Moon Mondays: Through the eclipse portal

Hiking up the back side of Smuggler, I came across two, nervous-looking, Italian twin sisters. Worried about running into bears, I assured them they were safe — as we know, it’s relatively common to see a bear but beyond rare to be attacked by one. 

Fears assuaged, we hiked together, and our conversation naturally turned to what we each do. They had just finished college and were trying to figure out their next steps. I shared I’m an astrology life coach. The usual question ensued — what does that mean? I explained: I help women make the changes they’ve been longing for but haven’t been able to sustain, grounding the process in their astrological charts. 

One of them surprised me with a question I’d never been asked before: (Insert lovely Italian accent here) “Do you use the life coaching on yourself?” 

I appreciated the blunt curiosity of that all-important question. The answer is yes, absolutely. Every single tool I share, I use myself. I couldn’t genuinely guide others if I weren’t embodying the work.  

Like everyone else, I’m a work in progress. Astrology provides the map — the signposts for our soul’s ride — but it’s up to each of us to do the actual steering. Sometimes that means crashing and burning, other times cruising along, and sometimes soaring at full speed, flying high. That’s the cycle of life. Rinse and repeat for the rest of our lives. The journey is the destination. 

That brings us to the present moment. Yesterday, the eclipse portal opened, unleashing two weeks of potent energy. Eclipses invite us into one of the most powerful self-healing practices: shadow work. I touched on this last week, but your questions inspired me to dive deeper into the how and why. 

What is shadow work?  

Swiss psychologist Carl Jung coined the term “the shadow” for the parts of ourselves we hide, bury, or deny — emotions like anger, fear, sadness, and shame. As children, when we were told to toughen up, not be “too much,” or hide our real feelings, we quickly learned to shove those “bad” parts down deep to stay safe. Over time, it’s as if we calve off pieces of ourselves, like the glaciers that once carved our valley — leaving us less whole. 

Emotions don’t disappear just because we push them away. Ignored, they fester. Repressed anger becomes destructive, buried grief sinks into depression, and stuffed fear reemerges as anxiety. Suppressed emotions fuel self-sabotage. We see it in athletes or celebrities who rise to success only to crash when their unintegrated shadow takes over — and in ourselves, when we blow a promotion, sabotage a relationship, or cut ourselves down just as things start going well. 

Our shadow doesn’t need to destroy us — it just needs acknowledgment. Like toddlers throwing a tantrum, emotions rage, cry, release, and then move on. We do the opposite: stuffing them down in shame until they burst out sideways. 

Enter shadow work 

During this eclipse portal, the invitation is simple: Bring light to your hidden parts. It doesn’t have to be dramatic. Just notice when you’re triggered (shopping at Aspen’s City Market ought to do it), when anger, anxiety, or stress rises. Instead of pushing it away, pause and feel it. Then let the energy move through you: journal, cry, scream, blast heavy metal, or punch a pillow. 

If you can, trace the feeling back. Ask: When did I first learn to hide this part of myself? The answer often points to childhood moments — being shamed for being too loud, too sensitive, or too emotional. Once you recognize that, offer yourself the tenderness you’d naturally give a child in the same situation. Empathy softens the shadow’s grip. 

Walking my own talk, I was reminded of this last week while traveling. Flying always stirs up my anxiety. I noticed how quickly I tried to push it away. Instead, I stopped and allowed myself to feel it. Beneath the anxiety, I found the scared little part of me. What she needed wasn’t denial — it was kindness. The moment I felt compassion, the anxiety began to shift. 

The shadow doesn’t need to control us. It just needs to be recognized, felt, and trusted. Baby steps are enough. Each time we shine a little light into our darkness, we reclaim more of our authentic selves.  

This is how we grow — not by bypassing the dark but by integrating it.  

Sheridan Semple is an astrologer, astrology life coach and founder of Moon Sisters Circle. She helps women break self-sabotage cycles rooted in past trauma through astrology and transformational coaching. Find her work at sheridansemple.com or email her at sheridan@sheridansemple.com.