Dancing in The Moonlight

For years, I ran from my shadow, terrified of feeling anything other than what society said I was supposed to. I was supposed to be kind, empathetic, sympathetic, and strong. I was supposed to have pure thoughts. Anything outside that mold felt like a threat to my sainthood. But those thoughts twisted into shadowy figures, with long black fingers, dancing in contortion. They evolved into desperate, angry, and inhumane entities—small demons that grew into larger ones, harder to manage. It’s the intense fear that my thoughts might manifest into actions, the irrational terror that I could become a monster.

It wasn’t until I realized that I am a monster that the demons became small again, more manageable. I am a monster, lurking in the shadow of the moon—this is what it is to be human. But I am also light, a flickering star in the black sky, illuminating a path for others to follow. I am here and there. In accepting the darkness, I have evolved to give more light.

I have always been light and dark, and so has everyone else. I can be redeemed, and I can release myself from attachment. I owe it to myself and no one else. In caring for myself, I am watering the seeds in those who cross my path. I have learned to love my shadow. I will show you how to love yours too, and in loving it, we reduce its power. We become whole again.