If Candlemas Day be fair and clear, there’ll be two winters in the year. (Old proverb)
Although the sun has not yet risen over the mountain, I’m seeing enough blue sky to bet that our old groundhog friend will see his shadow today, and be scared back into his burrow for a little more shut-eye (commonly referred to in shrink-circles as avoidance). This particular bit of weather lore or superstition has always seemed backward to my way of thinking: if the day is fair and clear and sunny, wouldn’t our groundhog-whistlepig friend wanna come out and frolic instead of being frightened back into his hole? Is seeing his shadow really that big a deal?? BECAUSE, as all my devoted readers who have listened to me blather on at length about “shadow” know, 95% of that part of us that is lying neglected in the recesses of our lives is POSITiVE, right?! Yes! Most of that shadow stuff that you and our whistlepig friend are avoiding looking at is good stuff — just stuff that sometime, somewhere in your personal history you were told by maybe well-meaning family, friends, or teachers wasn’t “nice” or “right” or “proper.”
So now’s your chance — bring it out, look at it, and decide for yourself — stuff like honesty and authenticity, anger, assertiveness, putting yourself first once in a while, choosing to be confident, feeling good about who you are, warts and wounds and all . . . A chance, finally, to be who you were truly created to be rather than who other people have wanted you to be so that life would be easier for them.
And what does our oh-so-strange Groundhog Day weather myth tell us? — if it’s cloudy, Mr. Groundhog won’t go back to sleep, and spring — warmth and growth and green growing things will return to the earth sooner! Yeah. So, acknowledging our warts and limitations and yes, our glory, might be a little discombobulating temporarily, but in the long run? . . .
As I look at the 16 degrees registering on the thermometer this morning, and my thoughts turn longingly to buying tomato and marigold plants, I know it’ll be worth it.
So — here’s to acknowledging our shadows, NOT being scared of them, and having a chance to lead deeper, fuller, richer lives.
Happy Groundhog Day, my friends.