The Basics of Western Astrology Explained

Introduction:

This article covers the basics of Astrology and how they are inter-related. Astrology is defined as 'the art or practice of determining the supposed influences of the planets and their motions on human affairs and human disposition'. From this practice a horoscope can be produced - a diagram (or chart) of the relative positions of planets and signs of the Zodiac at a specific time, usually the time of birth. A forecast can then be produced.

The Zodiac:

Western Astrology originated way back, around 500 BC, with a concept called the Zodiac being developed. This comprised of an imaginary sphere surrounding the earth, which followed the path of the Sun through the constellations during the year. The Zodiac was split into twelve sections, each named after the specific constellation noted in that area.

Elements:

Many ancient philosophies used a set of classical elements to explain the way nature behaved. Each sign was connected to one of the classical elements (fire, earth, air, or water) and was also related to a region of focus; social, personal or universal.

• Water signs are related to growth processes, identification and emotion. In tandem with the other elements, water feels that fire will make it boil, air will evaporate it, but earth will shape and channel it.
Fire signs are related to action, passion, and energy. In tandem with the other elements, fire feels that earth will smother it, water will drown it, but air will fan and enliven it.
• Air signs are related to thought, perspective and communication. In tandem with the other elements, air feels that water will obscure it, earth will suffocate it, but fire will inspire and uplift it.
• Earth signs are related to sensation, stability, and practicality. In tandem with the other elements, earth feels that air will dry it, fire will dry it, but water will refresh and nourish it.

Modalities:

Each sign is connected to one of three modalities; cardinal (sometimes referred to as moveable), fixed, and mutable.

There are four quadrants following the order of the zodiacal signs, with three signs in each. Each quadrant describes a season, beginning with a cardinal sign, continuing to a fixed sign, and ending with a mutable sign.

Modalities and Related Zodiac Signs:

• Mutable signs are related to adaptability, resourcefulness and holism. They are Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces
• Fixed signs are related to determination, focus and individuality. They are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius
• Cardinal signs are related to creativity and initiation. They are Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn

Summary of Zodiac Sign Characteristics:

• Aries (cardinal, fire, personal): defensive, energetic, head down, assertive, impulsive
• Taurus (fixed, earth, personal): patient, indulgent, resourcefull, thorough, devoted
• Gemini (mutable, air, personal): quick, logical, inquisitive
• Cancer (cardinal, water, personal): clinging, protective, sensitive
• Leo (fixed, fire, social): theatrical, generous, proud
• Virgo (mutable, earth, social): critically, practical, efficient
• Libra (cardinal, air, social): lazy, co-operative, fair
• Scorpio (fixed, water, social): anxious, passionate, sensitive
• Sagittarius (mutable, fire, universal): careless, free, straightforward
• Capricorn (cardinal, earth, universal): suspicious, prudent, cautious
• Aquarius (fixed, air, universal): detached, democratic, unconventionall
• Pisces (mutable, water, universal): distracted, imaginative, sensitive

Communicating with Plants

Plants’ experience of being in the world is very different from the experience of us animals. Because plants cannot move about, they exist in a state of profound acceptance and peace within themselves. Emotions such as fear, hate, jealousy, possessiveness, etc. are wholly unknown to plants and would serve no useful purpose. On the other hand, plants are capable of experiencing a wide range of higher emotions the like of which we animals could scarcely conceive.

At the same time, there are feelings which plants share with us animals, such as love, pain, joy, thirst, etc. It is the feelings we share with plants which provide the basis of our ability to communicate with them.

Feeling with plants is not so different from feeling with people. For example, when we are about to have sex with someone who really turns us on, we feel a palpable surge of sexual energy connecting us to that person. Similarly, when we walk into a room to face someone who is madder than hell at us, we feel connected to that person by a palpable wave of anger and fear. When a baby smiles at us, we feel a rush of joy that has us automatically smile back. However, most of our interactions with other people do not have this feeling of connectedness and emotional immediacy. Most of the time we don’t even look the people we are addressing in the eye, let alone feel with them. Because of our social training, we tend to regard sharing feelings with other people as threatening. We are taught to close up and defend ourselves, and to keep our interactions as sterile and devoid of feeling as possible.

In order to communicate with plants (or people), you have to be able to regard them as your equals. If you are afraid (ashamed) to talk with homeless people, beggars, crazy people, etc. then you’ll also find it difficult to talk with plants. However, it’s actually easier to communicate with plants than it is to communicate with people because plants don’t have defenses and self-importance agendas in place which engage our own defenses and self-importance agendas. To feel with plants (or people) doesn’t mean to gush all over them; all it means is to recognize them as beings whose feelings are as important to them as your feelings are to you.

When first learning to communicate with plants, it helps to be in contact with the same individual plants on a daily basis. Ideally you should go out, preferably alone, to the same tree or meadow for at least a few minutes every day. If you can’t do this, cultivating garden or house plants will work just as well, although it’s easiest to communicate with large trees. This is because from a feeling (light fiber) point of view, humans and trees are very much alike – the light fiber (auric glow) configurations of both humans and trees are quite similar, whereas that of insects, for example, is very different from either. It is easier for humans and trees to communicate with each other than it is for either to communicate with insects.

Soul Mate Astrology

Astrology, which is almost mathematical, lends a very interesting insight into the concept of soul mates. With an astrological technique called synastry, one can successfully determine the degree of compatibility and connection between two individuals. This technique involves the comparison of two birth charts to decipher the symbolic role of the planets at the time of birth.

There are many important aspects in this comparison, with the two most important planets being the Sun and the Moon. Others planets that play an important role are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, along with the twelve signs and twelve houses.

When reading any birth chart, the three most important things to keep in mind are the sun, the moon and the ascendant (or the rising sun). The moon symbolizes where we are coming from, the sun reflects where we are going, and the ascendant explains how we are going to get there.

The ascendant (or rising sign) is the sign that was rising on the horizon at the exact moment of your birth. The ascendant represents the exact flowering of your life on planet Earth. The ascendant helps us in knowing who we are in this world. The sign on the ascendant represents our outer packaging and behavior on display to the world.

If your ascendant is located in the same Zodiac Sign as your partner’s sun, it indicates a great potential for intimacy and attraction. Your ascendant sign (your outer personality) attracts and draws in your sun sign (your intimate and personal energy). Sign conjunctions with the ascendant are also very important in judging attraction when comparing one your ascendant with your partner’s moon, Venus, and Mars.

Last but not least, the sun sign in a man's chart and the moon sign in a woman's chart are particularly important to discover soul mate patterns. In this cross combination, the creative energy of the man blends with the emotional needs of the woman. Having the man's sun in the same sign as the woman's moon is definitely a “soul mate" connection.

Astrology is a science that unravels many mysteries that we strive to understand. One such concept is the soul mate connection, and it requires an in-depth study of the planets to arrive at this knowledge.

Guide to Using Phone Psychics

Whether you live in the rugged countryside of Alaska, the sparse dessert of Arizona, or the bustling metropolis of Atlanta, Georgia, if you have access to a phone you have the ability to seek guidance through a phone psychic about a host of life’s puzzling questions.

As a caller you choose your individual phone psychic consultant and the reading that is most appealing to you. If an astrology reading provided good advice for you in the past, request an astrologer. A customer service representative will ascertain which type of reading might be best suited for those new to receiving psychic phone readings.

Psychic phone advice is available through a wide range of different reading options including astrology, numerology, I-Ching and Tarot cards, clairvoyance, and dream interpretation.

Several phone psychic providers give callers online access to read biographical information and view photos of the psychic guides available at the time.

For the frugal caller seeking free phone psychic minutes, a few options are available including promotional offers, incentives, and special psychic appearances on television and radio. Most phone psychic calls average about 30 minutes and cost from $1 to $4 a minute, so be sure to confirm the rate before you connect. Payment is most commonly accepted through major credit cards and online payment systems like PayPal.

Although phone psychic advice can be an illuminating experience, professional psychic providers advise the uninitiated to remember that readings are ultimately for entertainment and not intended to take the place of professional medical or therapeutic support.

In order to receive the maximum benefits of a reading by a phone psychic you need to be in the right state of mind. Before you make the call for a psychic phone reading take a moment and relax and clear your busy thoughts so you can focus on two or three of the most important questions in your life at the moment. Do not try to multi-task and cook dinner while you’re seeking advice and when possible make the call from a quiet room where you won’t be disturbed.

How to Understand Your Horoscope

As you probably know, a horoscope is a map of the heavens at the time you were born. Your horoscope shows the astrologer what signs your planets are in. It reveals all your tendencies, attitudes, frustrations, talents and life purpose. And a lot more!

But you don't need to figure this out to find out what your Mars means. Just ask an astrologer.

Let's say I looked at your horoscope and found out that your Mars is in the sign of Cancer. Here's an easy way to understand this:

Mars= passion and desire to take action

Cancer= a sign that relates to food, baking, bread, real estate, home, family, stomach, mothering and nurturing

Now, put some of these meanings together with Mars and you will come up with some things you really have a passion for. Then you simply ask "Which one of these things, that relate to my passion, do I feel the strongest about?"

You might say that you have a strong passion for cabinetmaking, which relates to building homes. Or you could have a strong passion for real estate or running a bakery. In any case, your Mars in Cancer shows that your passion is strongly related to the areas of life that relate to that sign.

Here's another example:

Your Mercury is in Aquarius. Mercury= thinking and communications. Aquarius= relates to advanced technology, computers, aircraft, space travel, astrology, engineering, musical composition and friendships.

If you have your Mercury in Aquarius, you will always approach information from a technical or advanced level of awareness. The Aquarian signs imparts a keen ability to look beyond the obvious and seek out radical forms of expression. Some of our greatest pioneers, inventors, and composers had Mercury in Aquarius.

If your Mercury is in Aquarius, all of this will make sense to you.

Don't you find it quite remarkable that the heavens can reveal so much information about you?

Let's take one more example.

Your Venus is in Leo. Venus= appreciation, attraction, what you like. Leo= sign of the arts, creativity in all forms, love, romance, sports, theater, painting music, the heart, and children.

If your Venus is in Leo, you are truly a romantic. You love the game of love, playing the field, and expressing yourself creatively. You have a loving heart and you want to impart that feeling to others.

When you combine the planets with the signs, think of the planet as desire and the sign as an attitude. Then your horoscope will begin to make sense to you.

Obviously, your horoscope is far more complex than this, but I have shown you in a very simple way how the planets and signs reveal who you are.

Scorpio Roto-rooter of the Psyche

People with little familiarity with Tarot symbolism have a visceral reaction when they see the Death card in a reading.

Their fear is understandable. The sight of an armor-clad skeleton on horseback accompanied by the word ‘Death’ is fearsome and intended to grab attention. Death is definite and he takes no prisoners.

But our armor-clad horseman carries a flag. The flag sports the image of a flower in full bloom. Its seeds lie at the center. Death is the bringer of seeds. Death is the bringer of life. And, in the distance, the sun rises to herald a new day.

All life comes to an end eventually. But dead plants fertilize soil that enables new growth.

This is the power and the process of Scorpio.

Throughout our lives we continually die and regenerate. We discard old habits and behavior patterns that outlive their usefulness. Rarely is this done without a struggle. The status quo, even an uncomfortable status quo, is usually less unpleasant than our fear of change. So it may take the actions of another or an external event to compel us to move forward.

Scorpio’s transformations are rarely easy. But if we didn’t transform, we would remain children in decaying adult bodies, never growing, never taking responsibility, never experiencing life.

So think of Scorpio as the ‘roto-rooter’ of the psyche, cleaning out our psychic gunk so we can move forward.

Nonetheless, some deaths are physical. Along the way we lose people dear to us. And eventually we, too, will meet our own physical death.

And therein lies the basis of our fear.

But the reward for facing down our fear is transformation and rebirth. We are transformed and creative vitality becomes ours.

In myth, the god Pluto is the associated with wealth and power. When we successfully transform we are enriched and we receive the gift of our power.

Many people with an emphasis of Scorpio or Pluto energy in their charts experience life as a succession of high highs and low lows. They instinctively know how to use and amass power. Many such people also attract wealth.

The question is whether they will use it for good or ill. Drug lords and organized crime families exemplify the negative use of Scorpio’s energy that gives the sign such a poor reputation. But a skilled therapist uses the energy for healing.

Bill Gates, a Scorpio, exemplifies both extremes. His company, Microsoft, is widely known for its rough business practices. As a result, it rose to dominate and transform the computer industry. He has since left his day-to-day responsibilities to use his vast wealth and knowledge to alleviate the impact of AIDS and other illnesses in the third world.

Banks, credit card issuers, mortgage and insurance companies are types of businesses associated with Scorpio. They amass vast sums of money and serve to transform and empower their customers – for a price. A mortgage can empower you and transform your life by enabling you to buy a home. In return you are yoked to a monthly payment for many years.

Scorpio is a fixed water sign. On the surface it is very calm and still. Underneath, it roils with passion.

Scorpio’s energy pulls us inward, so we may feel more introspective when planets travel through the sign. And because its action is below the surface we may feel moody and intense.

Because it is intimately involved with death and procreation it is able to look at ugliness and decay and not flinch. Scorpio is amoral. Not blinded by idealism or illusion, it knows all of us are capable of both good and evil, kindness and cruelty. Using its watery intelligence it is able to sniff out agendas others might wish to keep conceal.

We receive Scorpio's knowledge in the gut - not the head.

Scorpio is patient. It will quietly watch and wait until its prey falls into its trap. And so Scorpio people (anyone with many planets in Scorpio or a strong Pluto) are first-rate investigators. They are often found in fields like law enforcement, investigative reporting, intelligence, and research.

It takes its time before it fully trusts. But when it does it is very loyal. However, if Scorpio is betrayed, it will probably say nothing – but it will remember, forever.

Scorpio is a difficult and generally misunderstood energy. But its transformative function is necessary to our evolution and survival. It can drag us to the lowest depths, but if we work with its energies in a mature, grounded way, it can take us to the highest heights. And ready us for the ride of our life: Sagittarius.

Astrology and Unaspected Planets

One of the rare oddities of astrology is the occurrence of finding an unaspected planet in a chart. Our first inclination is to not know what to do with this, which is why for many years astrologers have interpreted this as a "dumb note on a chart."

Yet, everything occurs for a reason, and the occurrence of birth at a time when one of the planets was not in aspect to any other has a reason too. Throughout the individual's life, this planet looms just beyond their reach, suggesting that this must be dealt with it in a different way than their other planets.

To understand this, we have to realize that each planet stands for something,- a particular energy needed for the individual's life, and it is the proper balance and integration of all the planets in an individual's chart that helps them to lead a normal and productive life. If a planet cannot be integrated with the rest of the horoscope, then the individual feels a lack of everything the planet's energies symbolize.

For example, an unaspected Venus could suggest that the individual seems to have no say or control over the direction their love life takes. An unaspected Saturn could make it difficult for a person to take charge of organizing their plans for life in practical ways. Whatever the planet is, the individual tends to lack having any say in the outcome of events in that area of life.

Now we have to ask ourselves, what purpose is there in this? We ask this, because if we know the universe at all, we understand that everything has a purpose and meaning, even if some things seem obscure.

From a Karmic point of view, we could infer that the unaspected planet is something the individual has not yet earned mastery enough with that they can trust their own decisions in this area of life. We might even ask if the individual is being denied the use of a planet as some kind of karmic retribution or punishment?

Names and Numerology You Are What You Call Yourself

I recently read where someone argued that a Numerology reading without knowing the person's birth date, or even birth hour was a useless reading. Nothing could be further from the truth. Even without that information, Numerology can tell you a great deal about someone just from their use name, how they introduce themselves to you.

Here are just some of the things that analyzing someone's use name can tell us about them.

Motivation Number

Your motivation number is the calculated by summing the vowels in your use name using Fadic addition. This number shows what you desire from life, what motivates you. It goes by several names: Vowel number, Soul Urge, Ambition, and Hearths Desire among others.

Personality Number

Your personality number is calculated by summing the consonants in your use name using Fadic addition. This number shows the first impression you project to other people. It also describes how you see yourself. It is both your public and private image of yourself. This number also has several names in Numerology: Consonant number, Inner Self, and Impression among others.

Destiny Number

Your Destiny number is calculated by summing all the letters of your use name using fadic addition. This number shows what you really do; how you interact with other people. It also influences the situations and karma which are attracted to you because of the actions of others. This number also has many name in numerology: Expression, Character, and Name number come to mind.

This is probably the most important number that you have control over. Note that it changes whenever you change your use name. You can literally change the situations that are drawn to you by this simple act.

Key Number

Your Key number is calculated by summing all the digits of the first name of your use name. (your one word name if you will,) and adding them with Fadic addition. This number is your personal key to open the door of life. If describes your personal interaction with close friends and relatives.

If this number is the same as your Birthday number, (the day of the month you were born summed with Fadic addition,) then it can cause you problems. It is better that this number doesn't match your Birthday number.

Cornerstone

Your Cornerstone is the corresponding digit of the first letter of your first use name. This number shows your attitude towards material things, and your thinking reaction to the world of things around you. Note that this reaction is not always listened to or acted upon, sometimes emotion holds sway instead.

First Vowel

Your first vowel is the corresponding digit of the first vowel in your first use name. This number shows your first emotional reaction to things that affect you. This will be the dominate emotion when you are surprised by something. Keystone

Not everyone has a Keystone value. These only occur when you have an odd number of letters in your first name. It corresponds to the value of the middle letter of your first name. Your Keystone highlights what may be a compulsion or an obsession for you; some area of your life which lacks balance or control.

Capstone

Your Capstone is the value of the last letter of your first use name. This value influences how you complete task, or finish affairs or relationships with people.

Intensity Number

Your Intensity number or numbers are calculated by charting your use name, and seeing which number values occur most frequently in your name. These numbers show hidden desires or passions which you may possess. If you have a single intensity number, its affect on you will be stronger, than if you have two intensity numbers. If you don't have an intensity number, then you name is balanced, and has no hidden desires present.

Habit Challenge

Your Habit Challenge is calculated by summing the number of letters in your use name using Fadic addition. This talent is normally hidden, and only comes into play when you are facing an unusually difficult problem. This is a hidden or submerged strength, which you call upon in these circumstances to resolve problems which are beyond your normal abilities to solve.

Astrology Aspects Out of Sign Conjunctions

The astrological zodiac is arranged in such a way that as we move from one sign to another all of the important characteristics of the sign change in dramatic ways. This is true particularly when we look at the sign qualities, - their polarities, modes and elements.

Thus, the polarities of masculine and feminine, the modes of cardinal, fixed and mutable, and also the elements of fire, earth, air and water, never repeat themselves in successive signs. While this is not a problem in most areas of astrology, and in fact helps us to more clearly understand the boundaries as we move from one sign to another, it does come into play quite dramatically, when we think of out of sign aspects.

We are accustomed to seeing conjunctions for example, (two planets within nine degrees of each other) usually within the same zodiac sign. As such, the interpretation of such an aspect is easily arrived at inasmuch as each planet cooperatively enhances the other with the strength of the sign they share.

What happens, however, when we see a very high degree planet in one sign forming a conjunction with a very low degree planet in the following sign. Thus a high degree planet in Aries could form an out of sign conjunction with a low degree planet in Taurus.

For one thing, because the energies of both planets are being modified in different ways because of the two different signs they are in, the individual feels a complexity quite different than conjunctions that occur within the same sign.

While the planets still work cooperatively because they are a conjunction, the individual has to work a little harder to combine the substance of what these two planets are offering. In the example we mentioned of Aries and Taurus, the person would have to learn to combine the fiery, masculine, cardinality of Aries with the earthy, feminine, fixed qualities of Taurus.

Two factors come into this that are very important. First, the outermost planet (the larger, slower moving planet) holds influence over the innermost planet. This happens because the outermost planet always has a slower transit and progression effect, often staying in the same sign for years at a time, thus weighing more on the individual with important life lessons that have to be learned.

If we saw a Saturn in Aries forming a conjunction with Mercury in Pisces. The fiery,cardinal, masculine qualities of Aries working on the planet Saturn would hold influence over the watery, mutable, feminine qualities of Pisces modifying Mercury.

Breaking this down to understandable language, the individuals need (Saturn), to break barriers and experience new beginnings (fiery cardinal and masculine qualities of Aries) that seem to promise a practical outcome would be helpful in positively influencing the timidity of the Pisces Mercury so that its changeable mutability, and watery feminine qualities could find purpose in its creative expression.

It takes a little more to understand these out of sign conjunctions, because they seem to always involve discordant energies that a lazy individual would rather not deal with. However, they offer unthought of possibilities for the person to transcend the mundane.

There is a second factor in these very special conjunctions that comes from the fact that a high degree planet is always more evolved than a low degree planet. Thus, the planet near the end of the sign, seems to hold within it, more knowledge and perhaps soul experiences (maybe even coming from past lives) that the low degree of the planet in the next sign that it is conjunct with cannot even imagine by itself. The low degree planet is often thought of as being more primitive, and basic, in earlier lifetime stages of development than the higher degree planet.

This really gets interesting when we study both of these factors together. If the higher degree planet is Saturn (the planet of age and wisdom and karmic lessons), and the lower degree planet is Mercury (the planet of thought and expression) then it can easily be concluded that the Saturn is influencing the Mercury towards sober, mature thought. But, what happens when these planets show up the other way around?

If Mars is in a higher degree than Saturn as they form a conjunction, then it has to be concluded that Mars is more evolved and the individual's propensity towards action is more knowing than their sense of practicality and planning. Combine these factors with the Sign qualities of polarity, mode and element of both planets, and there you have it.

Remember also, that most of the time, transits will effect the higher degree planet first (as it is in the earlier of the two signs) thus giving the individual time to get in touch with all they have learned in past lives and accumulated in their soul in order to have enough wisdom to deal with the transit in the best way possible as it completes itself over both planets. See how easy the universe makes it for us? If only we would listen!

Four Types of Karma & Soul Energy Correction

Meaning & Significance of Karma

Karma is a Sanskrit word springing from the root “Kri” - “to do” or “to make” or more simply, “action”. The deeper meaning of Karma can be described as an infinite chain of the results of action that is perceived and performed. Karma is a concept of wisdom, based on the Ancient Vedas and Upanishads, which explains a system where beneficial events are derived from past beneficial actions and harmful events from past harmful actions, creating a chain of actions and reactions throughout a person's reincarnated lives.

When we talk about “Our Karma” we’re talking about the actions we’ve “sown” or performed in the past (including our past lives) that are the cause of what we “reap” in our current life situation. This either becomes our Karmic Burden or Karmic Baggage or our Karmic Blessing depending on whether we’ve performed positive or negative actions in the past.

Every action, either physical, emotional or mental, every movement occurring either on the plane of gross matter (Sthoolam) or on the astral planes (Sookshma), causes an emission of Energy. In other words, it produces a Seed.

Being a Seed, Karma fructifies or does not fructify immediately after it is sown. The innumerable Karmic Seeds we produce by our various actions - desire, aversion, love, hatred, happiness, etc. will undoubtedly produce, sooner or later, a positive or negative result according to the nature of the seed, if not in this life, then in some future one.

The Vedas propound, “Here they say that a person consists of desires. And as is his desire, so is his will. As is his will, so is his deed. Whatever deed he does, that he will reap.”

Karma should not be confused with Fate. Fate is the notion that man’s life is preplanned for him by some external power, and he has no control over his destiny. Karma on the other hand, can be corrected. Because man is a Conscious Being and he can be aware of his Karma and thus strive to change the course of events, with the help of superior powers.

Four Types of Karma

Karma is primarily of four kinds :

1. Sanchita Karma (Sum Total Karma or "Accumulated actions" or the Arrows in the Quiver)

Sanchita Karma is the vast store of piled-up Karma accumulated in the preceding and in all other previous births and yet to be resolved. In other words, it is the aggregate sum of yet unseen Karmas committed during innumerable previous existences. This is your total cosmic debt. Every moment of your every day, you are either adding to it or you are reducing this cosmic debt. It is waiting to be fulfilled in your future births. So unless and until the Sanchita Karma of a Soul is zeroed, it keeps on birthing in new physical bodies, in order to exhaust it's balance Sanchita Karma.

2. Praarabdha Karma (Fructifying Karma or "Actions began; set in motion" or Arrows in Flight)

That portion of the Sanchita Karma destined to influence human life in one or the present incarnation is called Praarabdha. In other words, Praarabdha Karma is Karmic Template (of that portion of Sanchita Karma) that is ripe enough to be experienced by you and alloted for this lifetime for you to work on. If you work down your agreed upon debt in this lifetime, then more past debts will surface to be worked on. And that much Sanchita Karma gets dissolved.

Jyotish, the Vedic Astrology and any other authentic method of Astrology, at it's best, can reveal only the Praarabdha Karma. Thus the Natal Horoscope is the Blue Print of the Karmic Energy Patterns of the Praarabdha Karma only.

3. Kriyamana Karma (Instant, Current Karma or "Being made" or Arrows in Hand)

Kriyamana Karma is the daily, instant Karma created in this lifetime and that we create in our life because of our free actions. It refers to those which are currently in front of us to decide or act on. This contributes to our Future Karma in a big way. They can also be worked off immediately. These are debts that are created and worked off - i.e. for example, you park your vehicle in a 'No Parking Space', you get caught and you are fined (punished) immediately.

While some Kriyamana Karmas bear fruit in the current life, others are stored for enjoying in future births. Thus the Kriyamana Karma is classified into two sub-categories: Arabdha Karma - literally, ‘begun, undertaken;’ the Karma that is ‘sprouting’- and Anarabdha Karma - ‘not commenced; dormant’ or ‘The Seed Karma’. An example : two persons committ a theft and one of them get caught - Arabdha Karma - and the other one got away - Anarabdha Karma. The thief who got caught, immediately starts to feel the effect of the cause or the reaction to his action; he gets caught and goes to jail. The other robber who escaped, will have to experience, in this life or in a future one, the effect of this wrongful action.

The Horary Chart of Prashanna and Aaruda methods of the Vedic Astrology, Tarot Reading, Runes Casting and I-Ching Reading, when done under guidance, can reflect both the Praarabdha Karma as well as the Kriyamana Karma. However, the Energy Consultancy (Energy Audit) and the resulting LifeForce Energy Assessment Report will be more accurate and more specific. It is, in a way, your latest Karmic Energy Bank Statement in the context of the query.

4. Aagami Karma (Future Karma)

Aagami Karma is the Karmic Map that is coming, as a result of the merits and demerits of the present actions of your current birth. In other words, it is the portion of Karma that is created because of the actions in the present life and that will be added to your Sanchita Karma. If you fail to work off your debt, then more debts are added to Sanchita Karma and they become more Karmic Seeds and are served to you in more future lives.

Soul Energy Correction through Crystal Energy Fields

In Vedantic Literature, there is a beautiful analogy. The Archer has already sent an arrow and it has left his hands. He cannot recall it. He is about to shoot another arrow. The bundle of arrows in the quiver on his back is the Sanchita Karma; the arrow he has shot is Praarabdha Karma; and the arrow which he is about to shoot from his bow is Kriyamana Karma. The result of the arrow that he is about to shoot is the Aagami Karma.

Here is a modern example : You go on a motor bike ride and get into an accident. The accident is your Praarabdha Karma – your allotted Karma for this life out of the entire Sanchita Karma of your Soul. To bandage the wound in order to minimize your suffering would be your Kriyamana Karma. To set an intention to be more careful in the future would be your Aagami Karma. To buy a bike light and reflectors in order to avoid future accidents would also be your Kriyamana Karma.

Why Planetary Degrees Matter

If you have ever wondered how much the degree of a planet matters, - the answer is, a lot! Consider this. Whenever a planet transits a sign, it starts at the beginning or lowest degrees of the sign, then traverses through all thirty degrees until it finishes the sign.

At the beginning of anything there is unfamiliarity. Individuals experiment to find their way, often guessing in the dark as to their course of action in any endeavor. In fact, until a person has experience and familiarity with anything there tends to be exaggerations in thoughts, emotions and actions.

Consider a baby in its earliest experiences. It tends to overreach, clumsily experimenting with everything not yet familiar. Think also of a puppy, how there is a tendency for it to extreme all its actions, running and barking at almost everything - only because it is trying to find its way in an unfamiliar environment.

This same kind of effect happens with low degree planets in a sign. Transiting planets reach low degrees first but because of inexperience with the transit there tends not to be much direction. As a result, thoughts and actions tend to be primitive, exaggerated, and sometimes excessive.

As a planet traverses through a sign, it slowly evolves into familiar experiences, until it gradually matures as it reaches the higher degrees of the sign. It is in these higher degrees where we find the most understanding and wisdom and as a result, the greatest evolution takes place here.

A person with low degree planets might get things done fast, but might have to do them over again because of a lack of foresight. Individuals with planets at higher degrees might be slower to act, holding back until they know a situation better and feel safe in acting. The highest degree planets tend to be the most thorough with the fullest understanding of the sign they are in.

Interestingly enough, most people have some lower and some higher degree planets. This is why we seem so evolved in some areas of our lives and so childlike in others. Yet, everything is for a purpose that we are to fulfill, and this can become clear to us if we use our higher degree planets with more evolution and wisdom to understand our less than perfect actions and life patterns in our lower degree planets.

You Could Be Your Own Worst Enemy!

Sometimes we imagine the absolute worst about ourselves and our lives. In fact, under such kind of thinking we might inadvertently create it. Astrology has a very interesting answer to this, if we look at the qualities of zodiac signs.

Six months opposite your birthday is your opposite sign, which in many ways, symbolizes a lifestyle complete with its own philosophical outlook and belief system that diametrically opposes your own.

When life presents difficult circumstances, people have the choice of either dealing with it or looking for some form of escape. If the resources they are aware of within their own zodiac sign fail to provide them with the answers they need there is a natural tendency for them to seek escape through wishing for any extreme opposite set of circumstances, not realizing that this throws them into the diametrically opposite zodiac sign, which will not hold their eventual answer.

What in fact happens, may come as a shock to most escapists, because when individuals try to hide from life in the sign opposing their birth, they get to experience the very worst of that sign. Instead of it being a haven for them, it becomes a veritable torture which eventually forces them back to their natural self.

It is exactly this phenomenon that makes people "their own worst enemy," while explaining astrologically why some people at times act exactly opposite their sign.

Consider an Aries who cannot seem to get their way. They try to act out their opposite sign Libra as if using this different approach to life will somehow solve their problems. Acting as Libra they try to make compromises (which is against their Mars nature). In fact, the worst problem for Aries is their notoriously bad judgement when it comes to partnerships, coming from their experiencing the very worst of Libra their opposite sign, which in and of itself is known for very excellent partnerships.

Think of Taurus which is such a social, warm and loving sign ruled by the planet Venus. When the circumstances of life give less than the kind fairness they expect, they tend to shy away from others and go into silent periods, where they are literally dying to integrate with others, but won't because they are stubbornly trying to prove some point.

This is the very worst of Scorpio, their opposite sign, which causes them to isolate themselves from the very warmth and generous cooperation they need from others. Also, think of where the seemingly Taurus temper really comes from. Remember, this is a Venus or love-ruled sign, yet Scorpio, its opposite is ruled by Mars and Pluto two of the most difficult and violent planets in the zodiac. So, here too, we can see that trying to find haven in one's opposite sign is not really the best answer during difficult times.

Then what is the solution to desperateness in any individual. It is of course not only to stay in the sign they were karmically born into, but to aspire to the very highest qualities of that sign and therein find the answer that lifts them above their problems and sets them on their course again.

For Aries, it is always self-esteem and the actions that bring it about. For Taurus it is the the venus-ruled qualities of patience and tolerance. In fact, for every sign, the answer to almost any difficult situation in life is to not be your own worst enemy, but rather to avoid the desperateness that brings this about, and hold fast to the origin of your own original cause, until it blossoms to fruition.

Compatibility and Common Sense

The more one studies relationships, the more it becomes apparent that people are multifaceted. They have different layers of interaction with each other. Where two people might get along nicely on one level, they might be totally dysfunctional on another.

While we would like life to be simple, it almost always never is. Compatibility is like this. We can oversimplify for the sake of lazy thinking, or we can delve a little deeper to see what really makes people get along harmoniously with each other.

In astrology, there are many different ways to compare charts. All of these ways involve the comparison of two or more charts, but this is where the similarities end. For the most part, the two methods that have emerged today, are Comparison Charting and Composite Charting.

The simpler of the two is the composite chart, however, this is by no mean more accurate. In fact, there are some definite problems with the composite chart that make its results quite suspect when compared to the true nature of human behavior.

To make a composite chart, two birth charts are averaged to create a third. In other words, the planet positions in each chart are averaged to find a halfway median point between them. So too, are the houses, so that the composite chart has houses that are also the average of halfway between the two charts.

In other words, a person with Aries rising and a person with Gemini rising would be represented in a composite chart with a Taurus rising sign (halfway between Aries and Gemini). As far as planets are concerned a person with their moon in capricorn and another person with their moon in pisces would be represented in a composite chart by a moon in aquarius.

The theory is that there is a give and take in relationships such that no individual can be entirely their own self all the time, but instead, yields to the other in order to make a relationship work. The problem is, that while this is to some extent true, it is not true enough to be accurate. People never yield to the same degree.

Partnerships are rarely fifty percent give and fifty percent take. Relationships are hardly ever so perfectly balanced except in the idealized minds of us all who would like them to be that way. Thus, in the example we used of a capricorn moon in one person and a pisces moon in the other, the assumption that a fifty percent give and take could describe the relationship is terribly off the mark, particularly when we compare the recalcitrant, and sometimes unwillingness of capricorn to yield emotionally to the compassionate pisces moon that gives in constantly for the sake of peace and expressing its own compassion. In reality, the center between these two placements (Aquarius) could hardly describe the relationship, since the capricorn moon individual would almost always have their way.

This intrinsic problem with the composite chart as a way of describing relationships is entirely mitigated when we look at true chart compatibility through full comparisons of two birth charts. Instead of averaging the planets, this method respects the wishes of each person to be the energies they were born with. Thus, we study how well the differences are understood and what methods the individuals can apply to better integrate with each other.

In this way, we look for the strengths in the different chart placements and try to help the people concerned use these to find better compatibility with each other. Comparison charting does not make a third chart from the two it studies, but instead, analyzes the aspects and relationships between each set of differences to reach better understanding. While this is more complicated than the composite chart, it is also more thorough and takes into account the different layers in people, seeing them as multifaceted beings, making it by far the much better method to get a more sincere picture of a relationship.

In the example we used, applying the Chart Comparison method, we would compare the capricorn moon to the pisces moon, and attempt to find the positive qualities in both that would compliment each other. In this instance, the Capricorn Moon individual would be an emotional under-reactor, supplying a sense of earthly stability and reality to the boundless imagination and often fearful emotional qualities of the Pisces Moon individual. At the same time, the Pisces Moon helps to bring a sense of creativity and insight to the otherwise stoic Capricorn emotions.

When charts are studied in this way, it becomes possible to teach people how to find their strengths and help each other by using them correctly.

The Mystery of Horary Astrology

I have always been fascinated by Horary Astrology, inasmuch as its most basic assumption seem so unbelievably simple that one wonders how it could possibly work. Yet, it does! In fact, it works almost flawlessly in so many situations that it becomes important for us to take a step back and see why, and this, in and of itself puts us in a mindset to understand something very special about ourselves and the universe we live in.

Horary Astrology differs from Natal Astrology in that it does not concern itself with the birth of individuals. Instead, it addresses a question and formulates a chart based on when and where the question was asked. In other words, the entire assumption that Horary Astrology is based on is that whatever causes someone to ask a question comes from the forces that created the consciousness to ask it.

Thus, the universe is somehow prompting one to ask something in lieu of asking something else. Strangely enough, there is a peculiar sort of logic to this, that seems to have infinite truth to it.

At any given time, the universe is in a state of change. Things are always becoming, changing, and evolving into new things, new ideas, and new consciousness that becomes our ever-unfolding future. Thus, the flowing forces of nature are ever prompting our behavior and actions as well as reactions to our environment and how we function in it.

Consider a man in a snowstorm. Feeling cold, he asks the question, "When will the weather change?"

Horary Astrology would draw a chart for the time of the question, which would show the forces that prompted the question, and could easily see if these are transient forces, or long duration forces, and from this have some clues as to how to answer the question.

In another example (not weather-related) a person might want to know something about a decision they are trying to make with their life. A horoary chart would show the forces that prompted their question. Seeing where these planets will move by transits and progressions holds the clues to the answer.

It is amazingly simple, yet profoundly fascinating in how horary astrology can tune in on the specific answers without even looking to the past. What if you have questions on your mind now? If you could look up where the planets are transiting today, you would find some clues to your answer.