Past Life in the Natal Chart

"Do my husband and I share a past life connection?", asked my client.  They didn't, even though there were many other strong connections between their two natal charts. 

"It's not always about the past life, either," I said.  "Some people whose path crosses with ours are meant to prepare us for our next incarnation".

She was intrigued, and wanted to know how she would recognize such a person.  I gave her some of the pointers I cover in this post.  She recognized....her Sagittarius Mom!  

"So much makes sense now," she said.  "I've often felt that Mom was this mysterious, insightful spirit who is so different from me that it's difficult for us to understand one another.  And yet her insights help me see things from a totally different perspective:"  And that is exactly the experience you'll have with the person who is helping your soul grow and develop in preparation for your next incarnation!

Pisces Season is a great time to ponder your soul’s path, since Piscean energy allows us to transcend the here-and-now and tap into the deep wisdom we have accumulated over multiple lifetimes (for those who believe in reincarnation).

Your natal chart provides a lot of clues about your soul’s journey, including gifts and lessons you've brought with you from your past life.  Here are a few of the key ones:

Strong 12th House

A strong 12^th House, with several planets, often indicates an old soul with some unfinished business.  With easy flowing planetary aspects, you may have come back so you can put to good use the significant gifts you accumulated over your past lives.  I often see a strong 12^th House in the charts of mediums and healers (including healthcare workers and psychologists).  With difficult aspects, there may be some karmic debts to resolve.

Because of the multiple life experiences – good or bad  - that we may not remember, a strong 12^th House can also indicate mental health issues at some point in our life. There can be a period of depression or anxiety when the planets in your 12^th House are triggered.

The Sun or Moon in the 8^th House can also indicate an old soul – as can a Scorpio or a Pisces Ascendant.

The House your Sun is In

The House (area of life) your Sun is in will show you what will draw your energy in this lifetime. I often hear a sigh of relief when I tell a woman that with her Sun in the 10^th House, she will feel that career is her calling.  “Ah! And I felt so guilty I’m devoting so much time to my career, and not focusing as much on my family”, I would hear her say.  We all have a calling, and we’re the happiest when we answer it or at least recognize it.

Saturn

Saturn's aspects and the House it's in will highlight a lesson from your past life, that you didn't quite master that time around. And so it's back, resurfacing for you again, for another chance to learn it. 

Let's say,  Saturn is square Venus in your natal chart. You might have felt not worthy of love in your past lifetime, and perhaps you ended up with bad experiences in the love department.  And here comes the chicken-and-egg dilemma.  Could the self-doubts you struggle with now be shadows of the miserable marriage to a cold and harsh partner that you suffered through in one of your past lives? Or did you struggle with the same self-doubts then, and they brought on a marriage of convenience, because you didn't think you were deserving of a great love?

Regardless, you now have another chance to heal.  The same theme may come into your awareness in this lifetime, but you don't have to play out the same pattern. That's what Saturn is here for:  chiseling us into our best, accomplished, self-reliant, confident self. 

The Nodes

Your South Node will show the gifts you brought with you from your past life, and where you can express them most easily. This area of your life will seem natural and effortless to you.  Mine is in the 10^th House, and it’s true that my career came easy and natural in so many ways.

And, your North Node will show you the direction your soul needs to travel in, to prepare for your next reincarnation.  This area can feel “alien” in so many ways, because it’s something you’re yet to explore on your soul’s journey! It’s the area to grow into.

Sometimes your soul starts exploring these new directions early.  “Hmmm you might have a strong spiritual calling in your next lifetime,” I said to my client. “And you could rely on others to support you financially – like living in an ashram, for example”. 

She laughed. Turned out, she spent two decades of her life in a convent. This lifetime. Eventually she left, but she felt like a part of her journey was unfinished.

Past Lives and Soulmates

I often get a question about soulmate relationships and past lifetime connections. If your partner’s South Node (=past life) is close to your Sun or Moon, you may in fact be wrapping up some unfinished business.  I had a first-hand experience with this.  “I know we met before,” he said.  “I was a stable boy, and you were a highborn. You weren’t paying any attention to me. This time around, I’m going to win you over”.  OK my Leo Sun might have liked that glamorized image, but my rational mind considered an alternative scenario:  here is a guy who, for whatever reason, thinks I’m unattainable. Some kind of insecurities lurking behind the polished surface.

Then I checked the overlay of our natal charts (a technique called synastry). And you know what I saw? My Sun was two degrees away from his South Node. Our souls did meet before.  My Venus also landed directly on his Chiron: I had the ability to heal him in some ways, in this lifetime.  Yes you guessed it – it was healing his crazy notion that we weren’t on equal footing.  We most certainly were.

If you see a South Node connection between your two charts though, please be aware that your relationship may not last. Once that last bit of your unfinished business has played out, you’re likely to part ways. If you resolved it, it’s going to be on good terms and with good feelings.

And, if your partner’s North Node (=next life) is close to your Sun or Moon, you are in their life for a reason. You are providing an experience that helps your partner’s soul to evolve. And, learning can be uncomfortable; your relationship can have some tense moments.

It doesn't have to be about romantic partners, either.  The client I was telling you about?  Her Mom's Sun was 1 degree away from my client's North Node.  There was a big reason why their souls came together.  How amazing is that...

Interested to learn more? Try my reading "Your Past Life".  Choose from a report or a live reading with me.