You have learned many astrological techniques that can improve your life as well as help friends, family, and clients. In this chapter, you will examine what I call the hidden chart. The hidden chart will help you find ways to understand karma and your life purpose or the life purpose of someone else. In some ways the entire astrological chart is a karmic map. When you examine questions concerning your life’s purpose and inherited tendencies from past lives, your perspective must consider the metaphors that the chart suggests rather than hewing to hard-and-fast rules. You cannot skate through your life’s karma in the same way that you can ameliorate retrograde Mercury. There are no rules for studying karmic astrology that will give you the secret of life, but the information that the chart points toward is invaluable for understanding the underlying foundations of a person’s life. Karma and past lives are topics for which there can be no empirical study. Although many people have had near-death experiences, and mediums and others have reported about what happens when someone passes over, we earthbound beings cannot verify the information, nor can we easily assimilate and use these perspectives in daily life. Also, if a person spends all his or her time thinking of the life to come, it will be difficult to focus on the tasks of this life. All groups, no matter how spiritually oriented they are, must contend with earthly matters and the here and now.
In many astrology books, you can flip to the sections on karmic influences and identify karmic burdens according to certain planets, signs, and aspects. This is not, in my opinion, the way to approach the occult meanings of karma and past lives. A person tends to look at these descriptions like a checklist: “Well, I am going to be lonely…check. Ill-health, what a pity…check. No money, tough luck…check.” The net result is a passive life filled with no growth or attempt to move things along. You cannot avoid karma, but you can transmute karma by deeply understanding the planetary messages and choosing the higher road or more responsible actions, even when you feel naturally inclined to a different direction. In fact, the very purpose of life may be to work with your karma to purify your soul. There are astrological clues and indications for karma in a chart, and this is what you will learn about in this chapter.
If you find as you study astrology that your intuition increases and you are receiving pictures of what you believe to be past lives in your dreams or meditations, try to understand the qualities and lessons to be learned rather than getting caught up in the story. For example, clients have told me they believe they were Joan of Arc in a previous lifetime. It is doubtful that they were, but the qualities of martyrdom and sacrifice, and the sense of having a mission, are all valuable lessons. Many people may be refining these aspects of their life and learning about feelings of victimization by choosing the image of Joan of Arc as personally relevant to them.
People rarely say that they were a power-hungry ruler or peasant in other incarnations. We prefer to think of ourselves as great and worthy characters. This is good for the ego, but it may obscure parts of the personality that are less impressive. All people are capable of every human quality, from the highest altruism and love to the lowest depravity and deceit. It is possible that each of us has at times lived an ignoble existence, and as we progress through various lifetimes, we aspire to a more noble life. It can be difficult to keep this very compassionate and high-minded concept in your mind when you are cleaning up a big mess, arguing bitterly with your wife or husband, battling for your job, or resenting your kids because their lives are not in your control. It is only in reflection that we can touch these truths and notice how we might have reacted differently or simply note that there is a repetitive pattern to our difficulties. This is where knowing something about your past lives and karma is healing and useful. As you become familiar with your lessons and successes, you develop a personal code and shortcut to understanding yourself and any tendencies that may be karmic in origin. Understanding is the first step to clear away debris and energy blocks that hinder you. Let’s now define karma and examine its indicators in the chart.
The concept of karma originated in the Eastern religions of Buddhism and Hinduism; it describes the ever-ascending wheel of life where deeds, thoughts, and actions from the past draw experiences to a person’s present life in order to grow and perfect his or her soul. It is the law of cause and effect, or in more colloquial terms, “What goes around comes around.”
Karma has positive dimensions. The gifts and talents of our current lives come from benefits accrued in other lifetimes. Self-esteem and the ability to go through life successfully is due in part to a life that has been worked for in prior incarnations. Sometimes, when people have a seemingly easy life, they are reaping benefits from other, more difficult lifetimes. Also, people with relatively stress-free lives may be resting for another growth spurt in a future lifetime. A challenging life may mean that your soul is ambitious for growth and knowledge.
A good image for the spiral of karma is walking through a maze in a garden. There are many ways through the maze, and when you reach the end, metaphorically speaking, there is another maze at a higher level of consciousness to go through. You will keep the knowledge gained from the previous maze, knowing the twists and turns, and learning the dangers you faced there as well as the joys and pleasures. These successes become part of your tool kit for future journeys. You will repeat any experiences that you shirked or neglected in a previous incarnation until you have completed that bit of development.
These lessons and incarnations are your soul’s choice. The choice does not come from the conscious mind but from the deepest part of a person; in effect, it means “as you sow, so shall you reap.” Karma does not mean a person deserves trauma and difficult experiences as punishment. But, in moments of contemplation, if you are in the midst of a painful period of life, you might take comfort in the belief that your difficulties are there to further your knowledge and personal development.
Karma, however, is not like a cosmic score sheet where each bad thought, sin, or action is noted down. This idea would paralyze our ability to act and put us all in psychological and emotional straitjackets, breeding more guilt and misery. How then do you emphasize sowing positive seeds and reducing the creation of additional difficult karma? Gracefully is the word that comes to mind. There is no way to live perfectly, but the effort to understand your life and how you can grow is perhaps the only way to fathom the twists and turns that life takes. Doing your best and cheerfully considering others’ feelings may be the best guide to working with your karmic challenges, and your good intentions will in turn sow good karma for future lifetimes.
The following are some of the astrological indicators for tracing and understanding a person’s karmic legacy. I have also included some possible past-life scenarios that may have given rise to these karmic indicators. Lastly, I have included some meditation and therapeutic techniques for addressing past-life conditions in your chart. Chart 1 and Chart 2 are excellent examples for study, as these people were very mindful of finding and living their soul’s purpose.
There are two positions in a chart that I have not mentioned. They are called the nodes of the Moon; they are not physical bodies but points on the ecliptic of the Moon’s orbit. There is a north node, which is the point of the ecliptic where the Moon passes from south latitude to north latitude. This is called the dragon’s head, the north node, or the ascending node. The symbol is 
. The dragon’s tail, descending node, or south node, whose symbol is 
, is always the same degree but in the opposite sign from the north node. In an ephemeris, you will find only the north node listed. Most astrology programs calculate both positions. In Chart 1, the is 19
, so the would be 19
. In Chart 2, the is 26 degrees 
; and the is 26 degrees 
.
The nodes are a key ingredient in Vedic, or Hindu, astrology and are also important in identifying life lessons in Western astrology. Vedic astrology is a branch of astrology used in India and is based on the Moon’s position. By contrast, the Sun’s position forms the basis for Western astrology. In Hindu mythology, Rahu was a demon with an appendage to his body that resembled a dragon’s tail. Rahu made himself immortal by stealing the elixir of divine life. This angered Vishnu, one of the major creator gods of the Hindu pantheon, and when he could not take away Rahu’s eternal life, Vishnu cut him in half: The demon’s head was called Rahu, and his tail, Ketu. Vishnu threw Rahu into the sky where he became part of the constellation Draco.
Using his dragon’s tail as a weapon, Rahu waged a war on the Sun and the Moon gods by swallowing them during an eclipse. Other names for Rahu and Ketu are Caput Draconis (dragon’s head) and Cauda Draconis (dragon’s tail). The polarity described by the Moon’s nodes is one of the primary karmic and past-life indicators in the chart. The south node tells us about subconscious patterns and ingrained patterns from the past. The north node outlines new lessons and characteristics to which a person aspires in the present lifetime. Of course, achieving the promise of your north node takes a lifetime of learning. Some astrologers simply look at the nodes as the dichotomy between Saturn and Jupiter. They consider that the north node has the quality of Jupiter and the south node the quality of Saturn. This is too narrow and needlessly reductive to express two new astrological concepts in terms of other planets. Regarding the north and south nodes, Isabel M. Hickey states it best in her book Astrology: A Cosmic Science:
The ancients said the north node was benefic and the south node was malefic. Not necessarily so. When we cling to the past and refuse to go into the future or into the new and untried experiences, we retard our growth and development. Crystallization is not evil. It is merely stupid…. The north node represents the new work to be done, the new faculty to be developed. The south node is the line of least resistance and operates with ease because it has become a repetitive pattern. The north node is the new channel to be made; the new challenge and the point of spiritual fulfillment.
When interpreting the nodes, you will see that they always express a continuum of experience. Instead of saying the north node is in Aries and the south node is in Libra, try to think of the Aries/Libra experience. Most simply stated, this would be the emphasis on I (Aries) and the emphasis on we (Libra). The idea of the continuum is true for all the other nodal positions. The two houses containing the Moon’s nodes will be where these karmic indicators play out the lessons and successes for life.
The following is a brief description of the major thrust each nodal pair outlines. Remember that the south node highlights what you are leaving behind and the north node outlines the knowledge to which you are aspiring.
The Aries/Libra axis outlines challenges in self-assertion compared to the need for compromise and harmonious relationships. When the north node is in Aries, a person is developing the ability to stand on their own as an individual. The south node indicates that a person has been too self-assertive at the expense of other’s viewpoints. For Libra’s north nodes, that person is reaching toward harmonious partnerships and balancing their individual desires with the demands of cooperation. A Libra south node indicates that a person has been too accommodating and “other” oriented and must focus on maintaining a balanced center in relationships.
The Taurus/Scorpio axis concerns accumulating and disposing of material possessions and harnessing energy for creative rather than destructive purposes. When the north node is in Taurus, a person can attract resources and has the ability to be very practical and share their success. With the south node in Taurus, a person has overly emphasized possessions and will have to relinquish control. The north node in Scorpio outlines the use of creative power beyond selfish interests to serve others and society. When the south node is in Scorpio, a person has been primarily interested in manipulating others.
The Gemini/Sagittarius axis outlines different approaches to communication and the accumulation of knowledge. The Gemini north node indicates versatility and an optimistic attitude toward life. The south node in Gemini shows that the mind was too restless and superficial and communication was not directed to sustaining projects. The north node in Sagittarius points the way to a person developing a personal philosophy and code of values. When the south node is in Sagittarius, that person has had a tendency to indulge in rash tendencies and flee from responsibilities. The proverb “a rolling stone gathers no moss” comes to mind.
The Cancer/Capricorn axis outlines the influence of emotional nurturing at home compared to the discipline needed to deal with the demands of working and thriving in the world outside the home. The Cancer north node shows a person developing strong nurturing and sympathetic traits so they can mother themselves or others. The south node shows a tendency for perpetual emotional chaos and self-centeredness that must learn to yield to caring for others. In Capricorn, the north node indicates that a person has executive ability and can methodically work toward their goals not only for their own success but to redeem and assist others. The south node in Capricorn indicates past habits of selfish ambition and a tendency to dominate others.
The Leo/Aquarius axis concerns personal glory and the public good. When the north node is in Leo, a person has a great deal of self-respect and can lead others with wisdom and generosity. The south node in Leo means that in the past, that person has overdeveloped their ego and misused their power. The opposite nodal point, Aquarius for the north Node, shows a person who effortlessly gives service to a group that works for the benefit of society. The south node in Aquarius shows a person who has had a tendency to both become a law unto themselves and refuse to work with others.
The Virgo/Pisces challenge is to moderate the tendencies toward critical, analytical detail and total unqualified acceptance; it is considered to be difficult, as Virgo/Pisces tests the rational mind with faith. The difficulties of these nodal positions from a karmic point of view are considered modified because of the service to others that they usually indicate. The north node in Virgo shows that a person has mastered discrimination without judgment. When the south node is in Virgo, a person must become aware of their tendency to criticize and judge people harshly. The north node in Pisces is considered a “high calling,” for it means compassionate service to all people. A person with a Pisces north node is learning about faith. The Pisces south node indicates that a person has indulged in escapist tendencies and senses and now must assume responsibility for their actions.
These are brief sketches of the nodal positions. The two houses containing the Moon’s nodes will tell you where the karmic indicators play out the lessons and successes for life. There are many books that interpret and detail what the node’s positions mean, but some of them are needlessly harsh. You should read them with discernment.
Most people who consult astrologers are in the midst of dealing with problems. It is a very good practice to examine and interpret charts of people who are quite content with their lives. Whether someone is happy or sad, or whether they consider themselves a failure or a success, everyone has the Moon’s nodes and everyone is living out karma. Studying many people’s charts will help you apply these concepts to others’ lives rather than seeing people as the sum of bad or good karma.
Of course, you should also pay attention to transits to the nodes. Positive transits to the north node tend to smooth life’s events. Challenging aspects to the south node can feel bleak, as they can wake up patterns and feelings from past lives. Transits to either of the nodes can also bring about events with karmic resonances. My advice is to deal with what you can and laugh at the rest.
The nodes point out a trajectory and describe lifelong patterns. As you study astrology, you will become more attuned to accepting what your chart and life offers you: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Acceptance and working with all the material you’ve got means you are running the show as much as you are able to, and this takes the sting of victimization away. You cannot control everything. You cannot escape your karma, but you can take on your life with good grace and faith.
The Moon indicates habitual and emotional responses to life. The Moon sign dominates in childhood and can also indicate deeply ingrained patterns of response that may have been built up over many lifetimes. These ways of reacting have become comfortable to each of us and offer the first line of defense that a person has in dealing with the world around them. When the Moon is harmoniously aspected, a person can easily project a self-image that helps with getting along well in the world. When the Moon is adversely aspected, a person can be in an emotional left field and unable to communicate feelings.
When considering karmic questions, the Moon indicates subterranean emotional currents that a person brings to the present life. Rather than describe each Moon position, I think considering the elements brings questions of general karma into good focus, as each of the Moon’s elements describes the way a person defends his or her own turf. Learning how that defense is effective or where it is outmoded can describe a karmic debt or inheritance. Moon in fire is likely to react with anger and dramatic flourishes. Moon in earth reacts with endurance and fortitude. Moon in air reacts with rationalizations, discussions, or arguments. A watery Moon reacts by retreating, or with emotional outpourings.
If you meditate on these simple explanations and consider that a person has chosen his or her Moon sign to master an automatic reaction pattern, then you have some information on the karmic lesson involved with the position of the Moon. It is reductive to say, “Oh, you have Moon in Cancer. You must have been an overemotional mother in a previous lifetime.” Likewise, to say a person with Moon in Leo was probably very dramatic is too simplistic. It is more important to recognize the quality of emotional energy that a person uses to interact with the world. As you understand the positive ways your Moon position can influence your life, you’ll begin to master a good portion of your karmic assignment.
You have already learned a lot about Saturn in Chapter 4 and elsewhere. In ancient times, Saturn was called the Lord of Karma because this planet stood for the passage of time and lessons learned in this lifetime and other lifetimes. In addition to the way Saturn informs your daily life on Earth, consider the sign and house position of Saturn as an indication of specific karmic lessons for you this time around. With your knowledge of the signs, it is easy to identify the basic thrust of your plan according to Saturn, but living your karmic plan takes a lifetime to master. Fortunately, we have many lifetimes to get it right. These are brief notes on karma and Saturn’s position, but you are the best judge of what your own life needs to balance and purify. I have included a small description of a possible scenario of Saturn’s position in each sign. This is an imaginative view of Saturn positions to give you an idea of how to understand karmic placements.
With Saturn in Aries, a person has challenges in expressing outgoing energy and dealing with authority. Courage and the natural verve of Aries have become crystallized and stiff. This position lends itself to either a person who makes a big show out of everything or someone who pretends to be meek. Saturn in Aries indicates karmic links with authority figures. In a past life, the person may have been a warrior who turned from a battle when it was important to fight.
Saturn in Taurus addresses the challenge of holding on to, and possessiveness in, material goods, ideas, or values. In terms of earthly success, Saturn in Taurus may be very good in real estate or commerce, but the acquisitiveness that this sign placement implies also holds a lesson for the soul, which is to be able to let go. If you worship gold and possessions, then your material world runs you and can lead to inflexibility that discounts other life experiences. There can be a fear of poverty with this sign placement. In a past life, a person may have been a merchant or landlord with many responsibilities and riches but little joy in living. Saturn in Taurus can bring karmic links with debtors or those in financial positions of authority.
Saturn in Gemini offers the test of concentrated thought rather than scattered and ineffectual energy. A person with this placement could be experiencing how to learn or how to focus the mind. The mind can have a negative, rigid cast, and learning the power of optimism is part of Gemini’s life lesson. Saturn in Gemini may also be learning to communicate thoughts and find value in personal ideas. Saturn in Gemini can indicate karmic links with brothers and sisters or members of the extended family. In a past life, this person may have been a messenger or scribe who had difficulty in reporting messages or vital information accurately. This lifetime demands that a person with this position speak optimistically and truthfully.
Saturn in Cancer offers the karmic test of releasing past emotions that cloud present reality. A person with this position can cling to family values regardless of their suitability or advisability. Emotion for emotion’s sake is an exhausting choice, and always going with the flow can lead to lack of foresight and planning. The karmic links with this position are with family members, usually the mother. Those with Saturn in Cancer must also learn to release hardened emotions and develop empathy with other people. In the past this person may have held tightly to family and squelched others’ individuality because of his or her own fear of loneliness.
Saturn in Leo people are learning the lesson of giving and receiving. It is difficult when Leo’s abundant egocentric solar energy is the challenge, because Saturn in Leo people want the limelight. People with this placement will learn that they cannot receive everyone’s undivided attention all the time, and they may experience loneliness and lack of friends until the lesson of sharing, leading, and following becomes part of their life’s path. There are frequent karmic links with children when Saturn is in Leo. “Pride goeth before a fall” is a good phrase for Saturn in Leo people. In a past life, this person may have been a ruler or leader who ruled autocratically and created dissension among his or her people.
Here Saturn enforces the lesson that criticism, analysis, and even gossip serve to demean others and can create a very judgmental streak. The very gifts of discernment and analysis that Virgo offers can be tests when Saturn is in Virgo. With this placement, a person must make distinctions among individuals, experiences, and events without labeling them good or bad. When the Saturn in Virgo person hews to a rigid idea of what is correct, perfect, or healthy, then everything that doesn’t agree with that position becomes the enemy. With Saturn in Virgo, life’s experiences will try and teach this person the validity of others’ viewpoints as well as their own. Saturn in Virgo is apt to have karmic links with people through work experiences. In a past life, this person may have been a cold bureaucrat who stuck mindlessly to the rules regardless of the human situation.
Saturn is exalted in Libra, which is the cosmos’s way of saying that fairness, sociability, cooperation, and relationships are essential parts of people’s lives. The test here is proper responsibility in marriage and in partnership. The Saturn in Libra person will encounter relationships again and again where perhaps they neglected common courtesy and fair play. All karmic links with Saturn in Libra will be with a marriage partner. Competitiveness must be replaced with cooperation. In a past life, this position could have meant a deceitful marriage partner or someone who dodged the responsibilities of partnership at the last moment.
Scorpio offers the test of desire and passion in the service of others rather than exclusively for pleasure. I would call this a lesson of “right desire” but not from a moral point of view. Right desire means that there are consequences to unleashing sexual energies. The character is usually very strong but may sink into vendettas and harbor negative feelings when his or her power is not recognized. Saturn in Scorpio has such strength that it must use it for creative purposes. There are usually karmic links with healers, doctors, and, sometimes, witches. Saturn in Scorpio may have been involved with magic and the occult and used that knowledge for ill or for purposes of manipulation.
Saturn in Jupiter’s sign lends gravity and concentration to Sagittarius’s at times reckless optimism. The lesson is to develop understanding. Saturn in Sagittarius offers the lessons of correcting blunt speech that does not regard another’s feelings. This is a sign of a teacher or religious leader in the past, and there will be karmic links with educators. The present lifetime will invite experiences in which a person can share knowledge for everyone’s benefit rather than for personal aggrandizement.
Under Saturn’s rulership, this position indicates that a person has mastered many karmic lessons regarding responsibility and structure in life. This character has power and ambition but may have neglected sharing that power to increase joy and foster good relationships among people. When ambition without a sense of connectedness to others dominates, life can be dreary. There can be karmic links with the father or father figures. In a past life, this person may have been a strict disciplinarian in a religious community where silence and grim duty dominated. The spiritual values this person learned purified the soul, but now he or she needs to remember “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).
Saturn in Aquarius indicates that a person has been through many lifetimes and is now in a position to move from the everyday ego to the higher self. Not all people will heed the call, but this particular soul development is available to the person who does. Saturn in Aquarius offers the ability to teach others the value of detached wisdom through friendship and work with groups of people. There are karmic links with friends when Saturn is in this position. It is important for the person with Saturn in this position to speak out. In a past life, they may have been an innovator, to whom society was not ready to listen. Now, offering ideas and speaking about their visions and ideals may require effort due to their fear of being criticized or rebuked.
Saturn in Pisces draws a person toward karmic lessons in letting go of emotions and keeping some distance in empathy. A person with this position can become so involved in other people’s feelings that they cannot locate their own feelings. In a past life, this person may have been someone who neglected emotional and material needs because they were always offering a shoulder to lean on. Karmic links may involve spiritual teachers, gurus, and priests.
Pluto and Pluto aspects directly express energies and relationships that have a karmic basis. But, here, I want to emphasize the evolutionary dimension of Pluto’s placements. Not all charts are strongly influenced by Pluto. Your first astrological task is to investigate how Plutonian a person is; then you will know something about the karmic issues with which a person is concerned. If there is a heavy emphasis on Scorpio planets, that person is strongly influenced by Pluto. If Pluto is angular, or if many of the personal planets are in tight aspects—positive or negative—to Pluto, then that person is working toward clearing up Plutonian issues. As mentioned in Chapter 4, wherever Pluto is located represents where a person’s strongest desires lie, and what parts of life that person will struggle with the most to realize his or her desires. When Pluto is linked to a personal planet, the issues that need to be addressed will come from past lives. Daily life is affected by these aspects as well. Pluto conjunct the Moon or Sun is particularly indicative of a past life where the personality (the Sun) or the emotions (the Moon) used power inappropriately.
It is not useful to delineate all the Pluto aspects here, as there are many books that do this masterfully. Look at the resource list at the back of the book for additional information. The best advice is to examine Pluto in his Phoenix form. All Pluto contacts are like the Phoenix, destroying themselves and then regenerating from ashes. It is an intense process, but like the pursuit of the ancient alchemists, it can turn lead into gold.
Retrograde planets in a natal chart almost always indicate past-life issues that come around again to be mastered. This is why the year that a natal retrograde planet turns direct can be very liberating. It feels as if a debt has been paid or a long-standing burden lifted. The more retrograde planets a chart has, the more patterns are coming up for review. A chart with no retrograde planets means that a person is reaping benefits in this lifetime. These people have direct access to all the planets’ energies and a good chance of successfully moving along on their life’s path. Of course, in addition to the retrograde planet’s meaning, the house position will tell you where the challenges of these energies are.
When you examine someone’s chart, it is never advisable to say, “Oh, you have a retrograde Mercury; that means that you couldn’t communicate with anyone in a past life and now you are paying off your karma.” You can’t be glib with karmic placements, and you will not help your relationship with anyone by announcing that they have karmic debts. Gentle description is the best approach. The water signs—Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces—are very receptive to psychic impressions and vibrations. They also can have thin boundaries and a difficult time discerning the difference between their own imagination and wisdom from a higher source. Also, charts with mutable signs on the angles remember every critical or negative word that is ever said to them. If you are counseling someone who is a water sign with mutable signs on the angles, tread carefully. If this describes your chart, then learn to listen with discernment, for you can be easily influenced.
Remember, no one has studied at your personal Karmic University, and advice from other people about past lives and the lives to come is highly speculative. But when you instinctively feel, “Aha, that’s why I behave in this manner” or “That’s why this happened,” then that person or book has given you a real message on which you can build.
Retrograde Mercury indicates that in many past lives, a person’s manner of communicating was unique and often not clear to other people. They may have been liars or people who exaggerated the truth. These people must take special pains to say what they mean and mean what they say. Retrograde Mercury frequently describes a person with an impractical approach to life. Writing ability is indicated. This is a good activity for retrograde Mercury people as the effort to write thoughts down helps focus the mind and can clarify the person’s true feelings.
Retrograde Venus in a chart reveals that a person neglected affections in a past life. They may have been personally cold or ignorant about expressing simple and genuine affection. This placement can also indicate austerity and neglect of some of the more refined aspects of life. The image of Scrooge comes to mind. Because Venus rules two signs, Taurus and Libra, the sign position will tell you what type of austerity and aesthetic neglect is emphasized.
Retrograde Mars can indicate misuse of energy and passion in past lives. Perhaps the person was a coward when bravery was needed, or perhaps they dissipated their abilities by excessive timidity and insecurity. Proper assertion and sense of self is the test for this lifetime. Retrograde Mars can also indicate stockpiling anger and then exploding during inopportune moments. A person who has a retrograde Mars must learn to handle aggression effectively.
Retrograde Jupiter indicates a test of expansion in life. In a past life, perhaps this person did not experience much of anything: They were content to stay in place and not explore the abilities and talents indicated by the chart. This time around, they are invited to taste different experiences and choose activities that will contribute to the soul’s development. Retrograde Jupiter also frequently describes a person who is on a philosophical quest in life and one who searches for a homeland. On an everyday level, a retrograde Jupiter can indicate problems in attracting resources.
Retrograde Saturn offers a person lessons in addressing neglected responsibilities. Perhaps because of fear or laziness, this person gave up on marriage, business ventures, parenting, or leadership positions where people counted on him or her. The current lifetime will offer many of the same situations in the hopes that this person will take the chance to grow in self-knowledge by accepting life’s challenges. In the body, retrograde Saturn can indicate rigid, defensive patterns that prevent the free flow of feelings.
The outer planets—Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto—are frequently retrograde in people’s charts. The impact of these planets is not always significant, as many people are not as sensitive to the effect of these planets. For a person on the path of self-knowledge, retrogrades of the outer planets mean that as that person grows in higher consciousness, issues of the outer planets become an essential part of his or her chart. Uranus retrograde is concerned with questions regarding freedom and obligation. Retrograde Neptune poses questions in the area of spiritual awakenings versus delusion and deceit. And our friend Pluto looks at the karmic debts of power abused.
You have learned about applying and separating aspects in other areas of chart interpretation. In terms of karma and the hidden chart, the number of applying aspects has special significance. The applying aspects and the planets receiving them are involved with the experiences you are attracting in this lifetime to create your blueprint for the next life. These aspects are sowing karma, and according to the quality of how you use them, you are planting seeds for the future. The separating aspects show what you have finished up and mastered. When there are more separating aspects than applying ones, you are in a “finishing up” lifetime.
When applying aspects dominate, a person is beginning with a slate that is almost clean. If you notice this in your chart, you might want to be as mindful of your actions as you can be, for the quality of this life will map out the quality of future lives for a long time to come. If, however, a person is a water sign or has mutable signs on the angles, this advice will inhibit and frighten them. It is better to give this person confidence for the future and let them do as they will.
It is also important to note whether aspects are in predominantly cardinal, fixed, or mutable signs. The cardinal signs are active and carry recent karmic energy from the previous life, which can be changed by constructive action. The fixed signs are definite and strong; the habits they describe are deeply embedded and acquired over many lifetimes. These take a lot of patience to change. The mutable signs are flexible and easier to work with. They have characteristics that are just beginning and can be changed more easily. When there are trines in a chart, these indicate talents and abilities that a person brings over from previous lifetimes. Such a person will never have to work hard to develop these gifts; they are part of the bounty that they achieved in the past.
In addition to revealing information on the present incarnation, an astrology chart includes information about past and future lives. Astrologers make the assumption that a person chooses his or her parents and the moment of birth so that the perfect chart occurs to direct this lifetime. When I tell clients that they have chosen their parents, many roll their eyes and shake their heads as if to say, “Why would I choose such bozos?” You can’t query your karma; you can only live it and accept that there is a larger plan than you are aware of on a day-to-day basis. In the most difficult family relationships, there is growth, knowledge, and the opportunity to learn about your soul. Maybe next time around you will choose a harmonious family and spend a lifetime reaping the benefits of growth from this difficult life. Part of your job may be to understand what was not happy with your family and transcend it. Of course, the chart points out the right way for you.
If you have an accurately timed chart, the sign prior to the ascendant—or the sign on the Twelfth House cusp—was probably your ascendant for the previous incarnation. The lifetime before that corresponds to the sign on the Eleventh House, then the Tenth House, and continues around the wheel counterclockwise to understand all the past-life possibilities. For example, if you have Capricorn rising in this life, one part of your life lesson is to incorporate a seriousness and steadiness you may have neglected when Sagittarius (the sign on the Twelfth House cusp) was your rising sign. The lifetime before that was influenced by the sign on the Eleventh House cusp. Identifying these signs is only the beginning of tracing and understanding past lives. You can meditate on the meanings of each previous incarnation by noting the strengths and weaknesses of those signs.
When there are planets located in the Twelfth House, which represent the most recent prior lifetime, these planets indicate carryover lessons to this lifetime. For example, when the Sun is in the Twelfth House, frequently the soul remembers much of the past life and has trouble shining in this life because the personality feels like it must travel a long way. The Sun here also means that the ego dominated in past lives and now the soul needs the experience of selfless service.
When other personal planets are in the Twelfth House with tough aspects, this is another indication of past-life residue. Use your knowledge of the core meanings of the signs and aspects to construct a picture of what these past-life indications could mean for you, your clients, or your circle of friends and loved ones.
Frequently, in romantic relationships and marriage, people who get together have been connected before in a past life. The term soul mate is used commonly to express having a relationship with someone where there is a special harmony, sympathy, or connection that goes beyond the boundaries of many love relationships. Sometimes this word is used casually because someone is in love and experiences the thrill of basking in that glow. Sometimes someone says the other person is his or her soul mate because they can’t explain how deeply they feel for the other person, regardless of whether that feeling is returned and whether the other person is a good or suitable partner.
In addition to the general use of the term soul mate, there is a specific definition. This is when two souls have been connected before birth and are split into two different bodies. This is a rare situation. When or if you encounter this other soul, you will feel a sense of recognition and commonality, as if you have found a part of yourself. It is unusual, however, to form a relationship with this person, because your life path and lessons are similar enough that there is not sufficient friction and charge to create the situations that each person needs for growth.
There is also a term called astrological twins for people born on the same date, place, and time, but in different families. If astrological twins meet, it is usually interesting to trace common themes and development, but interest wanes quickly because there is not enough new ground to cover. Astrological twins rarely form a romantic relationship.
The more common use of the term soul mate is to designate a relationship with someone with whom there is a very close bond and where there are connections that are mutually beneficial for each person’s soul development. This is where karma and relationships can get sticky. People sometimes feel connected to others even when the relationship is extremely challenging. I know couples that have been married for a long time and are always on the verge of divorce. The popular term codependent may be the reason couples like this stick together, but it also can be a karmic lesson that both people need to work out before they can move on. The bond is made of love, but through habit and past-life remnants, the love has changed into a habitual pattern of unkindness. Usually the problem is a power dynamic; one person wields power and the other person feels dependent, resulting in an imbalanced relationship.
Does it feel like you are permanently trapped in a wheel of difficult love and romantic relationships? Will true love and romance ever be yours? Will people never give you what you want? Love is the generator for all of life. When a relationship must change because it no longer fits with a person’s life path, the love doesn’t evaporate; it goes in a different direction. The degree to which you carry a person in your heart will nourish your life. If you have to separate or divorce, try with as much strength and good grace as possible to accept that some part of your soul development called this situation for you both to grow.
The astrological indications for relationships that are karmically based between two people are a Sun/Moon conjunction, or Saturn or Pluto in conjunction, opposition, or square with another’s Sun, Moon, Venus, or Mars. When these aspects appear, you need to examine each of the charts to gain a more complete picture of the person’s karmic story. As with all astrological aspects, the closer the aspects, the more intense the relationship will be.
Karmic relationships between people do not necessarily mean that they were married or romantically involved in a past life. The relationship could be teacher and pupil, parent and child, siblings, close friends, or enemies. Frequently, a person was a different gender in a previous life and has incarnated as another gender this time around because it affords the best platform for understanding and realizing this person’s karmic plan. As you look at your relationships, see if you can identify through examining the astrological correspondences what a likely past-life scenario might be. For example, in Jack’s and Jane’s charts with Jack’s Saturn exactly conjunct Jane’s Mars, it would make sense to imagine that in a past life, Jack was an authority figure, perhaps a father to Jane. In Jane’s past life, however, she could have been a boy (Mars) who needed, but was unable, to rebel against his father. Now, in this present lifetime, Jane has another chance to assert herself, but this time as a wife. Jack still wields authority, but Jane is an adult and has abilities of her own to cope with the power dynamics. With practice you will be able to note similar scenarios to explain some of the puzzling and interesting facets of your own relationships and of those you read for.
Although you are the best caretaker of your karma, there are techniques and people who can help your evolution. People have different soul levels of development. An old soul incorporates many experiences and skills because it has lived longer than a new soul. Your chart can teach you some things about your soul level. When there are many separating aspects with the outer planets—Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto—a soul may have gone through many incarnations. If most of the aspects in a chart are between the personal planets, then the soul is possibly newly minted and is undergoing experiences that are putting it on a path toward spiritual evolution.
When you consult with an astrologer or reader of any kind and the subject of your karma or life lessons is discussed, it is important to intuit whether this person has something to offer you. By this, I mean that only someone who is more experienced and more evolved can assist you in your growth. That said, in addition to astrologers, there are talented practitioners who perform past-life regressions, energy balancing, and hypnotherapy. These practitioners can help you access information about your karma and past lives. Past-life regression with an experienced, reputable professional can clear out karmic debris and free up energy for the current lifetime. Channelers may also be helpful to you with this information. It can be difficult to find a qualified professional in channeling, healing, or astrology, so a client must rely on recommendations, thorough research, and personal intuition when consulting these practitioners.
Another technique that can be helpful to you is energy rebirthing. This is a breathing practice where a trained professional can help you resolve issues of birth in the present life or in any other life using only your breath. It may be very cathartic and help root out deep-seated energy problems. Look at the back of this book for some resources for you to find healers who practice some of these therapies mentioned.
Another time-tested technique is meditation. There are many systems and ideas of how to meditate, but they are all mostly based on the idea of focusing the mind on the breath or on one idea, word, or color. As the person begins to contact deeper areas of relaxation, integration from all past and present lives can occur. Meditation takes practice but will help you in all areas of your life.
Lastly, in thinking about working with your particular karmic issues, here is a helpful practice. It is a Tibetan or Tibetan Buddhist prayer for forgiveness. This prayer can help resolve relationship problems that have become intractable and seemingly unsolvable. Say the prayer, with an image of the person you need to forgive in your mind, for forty consecutive nights before going to sleep.
I freely forgive____________for any wrongdoing he/she has done to me in this life or in any other, and I hope for____________between us.
The second part is perhaps more difficult.
I freely forgive myself for any wrongdoing I have done to____________in this life or in any other, and I hope for____________between us.
Try this and see where you can sow forgiveness in your own life. It can’t hurt.
Karmic indicators can be the most elusive and interesting parts of a chart. As you grow in your astrological knowledge, this area of study may become more and more fascinating to you. It is one of the most fertile and rewarding areas of astrology and can lead you to contemplate many areas of life that no other study offers.
In the next two chapters, you will learn ways to refine and use all the information you have learned so far. Your understanding of the hidden chart can inform these techniques also. Astrology concerns all life: from the smallest query to the largest event.