Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders - All In One

Eating Disorders - All In One

Overcoming Eating Disorders with Healthy Eating

The Random Jottings Of A Stargazer

A Serendipity of Reflections on Life

Seen through the Eyes of an Astrologer

Leaving Addictions Behind

Volume Two

Eating Disorders

Part 1

Investigating The Spiritual Background Of Eating Disorders

Big And Unhappy

Eating disorders have become so widespread in our world that I have wanted to write about some of my insights into this phenomenon for some time. Obesity is presently the highest on the ratings list of eating disorders in the Western World. If you suffer from this condition yourself, I hope you won’t mind too much when I tell you that my immediate reaction to anyone passing me by who ‘has a bit of weight’ on them, has always been my small still inner voice nudging me and saying: ‘Ah, Venus!’ You can verify the truth of this for yourself quite easily. Next time you encounter somebody who fits my description, look into their faces as discreetly as you can and, acknowledge them with a smile, if possible. If they respond and return your greeting to you, you will notice that most of them have the most wonderful smile that can be found anywhere.

This creates an opportunity for noticing how bonny the faces of these people usually are. Besides, my experience has shown that those whose physical bodies are – shall we say? – well rounded, almost invariably also have a more rounded personality than other folks. They are on the whole much easier to get along with than some of their less ample contemporaries. This tells me that in such a body there probably dwells a well rounded, though troubled, soul who is far more likely to live and let live than others, as well as being willing to allow you to be just who and what you are.

What is visible here is the gracious and beneficial influence the planet Venus has on humankind and also one of its negative qualities. Like all things on the Earth plane the energies of this planet have an upside and a downside. Venus is a hedonistic planet, whose influence – especially when affected by hard aspects – can show up tendencies to excessive indulgence and an over-fondness of the good things in life. Taurus and Libra are ruled by Venus and those born into both signs experience at least traces of this influence.

To study this in more detail with the help of astrology, we shall take a closer look at the birthchart of a lady who is severely affected by obesity. Her name is Angela and she has very kindly given me her permission to tell you about some details of her personal life and her birthchart.

Angela’s chart reveals that her Moon and Venus are conjunct; they form what is astrologically known as a hard aspect to each other. The effect of this is aggravated by both planets forming a square to Saturn, yet another hard aspect. A Moon/Venus contact, especially when it forms a hard aspect with Saturn, can certainly be an indication of an over-fondness for sweet things, particularly chocolate – known as the food of Venus. This planet brings ease and comfort – sometimes too much so – into the areas of our life affected by its energies. Like all other energies, this one is in need of careful controlling and wise handling. On top of that, in Angela’s life, the same as in any other, Saturn is waiting to be accepted as the wise schoolmaster who teaches his lessons through life itself; each one of us can only learn from their own experiences.

The Serenity Prayer

Great White Spirit, Father/Mother of all life,
Grant me the serenity to accept
The things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

There is also a less well known, but equally beautiful part:

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardships and pain as the road to healing and peace.
Knowing that our world is a sinful one,
But becoming ever more aware that everything
That happens in it serves a wise higher purpose.
That’s why I now take it the way it is
And not yet as I used to think it should be.
I rest safely in the knowledge that
Some day in the not too distant future it will be that way,
Because God in the end will make all things right
And that which is ugly in us and our world beautiful.
So I surrender my will to His/Her will and
Continue reasonably happy and content with my earthly existence.
On the inner level of life I have always been at one with my Creator.
This state will continue forever when I move into the world of light
For good and am then free to explore ever higher levels of life.

Reinhold Niebuhr 1894-1971
Second Part Edited by Aquarius

Saturn As The Teacher And Rewarder

From the very beginning, our Creator has known the unruly nature of Its children of the Earth much better than any of us could possibly do. That is why, in Its great love and wisdom, It decreed long before life on the Earth plane began that on every soul’s way back home into its true nature Saturn, the planet of Karma, should stand guard. This planet has always played a vital part in the spiritual development of our race, but for a very long time we had to remain unaware of the planet’s true role in our lives. Throughout the whole of our evolution thus far, every soul has always been subject to Saturn’s cast-iron rule. During past ages this planet had acquired the unsavoury reputation for being the great malefactor of humankind. But, at the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, at long last it is revealing its hidden face as one of the most significant benefactors of humankind.

Aquarius is co-ruled by Saturn and Uranus, and it is significant that Saturn, the planet of Karma, is named first. The attributes of both rulers of this sign are of greater importance to us now than they have ever been before, in particular those of Saturn. They are the gateway through which each one of us must pass before we can ever hope to be released into the spiritual self-determination and independence that are the promise of the Aquarian Age.

To see how we are performing, the Angels and the Lords of Karma are at all times watching us and our world closely. That is why the Bible tells us: ‘God has given his Angels charge over thee, lest thou fall or dash thy foot against a stone.’ They never leave us; unseen and for a very long time without as much as a word of acknowledgement of thanks by us they stand by us in total and unconditional love, expecting nothing in return. Through thick and through thin they are there, ever ready to help. When one of us falls by the wayside, as we all frequently do, they provide our soul with renewed strength, courage and hope to start all over again, with the new premise and equipped with the understanding they have brought us.

To eventually gain full access to its Divine attributes and powers and being allowed their unrestricted use is every soul’s birthright. First we need to become aware of them on the Earth plane. Then we need to take possession of them and learn how to use them, until we can prove to the silent watching ones that we are capable of doing so, no longer for selfish purposes and self-glorification, but for the highest good of the whole of our world. To this end every soul, without exception, must walk through the Saturnian gate alone. It consists of ever more severe tests and trials to assess the degree of spiritual maturity we have reached at any given time.

Saturn is a symbolism for the stern teacher aspect of God; its final aim is to lead each one of us back into the awareness of our true nature as a soul and spirit on its way home into the conscious oneness with our Highest Self or God Self. Saturn is old Father Time who teaches us through time itself, in the course of a great many lifetimes. From the beginning it has been trying to teach every human soul the qualities of self-mastery and self-discipline; they are the only passport that can release it into the freedom all human souls have been seeking since the moment of their creation.

To find it, every soul must undergo its own tests and trials on the Earth plane. Such experiences are necessary to put us back in touch with our spirit and soul and to teach us how to focus once more on our true reality and our true nature. In short, they spiritualise us and help us to grow into better people. The Universe is constantly pushing each one of us to our limits to find out how far we have got with the development of our character and what degree of spiritual maturity we have reached. Humankind’s final evolutionary goal is to accomplish the perfection that is in our Creator. In this sense perfection means wholeness and full integration of all the qualities and aspects of our true parents, Father/Mother God, which each one of us contains in seed form.

For human souls Saturn symbolises the stern and undeviating celestial schoolmaster, whose justice is perfect. Carefully paying attention to this planet’s lessons has never been as important and as worthwhile as it is now. Wherever its energies are involved everything has to be right and must be done for real. As established in other parts of the jottings, life on Earth is a school and our present existence is part of the great University of all life, on all its levels. Although things can sometimes be fudged on the earthly plane, spiritually this is impossible and no soul will ever be allowed to get away with faking anything.

Part of Saturn’s poor reputation is that a lot of fear is connected with all contacts with this planet. But, during this phase of our evolution we can no longer afford to shy away from them; we are here to overcome each one of them, but how? First, we need a better understanding of them. So, why are we afraid? Well, the same as everything else, our fears once served a useful purpose. Everything that is in this life is a gift from God; our fears are no exception. They too were given to us for good purpose and wise reasons, namely to protect us.

During the first stage of our evolution we were pure spirit; we came from love and were nothing but just that. Evil and fear were unknown to us then. Fear was added to the world of our feelings to act as a deterrent and also as our teacher. For example, nature protects us this way from doing crazy things, like jumping from high buildings without a parachute. That’s why we feel fear in such situations. All our fears initially protected us from venturing into areas of life we were unready for. Having reached spiritual maturity, we are increasingly guided by our inner teacher, the time has come for shedding all our fears, as they are now posing a serious threat to our continued spiritual unfoldment.

I do not know how it is for you, but I find it difficult to discern whether the fear of God or of death or of life itself is the strongest one in me. All of them have their roots in the fear of the unknown. This in turn grows from the fear of God, which seems to have been drummed for thousands of years into humankind’s individual and collective consciousness by the institutions that were allowed to be in charge of its spiritual wellbeing. I am glad to say that I can feel how my fears are slowly dissolving with the increased understanding of life’s processes, the nature of God and my own I am finding. At the same time my inner unwillingness to be on the Earth plane decreases, the older I get and the closer I get to my release from it.

Recommended Reading
• ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway!’ by Susan Jeffers

Saturn’s Coldness

There is always a certain coldness to all Saturn’s contacts and everything crystallises under its touch. This is a most helpful ability when it comes to recognising what is of value in our lives and what needs to be discarded, whilst taking care not to throw away that part of the old that has stood the test of time. This influence is particularly felt at the times of the Saturn returns. You can read more about them in the Astro Landmarks section. Saturnian experiences are designed to take human souls back into the awareness that the concerns, beliefs and values of the spirit are more precious than those of the flesh. One recognises them for what they truly are: fleeting and temporary.

Furthermore, Saturn brings a talent for long term planning and distant goals, as well as the readiness to patiently and steadily work one’s way towards them, without allowing oneself to be sidetracked by less important issues. During a lifetime in Capricorn this may still express itself as an interest in local and national politics. But when the soul reaches Aquarius its awareness expands into the group consciousness of our race, our whole world and ultimately beyond into cosmic awareness.

Saturn’s position by sign and house shows the areas of life in which we encounter our main obstacles and where we have to make extra great efforts in our attempts at learning the intended lessons, which for a long time will remain hidden from our conscious view. Yet, it is important to find out what they are, as life cannot educate us in any other way. Besides, how else can we take advantage of the special opportunities the Universe is offering us to repay some of the accrued most difficult Karmic debts from previous lifetimes?

Saturn, by position and aspects, gives us clues as to where we suffer from a deep inner soul wound, which is constantly calling to us, its earthly self, to look for healing. Understanding why our difficulties are necessary is the first and most important step towards finding their resolution. Everything that is in our lives has purpose and meaning; nothing is sent to us just to be a hindrance or a nuisance. Each experience that comes our way is meant to be turned into a teacher and a tool that has been placed into our hands by a kind and loving Universe, so that we may fulfil our highest potential and achieve maximum spiritual growth.

To this end, Saturn’s qualities of self-control and self-mastery are everybody’s most urgent requirement. Without it none of us will be allowed to move forward into the Aquarian freedom. In all daily encounters we must prove through our actions and reactions – and the intentions behind them – that we are in control of ourselves and the ship of our lives. Through the chastening processes of testing, sorrows, delays, disappointments, limitations and privations, the human soul learns that mere pleasure seeking is not the reason why it finds itself on the Earth plane.

Although having fun and enjoying ourselves is by no means excluded, the real purpose of each lifetime on the Earth is to learn so much through our own experiences that in the end we have acquired the gifts of patience, humility, wisdom and compassion for our own as well as for other people’s suffering. Old, worn out, useless and crystallised attitudes and behaviour patterns have no room in our consciousness; they need to be destroyed in order to make room for better, more useful and adaptable ones. Believe it or not, but with Saturn’s help it is actually possible to change our negative character traces of scepticism, fear, suppression, materialism and self-preservation into those of confidence, dependability, reverence for all life, as well as wisdom and compassion.

Such things are possible for those who accept Saturn’s guidance and willingly pay attention to the demands of the Cosmic schoolmaster. In retrospection, meditation, concentration and by looking within for guidance in all things towards our Highest Self, the human soul learns to be patient and grows in wisdom. Saturn’s gifts are invaluable in the process of living through and redeeming our Karma; without them it is impossible to pass any of our tests and finally reach the wholeness which every soul in this earthly existence has forever been seeking.

As mentioned earlier, Saturn’s presence is somewhat cold, to put it mildly, and the planet’s energies have a shrinking and crystallising effect on everything they come in contact with. To say that Saturn denies the fulfilment of human desires would mean to misunderstand the wise purpose behind the delays and frustrations that get in the way of achieving them in Saturn’s presence. It is true that the heavenly teacher delays our desires but they are not denied altogether.

Through a shortage or maybe even complete absence of something – if only for a time – Saturn teaches the human soul to appreciate the true value of things, people and their qualities. The influence of Saturn can bring either the best or the worst out in us, but the true aim behind this is to help us bring forth the best from within. Whether we succeed in this depends entirely on the choices we make when our tests and trials arrive.

For all wise ones who willingly submit themselves to the hard work the Cosmic teacher requires from every soul, the planet’s role eventually changes from that of the teacher into the rewarder. It has been said that when Saturn’s gifts finally arrive, they are truly worth having. This is no empty promise, because they come in the form of increased patience, understanding and wisdom that make life on the Earth plane much easier to cope with.

Life is always offering us a choice where Saturn is involved. It is up to us whether we wish to continue to believe that we are suffering blindly at the hands of an unkind and sometimes cruel fate. The alternative is waking up to the fact that all Saturnian experiences need to be accepted as teachers of a very special kind, because invariably they wish to present us with some very real – though at the time still hidden – gifts. When approached and used in the right frame of mind, they support our spiritual growth like nothing else can, because they lead us into ever greater awareness, understanding and wisdom.

At the same time the Universe is presenting us with opportunities for balancing our spiritual accounts by repaying our Karmic debts and making good where once we caused damage; more about this in a moment. When we later share our learning with others and act as one of life’s givers, we are piling credits into this ledger.

All these things are the reasons for our existence on the Earth plane. And we do well to remind ourselves daily that if we wish to get something we never had but truly wish for, first of all we have to be willing to work very hard and to venture into the unknown. We need to leave our comfort zone, overcome our fears and do something that may not have been tried by anyone before.

Whatever happens, bear in mind that each time the Universe takes something from us, it’s not as some kind of punishment but to create opportunities for opening our hearts and souls to fresh learning and for receiving something that is necessary for our spiritual progress and growth, at that particular moment. Rest assured that into whatever experience the will of God may wish to take us, the Grace of God is constantly with us, to guide and protect us.

Saturn – Gatekeeper Of The New Age

The Old Testament’s promised our race through the prophet Isaiah 41:13: ‘I am the Lord, your God, the strengthener of your right hand. I have said to you: ‘Fear not; I am your helper.’ Never was this help more urgently required by each one of us, than at the time of the entry into the Aquarian Age – now! You can see this for yourself when you look around you and witness how everybody is struggling with their life lessons and the redemption of their Karma. Before any true progress can be made by anyone, first we have to encounter and come to terms with Saturn as the guardian and keeper of the entry into this age. Never forget that he is merely a symbol of the aspect of God – and therefore also our own nature – that demands the strictest discipline from all Its children of the Earth. To enable humankind to see that any Divine pledges that were made throughout the ages were empty ones, we first needed to find a better understanding of the meaning of God – that is all.

To sum it all up, every human soul in its own way must find ways of dealing with the teachings of Saturn, the planet of Karma who is a symbolism for the stern and undeviating celestial schoolmaster. Saturn is the great accountant of life whose ledgers are perfect and justice is wielded accordingly, under the supervision of the Lords of Karma. On the etheric level of life the Universe keeps what is known as the Akashic Records. Here every thought, word and deed is noted of all souls on their evolutionary pathway up to any given moment; each one leaves its imprint behind and is recorded, as if in indelible ink.

These files can be likened to a vast library and a bookkeeping system that, like any other, consists of a credit and a debit ledger. Yet, unlike on the Earth plane, none of the entries in the Universe’s system can ever be wiped out. It is just that the ones on the debit side can and must eventually be redeemed and balanced by our good deeds on the credit side. This continues until perfect balance has been achieved and the soul has in this way, through its efforts, released itself from the wheel of Earth life and Karma.

These are the records that are shown to us on ‘judgement day’, i.e. when we stand before ourselves. Stripped of everything that ever mattered to us on the Earth plane and guided by the wise ones in charge of us, we ourselves assess our performance so far. Together we decide the experiences that are required to ensure further soul growth and to do justice to the Karmic laws.

Inner Hunger And Thirst

Many times in the past I felt that it would be highly revealing to study the birthcharts of those who are valiantly battling to keep their weight under control. For a very long time I have been nursing certain suspicions about Saturn’s influence on the Moon and Venus in such charts. This continued until one fine day, the Universe sent Angela and her birthchart into my life, to provide me with as fine an example as anyone could wish to confirm my intuitive knowledge.

For non-astrologers let me explain that all difficult aspects, wherever they are found in our chart, are invariably an indication that in the affected area of our lives we shall encounter struggles, stress and strains. This is by no means something negative, because when handled correctly these aspects are an indication that potentially enormous soul growth can be achieved during this lifetime. None of the things that on the surface of life are usually perceived as something negative are ever meant to be some kind of punishment that the Universe dishes out. In truth, the hard aspects can present us with valuable learning opportunities; their intention is that we should learn to handle them better during this lifetime than we did in previous ones.

My experience has shown that overweight people usually are emotionally highly sensitive souls. They are engaged in a constant battle with the world of their feelings, to hold down their painful and unpleasant ones with food, in the hope that this will make them go away. But they only do so for a little while; then they return with ever greater strength. A vicious circle, if ever there was one! It is for good reason that from time to time unpleasant memories and their accompanying feelings surface in us. This happens because they are residues of unresolved issues, from earlier in this lifetime and also from previous lives. They do not come to haunt and torture us in some way. They are merely pleading to be acknowledged, looked at and dealt with by us because they are messages from our inner delicate and sensitive self, our soul. This part is trying to help us in this way to resolve the old memories and heal the feelings connected with them.

This can be an extremely scary process and so it is not surprising that for as long as the earthly personality is unaware of their true purpose, it would rather not attend to them. Not knowing what is at stake, it is only natural that it tries to push them away. And there are many ways of doing so; with the help of food is but one of them. Another two and even more dangerous ones are drugs and alcohol. But because these things are not meant to work, in the long run they refuse to do so and when they do, they create even more suffering. There is no need to despair for sensitive souls, if they but ask help will come.

For each one of us this present lifetime is a precious gift and a fresh opportunity for resolving the conflicts of all previous lives and for healing the wounds our soul received during its struggles. Everybody’s whole life is in need of healing and our human relationships are in particular need of attention, especially the most difficult one of all, the one with ourselves. And there is within each one of us a great hunger and thirst for spiritual wisdom, knowledge and understanding that is meant to lead us into soul growth. This is the very reason why we are here.

As mentioned elsewhere, our soul is always trying to communicate with us through our physical body. And whenever there is some disturbance and/or discomfort there, it is a cry for help from our soul who demands our attention because something is bothering it The same applies to emotional disturbances; they are trying to find an outlet but we, in our ignorance of what goes inside our bodies, suppress our soul’s signals with food, drugs or alcohol. The outer earthly self frequently misinterprets the soul’s promptings that are trying to express that very special inner hunger and thirst, which no food or drink of this world can satisfy.

The suffering that is inflicted in this way on body and soul can and will come to a natural and happy conclusion, as soon as the outer personality realises the underlying cause of its troubles and begins to make an effort to attend to its true, namely soul needs. Those who are strongly under the influence of Saturn, as Angela is, do well to bear in mind that this planet is a symbolism for the stern schoolmaster of earthly life who eventually turns into the great rewarder. But this is only possible for those who willingly and patiently attend to their lessons in this great school of life. For those who do, the benefits – when they arrive – can be great.

Astrologically and spiritually, Angela presents me with a picture book study of all the aspects of over-eating I have long suspected to be its true underlying causes. I would love to hear from some of you ‘out there’, who are willing to share their insights and learning they have gathered, either from their own struggling with this predicament, so very hard to get under one’s own control, or through someone close to them. As far as Angela is concerned, the best news of all is that she is young enough to change her by now deeply ingrained behaviour patterns. My feeling is that when the by now more conventional approaches to this disorder, like childhood conditioning and traumas, have been sufficiently explored, it may be worth while to reach further back into and try access a person’s soul memories of past lifetimes. It would be interesting to find out how other sufferers feel about this.

One cannot help wondering how far back Angela’s food issues really reach. Could she have brought them with her from previous lifetimes in the hope of overcoming them in this one? When this article came into being Angela was twenty-eight and therefore preparing for her first Saturn Return. Those unfamiliar with this concept can read more about it in the Astro Landmarks section.

Soul Memories Of Past Lifetimes

Intuitively, I have felt for a long time that the cause of over-eating in many can probably be found in soul memories from other lifetimes, in which they starved to death. One cannot help wondering in how many lifetimes, during the long course of our evolution, this has that happened to any one of us. Such memories can now be extremely difficult to access, because by now they are merely faint echoes of distant events that sit deeply buried deep in our subconscious.

For as long as they remain unattended, they are likely to create many problems and disturbances. It is not hard to imagine how difficult it is for people who are affected in this way, when they are confronted with the masses of food that are now freely available at all times. Unconscious thoughts and their accompanying feelings like: ‘If I don’t get enough to eat, I will starve! I must have food!’ could be driving them along. And they are likely to find it almost impossible to resist the temptation to cram more and more down, even after being long past their saturation point.

The soul cravings mentioned in the chapter ‘Inner Hunger and Thirst’ are another aspect of over-eating or over-indulging in anything. As long as our personality on the outer level of life fails to understand the feelings that rise from within, it will continue to interpret them as those of a physical nature. There may then be a constant temptation to eat and drink far too much, which could be so strong that all attempts at overcoming these cravings remain unsuccessful.

The realisation that our soul is the cause of our problem represents the first major step forward on our road to recovery. In danger of starving, it is screaming ever more loudly for what is commonly known as ‘the bread and wine that comes from Heaven’, the highest levels of life. I cannot help the feeling that when we finally wake up to what is truly required and start to feed our inner self with spiritual knowledge and wisdom, the problem will slowly vanish over the horizon on its own.

Yet another characteristic of over-eating that may have its origin in past life memories could be that our soul has brought into this one a tendency towards gluttony. If we indulged in this during other lifetimes, we have on this occasion been granted the gift of creating opportunities for eliminating this character trait. We need to remind ourselves that we – together with the wise ones in charge of us – choose the experiences of our next lifetime. Opting for physical death by starving in one lifetime and gluttony in another could be a soul’s way of trying to create balance, because in this way it desires to learn the two different aspects of the same lesson.

This way can eventually both be integrated into the wholeness of its character and experience. Unless that soul during its present lifetime becomes aware of the purpose and the higher meaning behind this lesson, it has precious little chance of doing anything but suffering and no likelihood of resolving its issues. The two extremes of this almost certainly have to be experienced by every soul on its evolutionary path at some time. This is such an important issue that it is likely that there are as many variations on the theme as there are fish in the sea – or rather souls in the ocean of life.

Learning The True Value Of Things

Through alternating times of lack and abundance, we learn the true value of things – in this case of the good things of the Earth. When the change from one extreme to the other happens in one single lifetime, it may be possible to restore the balance we are striving for there and then. However, when a soul passes from one lifetime that ends in one of the extremes and the lesson can therefore not be completed, it has to attend to the same one again.

If need be the process has to be repeated in one lifetime after another, until this character part has finally been mastered. If you are affected by over-eating and suffer from it now, stop thinking about your problem. It is much more constructive by far to decide that your time has come taking some action to look for ways of putting an end to your suffering.

First of all, resist the temptation of feeling hard done by. Instead, rejoice! Recognise that this lifetime is trying to present you with a gift of a very special kind. Pick up the challenge and get to work to master this part of your being. The most important lesson of the whole course of everybody’s personal evolution is twofold. One is to take charge of matter and that means learning to control the very cells of our physical bodies. The second most important task consists of rising above the drives and urges of our lower earthly self.

When you work on changing old behaviour patterns – not just the one of over-indulging in this, that and the other – do not forget to feel good about yourself, because you are doing what is now right for you. Remind yourself frequently that you are still but an apprentice in this great workshop of life, but that by the end of this lifetime, if you keep working on the things that are now troubling you, you may be their master!

Why should the problem of over-eating be plaguing so many children these days? I believe that some extremely highly strung and sensitive souls are presently coming into physicality. The likelihood is that they, like the adults around them, are hiding their deep, yet unrecognised unhappiness about finding themselves in an over-materialistic world, where in large parts of the population the spiritual needs of the soul are completely overlooked. They carry within them the yearnings that cannot be satisfied by anything the material world has to offer. These feelings have been planted into each one of us to remind us of our origin and to point us in the direction of the way home into our true nature.

Let us never forget that our tenderly loving Father/Mother Creator never trifles with any of us and does not want us to suffer unnecessarily and be unhappy! The pain and misery we had and still have to endure in the present were created by us, not just during one lifetime, but many. Make no mistake about it, our character determines our destiny and what we do in the here and now, how we behave and what we create is of the utmost importance. It determines where we shall find ourselves in future lifetimes, what kind of encounters we shall have, which relationships we bring with us and which lessons are still to be integrated by us.

For a moment let us return to the hunger for material possessions that presently seems to be over-strong in our world. I see it as one of the good signs of our times – believe it or not! It is yet another expression of the void and emptiness within every soul that the fulfilment of desires for material things cannot satisfy. The more the outer personality in its ignorance of its true needs crams ever more acquisitions into the emptiness, the stronger the soul’s cravings become – unfailingly and persistently they return. They will remain the earthly self’s constant companions until the moment of awakening finally comes – as sooner or later it must for everyone – and the earthly personality starts to offer adequate nourishment to its soul. That is why no matter how hard anyone tries to suppress these feelings and what effort one makes to shake them off, they are sure to return, knocking at the door of human consciousness and demanding attention.

Something similar is true for souls who yearn to be loved, though they seem to be unable to attract someone who loves them into their lives. We are magnetic beings who can only attract into our orbit that which we ourselves are. And as children of the Universe we are ruled by its laws, the same as everything else. As the law of the Universe decrees that only that which we send out into the world can and does come back, unless we learn to give love and act in more loving ways, our efforts at finding love must remain unsuccessful and our deepest innermost longings unfulfilled.

Part 2

A Case Study

We shall now take a closer look at Angela’s birthchart and see whether it is possible to shed some light onto the problems she is presently grappling with. Angela was born 22.6.1979 in São Paulo, Brazil. She presently lives in London. Her Sun is in zero degrees of Cancer, in the tenth house, associated with Capricorn. Her Moon is in Gemini, in the ninth house, allocated to Sagittarius, the traveller and the gypsy of the zodiac. This position of the Moon reflects that Angela at some stage in her life could feel drawn to making her home and settling down quite happily in a foreign country. However, the Cancerian influence may in time draw her back to her roots.

Angela’s Gemini Moon reinforces the emphasis on the importance of honing her communicating skills during this lifetime. It also indicates that she may need to take care not to spend too much of her precious life energy on endless chattering. By the way, Cancerians are more strongly under the influence of the Moon than those whose Sun is in other signs. If you seek a better understanding of the motivations of Cancerians, you will learn a great deal by studying their Moon sign. Angela’s Ascendant in Virgo, the teaching and healing sign of the zodiac, bodes well for all her efforts in both fields. Last but not least, the day of her birth, the twenty-second, reveals that she is an extra highly sensitive soul.

Angela was born into zero degrees Cancer and therefore has what is known astrologically as one foot in each of two camps, in her case of Gemini and Cancer. The Cancerian influence adds to her already high emotional sensitivity. Everybody can benefit from becoming aware that each new lifetime brings to the human soul fresh opportunities for transforming its weaknesses into strengths. Strengths that have been developed during previous lives are meant to support us and be used to our advantage in this one. Further working on and reinforcing our strong and positive points eases the way through all our experiences.

To help Angela get to know herself better and find out about her inner motivations, as well as the negative and positive aspects of both signs involved I recommend that she studies the interpretations of the relevant Sun signs in the Astro Files. If she decides to work with what she finds there, she may find it useful to reflect and meditate on which ones she could have brought with her into this lifetime. After that, she needs to concentrate on those that require changing.

Genuine progress will be possible for her as soon as she starts to counteract and rise above the negative aspects of her two Sun signs. First let us look at Gemini’s; one of the main ones is seeing whinging and moaning as an end in itself, instead of getting to work on with transforming that which is within her power to do so. In Angela’s case, this applies mostly to her deeply ingrained eating patterns. The Geminian urge for constant complaining, which some souls born into this sign indulge in without knowing how difficult that may make life for those around them, is likely to be due to their over-developed critical and analytical faculties. For such souls it is all too easy to notice even the tiniest flaw in everything, especially in people.

For a better understanding of Angela’s pathway through this lifetime you might like to study the following files:

Recommended Reading:
•   ‘How To Become A Master Builder’
•   ‘Two Studies in Mastership’
•   ‘Master Number 22’

The Negative Aspects Of The Sun Sign

Probably the most negative aspects of Cancer, Angela’s Sun sign, are over-indulgence with themselves and wallowing in self-pity. Much progress will be possible for Angela when she becomes aware of these traits and begins to consciously counteract them. This will make room in her life for bringing forth the best and most positive aspects of both her signs. She will benefit most when she endeavours to combine Gemini’s communicating and teaching skills with Cancer’s caring, nurturing and mothering instincts. Lavishing them onto others, instead of oneself means that one is taking possession of one’s Divine inheritance and finds true fulfilment. Angela’s Virgo ascendant reflects excellent potential for developing her teaching and healing abilities to the full, during her present lifetime.

The negative characteristics of all the Sun signs are nothing to be ashamed or afraid of. After all, each one of us is in the same boat – attending the same magnificent and magical school of life. It is for good reason that we all initially tend to experience more of the negative aspects of our Sun sign. Without this we would never be able to recognise them for what they are and begin to work on overcoming them. To my mind, recognising them is one of the most positive and constructive uses of astrology, and is what attracted me to it in the first place, many years ago. To this day, I find it the best application for this valuable tool that God’s great wisdom has put into the hands of Its Earth children, so that we may a find greater understanding of ourselves and this life, thus facilitating our pathway through our earthly existence.

As already mentioned, our character determines our destiny. And if we so wish, we can use our astrological knowledge for finally releasing ourselves from being ruled by the stars. This is done by refusing to act out their negative expressions and endeavouring to develop only their highest and the best qualities. As young Gods in the making, we thus take charge and become masters of ourselves. It is true that for a long time we stumble around in the darkness of the ignorance of our true nature. But when the light of consciousness has been switched on and we focus on that which is in need of improvement, we can seriously get to work.

I do not know Angela personally and so have no idea whether she indulges in any of the above described negative aspects of her two Sun signs. They have merely been mentioned here to show what serious obstacles they can represent for evolving souls, when they are allowed to obstruct the spiritual progress that could otherwise be theirs. We ourselves alone can tell where changes are necessary when we take a close look at our behaviour and thinking patterns. Scrupulous honesty and utter frankness with ourselves are of the essence here, if we want to progress. As there is no need to tell anyone about any of the conclusions we come to, this is not as difficult as it may seem superficially.

Saturn is strong in Angela’s chart. Not only is her Sun in the tenth house, allocated to Capricorn, the sign ruled by Saturn; the planet is also exactly conjunct her ascendant, just within the first house. This Saturn position could be an indication that her soul has chosen to come into this lifetime to struggle with – and hopefully come to terms with and overcome, as she is doing now – some kind of physical affliction. Saturn either in Aries or in the first house is usually the hallmark of an old, i.e. experienced soul. And so, it is hardly surprising to find that there are several other parts that increase the influence of Saturn, for example the already mentioned conjunction of Moon and Venus in hard aspect to Saturn.

With her Sun in the tenth house, there is a possibility that at some stage in her life Angela could somehow come to the attention of the general public. However, true and lasting fulfilment may only come to her during this lifetime when she begins to aim for activities that reach beyond and above her purely selfish wishes and desires. Her drive for significance is strong, but this can only truly be gratified through her seeking to serve the good of the public in some way. In the long run, only by making a valid contribution to society as a whole will she find the security she is seeking; it is unlikely to come to her any other way.

Recommended Astro Files:
Sun in Cancer
Sun in Gemini
Sun in Capricorn
Sun in Sagittarius
Sun in Virgo.

Celebrate Every Small Success

When Angela and I first met through the Internet, she was in quite a state. Hoping that astrology might be helpful to her in some way, she was only too happy to confide her birth details to me. A closer look at her birthchart, and the progressions of her planets in particular, clearly revealed that the time had come for successfully making the major changes that had been long overdue in her life.

As we learn to go with the flow of our life and pay attention to what kind of lessons are moving through it, the likelihood of being victorious where before we may have failed are much greater than ever before. Some things are meant to be at certain times. Lo and behold! Only a short time after starting our work together, she reported that she had succeeded in not over-eating for ten whole days. But, to her bitter disappointment this was followed by what seemed to her a total relapse.

My response was: How good it is to hear that you managed not to over-indulge in food for ten days! That truly is an achievement, especially as it is so very early in your healing journey of a thousand miles. Whenever you are in danger of sliding back into your old habits, the most important thing is to try not to be too hard on yourself. Remember that Rome was not built in a day! Well, yes I know – that this is only because you and I were not on the job. But joking aside, your healing process is likely to take quite some time. That is why the most important gift you can give yourself now is being patient, as well as kind and loving to yourself – without taking this to excess.

For the moment, it is sufficient to start making efforts to find the understanding that will help you get to the roots of your problem. Digging up the things that are troubling our soul, is to my mind always the best possible approach to all disorders that are likely to have their origin in deep underlying soul dilemmas. The only reason why they are rearing their heads now is that they are waiting to be resolved, during this lifetime. So, get going on this – gaze into the mirror of your own self not only with utter honesty, but also with kindness and compassion towards your suffering.

Whatever you do, it is of the utmost importance not try to do too much at once, but to set small and achievable targets instead. When there is some progress, stop and reward yourself with something beautiful – if possible not in the form of food. But if your cravings are too great, give in to that. If need be, have a binge for a day or two – but know all the time in your own mind that when this urge has been satisfied once again, you will go back to more sensible and healthy ways of living. As soon as you have done this successfully once or twice, your confidence will slowly build up and you will know that giving in occasionally does not mean you are back in your old habits. That is the only way they can slowly be changed.

I am glad to hear that you have found a good group and that you want to serve the people in it in some way. You will be able to do so – all in good time. At present it is enough for you to continue to attend the meetings to enjoy the company of like-minded people, who suffer from the same affliction as you. And I do not think it will take all that long until you can begin to share some of your learning with those around you, not only in the group but also in other daily encounters.

My advice is that you, like me, become one of life’s gleaners and gatherers. When others are sharing their findings, pick up the odd tasty morsel of knowledge from them and use it to your advantage. In that way, we can mutually act as teachers, pupils and healers to each other, as indeed we are meant to be. God’s great love and wisdom decreed that this is the only way some true and lasting progress can ever be made on anyone’s healing journey.

For those of us who are strongly under the influence of Saturn, as you and I are, trying to learn by conventional methods and going to ordinary schools most of the time cannot provide the answers we are seeking. Life itself has to be our teacher; it can teach us far more than that which is printed in books, even the best ones! Willingly accepting this makes some real progress on our evolutionary pathway possible. Do not begrudge Saturn’s role in your life, but remind yourself that the planet is merely a symbol for life’s great wisdom wishing to teach each one of us the all important qualities of self-mastery and patience. To bring a better and more peaceful world into being, and isn’t that what we all need most of all? If under Saturn’s guidance we can just keep on keeping on, by the end of this lifetime we are sure to get where we need to be; we all do in the end.

As Angela slowly began to feel more confident about herself and her quest to overcome her affliction, the feverish activity of the first stage of our work together slowly subsided. We only heard from each other occasionally and by the time this work had reached its final preparation, there had been no sign from Angela for several months. That, to me, was a good sign and as it should be. In her case, no news certainly was good news. It meant that she was capable of walking without assistance from me again and that she is getting on with her life. Equipped with a new understanding of herself and her predestined pathway through life, she is now holding onto the hands of God and the Angels, instead of mine. Thanks be to them for all their help and love for each one of us.