When treading the path of Shadows, I find guidance in the attempt to define to myself what a Shadow is. Such act of definition is the fundamental cornerstone in the effort to express this path verbally while distinguishing it from others and instilling in it a character of its own. It is also a necessary step towards our mutual freedom from each other, for as long as my "Shadow" path remains a personal path alone - I will remain enthralled by this rigid term, and meanwhile it will not be possible still to truly define it for others lest it diverge from my own ever-shifting personal experience. Therefore, I wish to define - for me and for others - what a Shadow is, then convert this definition into the definition of a walkable path, worthy following.
So what is a Shadow?
A Shadow is a thing of context. It is the form cast by an existing object as it is perceived under illumination by an existing subject. Its entire existence - a dynamic interaction between several factors. Change one, and the Shadow changes along. Remove one, and the Shadow is a Shadow no more. Object, Illumination, Subject and Perception - all fundamental, parallel, conflicting, congruent elements in a Shadow's existence: Object provides a deep pattern for its form, Illumination breathes it to life, Subject experiences it, rendering it real as a part of a subjective reality... and Perception binds them all together - attributing to Shadow certain features which make it actually mean something.
Why focus on Shadows? What makes them so interesting?
The interest lies in the idea that Shadows are, due to their acute sensitivity to context - A most reliable definitive of Reality. We are so used to seeing the objects themselves as "real"... The subjects as "real"... the illumination as "real" - while in fact, Reality always exists in the ever-dynamic interaction between them all. Of the things that make a picture seem more "real", the most obvious challenge (and the most difficult to achieve) is adding to the picture convincing Shadows. In Shadows there lies a story. In Shadows do the different pieces come together. Shadows are real.
And yet, it is a common tendency to regard Shadows as unrealistic. To see them as malformed, illusive shapes of the objects which cast them. This is due to perception: it is the only thing connecting Shadows to Objects, straining to see them as something they are not.
So what is the Shadow path? It is a quest to see Shadows as Shadows. To experience reality as a dynamic context where everything affects everything. It is a call to perceive, and to play with perception. It is the path to becoming a Shadow - a being which exists as an integral part of a subjective, dynamic reality - aware of its constricting conditions, as well as its freedom of choice.
Eventually - It is to gain control of the meanings in one's reality and to create a desirable, meaningful life-world.
It is my Shadow path.
It is a path for those who wish to become Shadows.