Lizard in the Living Room

It seemed perfectly content, sunning itself by the window. In fact, it was so still I thought it was sleeping, or dead, and therefore would be easy to scoop up in a cup and take outside. I was wrong. I'm wrong a lot.

As soon as my shadow came between it and the sun, the blue-tailed chameleon slithered under the couch. I tried in vain to find it; it was gone -- who knows where?

The encounter reminds me of the nature of relationships.

Have you ever had this experience? You're having a perfectly fine day, lazily enjoying the warmth of friendship or family, when suddenly someone's "shadow" appears in the form of a careless remark or a surprising dark mood and it makes you want to disappear. Or your own shadow shows up with an untimely blurt and before you can catch it, the warmth of relationship has turned cold -- or worse.

So how do you know when your "shadow" is showing? How do you claim it before it damages your relationships? A good place to start is by recording your dreams. Since your shadow side is unconscious, it often appears in your dreams in the form of characters representing unacknowledged aspects of yourself. The more you become aware of your "dark side" the more you are able to bring it into the light of consciousness and transform it for good.

Chameleons are known for their ability to blend in with their surroundings, and I still haven't found the one in my living room. I hope it has found a more appropriate place to sunbathe -- outside. My "shadow" is not a bad thing; it just needs a more appropriate way to express itself -- in the light of consciousness.