Whether you like Lady Gaga or not, this quote captures something profoundly true.

C.G. Jung said something similar: “There is no light without the shadow,” and “No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell.”

If you cannot accept your shadows or learn to integrate them, your light will never be as bright as it could be. Your light and shadow are inseparable, and to truly shine, you must embrace both aspects of ourselves. Suppressing the shadow only stifles your light, keeping you from living fully.

While focusing solely on positivity may seem appealing, it can be dangerously incomplete as you are rejecting an entire part of yourself. When you ignore your shadow, it doesn’t disappear. Instead, it festers and influences your life from the unconscious, where it can sabotage you in ways you don’t even realize.

By acknowledging your shadow, you integrate it into your being, transforming fear into trust and shame into acceptance. True being comes from this union, allowing you to live wholly, authentically, powerfully, and in harmony with the full spectrum of who you are.