Follow The Stars (III)

Follow The Stars (III) - Hi everyone, and welcome back to my blog! - I hope I was able to dispel at least some of your concerns and confusion last week by demonstrating what Karma generally is about. Today I'm going to discuss the being of the Moon Nodes and Retrograde planets which is just another reliable source of information with respect to our Karmic path. The Moon nodes clearly form another axis in our astrological radix, but it just doesn't stick out like the others for the simple reason that the opposite icon of the North Node (horseshoe symbol) which is called the South Node (reversed horseshoe) is usually not graphically visible. The theory behind the Moon Nodes suggests that each and every one of us comes into a new life with several under- as well as over- developed aspects of our character. Those nodes basically point us to these specific qualities coming from the South and going towards the North one. The South Node fully represents "over- developed" traits or rather old behavioral patterns that are more or less obsolete and thus fairly easy to fall back on to. This doubtlessly forming a valuable part of our over- all experiences and also proving to be a reliable cursor concerning the features of our last incarnation, we are not supposed to exclusively apply them any longer, though. It would clearly undermine our present life if we held on to those dated and worn- out principles for reasons of security or anxiety to fail. The North Node, on the other hand, refers to the qualities that are definitely "under- developed" as of yet. Those need to be developed, elaborated and ultimately incorporated in our personal character chart in order to find inner balance and peace. At the start of a brand new existence, the aspiration of reaching just that goal may appear bleak if not simply impossible. Well, that's why most of us are given a whole lifetime, so we can slowly progress from the South to the North Node. The way is the goal is an old Chinese proverb which implies that only a gradual development will lead to where we are expected to be in the end. Having quite clearly passed the halftime mark myself, I can only agree because by now I've learnt - mostly through painful experience - that adopting the peaceful and laid- back qualities of my North Node definitely enriches my life in multiple ways. Instead of primarily clinging on to the fierce crisis management skills that were only too helpful in my previous incarnation, I've grown to appreciate the process of building trust and stability in life. Have I consequently managed to fully and satisfyingly integrate those opposite qualities yet? Hell no, but you see, I am still here and continuously walking towards the North Node with the comforting perspective that it can only get better and better with every single year. - Again we look at the Sign and the House to retrieve as much precise and useful information as possible in regards to our Karmic journey. Some planets show a slower movement than the Earth itself, so the major planets Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto, and Uranus (yes, I'll defiantly keep referring to Pluto as a planet, no matter what) appear to be moving backwards even though they clearly aren't. This phenomenon is commonly called Retrograde which may on occasion also affect personal planets (Mars, Venus, Mercury). A retrograde planet's energies are principally turned inwards and so become much more subjective. As a result there's clearly a noticeably slower manifestation happening in the external world due to the profound thinking process that comes with it. According to Martin Schulman, retrograde planets break the time barrier by past time memories being brought into the current lifetime. This leaves us with a distinct feeling of a "blending" of lifetimes characterized by someone who's attempting to solve unfinished business in terms of Karma. Such vivid recollection is often not recognized efficiently enough as pure memories. "The individual is living in a dulled phase of another time zone whose irresistible magnetism seems even more important than his current life", Schulman states. Furthermore he expresses that, " he or she keeps reliving the experiences that relate to the particular retrograde planet. Next to a noticeable lack of synchronization with chronological time by either being ahead or back of oneself, that individual also experiences a rather unique orientation in another plane in space." Following his understanding of a typically retrograde person, that individual must have 3 or more major planets marked with a capital R, at least one retrograde personal planet or show the retrograde R near the AC (ascendent) or the MC (Medium Coeli or Mid Heaven). I personally feel that there's a very particular reason why some people are retrograde and others aren't. Lots of souls come back with the intention to not just spend or waste another lifetime but to work through some of their past life issues. Sometimes a very simple command such as "Go back (in time)" gets us older souls started in our quest to look into our own Karmic past and to resolve old baggage and consequently step out of the Karmic Wheel.