Are you ready to love and accept yourself as you are? The imprint of each soul is unique: it is both our greatest strength and our most terrifying shadow.

 

  It is difficult to truly love yourself until you accept your shadow. The projections of that shadow often show up as rejection of others, making it hard to love them too. The world around you may begin to feel distant or alien. In this state, it becomes difficult to experience love as the energy of unity with everything.

 

  When your personal shadow becomes at least a little less frightening to face, that is already a first step—not toward complexity, but toward simplicity. And simplicity brings lightness and freedom. From there, love is not so far away.

 

   You can take a journey deep into yourself—just don’t forget to bring a flashlight. It will help free you from fear and pain. When you reach your darkest places, shine a light on your shadows. They may appear strange, silly, or even absurd—but as you illuminate them, they begin to turn from black to white and become less frightening.

 

  I shot this series with the first fragile flowers that appeared in the forest after a cold winter. Old paper represents old wounds. The unusual forms and compositions reflect our illusions of fear.

 

  Don’t be afraid to shine your flashlight even brighter on your shadows—because loving yourself too much is impossible.