"Creativity finds its soul when it embraces it's shadow." -Thomas Moore, Care of the Soul

We all are susceptible to feel the many negative emotions that surrounds us in the world we live in today. Especially as teenagers growing up, mixed emotions and confusing feelings surface every day in our minds.

There are many people as we move through life who have parts of themselves they don't necessarily like or understand, and they simply want this part of them gone. People have come to me for advice before and have stated plainly: "I feel this way, how do I solve it?" It is not about solving or fixing anything, and many of us just don't want to undertake the task of venturing into the darker parts of their soul to understand. We begin to have contradicting feelings that occupy our minds, and we treat them like enemies that we just want out of our heads.

These feelings however, are not meant to be thought of as our enemies or something that need immediate removal. Instead of thinking "remove", or "fix", lets think "understand", or "answer".

I remember, as a child, I would have sleepless nights when I would get anxious over something that had happened. It was so frustrating to me because I didn't know what anxiety was, and the exact feelings and emotions I got when it would overcome me and I would be left confused and unable to explain what was going on in my head. I began to think of these negative emotions and feelings as a monster. I would give them literal form, and create this mental image of this demon-like creature, that was the source of all my inner conflicts. Although my plan was to somehow simplify all of my problems into one giant creature, it helped absolutely nothing because these problems were not being understood. They continued to occupy my mind, not to torture me and scare me like I thought, but because they demanded attention and care. The goal then became not to wish these problems away, but to understand them and give them care, and then overcome.

It becomes a bit simpler to think about it in terms of dreams. Even after the thousands and thousands of dreams we have every night when we are asleep, if we look back at our lives so far it seems much easier to recall the horrible nightmares, rather than the joyful and cheerful dreams. Why is that? Why do the nightmares stick with us better than the good dreams? Do we not want to forget those terrible dreams? Or perhaps maybe we are subconsciously compelled to understand them.

Much like dreams, the feelings that creep into our minds demand to be understood and figured out. We think of them as thoughts that remain in our heads set to terrorize us, and cause us harm, and often, after never giving them any type of understanding, they will. However, courage must be able in these times. There is poetry in our body, and only by listening to it will you hear the message it brings from the soul, the very bridge that brings together the spiritual, and the secular. Each and every one of us has experienced negativity within ourselves, but often it is that very negativity that when understood, brings unexpected inner strength and peace.

Remember that the soul remains residing partly in time, and partly in eternity. We must find it within us to undergo some of the dark depths of who we are, and witness whatever fate asks of the soul. Imagine the feelings and dreams we experience as messengers from the soul, unique works of poetry each waiting for us to listen so we can realize the wisdom and knowledge they offers us. The emotions and feelings within you are there for a reason, and rather than "monsters" meant to hurt you, they prove time and time again to be mysteries, waiting to be understood.