We’ve been talking with our friend and collaborator KP about something that keeps coming up: how do these different spiritual practices actually connect? Shadow work, astrology, tarot, dream work: they all seem to be pointing at the same invisible world, but from different angles.
KP is an astrologer who also does parts work, and she came to us with an interesting problem. Astrology gives her clarity and language, but shadow work lets her feel something shift in real time. It’s the difference between describing swimming and actually getting in the water. So how do you bring that immediacy into working with the planets?
Barry pointed out that shadow work has this immediacy because you’re interacting directly with a real entity living inside of you. The question became: could you work with planets as sentient beings the same way?
Turns out, Barry’s been doing this instinctively his whole life. He’s always felt called to Venus; looking for her in the early morning sky, feeling like she’s saying hello. When KP looked at his chart, she found his chart ruler sitting right in the house of bonded love. The planets have been waving at him this whole time, which is either deeply meaningful or mildly embarrassing, depending on your tolerance for this sort of thing.
Then we started talking about why these practices work when traditional talk therapy often doesn’t. Barry said the main thing is these things are real; everything else feels abstract and thin and honestly kind of boring. Ashley described the experience as communicating with presences, something almost magical. KP said her rational mind is her greatest weapon against herself, so she’d rather be in the imaginal space.
You’re engaging with something that responds when you pay attention — be it your shadow, the planets, or your dreams.
So what’s the practical advice for bringing immediacy into an astrology session?
Barry’s answer: you have to trust your intuition, which is scary. You might say something like, I’m getting a feeling Venus is important for you. Do you have any associations with that? Then see what happens. People reveal things they’re intending to reveal, but if you’re paying close attention, you can see things they weren’t necessarily intending to reveal just in how they interact with you.
Join us at Barry’s next Dark Shadows Support Group : Sunday, March 1st, 2026.
A Note from KP:
The moment that stuck with me, weeks later, from this conversation happened near the end, when Barry said something about traditional talk therapy: “everything is abstract” and “it’s so thin.”
And Ashley has been thinking the same thing. How these other practices let her communicate “with a higher force or the spirits around me or my dead dad.” How that feels richer than just talking about things.
Barry said it plainly: “it feels like there’s a presence of this invisible world and it’s real and it’s there.”
That’s what I’ve been trying to articulate about why astrology works better when you pair it with parts work or shadow work. Earlier in the conversation, I told Barry that astrology gives me clarity and language, but shadow work lets me see what’s happening inside me in real time. I can feel what’s changing. Barry calls it “immediacy”—”a real entity living inside of you and you are interacting directly with it.”
Here’s what that looks like in practice: A client’s natal chart shows Mars in the 12th house. I can interpret that for them (anger that goes underground, conflict avoidance, energy that leaks out sideways). But when we actually talk to that part who’s been hiding the anger? When they feel where it lives in their body, when they ask it what it’s been protecting them from? That’s where immediacy brings the insight the body feels.
The birth chart shows the data points, the blueprint you came in with. And these details come alive when spoken with like parts in conversation. The invisible is then present.
I’m still figuring out how to talk about this integration, how to practice it, what it even looks like with different people. If you’re working with these frameworks too, or if you’re curious about them, I’d love to hear from you! I want to be in conversation with more people who are drawn to this kind of work.
Key Takeaways
Astrology provides clarity and language for personal experiences.
Shadow work allows for immediate emotional insights.
Trusting one’s intuition is crucial in guiding others.
Knowledge in astrology and shadow work is mobile and evolving.
Spiritual practices like astrology and shadow work are becoming mainstream.
Engaging with one’s shadow can deepen self-awareness.
Astrology can help create a bond with one’s shadow.
Exploring different spiritual modalities enriches personal growth.
Happy Lunar New Year 🔥🐴 — and the start of our first ☀️ eclipse season of 2026!
KP Kaszubowski is an astrologer, writing professor, and co-founder of Moonshadow. She’ll be teaching Astro 201 on the Parts & Charts podcast (Season Two begins soon!) with licensed therapist Chelsea Owens, co-hosts Creative Access video interviews about astrology and the creative process, and leads workshops and festivals focused on connection and the arts.
She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Eastern Washington University and has been published in American Poetry Review and TriQuarterly. Her first feature film RINGOLEVIO premiered at Dances with Films in 2020. She currently teaches critical thinking and writing at Lakeland University and works with clients through birth chart readings that integrate parts work.
Upcoming events: Dark Shadows Support Group - Sunday, March 1st, 2026 at 10am PT.
