Astrology opens up a plethora of awareness about the self and the journey of spirit through many lifetimes. Each life provides a multiple-choice experience during a different period of human evolution on earth. Some of us alive today could have been around with the dinosaur and later the cave man; or the Romans with their gladiators, perhaps during the Inquisition, or even the Renaissance. While the varying conditions during the different eras are startling, individual choice with regard to many aspects of living will remain in common. For example, the decision or ability to take a life mate or to marry, to settle and have children, to follow a profession or a personal quest will remain despite the times in which you live.

The choices you have made in each lifetime have brought you to this incarnation, this time, and this place to live according to the vibrational conditions of your accumulated choices. The vibrational conditions are symbolized in the map of the planets for your birth into this life, called the horoscope. The contents of the birth map describe all facets of the life experience unique and essential to the individual. This is true even if you are a twin or triplet with only minutes between the birth times, or even if you are born at the same time as another in a different geographical part of the world. The construction of your birth mandala is a picture of your soul’s evolution through many personalities. We create our future personality for the later years of this life experience, or map out our character for our next incarnation by how we use the personality and character we currently have.

The most interesting facets of the horoscope, can be the contradictions. Most every chart of the planets is set up with a dichotomy. But there is no disjunction; these divergent traits of personality and character are inseparably and even comically connected. It is my firm belief that the powers that be, the universe and cosmos have a tremendous sense of humour.

For example, let us consider a person who is very self-conscious, reserved and easily embarrassed, experiencing a conservative upbringing that focuses on propriety. If it is good for the soul, or necessary due to contrary inclinations of the past, then this same person could also be born with a horoscope which is prone to compulsive outbursts that firmly place one’s foot in one’s mouth only to replace it with the other foot. So success in propriety and composure is surely challenged and the ability to speak up is frustrated in the best of circumstances.

In this picture I hope you can see how one facet of self is constantly tripping up the other side in the dance of life, which aspires to bring balance. Think of the dance as a polka to get the humour! That is, the more restrained side can moderate the brasher side, and the forthright facet can stabilize the reserved facet. No matter what the result, the polka makes you laugh!

These personality assimilations are the easier life lessons to reconcile in the actualization of the self. However, on the spiritual path you may have come upon the philosophy that, "whatever was meant to be is what you will experience in life." But karmic lessons can be hard to swallow as "meant to be," especially if you are, for example, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, war or ethnic cleansing. How can you accept that for some reason you were meant to have that experience?

Being very familiar with "cause and effect" on the spiritual path, it is not healthy for the soul, spirit or human personality to relate so literally to the experience as "meant to be", or "caused," as punishment. The essential essence of our being may attract circumstances, but it does not prescribe the choices of the other players in the current day’s scene, not even if it is the words and actions of our parents. On Earth we are thrown into a soup or stew of human states of good and evil. In true "we are all one" philosophy we need to remember that in one or another life we may have been the kind of person we dislike the most in this life.

Unlike the spirit realm, on earth we can not rest assured that we are in the supportive and safe company of those who are in league with us on the spiritual level. In every angel there is the potential to be a devil. This boils down to the fact that everyone has the choice of free will. There is no judge and jury, no punishing God, we simply earn the results of our thoughts, words and deeds and need to remember not everyone is like us, yet.

Through the interpretation of the horoscope the astrologer recognises and validates the inner voice of each individual. The person within is seen, psychically heard and acknowledged by the astrologer in ways that only that person’s inner self, soul and spirit is privileged to know. Although each and every person consulting an astrologer is not there for their spiritual sanctification, those who are find a richness of self-aspiration and a cohesiveness of intention that inspires. The insights given through the horoscope provide each individual with a sense of wholeness and reconciliation. This centring of the will lightens the complexity of life with simplistic understanding.

But this journey of spirit on the Earth plane is not easy, no matter how long you have been on the path, no matter what you know, or who you have become. Not even for those adept and well-armed with spiritual coping tools or even highly evolved. We have all heard the words…"life doesn’t bring us more than we can handle" and we have all been comforted by reassuring ourselves that "we are not alone." Nonetheless even the seasoned aspirant can round some pretty dark and dismal corners where the strength and courage to remember temporarily abandons our heart and soul.

Can there be a purpose to such a state of "total trust and faith" in despair? The greater the communion with the higher self, the harder it is when the challenge offering to stretch your capacity is disillusionment. The secret is to dissolve, surrender and let go. But you can only change yourself. If resolution requires someone else to change, it is best for you to make alternative plans that focus on the self.

An astrological session can help you to steer your course around the obstacles and pitfalls that are either self-created or created by others. Perhaps the value is in the astrologer’s recognition of the true source of the challenge. But even for the astrologer there are no magic wands. We can accumulate some pretty unrealizable expectations on the spiritual path, prescribing greater powers to this state of disassociation with the physical than will bear out, but in the end we are in spirit what we were in body.

There are miracles and cosmic cookies to make up for the karmic shrapnel, and you can earn karmic grace. But no matter if you are a psychic, an astrologer, a tarot reader, or the Dalai Lama, or no matter how evolved or aware you have become, as long as you live on the earth plane, no one is free from challenge. Challenge will make you stronger when you understand how it serves your intentions. The ability to laugh and play, dance the spiritual polka, and entertain the cosmic joke is only a dance step away.

Samantha is a Professional Astrologer who moved to Maple Creek in the Cypress Hills two years ago from B.C. She practices nationally and internationally by email, phone or mail order tape and is available for personal sessions locally. She has been working with Astrology and the Tarot for 31 years and practicing professionally for 20. She taught classes for 6 years in Victoria, B.C. and is developing a correspondence course to be available on her web site: www.andromedaastrology.com. You can contact her at (905) 640-5433, Fax (905) 640-5433, Email: samstar@attcanada.ca and write to Samantha Kane-Kennedy, 3 Stapleton Drive, Stouffville Ontario L4A 7X3. Also see her ad on Page 18.