by Steven Forrest
This is a book that exposes the reader to a branch of evolutionary astrology where the birthchart can be used as a tool to glimpse an archetypal story of one’s past-life themes. According to the author, evolutionary astrology examines the way consciousness evolves through lifetimes subject to the free will of the individual. In this context, evolutionary astrology can be thought of as a form of psychological astrology merged with metaphysics.
While the techniques to figure out who you were and what your circumstances were like are outlined, the emphasis of the book is on recognizing patterns and situations from the past which are recurring. These are the ones that need the soul’s attention and work for healing and growth. This is an astrology of symbolism that may not be an actual past-life but rather a similar version of a prior life. The value of doing an evolutionary astrology analysis is to identify unresolved issues from prior lives that exist in the present life, so that they can be resolved, and the soul can evolve.
So this then, is reincarnation astrology. Who knew?
In this fairly technical book, you’re unlikely to make it very far with the techniques without a good grasp of astrology and the knowledge of how to read a birthchart. This is a book for astrologers. It is, however, possible to have your chart read by an evolutionary astrologer if you’re so inclined. I’ve worked with the material using my chart and I have to say, the results are pretty startling- mostly in the way it confirms what I sense is right about my (archetypal) past and the way it diagnoses current life difficulties. I’ve also done further analyses on other birthcharts and I have to say, there does seem to be an uncanny correctness about the data it produces.
The key into the past is an exhaustive examination of the south node of the moon in the natal chart. To construct a past-life story, the south node’s sign, house, and any planetary conjunctions must be assessed. Further analysis of the ruler of the south node along with hard and soft aspects give more insight into the soul’s past-life situations and challenges. It’s a complicated and fascinating methodology that appeals to the storyteller in some of us. But- it is not necessarily easy or straightforward in practice because there are often contradictory bits of information. The technique does require time and practice to perfect. To that end, there are five case studies in the book to try your hand with. Unfortunately, these are mostly famous people and the astrological “hits” feel like cherry picking. Perhaps generic charts stepping through the technique might have proven more effective (at least, for me).
In the end, I spent hours with the book working with my own chart. Although I never quite came up with a cohesive archetypal tale, I did grasp certain aspects about the past which ring loud and clear in my existence today. Compelling so! The book also sounds the call for journeying toward the soul’s evolution through the work of the north node. If you are familiar with your birthchart, give this book a try. If you’re interested in past-lives and your soul’s work but can’t fathom taking this on, consulting an evolutionary astrologer or doing a past life regression might be worth looking into. Remember though, evolutionary astrology does NOT produce an actual past life but rather is symbolic of the kind of existence you were likely to have had.
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