Beware
The Shadow Walker
There
is not one of us who has not been taken in by a Shadow
Walker.
What
is this thing that causes so much distress in our lives?
A
Shadow Walker is a person who wears many masks (we shall use
the empirical "he" here; not to denote gender, but
for simplicity).
He
is the person who oozes charm to everyone he meets.
He
offers help and assistance, support, loving kindness.
He
is the perfect good will ambassador with lofty ideals, great
concern for the welfare of mankind and a deep belief in the
brotherhood of all people.
What
a wonderful person! You get to know him.
You
relax around him, begin to rely upon his word and his
judgment.
You
confide in him about your work, your family life and the
most personal aspects of yourself.
He
is your friend. He would do anything for you.
You
trust him. He is not real.
It
is a mask he wears in public that has nothing to do with the
reality of who he is.
The
Shadow Walker will take all your confidences and use them
against you.
He
begins to gossip about you.
He
twists your words to use to his own best advantage.
He
makes false accusations about you and, because everyone
knows what a wonderful and caring person he is, he is
believed.
He
steals your thoughts, words, and the plans you may have
shared with him, and makes them his own.
He
takes full credit while laughing at you for being a fool.
You
have been betrayed.
He
takes advantage of every good thing he has learned about
you, and then turns his back on you. He is finished with
you.
You
have nothing more for him to take.
He
moves on to his next mark, oozing charm and self confidence.
The
Shadow Walker is dangerous.
He
has destroyed marriages, stolen lives,
cost some their jobs, and driven some to violence,
alcoholism, drug abuse, or suicide.
More
often than not, the Shadow Walker is the product of an
environment which battered his own view of himself until he
was convinced that he had no value.
His
self esteem and feelings of personal value and self worth
have been virtually destroyed.
At
some point, he has learned to lie, to steal, to manipulate
and to "con" in order to create an image of the
person he considers successful.
He
does this by absorbing the heart, spirit and essence of
those he admires but can never be.
Nothing
is beyond him, and nothing is sacred to him.
He
has learned how to create the mask that will give him access
to people he considers valuable to him.
He
actively searches them out.
He
uses them up and throws them away.
How
do you fight a Shadow Walker?
You
can't.
Once
you have been chosen as his mark, everything you do will be
used against you.
If
you speak out against him, you will only arouse sympathy in
others for him.
If
you try to fight him, they will defend him.
He
is a master at his game, and you don't even know the rules.
The
natural reaction is to strike back in anger and righteous
indignation.
The
need for revenge is strong.
You
have been betrayed at every level of your being,
and the hurt you feel is intense.
Sometimes,
a financial loss may also be involved.
If
there is legal action you can take, then take it and leave
the details of the battle to others.
I
have worked with many people who have suffered at the hands
of such deceivers.
The
only way to effectively deal with a Shadow Walker is to
distance yourself, cut your losses, learn your lesson, and
walk away.
Rebuild
your own dignity and value as a human being.
Don't
allow your feelings against the Shadow Walker to alter your
dealings with other honorable and ethical people.
Control
the impulse to be overly suspicious and distrustful of
everyone.
It's
a natural survival instinct after such an experience, but
remember what life was like before the Shadow Walker.
You
are a good and honorable person.
This
is the belief and attitude that will carry you through the
ordeal.
Be
strong, for you walk in the light.
Author
Unknown,
sent
by a friend to Chief
Stone Bear 09-07-2008
-
