The Mirror Within (part 2 of 3 articles), by Adele - PIN: 3622

Living through Obligation or Freedom

“Try not to take anything personally. Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be a victim of needless suffering.”

Adele feels there are two contexts from which people tend to live: obligation or freedom.

Obligation

* Pleasing others

* Living through “have to” or “ought to”

* External control

* Unclear boundaries

* Passive energy

* Feeling like a victim or pawn

Freedom

* Being true to yourself

* Living through “want to” or “choose to”

* Internal control

* Clear boundaries

* Active energy

* Becoming the source of your own experience

This is a powerful insight because everyone sees a different truth. Each person is creating meaning through their own experiences, beliefs, wounds and perceptions.

If we are not aware that the ever-changing nature of the universe is reflected in our own lives, we are certain to feel disappointed at times. Adele believes many people are being called to reclaim their personal power and to feel confident enough to say no when it is the right thing for themselves.

Some suffering stems not from conflict with others, but from unresolved inner conflict. In order to find and keep love in our lives, we must embrace duality.

Returning to the Heart

As we drop into our hearts, old foundations begin to fall away. Bringing light and dark into balance, and being real with our humanness, allows us to experience more joy, authenticity and depth.

By accepting and loving all parts of ourselves, we naturally extend more compassion and understanding towards others. Adele expresses that when we are truly in our hearts, the answer is always clear.

There are billions of reasons to love.

Everything in life can unfold into love or fear. When we unfurl back far enough, the foundation of all we seek lies in the universal right to feel love and to be loved.

What Triggers Reveal

If you are being triggered frequently by other people’s actions, behaviours, beliefs or truths, Adele believes it may be a sign that shadow work is needed.

“We all need to look into the dark side of our nature, that is where the energy is, the passion. People are afraid of that because it holds the pieces of us that we’re busy denying.” – La Gitana Eva

By identifying your passion, you will often discover clues to your deeper purpose.

You can only really understand light when you have understood darkness. In the same way, you begin to understand yourself more deeply when you truly begin to see others.

We notice similarities in others, but we also notice differences. Both can offer reflections of our own inner world. Often, the things that trigger us are connected to parts of ourselves we have rejected, healed from, or are still working through.

When another person thinks differently, use it as an opportunity to understand your own mind more clearly.

Life, with all its light and all its dark, is beautiful. It is all connected and all sacred.

Creativity, Truth and Expression

Adele explains that the creative process reveals hidden, forgotten or avoided stories within us. The artist’s role is not simply to decorate the world, but to illuminate it.

Art is not only there to entertain or reassure us. It is also there to remind us of what is real and what is important.

When Adele paints, she works with both dark and light hues, not to create contradiction, but to show how deeply intertwined they truly are.

In the words of Toni Cade Bambara: “The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible.”

As an artist, Adele expresses that her passion and purpose are to shatter the “illusion of separation” and encourage others to question conditioning, ignorance and inherited habits.

Through creativity and spiritual exploration, she seeks to create portals into infinite possibilities of being and expressing, helping people remember who they are, where they come from and where they may be headed.

Embracing the Shadow Self

The shadow exists in all of us, but few are willing to bring it fully into the light.

To embrace your shadow self may be one of the most empowering and enlightening experiences of your life.

“Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is. If an inferiority is conscious, one always has a chance to correct it. But if it is repressed and isolated from consciousness, it never gets corrected.” – Carl Jung

“The gold is in the dark side of the moon, in the shadow.” – Robert Bly

Adele explains that shadow work has become an increasingly important subject in her readings and conversations over recent months.

Many people hear the term but do not fully understand what it means. Adele strongly recommends shadow work because she sees it as the missing link between superficial “light-seeking” and true, lasting spiritual awakening.

Shadow work reveals ignored emotions, fears, passions and desires. Though challenging at times, it is essential for self-acceptance and emotional independence.

Our shadows are not threats. They are opportunities for growth.

When we embrace all aspects of ourselves, we become more authentic and stop unconsciously projecting unresolved emotions onto others. This creates deeper relationships, greater compassion and meaningful personal growth.

Adele also explains that inner child healing and shadow work naturally support one another. Childhood wounds often become hidden within the shadow self.

By exploring these hidden aspects with honesty and compassion, we can begin to heal emotional patterns, reconnect with lost parts of ourselves and offer our younger selves the love and care they may have once needed.

Written by Adele, PIN: 3622