Have you ever gone through your previous social media posts and cringed at yourself? When you realize it, you feel embarrassed and want to remove or make the post private.

It is likely that the post contains your "shadow side" — a side of you that you want to hide from others. We may not be able to beat the "dark side" that exists in everyone, but we can learn to make peace with it to fully understand ourselves.

The shadow self is not an enemy within ourselves, but rather another version of ourselves who is hurt, scared, or angry. If we can comprehend and accept these emotions, we will realize that they are still a part of who we are.

What exactly is "Shadow Self"?

The term "shadow self" is derived from psychology. In the 1960s, the renowned psychologist Carl Jung, whose studies focused on the human unconscious psyche, wrote about the concept of the "shadow self". 

He believes that our subconscious is made up of several layers or levels of personality known as archetypes, which include persona, self, anima or animus, and shadow self. Jung believed that everyone has a shadow self that contrasts with their "bright side," or the side they show others, representing attitudes or characteristics of ourselves that we believe are inappropriate to show to others and aspects of our personality that we are unaware of.

The shadow self, as the name implies, is like a shadow that follows us without us even realizing it. The shadow self is an extension of our personality and mentality, just as the shadow is an extension of our body. They are shadows of the wounds we carry with us everywhere, even when we aren't aware of them.

What is the shadow self's role in astrology?

If you enjoy studying astrology, you may notice similarities between the archetypes in Jung's theory and the zodiac in astrology, which can be classified into several types such as cardinal, mutable, and fixed, as well as elements (earth, air, fire, water). Aside from the personalities and motivations inherent in each of their zodiacs or archetypes, of course.

Libra, for example, is known as a diplomat, among other things, Sagittarius is adventurous, and Pisces is creative, among other things. Each zodiac sign has its distinct characteristics, but, similarly to Jung's concept of the dark side in our psyche, each zodiac sign has its own shadow self, which represents their disliked habits, traits, or attitudes. Like how Aries is known for being ambitious and courageous, but they can also be impulsive and hasty in their decision-making. In the zodiac, this is referred to as the shadow self.

What function does shadow work play in astrology?

There is what is known as "shadow work" to make peace with the shadow self, which refers to our awareness of the shadow self that we have based on reflection into our personal and deep self. Recognizing unpleasant traits in our zodiac, accepting them as a part of who we are, and making a conscious effort to empathize with them more.

Reading tarot cards, meditation, self-reflection, and reading our birth chart are all examples of shadow work in astrology. Knowing our zodiac, transit, and planetary positions allows us to gain a better understanding of what motivates our zodiac, both positively and negatively. The goal of shadow work is not to eliminate the shadow self but rather to balance the dark and light sides of ourselves, similar to yin and yang, in order to create harmony.

We emphasize self-awareness in shadow work to understand which aspects of ourselves are genuinely authentic and which we develop as a form of self-defense against things that hurt us. Shadow work, in essence, directs us to pay more attention to what we do, how we communicate with others, how we speak to ourselves, and how our bodies react to various situations and people.