I am a light worker.

Light work, by nature, requires shadow work – looking at the dark, hurt, dysfunctional parts of ourselves. If you’ve followed my photography, you have seen me publicly address my own shadows through self-portraiture and words. And though I have spent less time highlighting it, I have worked closely with others on addressing shadows to transform them into the light of consciousness.

It is not comfortable work. It requires the strength and courage to honestly confront the shadows that reside within the self and within others. It requires patience and perseverance, addressing pieces at a time so as to not become overwhelmed by the power of shadow and pain. The potential of this shadow power is immense. One does not have to look far to see examples of humans who have been greatly corrupted by shadow (also known as evil, ego, trauma, to name a few). Some have become so overtaken that they have become merely shells of humans, exercising the terrorizing power of shadow, relentlessly inflicting trauma onto others.

I believe that at the core, truth is truth, though there are many storylines and symbols and languages we can use to try and make sense of abstract ideas and communicate them to one another. One storyline or set of symbols that helps me to make sense of shadow is to think of it as a psychological virus. For centuries, this has been referred to by indigenous peoples as “wetiko”, a virus that lives in the human psyche, using us as hosts and vessels for its power. In Western culture, we more commonly understand and refer to the concept of wetiko as trauma. All of us have experienced trauma in some form as a result of the actions of others, whether directly or indirectly. Trauma is widespread in our culture, manifesting as exploitation, slavery, corruption, pollution, factory farming, and the “us & them” mentalities that create racism, sexism, speciesism, and other “isms” that divide us as a people, as a living, unified Earth. People who are suffering from wetiko, or trauma, unconsciously project their shadow aspects onto us, and when left unresolved, this wetiko or trauma spreads throughout our being, and we become hosts for this psychological virus, manifesting it through mental illness and physical dis-ease.

This phenomenon of wetiko, or trauma, is truly at the root of all the problems of the world, and we are witnessing the powerful effects it is having on our planet  as we destroy,cannibalize and exploit our own humanity and home in the name of power. We have been brainwashed by this psychological virus to think that this ego-based power is what we desire, when in truth, it is insanity. True empowerment resides in vulnerability, surrender, equality, harmony and love.

It is our job as individuals and as a people, to address this shadow power, this trauma, this ego, this wetiko virus in ourselves so that its destructive energy ends with us. We have the power to transform our own shadows into light. This is how we will heal. This is how we spiritually evolve as a collective people. This is truth as I understand it.

If you are interested, you can read more about wetiko here. I will say again, that there are many ways to speak about truth. The metaphors are not important except as a passage for creating understanding.

What are your thoughts?