The Shadow Realm Manifesto

08/11/2024

It's a lot gloomier than usual this week. The shadows are preparing to target our friends and family. If you can, check in with people to remind them that they are not alone. Support who you can, however you can. It is more important now than ever.

If you are in danger of becoming a target, know that you are important and loved. Be cautious of who you turn to for aid and comfort. The shadows have always been among us, but their agents are likely to be emboldened now.

Hope is dwindling and safety will continue to diminish. We must stand together. We are all we have.

Photo credit: harrietsfriend, "Storm sky. DSCN2941, with story" (https://www.deviantart.com/harrietsfriend/art/Storm-sky-DSCN2941-with-story-622662094)

15/06/2024

This page started as a way for us to share our thoughts as we were going through a fairly dark time. Putting form to our thoughts helped us exorcise some of our own shadows.

Then we took the step that we should have taken so long ago. We engaged the services of a professional. They have been guiding us through the shadows, and while progress is slow at times, the darkness falls a little less heavy for us these days.

Despite us referring to ourselves in the first person plural, we are only one person. As we’ve concentrated on our journey, we’ve had less time and energy to share with you here. It’s possible that our part of the Shadow Realm Manifesto is complete. There may be times that we come back here to share with you, but our light now moves with us. We hope to cross paths with you out there in the shadows, so that we can shine our lights for each other.

If you find yourself here, leave a message of encouragement in the comments for others wandering through the darkness. Remind them that they’re not alone, and to have hope.

07/05/2024

02/04/2024

We might have different names for the shadows, but make no mistake, these people are . They shine their light in their own way, but any light in the darkness is helpful.

14/03/2024

Sometimes, when you shine your light for others, some of that light can reflect back onto you.

12/03/2024

We don't know about where you are, but the weather has been unseasonably warm around here lately. Recently, one day at lunch we ran into a co-worker who commented on the nice weather. We agreed with them but commented that it shouldn't be so nice at this time of year and that we found it worrying. This particular co-worker is very much a Knight of the Shadow Realm... they have a way about them that lightens most situations. They said that yes, they understood and agreed with us, but it was still a beautiful day.

Maybe sometimes, it's a little too easy to get caught up with what's wrong and ignore the unseen opportunities. We mustn't ignore problems in the world. We must remain vigilant. But perhaps we should be mindful to take a break and be a more rested to shine a little brighter another day.

We hereby give you permission to enjoy the good parts of bad things. Reread your favourite childhood books, even though their author has revealed themselves to be a hateful monster. Listen to that empowering music, even though its singer may not be who they've claimed to be. Enjoy the warmth of the sun on your face, even if it is a portent of the world being on fire.

Image credit: Joe Webb, "Atomic Tan III" (https://www.joewebbart.com/early-work/2015/11/25/atomic-tan-iii)

01/03/2024

The world moves fast, or at least that's what the shadows want us to think. Thoughts and ideas rush through our brains faster than we can process them. Often, a moment of brightness can slip from our consciousness without being fully processed or acknowledged.

Here's our advice to you today... write things down. Not just your grocery list, or that important appointment, but those momentary thoughts of optimism, or gratitude, or just general positivity. Forcing ourselves to stop and write things down, to express them somewhat eloquently helps to crystallize the thoughts and make them somehow more real.

How you write it down doesn't really matter. You don't need a fancy journal or a special pen. You don't need to set up a fancy digital space. A crappy composition book from the dollar store is *more* than you need. You can even just send yourself an email.

Just do something to slow yourself down and consider how bright your own light actually is.

Photo credit: ObiWanSkywalker178, "Writing under candlelight" (https://www.deviantart.com/obiwanskywalker178/art/Writing-under-candlelight-520743220)

23/02/2024

Sometimes, things that we post get stuck in our brain and rattle around for a while. In our last post, we said that survival wasn't failure. When you step back and think about that statement, it seems completely self-evident... of course survival isn't failure. But the shadows whisper to us a narrative that we always need to be thriving. That we need to produce and accomplish more.

If you can, and if it suits you, and if it doesn't hurt you or others, then yes... please produce and accomplish whatever you'd like. Build great monuments. Compose beautiful music. Plant a garden. Cultivate a friendship. Fold that basket of laundry. Write a sh*tty metaphorical internet post. Or... rest so you can do part, or all of those things tomorrow. Survive today so that you can live tomorrow.

Untold generations of your forebearers survived so you could be here reading this. Don't let the significance of that slip past you. You are the product of an unbroken line of people who defiantly looked into the darkness and said, "not tonight".

20/02/2024

Our plan is always to give you a post at least once a week (or more often if something inspiring crosses our path). Sometimes though, the shadows get the best of us, and we just aren't able to post a dispatch. That happened this weekend. It will certainly happen again in the future. Just know that even if you can't see us, we're here in the shadows with you, fighting the darkness as best as we can.

When we post something and include a call to action, we try our best to qualify that call with "if you can", "as best as you can", or something similar. Because the shadows can overwhelm even the best of us at times. We can't always be at our best. We can't always do what needs to be done. Some days, the best we can do is to survive. That may sound dark, and on the days when we can only survive, it is dark. It's heavy, and burdensome, and just... a lot. But in the same way that the shadows sometimes overwhelm us, our own strength and light will come back to us. We just need to survive until then. Simple survival isn't failure... it is our strongest and most devious strategy.

Rest when you need to. Shine when you can.



Image based on work by Adrien Coquet (https://thenounproject.com/icon/recharge-3002466/)

13/02/2024

Last week, we talked about those of us who bring light with us wherever we go. This week, let's consider the ones who are always waiting for us. If Bill and Ted are Knights Errant, then Nana is a Keeper of the Light. We don't all have the capacity to wander the shadows spreading hope and light. Instead, some of us keep a fire burning, as a beacon in the darkness. A signal to all that, this is a safe place of warmth and kindness, where a warm beverage and compassionate ear await. We all need a place to come back to, and when we do, Keepers like Nana are there to hear about our days, our troubles, and our successes.

In the comments, why don't you share a story about a Keeper of the Light that you know of? Who knows, maybe some day they'll stumble across this post, and *their* day will be lightened.

Cuddles from Nana

05/02/2024

Strength isn’t always what it seems.

04/02/2024

A new week is upon us. Remember to be joyful and bold. Be excellent to each other (and to yourselves), and party on (however that looks for you). Let’s join these two Knights of the Shadow Realm in bringing light to others.

Image credit: StudioCanal