Have you been feeling more emotional than usual these past few weeks?

Perhaps you’ve been triggered by events from the past – memories, or people, seem to have popped up from nowhere?

An issue you thought you had dealt with has raised it’s head again, and you feel you’ve stepped backwards?

I certainly have.

Many of us will have heard about the recent lunar eclipse and the fact that several planets are retrograde. What can it mean for us?

It means we have an opportunity to resolve anything that is holding us back, to shift and grow. It means our Soul is asking us to take a look at ourselves and let go of anything that is limiting us.

Our shadow, often what we can’t or don’t want to see in ourselves, is always with us. Exploring it can be painful – it’s not easy to see and accept for example our tyrannical parts – and yet it needn’t be. The gift when we understand, accept and integrate is a feeling of peace, of wholeness, within our self. With that comes more clarity, understanding and compassion for others and happier relationships. What makes it painful is our judgement of shadow.

If we ignore our shadow, our unconscious can take control and, next thing we know, we do and say things we wouldn’t normally do or say with complete lack of awareness as to the impact. We can find ourselves lashing out with an abrasive tongue at those we love, our buried anger or rage erupting like a volcano.

What aspects of you do you disown? What were the parts of you that were discouraged growing up? Was it the case you were not allowed to be mean, selfish, angry, rude…something else? For me, expected to be ‘a good girl’, I certainly wasn’t allowed to be mean, selfish, angry or rude! And, in that, I was not allowed to be human. If you’re unsure, what is it about other people that really irritates you?

What emotions do you resist feeling? Sadness, grief, guilt? Anger, rage, hate? Pride, shame, fear? These emotions, unless we attend to them, can lead us to sabotaging our self and ultimately can cause pain and physical illness. Rather than suppress them, we can embrace them, look to find the learning from them, then choose how we want to feel instead. If you want to enjoy life, what experiences do you need to create to feel joy – what brings you joy? Make this your focus.

The good news is you can resolve the conflict within. The resolution comes through love. See and accept all of your facets, and find the heart of who you are, the diamond within your self, the divine. Have faith in the beauty within you! See your shadow as part of who you are, it’s not separate, then ask yourself what do you need to do to turn the shadow into light.