Theos-Talk Archives (August 1995 Message tl00162)

We had an interesting talk at the lodge today about mindfullness.
Many of the ideas that have been discussed about karma and
relationships etc. were touched upon and I had been reading a
book and listening to an unrelated tape about patterns we bring
over from past lives and how to deal with them.

I tried to point out that trines often lead to an "easy" life,
but not a very conscious one when it comes to suffering and
transformation. Oppositions and squares bring about conflict
related to unfinished business from past lives, possibly. I have
a t-square or a grand cross if you count the south node as a
significant factor (although, of course, it is not a planet).

Thus it seems many many have hard lives, but are able to deal
with them without excessive suffering sometimes, because they
have developed skill in past lives or are allowed karmic grace in
this one. Bing Escudero is fond of pointing out that our
negative karma may be spread out over several lifetimes or we
would have been born dead (aborted?).

Many are called to look deeply at themselves through psychology,
astrology and theosophy in hopes of finding out clues to present
difficulties. Thus I have often thought that the "occult" is
probably not for everyone, but that if you do not take heed, it
may take several more lifetimes to be drawn to it again.

I have looked for clues for karmic debts: many claim the 12th
house, saturn and the moon show the past and its difficulties
while the sun and ascendent show the present and future
respectively.

My chart has always seemed "right" to me and like someone said,
the process of studying the chart may teach more about the
psychology of archetypes than initial delineations.

Alice Bailey's work dealt with the seven rays and many have said
they have gaine from her insights. I found them very difficult
to understand and unsystematic.

To get to the point, it seems that there is a purpose for
suffering which is to teach lessons. Some get easy lessons in
this life and some are definetly challenged. But to get
anywhere, it seems, one must stay mindful about the process and
cooperate with it.

In practical terms one must acknowlege one's negative patterns
and negative contracts that ensue in relationships and overcome
them no matter how much the planets (skandhas) in one's chart
impel one to do otherwise. This is a hard task for what worked
in one lifetime, may not in another. I agree with Jerry S. in
that Karma may not be as mechanical as portrayed in ancient
systems, but that free wil as the Chaos factor can change things.
SHIFT HAPPENS!

Namaste

Keith Price