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What is the difference between karmic and conventional astrology?

Where conventional astrology is preoccupied in using the natal chart to outline a person's personality, in karmic astrology we assume the individual has a pretty good idea of what sort of personality they have. Thus we view the astrological chart not in ego personality terms but in spiritual terms. The natal chart is actually a spiritual balance sheet. It shows assets and liabilities, accounts payable and accounts receivable from previous incarnations. That's not as crude a metaphor as it might first seem. Actually it's pretty accurate, and sometimes (but not always) it's quite literal.

We look at the rewards brought into a person's present life from his/her past lives. Yes, karma includes rewards for things you have done right! A lot of people have never thought about that, and yet those rewards are there every day for anyone prepared to say yes to them, but they are different for everyone.

Likewise the chart also shows our unfinished business, which is why we are all here. We all have unfinished business. Now that does not mean something horrible is going to happen. This is simply an acknowledgment that we are all work in progress. That's why we're here. Well, actually, we are all here to do something wonderful, but the reality of the material world is that it takes a few lifetimes to put all the pieces together properly.

But which part of that wonderful are we here to do this time? In short, your astrological chart is the spiritual recordkeeper AND road map all rolled up into one tidy package. So the natal chart is not only your scorecard of how you have worked on your issues in past lives, it is also the potential game plan for getting this life right in this life. This is the kind of information contained in every natal chart.

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How do I know if Karmic Astrology is right for me?

Eventually it happens to everyone. It's called life.

Suddenly you've realized that maybe you're driving down the wrong road, that somehow you took a wrong turn and wound up heading in a direction which no longer seems as promising as it once did.

Or maybe the brown smelly stuff just went through the fan yet again, and yet again you were standing on the wrong side. But this time you said: "Ok, that's it. I've had enough. I've had it up to here with this nonsense. What's it going to take to change this pattern?"

Congratulations. You've just reached the point of no return. You've decided it won't be that way anymore. When you've reached the point of no return, you're ready for Karmic Astrology.

Please note that while the motivation at the beginning of the journey is to avoid the ugly and unpleasant side of life, as the journey unfolds, the motivation changes. The motivation becomes the yearning to be free from the strife. This in turn brings us to the true yearning which is the yearning to return to Source. Karmic Astrology is the roadmap for that journey.

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Does Karmic Astrology predict the future?

The short answer is: no. There's no need to really. All paths lead to the same place. But, yes we do look at the future for some paths are vastly different than others. Often an individual wants to examine the path before committing him/herself to it. What is done when we look into the future is to examine the potential unfolding of the energies in the chart, but this is NOT with the idea of predicting events. You have free choice. You have an unlimited number of futures to choose from. You will choose your future. Period.

However, what we can do is look at when windows of opportunity (transits and progressions in astrological jargon) will be opening for you to make use of the energies in your chart at their most positive and constructive times; for your chart shows your high spiritual path in life if you wish to follow it. If a marvellous window of opportunity to walk on your spiritual path opens up and you do nothing, then nothing happens. On the other hand, if you choose to do the preparation for the open window, then you can spread your wings and fly in life if you wish.

The unfolding chart is like a roadmap. It is rather nice to know when an interchange is coming up and where each of the ramps lead to so that you can choose to be in the correct lane ahead of time. We have all met people driving down the highway of life blindfolded who suddenly realize they are in the middle of an intersection and have to idea which way to turn. Sound like anyone you've met lately? Sometimes people in a crises are in the middle of a wonderful window of opportunity but don't know it yet. In general a "crises" is simply an unrecognized window of opportunity for exceptional spiritual growth.

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Are specific past lives in my chart?

In my experience the astrological chart does not indicate specific past lives as such, but it does strongly suggest areas of inquiry for past lives. The epiphany experience I had in l987 also resulted in a psychic gift being given to me to see other's past lives. It will sometimes happen with a client during an appointment that images of a client's past lives come up spontaneously. Please note that I am not a hot-line psychic who reads past lives. Knowledge of past lives is a sacred trust shared with an individual when s/he is ready to accept the karmic and spiritual lessons associated with that incarnation. I treat this with great respect and reverence, and I expect the same maturity from my clients.

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What about Karmic relationships?

Sometimes people you knew in past lives are back with you again in this life, but in a much different role. Understanding the change in roles is often helpful to understanding a complex relationship. That is a common theme in Karmic Astrology. Almost everyone meets people in their current life who they knew in a different fashion in a past life. Often these are joyous reunions, but in other situations there is outstanding work to be completed. The birth data for both persons is required to explore such a situation.

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What is the difference between karma and dharma?

While both are words from the ancient language of Sanskrit, there is a big difference. Karma looks to the past, while dharma looks to the present and the future. Sanskrit words often are layered with multiple meanings and great nuances and subtleties which are difficult to translate into English. Thus with the greatest respect (and apologies) to Sanskrit scholars and pundits, here are my condensed definitions.

Karma is nothing more than an unlearned lesson from the past. What we send out comes back to us. The reason it comes back is that we have not yet learned the lesson. When we learn the lesson, then it stops coming back. Karma has nothing to do with punishment. (Kindly note that John Calvin is dead.) Dharma is our right path, usually meant in the sense of our right spiritual path, the path our soul set before we incarnated. (There is a second meaning of dharma which deals with the evolution of humanity which we skip here.) In Karmic Astrology we work with the understanding that the resolution of karma gives us the tools to unfold our dharma. That's easy to say. If often requires a fair bit of work to do.

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How often do I need to see a Karmic Astrologer?

Happily, not often. After that first "Big Picture" reading, it usually takes the average person several months to digest the information. But follow-up readings can be useful to "fine tune" an understanding of current astrological energies in a person's life. For instance, birthday readings looking ahead into the open windows for growth in the next year are often great fun. Children's charts are always a delight, and of course: is that new love affair with Mr or Ms Wonderful for real or just a wild, crazy fling? Karmic Astrology addresses all the usual questions astrologers commonly hear, but looks at them from the "Big Picture" point of view, answering the question about how this mundane daily living fits into the grand sweep of several incarnations and the soul's evolution.

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What can I do myself about my karma?

Anything you like. Some people are content to live with it. Others are motivated to get on with their journey. For them, often just the knowledge of one's own karma is very liberating. Awareness does make a big difference. That's why we have Karmic Astrology.

But yes, there are some stickier problems for which awareness is only a first step. Any constructive work you are currently doing, continue it. A variety of modalities exist in the alternative health and spiritual fields to facilitate this. Pick the one(s) which work for you in a constructive fashion if that pro-active approach seems appropriate. Sometimes that's required.

In short getting on with your life exercising your free choice wisely is perhaps the most important way to deal with karma. However, it is up to you to do that. What karmic astrology does is give a spriritual context for those choices, a context which for some may have been incomplete.

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