodies emit energy, and we are, in a very real sense, beings of light. It isn't just metaphorical. Biophotons are tiny particles of light emitted by biological systems, including our own bodies. And when you think about light passing through a prism, it splits into a spectrum of colors. Similarly, our energy comprises a spectrum of emotions and experiences. Shadows, then, are like the areas where this light is obstructed or diminished. Shadows can manifest in various ways, perhaps as lingering fears, deep-seated insecurities, or suppressed emotions that we haven't fully acknowledged. For example, you may find yourself reacting strongly to criticism, and it's not because of the comment itself, but because it touches on an unresolved shadow of self-doubt. And there's layers of shadows. It's important to recognize that shadows exist on multiple levels. There's personal shadows, we have ancestral shadows, and we have collective shadows. Understanding the layers, it helps us to see the shadows that are a universal aspect of our human journey. So I want to dive deeper into personal shadows by exploring the concept of the inner child and internal family systems, or IFS. The inner child represents our original self. I know I've talked about this a little bit in other episodes. It's that innocent, playful, and vulnerable part of us that experiences the world with wonder. It doesn't have all these preconceived notions of what the world is, of what other people are, of what to expect. It's very open, free, unencumbered. However, throughout our lives, we encounter situations that may wound the inner child. These experiences can lead us to create shadows as protective mechanisms, or if you ever talk about parts work, we split off into these different parts of ourselves that are the internal family system. Often what's happening, and what's limiting us, or what's controlling us, or controlling our emotions, is these parts of us that we've created in order to hide our shadows, or to protect those shadows. They show up in all these ways that obstruct us from seeing our light, from shining our light. In internal family systems, it's a therapeutic model that it views this mind and these multiple parts, each with their own perspective and feelings. Some parts are exiled or suppressed because they're associated with pain or trauma. The shadows, and by acknowledging and communicating with these parts, we can heal the wounds of our inner child. We can shine light on these shadows and bring love to them. We create these shadows when, as children, we learned that certain behaviors or emotions are unacceptable. Maybe we're told not to cry or not to be so sensitive, so we suppress our sadness. Perhaps expressing anger led to punishment, so we hide that emotion away. Then we don't express this very vital part of ourselves. Over time, these suppressed parts, they become our shadows because they're hiding. They're hiding from our light. They're hiding from us. We don't see them. However, they're very much ruling our lives and our perception of the world. Ancestral shadows are these patterns, beliefs, and traumas passed down through generations. They are the legacies of our ancestors that continue to influence us, often unconsciously. Engaging in decolonial shadow work is crucial here. It's about unearthing the healing wounds inflicted by colonialism, not just on a societal level, but within ourselves. For me, this journey has been deeply personal and transformative, and it's led me to align my business and brand with the mission to decolonize capitalism. By addressing these ancestral shadows rooted in exploitation and oppression, I'm working towards creating economic systems that are equitable, that are sustainable and compassionate. Things that align with my truth, my light, the light, the love that is within us. For me, it's more than a professional endeavor. It's a continuation of my own ancestral healing. I was recently brought into this decolonial shadow work through my own breathwork experiences. I didn't realize how long I had carried these. Once I saw it, I could see how my entire life I have held on to this guilt and this pain of what my native ancestors went through. I had ancestors that were on the trail of tears. My great-great-grandfather was left with some pioneers so that he wouldn't be killed as a baby and left to raise by this Jewish family. I experienced some memories of this and of some rejection from not being one of the official children from the father of this. It's so interesting because I had a memory of this person stepping over me as a baby and not acknowledging that I existed as a person. It was a memory of one of my ancestors. I know y'all, this sounds out there. If somebody had told me this a few years ago, I would have been like, yeah, okay, yeah, whatever. This really happened. The memory was so vivid and visceral. I felt it in my body. There was so much pain attached to this. Then I put it together. There's a story that I've known about my own father who was not a great father by any means. I didn't see him for the first several months of my life. My parents divorced while my mom was pregnant with me. I had always heard this story as a child of how the first time my dad met me, basically, he just walked over and stepped over me, literally stepped over me, did not acknowledge me to go see my sister. When I had this memory, I didn't even put it together for a few weeks. Then I was like, holy crap, that shadow has been there and I've been reliving it in this lifetime. Then I was speaking to a friend of mine who was First Nations. She was explaining to me the depth of what that means to our ancestors. In Native communities, you don't step over another person. It really is like disregarding their humanity or that they are even their own soul or spirit. That was a very deep act of betrayal and disregard. I had been carrying that wound of ancestors. I know this sounds kind of complex. I'll briefly get into it. In Hawai'i, there are these different levels of self. The higher self is the amakua. It can show up in the form of spirit animals or in our ancestors. They believe that the higher self is comprised of all of these spirits that are in our soul group that reincarnate with us. That is the higher self. Thinking about source energy and us all coming from source and coming from this source of light, that makes sense to me. That adds up. We can't escape that. We can't escape that pain and that history of our ancestors. It's in ourselves. It's part of our life. It's part of who we are. It's not our job to just come here and do a bunch of work. However, when there are shadows, when we see these shadows, those are there for us to shine light on. It can feel like work, yes, but I can tell you on the other side of it, it is pure liberation. I don't know if you remember episode six. I had Dr. Christina Cleveland on. She's amazing. If she has this course, you can go to her site. I'll link it in the description. It's DrChristinaCleveland.com. She has this free course. It's a 28-day shameless liberation. It really goes into these colonial shadows, the shadows of our ancestors. For me and for many of us, we have both the ancestors who were the oppressed and the ancestors who were the oppressors. That's with native people, with black people. There's so much of this colonialism that is infused within us that her course is so powerful because it really helps to face all of it, to really uncover some of these shadows. I didn't even realize until after my conversation with her, actually during my conversation with her on the podcast, that I have been carrying all these wounds of my native ancestors. I had also been carrying all this shame and the wounding of my white ancestors, who mostly are Irish. Yes, they were also oppressed, but on my father's side, a lot of English. There's no doubt, even in my grandmother's family, it is reasonable to believe that there were somewhere along the line some slave owners. There's a lot of shame in that. I never would I've always considered myself native. I was taught by my grandfather that that's who we are. We spent a lot of time acknowledging that part of my heritage, but never acknowledged this whiteness. It's in me. I have a proximity to this whiteness, although I don't necessarily align myself with that. I have this proximity to whiteness that I have received privilege from. Doing the decolonial shadow work isn't just about healing the wounds of my ancestors who were murdered and slaughtered and colonized, but also from my ancestors who were the colonizers. One of the things that's so important, I share a lot in my stories from this one indigenous woman who's a doctor. Her name escapes me right now. I apologize, but I will actually link her social media in the description as well. She talks about how white people, and people joke about it or talk about it with appropriation and how white people are always adopting other cultures, but white people had their own culture. White people had, especially, I mentioned the Irish heritage, but even in all of these different aspects, they had a deep culture that was lost in this colonialism. It's hurting everybody. It's keeping everyone from their own truths in their own true nature. Collective shadows, they encompass societal issues, cultural norms, shared human experiences that affect all of us. They manifest in systemic injustices like racism, sexism, environmental degradation. Guys, we cannot deny that we have really screwed up the earth, but the cool thing is we've barely touched the surface of earth and she can heal herself. Don't we want humanity to be included in that healing? We don't want to be wiped out in that healing. We can do our part to stop degrading the earth by doing our own environmental shadow work. I'm just going to throw that one in there. These shadows show up in our institutions. They show up in the policies that are made, and even in our everyday interactions. Recognizing these collective shadows is essential because it allows us to address the root causes of societal problems, not just the systems. We can bring down a system, but if the root hasn't been addressed, we're just going to recreate the same thing. We have this in Hawaii, this African tulip. I think Lundberg, maybe. I can't remember off the top of my head, but there was this famous writer that lived here. This is the story that I've heard. His wife loved, it's that colonial mindset too, but his wife loved the African tulip. But if you think about the Maui climate, we're in the tropics and they lived over here in Hana where it's the rainforest, some of the heaviest rainfall in the world, over 400 inches a year. They lived here in Hana and she loved the African tulip. So he brings some seeds over from the African tulip. Now think about Africa and that climate. It's very dry, the area where this came from. Africa is huge and has all these different climates, but where this came from, it's very dry, arid desert. So this plant had evolved to survive in that environment. So it sheds thousands of seeds and in its natural environment, maybe one of those thousands would plant itself and grow. But here in the tropics, they all grow. Once the root system is established, you can't get rid of it. You cut a tree down and literally 10 more will pop up. That's not an exaggeration. They say it's actually 10 to 1. I have this experience right now where I live. When I moved in, there was this one African tulip growing in the gulch. I've been there a year and a half and they're everywhere now and they grow so fast. But that's also that colonial mindset of we can do whatever we want without consequences. But there are consequences because these trees, they take up all the resources around them. So it kills off native plants and the native plants are vital to the ecosystem here, to the natural flora and fauna, to the plants, to the animals, to the insects, to everything that lives here, that thrives here, that keeps this environment what it is because of these. We've got the coquifrogs. Holy moly, you guys have heard the coquifrogs on the podcast. Listen to episode one. They're there everywhere. It's these invasive species. And this happens. We have mongoose. They brought the mongoose, the colonizers, the whalers that would come here and go whaling in Lahaina. They brought the mongoose to kill the rats. But the thing is, rats are nocturnal and mongoose hunt in the day. So now we have a ton of rats and a ton of mongoose. You know, it's that separation from the earth, separation from our environment. That's part of the colonial mindset of we own this. We're in dominion over this. When in reality, we work together. We literally, like if I need to recharge my batteries, if I'm feeling drained, and those words aren't an accident, like I'll say those words and I'm like, oh, listen to that. When I'm feeling drained, I get barefoot and I go walk on the earth for a few minutes and I automatically start to feel better. If it's really a lot, then I'll just lay on the ground and automatically, like it literally recharges our batteries. And there's science behind this. So we are part of the earth. We are part of nature. We're made of nature. And we need to work together with that in order to thrive and survive. So it's not just about creating a world where we can make a bunch of money and, you know, destroy the earth in the process. You can see that we don't stand a chance against that. We can already see in what's happening with these super storms and the ocean rising and warming. You know, I've seen firsthand the coral die off here. And the time that I've lived here, it used to be so colorful and beautiful. And now you go on these coral gardens, like swamp land, and they're covered in algae and they're gray and, you know, the bright colors aren't there anymore. The, and the life isn't there anymore. The fish aren't like swimming through them like they were. So this does have an impact on all of us on our, our descendants, on ourselves, on our quality of life and on the earth, which we are a part of. So these shadows, they show up everywhere. And by recognizing these collective shadows, it's just, it's so essential because it allows us to address these root causes. And again, they're not just like we can deal with the symptoms. We can try to deal with things that, you know, we've got the ocean cleanup. That's great. That's cleaning up the great Pacific garbage patch in the ocean, but those are just addressing the symptoms. We have to get to the problem, the root of these problems. And, and that's by doing our shadow work. And it starts with it. I know the things that I I'm talking about, they can feel so big and overwhelming, but when, when we start with, when we start with her field, don't be shortened. When we start with our own inner shadows, our own personal shadows, then the rest of it just kind of becomes a by-product. It just becomes a natural part of the process. And we all have shadows. Remember having shadows, it doesn't make us flawed. It makes us human. It they're not burdens to carry. They're opportunities for profound growth and self-discovery by acknowledging and embracing our shadows, personal, ancestral, and collective. We begin the journey towards healing and wholeness. So why do we have these shadows? What's the purpose of this? You know, Abraham Hicks refers to it as contrast, right? The role of contrast, it's essential for our growth. It's a friction that sparks transformation. I mentioned it before we're co-creators with the universe, right? We're God experiencing itself, always expanding, always growing, always becoming more and more conscious and aware. Well, in order for that to happen, it's just like, you know, you can't experience joy if you don't know what pain is. The pain is the contrast. We wouldn't have light without shadows. Like they're necessary for existence. If we didn't have the shadows, then, you know, there would be no resistance for growth. There would be nothing to cause the growth. Does that make sense? I hope that makes sense. It gets deep. Maybe we'll do a whole nother episode on that because the young contrast, but contrast is essential for our growth because of that friction, right? And from both a quantum and a spiritual perspective, it's this interplay of light and shadow that continues to propel us forward, that continues to expand us. Just like a seed, it's got to push through the darkness of the soil to reach the sunlight. We also grow by pushing through the darkness, by navigating our shadows. I told y'all there's going to be some metaphors. From a spiritual viewpoint, the universe or God or source energy, whatever term resonates with you, it doesn't judge our shadows as bad. Instead, they're seen as seen as necessary contrasts that facilitate this expansion and deeper understanding. It's through acknowledging both our light and our shadows that we become whole because they're both there in full existence. If we only look at our light, then we're not really having the full human experience. We're not recognizing ourselves as whole beings. So why do we avoid our shadows? I'm going to talk about shame. Shame has a huge role in this. It is a tool of oppression. It's a powerful emotion that keeps us from engaging in our shadow work. It's a tool that can be used consciously or unconsciously to oppress and control. When we feel shame, we hide these parts of ourselves, which prevents the healing and growth that create the wholeness that we're talking about. There's no shame needed for morality. We're taught that, especially in the church. There's these colonial systems that shame is what keeps us moral. By being ashamed of dirty deeds, then we're going to act morally. It's important to understand that morality doesn't require shame. It's actually quite the opposite. True moral action stems from love, empathy, and authenticity. Authenticity not from fear of judgment or punishment. When we act out of love, we're aligned with our true selves. Right? So think of it like this. So when we shine a light on all of ourselves, when we shine a light on these shadows, we illuminate these shadows, right? Then we see our essence. So many people avoid this shadow work because they're afraid of what they're going to see. But I can tell you from experience, the more I look at my shadows, the more I look at my own shitty behavior, the more that I look at my own thought patterns and selfishness that creates these masks and these protective behaviors, the more it just sets me free. It doesn't make me see myself and be like, ooh, shameful. You're gross. No, it's like, oh, I see how we've been doing that. I see how that's been reflected in my relationships. Okay. Now that I see that, I don't have to do that anymore. I can free myself of that. And it doesn't make me angry at myself or hate myself. I'll usually say something like, unless I forgive you for that, I forgive you. And I release that. I'm going to release any shame attached to that, any need to punish myself for that. And it actually just increases my feelings of self-love and self-worth and wholeness. It genuinely does. Like all these things that we're afraid to look at when we look at them, it just makes life more beautiful and more enriching. It really increases the love of myself and the love of my life. That's from my own experience and from others that I've talked to. So try it for yourself and see what you think. But true moral actions, they stem from what we are, from love, from empathy, from authenticity, not from a fear of judgment or punishment. If we're acting morally out of fear of judgment or punishment, that's really just more hiding from the shadows. And it's not the truth of who we are. But when we're acting out of love, our essence, then we're aligned with our true selves and the beauty of that can shine through. By confronting and embracing these shadows, we strip the shame of its power. We begin to reveal our true selves, the essence of love and light that resides within each of us. That's our truth. Our true essence. God is love, right? Our essence is this love and this light. I know hippy-dippy love and light, right? But it's one thing to say it. It's another thing to live it. And we live it by facing our shadows and by shining our light. It's the same thing. We shine our light and it illuminates the shadows. But I want to get into the quantum science of light and shadow. The science of being made of light. We can explore this fascinating world of quantum physics together for a moment. I'm not going to get too deep because it is way more than I can even comprehend or put into words. But I do understand and comprehend it on a cellular level. I think that you will too. So just follow along with me. But scientists have discovered that our bodies emit low levels of light, like literally. They're known as biophotons. And while this light isn't visible to the naked eye, it's a testament to the fact that we are quite literally beings of light. And just as light can be broken down into a spectrum of colors, we all have our own spectrum. We all have the light that we are emitting. It's our own spectrum of colors, which I think is so cool. And our energy comprises a spectrum of emotions, thoughts, and experiences. So each of us have our own unique energetic signature. It's a personal spectrum that defines who we are. And in quantum terms, shadows exist because of light. They are inseparable. Similarly, our personal shadows exist because we possess inner light. The brighter we shine, the more defined our shadows become, offering clearer opportunities for growth and understanding. So as we step into our light, embracing our talents, expressing our truths, and living authentically, our shadows become more apparent. It's not something to fear, though. It's an invitation to heal and to integrate those hidden parts of ourselves, again, bringing wholeness. Interestingly, when we shine brightly, our light can illuminate the shadows of those around us. We talked about this in the last episode. This may trigger discomfort or even resistance in them as they are confronted with their own suppressed aspects. They may even reflect that onto you, as people talk about projection. And that's okay, because even if it affects a relationship negatively, we have to trust that process and trust that we're meant to move in a different direction at that point. And also trust that they're either going to do their work around that or they're not. And it's not our job to do that work for them or to even explain to them that they need to do that work. It's our job to keep shining our light. And then it's up to them what they do with that, if they face their shadows or not. But this process, it can also inspire others to embark on their own journey of self-discovery. Each person confronts and heals their shadows when they begin to shine brighter, creating a ripple effect of healing and elevated consciousness throughout their communities. We did a little visualization at the end of the last episode that really brings that together. I invite you to check that out if you haven't already. But like, have you ever felt envious or uneasy around someone who seems to be like truly living their purpose? That's your shadow signaling an area ripe for exploration. Instead of turning away, consider what their light is revealing about your own untapped potential. Use these moments as catalysts for growth. Acknowledge the feelings and understand their roots and let them guide you toward your own light. Remember, someone else's brightness doesn't diminish yours. It can help you find the switch to your own, in fact. And the more that we all shine our light, the bigger that light becomes. And the more that we're all shining our light, the more that that light increases. The more we expand consciousness, the more that's going to affect the world around us, both physically, spiritually, in all the ways. We will see our world heal. We'll see people start to heal. We'll see society start to heal. But it all starts with us facing our shadows. And again, I just can't express enough how the things that we're avoiding are the key to everything that we're looking for. And I know that sounds counterintuitive. I really do. But I will say it, once I will say it a million times, the truth is in your shadows. The things that you are looking for are hiding where you're avoiding. There is, it's such an honor to like look at those shadows. It seems so scary at first, but like with anything, it's a muscle. And the more you practice it, the easier it becomes. And once you start experiencing the rewards of it, the more it's just like, oh yeah, no big deal. To where it, I mean, it took some time. It took a lot of interaction.