Part of my journey has been as a karmic astrologer and this is an excerpt taken from an article I wrote for Prediction Magazine.

INTRODUCTION

Karmic astrology starts from the premise that we live successive lifetimes to develop spirituality. In this way, astrology can reveal what has gone before and where further development is needed in the current lifetime. It is based on the belief that spiritual nature is the true reflection of development.

Think of yourself as made up of three parts. Your mind with its emotions and intellect, your body and spiritual nature. When the physical body decays, the spiritual nature lives on and develops into a higher state of consciousness. Karma assumes that life is a continuous experience, not limited to one lifetime in the physical world. It is a law that places each of us in the conditions that provide the lessons we need to develop spiritually.

The concept of Karma is linked to reincarnation. This idea refers to the journey of a soul through the physical world to learn specific lessons and to develop through certain ways of being as a preparation for a higher state of consciousness. We choose our next world and our experiences through what we learn in this one. Each incarnation is different, and the current incarnation is the most important. We go through many lives until we understand that there are more than just the physical, emotional, and mental planes; there is also Spirit.

When an individual learns about his or her karma, he or she is learning about his or her pathways in this lifetime, which help to form the blocks of his or her spiritual nature. Karmic astrology can be part of your healing process. It could help you improve your health, explore sexual issues, heal phobias, choose a career, overcome addictions and rise above destructive thought patterns. When you understand your karma, you can begin to operate consciously from the Higher Self. Karmic astrology can also reveal your other life characters and cultures. This is not the end purpose of karmic astrology – spiritual development is – but sometimes other life characters form essential building blocks on the way.

KARMA AND ASTROLOGY

There are three critical areas with karmic astrology: karmic interpretation of the birth chart, karmic chart comparison, and karmic interpretation of current and future trends.

Karmic interpretation of the birth chart involves casting the natal chart as you would normally do but then seeing the planetary positions and signs, house rulership and aspects through a karmic perspective. Karmic issues related to parents or siblings can emerge from a karmic analysis of the birth chart. For example, Mars in the 3rd House could indicate violent or aggressive past life links with a current sibling, while Pluto in the 4th suggests the long-standing power struggle with the current life mother. A Moon in Taurus or Scorpio could show mothering difficulties over several incarnations. A 7th House Sun or Moon could indicate that the current life father or mother and the child were in past lives husband and wife. Vocational pathways can be highlighted through the birth chart. We develop our skills through several lifetimes and can become aware of our career potential through karmic astrology. If the moon aspects Pluto well, there could be healing and clairvoyance skills from past lives present today. Venus in the 10th House indicates a voice is a karmic talent and could give rise to being a public speaker or singer. Saturn in the 10th century may present karmic challenges regarding authority, responsibility, ambition, and reputation.

Karmic issues around partners, friendship, and sex can be drawn from the birth chart. A Saturn in the 7th person will encounter a partner with whom he has direct karma from a past life, and old debts can be worked on. Venus in Virgo can indicate a past life tendency to be unloving, and now the karmic lesson is to learn to give love. Uranus in the 8th could show homosexuality or bisexuality based on gender issues from other lives.

Mental and physical health is a fascinating area of karmic astrology. Challenging aspects from Mars to Neptune could indicate alcohol abuse or drug addiction brought forward from past lives. In contrast, a 6th House Moon could indicate a hereditary disease passed on through the mother. Pluto in the 6th could show a deep-seated illness with roots in distant past lives, which defies diagnosis in the early stages and could be related to food or drug allergies. Other more general points of reflection include Pluto in the 2nd, indicating a connection to fertility religions, and Mother Goddess planets conjunct the South Node, showing the reversion to old personalities.

It is even possible sometimes to work out gender. An actual example I can use is ofthe  Sun conjunct Venus. They suggest the Sun person was a male in a past life (he is a she in this life) and the Venus person a female (she is a he in this life).  This couple has been married for over 20 years this time around! She tends to be the leader and the more assertive, while he is the more passive partner. Staying with the same couple, her Mars is trine to his Mars, suggesting a previous incarnation as two males.

You can make karmic chart comparisons between lovers, colleagues, parent and child, friends, students and teachers, healer and patient. Karmic interpretation of current and future trends is based on the principles of transits and progressions. Instead of the mundane interpretation, the karmic implications are analysed. A karmic chart comparison involves cost in the birth charts of both parties and analysis of them separately. You then work out where the planets of each fall in the chart of the other and the aspects between the planets of both charts. Conjunctions are the most robust indication of a past life link between two people. Sextiles show a positive flow of energy built on past life links, while squares suggest challenges that need to be worked on for spiritual growth.

The karmic energies of the natal planet will be sparked into life by the transiting or progressed planet. During any transit or progression, we may be either sowing seeds of new karma or harvesting karma that was activated previously. Filter the transiting or progressed planet through the natal planet. For example, to interpret transiting Jupiter conjunct natal Saturn, you need to understand the karmic implications connected with Saturn in the birth chart. Based on this interpretation, you can then see how transiting or progressed Jupiter can be filtered through Saturn. Let’s say that natal Saturn is in the 10th House. Transiting Jupiter conjoining natal Saturn may bring karmic rewards in terms of practical expansion towards career goals and inspired constructiveness.

CLAUDIA’S KARMIC BIRTH CHART I completed a karmic analysis for Claudia with the following points:

• Her chart shows Mercury in the 5th, indicative of writing abilities (she is a freelance writer).
• Mercury in the 6th also indicates past life skills related to teaching young children (Claudia has been a primary school teacher this time). Venus in Pisces shows past life skills related to acting (she has been a Shakespearean actress).
• Claudia would like to work with people from other cultures (Jupiter in Cancer in the 10th House indicating past life experience of different cultures and communities), helping them survive in a suitable environment, as shown by her Sun and Mercury in Aquarius.
• Russia, Sweden, Israel, Greenland, Turkey, North Africa, Arab countries of the Middle East, Norway, Morocco, America, Queensland and Paraguay are indicated by Claudia’s Moon and Sun sign as countries with which she may have had past life links. She has indeed revisited over 60% in this lifetime already.
• Links to Judaism in other incarnations can be shown through the Moon in Scorpio; Claudia converted to Judaism when she was 21 in her current life.
• Claudia’s Aquarian Sun and Mercury suggest a past life talent with astrology, and since the age of nine in this incarnation, Claudia has been casting natal charts. Uranus is conjunct with the natal Ascendant, allowing her to recall past lives in great detail (Claudia’s recall helped verify her karmic analysis by astrology).
• She is highly aware of her shadow side (Moon in Scorpio, Pluto in 12th, Uranus in 12th) and her ability to regenerate or destroy herself and others. Luckily, she has chosen to regenerate and empower.
• Claudia agrees she needs to work on teamwork, partnerships and sharing (Saturn in 7th) but finds it difficult to belong to anyone or share her whole self. She feels alone and profoundly desires a soul union but cannot commit herself. Claudia talks about a past intense and powerful relationship with a partner she believes is an old debt (Saturn in Pisces in 7th).