Me and my shadow
Over they years on my walks, whether it’s along the streets of my neighborhood or in parks, gardens and nature preserves, I often look to the side on sunny late afternoons and see my shadow walking along with me, my moving silhouetted self. And I always have a camera with me. Suddenly I might happen to see a very striking or unusual composition with my shadow gazing at some beautiful or mysterious place. I only fully appreciate it later when I look closely at the photo I’ve taken with my shadow. On those particular outings I only get one or two pictures, as the shadows are fleeting and only briefly make for good photos.
Yes, shadows are mysterious and intriguing to me. To some a shadow is dark and ominous despite the nice, sunny days when we can see them. Or they may seem like sad or pale representations of our true self. But I see them differently. They are my companions.
Love it. Funny, the ONE picture that intrigued me the most when I was 12, from a trip to France with Mom, was that of the shadow of a friend of my Mom’s. Never knew why. I came home and framed it and all. Still have it.
Then, when Mom got diagnosed with her terminal illness, I had just gone back to college and was taking a class in Existential Philosophy, where I came across Descartes’s Evil Genius… the second he was introduced to the class, the first thing that came to me is “shadow”. Again, never understood why.
In the little town where my childhood nanny used to live, full of indigenous people, like she was, it was believed that shadows are given to us at birth so that our soul is protected. So, they’re like a padlock to it. Death cannot take a soul unless it has the permission of that soul’s shadow, and the shadow is believed to be incredibly stubborn – ironically, the average age of a person in this town when they expire is past 90; there are incredibly few young/regular adult passings. The exception to this is when a sinless soul is born (which is alluded to when a baby dies before turning one year of age).
But what if shadows are the real being and *we* are the projection? Maybe they’re the ones wondering what our world is like because they can’t see it – they’re shielded, and that’s the only reason we see them in monochrome. Kind of like an egg – you know what’s inside because you’ve cracked a few, but had you not, there still would be something IN there, shielded by a shell.
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What a great entry! I love your shadow photos. When I was young, I performed in a dance recital by tapping to the song Me And My Shadow. So enjoyed listening to Judy Garland sing the song. Thank you!
@wildrose_2 That’s great. I love it when my entries resonate with people as in this instance. Thank you for reading!
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Interesting subject for your photo entry. In my mind shadows can be menacing…too many scary old English movies I guess.
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😄
And just remember … The Shadow Knows. (Do you remember that?)
@ghostdancer I really don’t. What is it from?
@oswego The Shadow is the name of a collection of serialized dramas, originally in 1930s pulp novels, and then in a wide variety of media. Its title character has been featured on the radio, in a long-running pulp magazine series, in American comic books, comic strips, television, serials, video games, and at least five feature films. The radio drama included episodes voiced by Orson Welles.
The introductory line from the radio adaptation of The Shadow – ‘Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!’ – spoken by actor Frank Readick, has earned a place in the American idiom. These words were accompanied by an ominous laugh and a musical theme, Camille Saint-Saëns’ Le Rouet d’Omphale (“Omphale’s Spinning Wheel,” composed in 1872). At the end of each episode, The Shadow reminded listeners that ‘The weed of crime bears bitter fruit! Crime does not pay. The Shadow knows!’
I remember the radio program from when I was a kid — before tv — and it was really scary for a little kid!
@ghostdancer This is really interesting. Didn’t know a thing about that. Well, I d heard of it but never watch old movie or radio programs from back in the day, except for Jack Benny. 🙂
Yes, shadows can mean many things to many people.
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