Work on Fabriano Artistico watercolour paper, 300 lb, hot press, with lithography inks, technique daring from 1850. The artwork communicates the message that understanding our shadow side is crucial for breaking free from our own darkness:

A very simple observation about a tree is that it is rooted in dirt. The taller the tree, the deeper into the dirt its roots reach.

To reach into the sky, and branch out fully we have to face our internal darkness. We have to confront aspects of our being that make us uncomfortable, push our boundaries, and ultimately redefine our relationships with ourselves and the world around us. In return for our toiling in the soil, we blossom at our heights.
To bring darkness to light, to go beyond good and evil as Nietzsche put it, and bring wholeness to our being: these are the goals of shadow work. And to do this work we must dive into the depths of our dirt where these tendencies have taken root long ago.

Are we brave enough to accept and work with what we find, or will we let the demons from our past continue to haunt us?