Peter Pan and His Shadow
It’s funny what pops into our minds as we get ready for bed. The other night I was all tucked in, when a memory slipped into my mind as often happens when we try to sleep. When I was little, I loved listening to the story of Peter Pan as he chased his shadow that somehow falls off. Mrs. Darling, finding Peter’s shadow, tucked it away in a draw for safe keeping. While J.M. Barrie’s symbolism was meant to shed light on the ending of childhood, it is only now as an adult, that I am understanding the spiritual meaning behind this scene. It’s interesting how this memory even came to me, in a moment of darkness, laying in my bed I suddenly remember Peter accepting his shadow before Wendy was able to sew it back on. It hit me in that moment that this is what we do with trauma. We tuck it away for safe keeping until we are either ready or forced to deal with it.
This is how shadow work begins. When we do shadow work, we are learning to become aware of beliefs, ideas, triggers that we have been avoiding, parts of ourselves that we tuck away, so they do not “cause trouble”. Acknowledging these aspects of ourselves allows us to heal and find balance within ourselves.
As a Reiki practitioner, I read a lot about spirituality, shamanism, and shadow work, because it is not until we can accept our shadow that we can truly accept who we are as adults. Let me explain it in terms of balance…
