Shadow Play

Have you ever thought about the components of shadow puppets?

Me neither. Not until All Saints Day at the Toy Museum in Figueres. The Museo del Joguet hosted an event for children to explore the museum at night in search of ghosts, so naturally my sister, brother-in-law, and I bought tickets! We’re all three children at heart.

Walking around a darkened museum at night with a flashlight was its own kind of magic, but what struck me was the beauty and intrigue of the shadows. At one point the hostess held up a lovely little toy bird making it appear to fly in small circles and all of us children shone our lights on it.

While the toy bird was illuminated from multiple light sources, several shadows appeared on the ceiling, each a different shape and size. One toy bird became an entire flock of shadow birds dancing overhead. Mesmerizing.

1. Light

2. Object

3. Shadow(s)

It reminds me of how we experience this glorious expression of life. We can place our attention on the source of light, on the object, or on the shadow. We can convince ourselves that the shadows at play are the whole reality and allow ourselves to forget the source of light and that which casts the shadows. Shadow play is dramatic. You can live an entire story solely with shadows and be completely satisfied. What a ride.

But every now and then we become curious about the source of light, or the object appearing as the many shadows. It’s entirely possible to be aware of all the components at once, to witness the whole expression while at the same time absolutely enjoying the contrast.

Contrast makes the storyline possible. It’s why in Vedic literature so many of the tales involve the perceived conflict between the asuras and the Devas.

In Sanskrit, the sound Sura is expressive of many things, but in this context, we’ll highlight its correlation with generosity, valiance, magnanimity, and perseverance. Often, the Devas are referred to as Suras. So then you can guess what asuras are. With that negating “a” sound we get the antonyms of the above mentioned qualities. There’s the contrast!

One way of looking at it: the Devas are the object and the asuras are the shadows. The objects are predictable, beautiful, ever true. The shadows? Wild. Dynamic. Lacking clear definition. They can loom large and become distorted, so magnificent in their drama that we become entirely entranced—forgetting what makes their appearance possible.

What’s good to remember is that both the object and the shadows are dependent on the same source of light. No light source, no play. The object once illuminated automatically casts a shadow. There’s no getting around it.

In this analysis, it’s not that the objects are good and the shadows are bad. On the contrary, their combination and interdependency give us the opportunity to see ourselves in all of it. As Krishna says in the Bhagavad-Gita (Ch. 9, v. 16-17): “I am the ritual, I am the yagya, I am the offering.”

So too are we all of the components of the shadow play. One is not better than the others. They’re all three necessary for the dynamism of the play. I am the shadow, I am the source of light, I am the object.

May we remember this when we become so captivated by shadows and darkness that we forget the light—and the form which casts the shadows in the first place.

(Interested in cultivating a more balanced all-inclusive attitude? Consider learning Vedic Meditation. Learn more here. https://www.jameyhoodmeditation.com/)