[To listen to an audio version of this blog post, please click here: http://bit.ly/2QIViqQ]

There's a part of you that you show to the world and that the world sees.

That's the easy part.

Some people make a life's mission out of this, saying, "What you see is what you get." This, on paper at least, would be commendable, but it's not usually the whole truth because they don't know the whole truth.

Imagine yourself as seen through four windows. The first we've mentioned.

The second is WAY more interesting. This is the self you see but don't show to anybody else. When we 'come out' – we may open up this window to let in more light. And I'm not just talking about sexuality – I'm talking about anything you've been keeping under wraps but that you know fully well about.

If you're lucky or unlucky (depending on how they reveal what they see), you'll have some people in your life who see a side of you that you have never seen or accepted. They'll tell you. That's the third window. If it's the truth and it eventually resonates with you, you'll have more light in your life. It will most likely be an uncomfortable revelation, though.

Why do I say that? I say that because this is a part of you that you haven't yet faced. And you haven't faced it for very good reasons! I know, for example, that I am often my own enemy. I can review my life and point out times where I've clearly sabotaged my own opportunities, success, and happiness. There were always good reasons why I made those choices at the time, but they were not the best choices when viewed within a much longer time frame.

The fun or most fearsome window is the one you haven't seen yourself through yet, nor have other people. You have looked out through it, though. This is the part of you that you really can't stand! Carl Jung talked about this as the 'Shadow'. The shadow is often revealed in the intolerance you show towards characteristics and behaviours in others.

In my own spiritual tradition, we teach that we shouldn't judge others because in so doing we condemn ourselves. I have proven this principle to my satisfaction sufficient times to be convinced of it. Where I have judged others, I invariably find myself doing, thinking, or believing something similar eventually.

If you're up for the 2020 vision of yourself that lets in the most light, there are three things to begin doing.

Firstly, open up. Come out of the closet. Not to everyone, just to someone you trust. You've borne some burdens for far too long, and this is hurting you. Tell someone your truth. I had a dream last night that taught me a lot. In it, I held a complete stranger in a loving embrace. In my dream, I knew that this was what I want most at the moment, to be held, embraced, hugged, cuddled. Many of you know I lost my Mum before Christmas. She could never express her physical affection, so I grew up with a massive hug deficit. There you go, I'm out...

[I would be cautious what you share here. I felt safe enough to share that but there are deeper truths that are for the ears of the few!]

Secondly, listen to your friends and your enemies for they may see something in you that you haven't yet come to terms with.

Thirdly, watch what you judge and then ask yourself, "Do I do that?" "Do I think that?" But only when you're ready for more light and more truth!

Deeply yours, this Monday!

Lex

A Moodscope member.