Polarity
I find polarity fascinating when understanding your patterns and how to break out of them. You can learn so much about yourself, and others, and how to reclaim your authenticity by simply leaning into this concept.
Polarity is the state of having two opposite or contradictory tendencies, opinions, or aspects.
When diving into shadow work, it's helpful to assess where you're at with being able to hold polarity and where you struggle. Some examples of polarity are introvert vs. extrovert, negative mindset vs. positive mindset, open vs. closed, secure vs. insecure, and responsible vs. irresponsible. There are many more that I could list, but this is a good jumping-off point.
One of the ways you can explore this concept for yourself is by assessing how polarity shows up in yourself.
For this example, let's explore the polarity of responsibility vs. irresponsibility by completing the following journal prompts:
Responsibility means to me...
I demonstrate responsibility by...
Currently, I struggle with being responsible in these areas of my life...
What holds me back from taking personal responsibility is...
When another person is responsible I think and feel...
When another person is irresponsible I think and feel...
I judge other people's irresponsibility by...
I judge and shame myself for not being more responsible about...
I deny my irresponsibility by...
By exploring the journal prompts above, you provide your brain with tangible evidence that you're both responsible and irresponsible in different ways - either in the same area or in different ones.
The next step in the process is to accept that it's perfectly human to be both of these traits. Your lack of responsibility in one area of your life doesn't negate all the other areas in which you show up responsibly and vice versa.
By examining your close relationships, you gain a deeper understanding of the point of attraction between you and another person. Back to the example, you're consistently late to events, but your partner is always timely. You are attracted to your partner's timeliness because you want to become more responsible for yourself. The challenge is if you recognize and answer the soul's desire to change the pattern of untimeliness, or do you rely on your partner to ensure you're on time.
When you see your relationships and experiences as a mirror, you learn much about what your soul's crying to reclaim within the unbalanced or lost parts of yourself.
