Black+Moon+A+Guide+to+Healing+the+Shadow+Side

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The Natal Black Moon in the Signs
When we discover the nature of our natal Black Moon, we have a face to
face encounter with our shadow side. As a general rule, each of us is
naturally averse to acknowledging our shadow side and, invariably, we
wince or step back from it because it touches a nerve. It makes us feel
intensely uncomfortable in a vague sort of way. Having our shadow
exposed is a raw, vulnerable experience for many of us because the
shadow side is deeply unconscious. It usually takes a little while for the
revelations of the Black Moon to sink in.
Each of us has one primary fear that follows us through life and
is a motivating factor in our actions and decisions. It is a companion that
we know is there, but remains ever elusive. This fear is deeply rooted
within the ancient part of our brains. As we discussed in the last chapter,
the root cause of our primary fear is a feeling of separation from our
Spiritual Source or feeling disconnected from something higher than
ourselves.
The astrology of the Black Moon identifies this specific primary
fear. The shadow side is merely the container for our primary fear, so
when we face the shadow, we are really facing our primary fear. The
Black Moon in each sign identifies certain personal issues that we carry
and face on a regular basis. These issues form a large part of our
personality and color our behavior, forming what could loosely be called
our “downfall” in life. Our primary fears hold us back and prevent us
from living our lives to the fullest. The Black Moon bestows the gift of
this information to help us see through our self-sabotaging behavior and
make changes that will free us from our self-imposed limitations.
As we begin to pull the shadow into the light, we also find that
buried within it is the way in which we tend to judge ourselves. The
shadow side is a harsh critic. It has the idea that we should be perfect and
it is causes us to have intensely negative feelings about ourselves. It sets a
high standard that cannot realistically be met. However, when we become
cognizant of these unconscious forces, they begin to have less influence
over us because we can work through the shadow when we know what it
is. Identifying it is the first step toward transcending it.
But until we become conscious of the issues that accompany our
shadow side and the primary fear that is driving it, we unknowingly
project these issues onto others. This is the shadow‟s knee-jerk reaction
when the primary fear is triggered. We voice judgment of others when in
fact we are judging ourselves. Oftentimes, the shortcomings we identify
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