what the shadow knows

While smoking mapacho and burning incense outside on the deck I noticed the smoke has a shadow. I always bring a flashlight out with me to illuminate the smoke of the incense so I can watch it dance. The smoke was swirling, but not frenetic, and it was making dark creepy shadows upon the walls of the deck. It was so creepy I had to blow mapacho smoke on the shadows. As with most things that cross my path, physically and intellectually, this lesson was not complete. The next morning while walking to the bus stop I noticed my own physical shadow and how it behaves. I detected it on my right, it grew bigger then disappeared. It reappeared behind me, walked out in front of me and became elongated and then disappeared once again. Next, I couldn't find it until suddenly it appeared on my left, quickly gained on me and overtook me and then once again disappeared.

I thought what an apt way to describe the behaviour of my shadow side. At times I think I have vanquished it only for it to reappear and then become really overbearing. And then it disappears again. This happens to me in my own personal drama so this was all very curious. I'll be on the lookout for its reappearance. I also got the thought that in order to completely defeat the shadow you have to live in the dark in an unenlightened world which is not at all familiar with light. If you walk in the light you will always have to contend with the shadow. When you become the light you are free once again.