Subject: The Foundations of Soul Astrology - Understanding Energy

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Life's Greatest Adventure!
May 2018
Hi Friend,

On April 20th 2018 the Sun entered Taurus, marking the beginning of this year's Taurus Season.   

Taurus is the sign of  sensuality, meaning the senses are used as the main modality to perceive energy and thus the true nature of reality. So this is the perfec time to tune in to the energy of Taurus, and continue our series on the Foundations of Soul Astrology this month with a discussion of how energy is understood and described in astrology.

You can read more about Taurus and all 12 Soul Signs in my book Soul Astrology -  and watch the video of "Taurus Rising The Taurus Soul" HERE - enjoy! 



The Foundations of Soul Astrology - 
Understanding Energy by Element, Modality and Polarity

The Elements

In the Tibetan tradition, it is said that everything manifests from the dharmakaya (wisdom body) realm, via the sambhogakaya (energy/light body) realm into the nirmanakaya (physical body) realm.

"the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters"
- The Tibetan, Esoteric Astrology

In other words, from the Divine formless realm of pure awareness there is first a movement into subtle form: a thought, an impulse, which then translates through the elements into a gross physical form (earth), action (fire), emotion (water) or written or spoken word (air).

The Tibetan tradition teaches that forms manifest from the formless realm through the elements in a specific order: that as consciousness arises from the pure wisdom realm it creates movement or wind (air), this gives rise to heat (fire), which condenses into water and finally creates earth.


At the time of death it is said that the reverse happens:
  • the energy of earth dissolves in water 
  • the energy of water dissolves in fire
  • the energy of fire dissolves in wind (air), 
  • the wind energy dissolves into consciousness, 
  • and the consciousness dissolves into the base of all (pure, formless, awareness).

So the elements are considered the most basic foundation of our experienced reality. 

Five Wisdoms

Also in the Tibetan tradition, the five elements (earth, water, fire, air and space [consciousness/awareness]) are associated with five 'disturbing emotions' AND 'five wisdoms'. The point being that the elements can take on either a positive or negative expression as they manifest into form, depending upon our consciousness and because they are arising from (and are directly connected to) consciousness itself, we can use the power of our own conscious awareness to influence their expression.

In his book "Healing with Form, Energy and Light: The Five Elements in Tibetan Shamanism, Tantra and Dzogchen", Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche describes the qualities of the five elements in great detail, including how to recognize where you have an excess or deficiency, the 'wisdom' associated with each element, and which exercises you can do to balance your elements.

Here is a brief overview of the qualities of each element, according to Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche:

Earth: heavy, solid, connected, secure, gravity.
Water: comfort, fluid, contentment, cohesion.
Fire: creativity, intuition, enthusiasm, joy.
Air: change, curiosity, learning, intellect.
Space: tolerance, spaciousness, awareness, clarity.


When we become really good at self-observation we can see when we have imbalances of the elements within ourselves... and can even correct the imbalance at an energetic level before this leads to problems manifesting in our everyday reality. Clearly this takes some skill and expertise, so I can't emphasise enough how important self-observation is so that you become familiar with the dynamics of your own energy field.

Identifying Imbalances in Your Elements

This takes skill and practice but to begin with, make sure you are familiar with the qualities of each element as described above. Make sure you can recognise the solidity of earth, the soothing feeling of water, the enthusiasm of fire, the movement of air and the clarity of space in your own body. Set some time aside and meditate upon each one so that you can clearly recognise and connect to them as real energies within you.

To support you in this I highly recommend you read Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's books, "Healing with Form, Energy and Light", and "Awakening The Sacred Body" (and my own book "Learn To Meditate: A quick start guide to meditation for beginners")

For this knowledge to be helpful to you in your spiritual journey it is essential that you have practical, real, experience and that this is not just an intellectual exercise. So practice the exercises mentioned above, and in Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's books, to make sure that you have a real, felt, experience of the elements. This in turn develops your somatic awareness (felt-sense in the body), your sensing capacity, and your capacity to perceive and detect more subtle spiritual energies.

Once you are familiar with how the elements feel when they are balanced, you can call upon them to correct imbalances. The following are some notes I made while reading "Healing With Form, Energy And Light". There is much more detail in the book. I have been experimenting with this myself and invite you to do the same to really become familiar with the energy of the elements within yourself...

Imbalances of Air
When your air element is off balance you can feel anxious. You may feel jittery, fidgety, and unable to concentrate. You may talk too much and/or feel unsettled. You can correct this by connecting to Earth. Feeling grounded, solid, and stable. Now you may think that fire would have been the solution - but if your air is imbalanced - fire feeds air, and this may lead to agitation! Experiment with this for yourself and see what works.

Imbalances of Fire
When your fire is off balance you can feel agitated. You may feel hot, flustered, and irritable, frustrated or angry. You can correct this with the soothing effect of water, allowing yourself to feel calmed, soothed, 'cooled' and comforted. Literally 'taking the heat' out of a situation. Again you are invited to experiment with this and see what works for you.

Imbalances of Water
When your water is off balance you can feel stuck, confused, lack direction, weepy, emotional, tired, depressed and/or bogged down in self-pity. You can correct this with the warmth of fire. Connecting with the warmth and joy of the Sun for example, supports the nurturing, comforting quality of balanced water.

Imbalances of Earth
When your Earth is off balance you can feel "dull, lazy, and dim. Too solid. Unable to move" (Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche). You can correct this with the movement of air. Connect with new thoughts and ideas, or connect and communicate with people, and this will get your energy circulating again.

This is only a very brief introduction. To really integrate the elements into your spiritual practice (and to learn about imbalances of the fifth element - space) you are recommended to read "Healing With Form, Energy And Light" and thoroughly familiarise yourself with how the elements play out in your own energy field.

Observe Yourself
Just as Pythagoras and many spiritual masters before him advised: observe yourself. This means (if you don’t do so already) taking up some form of meditative or mindfulness practices whereby you learn to go within. You learn to observe your thoughts, feelings, motivations and actions as you go through your day. Notice what moves you. Notice what motivates you. Notice what energies drive your behavior, and your day. Start noticing (at first) which element they relate to.

When you’re driving a car, you have to keep your eyes on the road, no matter what else is happening. You might be talking to passengers, and/or thinking about where you are going and what you need to do when you get there, but nevertheless you can’t take your attention and your eyes off the road, not even for a second.

With a little practice self-observation can easily be integrated into your day in much the same way. No matter what else is happening, keep your eyes on ‘the road’ - and the ‘road’ is YOU. No matter what you are doing, always keep some of your attention on you. Buddhists call this ‘mindfulness’ (watching your body, speech, and mind), but it is essentially the same practice of self-examination that Pythagoras advocated in his mystery school in ancient times.



The Elements and Personal Mastery

At the most basic level the elements point to something we are here to learn and master in this lifetime:

  • Fire signs are about mastering our energy through our actions. 
  • Earth signs are about mastering our physical resources (including our physical body). 
  • Air signs are about mastering our thoughts and speech.
  • Water signs are about mastering our emotions.

Your Soul is on a fantastic journey through each of the twelve signs of the Zodiac. It is a journey of self-exploration, self-discovery, self-knowledge, self-understanding and adventure. Most of all, it is a fantastic journey of light! Ultimately you are on a journey of discovering your own true nature as a being of love and light, in physical form. In its deepest sense Soul Astrology is the study of love and light, expressed as you.

“The energies represented by the four elements 
are ultimately the fundamental realities of life 
that are being analyzed with astrology”

– Stephen Arroyo

On your Soul’s journey you pass through the many different terrains of the elements in the expression of your personality signs:

You understand the element of water by experiencing the highs and lows of emotions, from deserts to waves of tsunamis and to great bliss. This is the path of awakening awareness through mastery of emotions, which leads to the highest experience of compassion.

You understand the element of fire through the experiences of your heart, from the deep fires of passion to the clarity of intuition. This is the path of awakening awareness through mastery of action, creativity, and passion, which leads to the highest experience of heart-centeredness, love and intuition.

You understand the element of air through the experiences of your mind, from navigating the dense, fear-based, labyrinth of lower thought to the infinite vastness, wisdom and clarity of Universal Mind. This is the path of awareness through mastery of mind, which leads to the highest experience of wisdom.

You understand the element of earth through the experiences of physical form, from meeting the everyday needs of the physical body to deep somatic awareness (body awareness). This is the path of awareness through mastery of physical form, which leads to the highest realization of ‘emptiness’, meaning that all forms are not solid but are also expressions light.

As your Soul continues through many physical incarnations, you get to experience all of the elements in their various forms of expression. Most of us are a blend of two or three elements, which dominate our personality experience in this lifetime. Some people have an equal balance of all four while others may only have one or two, which indicates a specific focus on those elements in this lifetime.

Eventually you will experience every element, which will contribute to your wisdom and your Soul's awakening.

The Elements and Your Personality

On your Soul's journey, through which you reach your full potential as a human being, you will pass through the stage of ego. This stage of your process has been described by many spiritual traditions in different ways. For example, the Indian mystic OSHO spoke of ‘doors’ in childhood development where your ‘ego’ becomes established. So as usual it is important to take a look at what we mean by ego or ego-personality.

Ego is not some terrible disease that you need to be rid of, but is rather a natural ‘illusion’ (a bit like an optical illusion) in which you become identified with your mind, while losing sight of your spiritual and energetic reality. This ‘ego-illusion’ arises naturally as part of your normal healthy intellectual development and, as you grow in your Soul awareness, you reach a point where you release identification with the illusion, and re-align with your essence. In psychological terms we might think of ego as your ‘personality’ (ego-personality).

"You live in illusion and the appearance of things. There is a reality, but you do not know this. When you understand this, you will see that you are nothing, and being nothing you are everything. That is all."

Kalu Rinpoche


In a previous newsletter we explored personality (ego) as a collection of drives, traits, talents and impulses, that result from our conditioning in this and past lives. It is very possible that character traits and behaviors which appear at an early age, like Mozart playing the piano when he was two, are skills that have been learned in past lives and are still held as memory in our energy field. Many of our fear-based reactions could have been established in the same way. In astrology, we use our natal chart as a two-dimensional symbol of our pre-existing energy field, our personal ‘mandala’. Learned behavior from past lives will show up in a natal chart as character traits and predispositions, largely indicated by our most personal planets: the Sun and the Moon.

Astrology is a vast topic, yet you can begin very simply if you know which element your Sun and Moon are in. Once you know this, by observing your thoughts, words and actions closely, you can relate those qualities to your own life. The elements are the foundation of astrological understanding. Before scientists discovered physics, chemistry and created the ‘periodic table’, ancient people understood the world by thinking of everything in it (including us) as a combination of four or five ‘elements’. Western astrology uses four elements: fire, earth, air and water, while eastern astrologies such as Tibetan Astrology include space or ether as a fifth element.

A basic understanding of the dominant elements of your chart can give you a simplified 'snapshot' of your own ego-personality. For example, generally speaking:

  • Air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius), think their way through life;
  • Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) feel their way forward;
  • Fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) focus on energy/action and
  • Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) approach life practically, organising physical resources and putting infrastructures in place.


Few of us will be dominated by one element (although some people are). Most of us will be a mixture. We can already see the combinations of ego-personality types that are possible. For example if our Sun is Gemini and Moon is Cancer, we will basically be a thinking-feeling type. The combinations are many depending upon the various Sun-Moon signs, such as thinking-thinking; thinking-feeling; feeling-action; action/practical and so forth.


Similar to OSHO, we might also think of the four elements as ‘doors’ through which our ego-personality becomes established and is maintained. In this series we’ll look at the elements at a fundamental level, relating the elemental qualities to our own personal development, and see how they can assist us in understanding and transcending our own individual ego-personality.


The Fire Ego: I Am Me

In astrology the element of fire is the one most associated with ego-personality, yet interestingly it is also closely associated with spirit which indicates that ego itself has an important function in the journey of spirit into matter. Ego forms an essential foundation for the individuation process in this current stage of the evolution of human consciousness.

According to Esoteric Astrology we are collectively passing from instinct, through intellect, to intuition. Within the intellectual or ‘mental’ stage, that which we call ego is actually the arising of a mental concept of ‘me’ or ‘I’. Animals don’t think of ‘me’ or ‘mine’! This is a capacity of human intellect.

Our ego-mind creates this illusion of a false self, through an ongoing process of identification which is evident in our continuous ‘story of me’, ‘myself’, ‘I’ and ‘mine’. We have an innate ability to experience life through our five senses. As soon as we open our eyes, seeing happens. We don’t have to do anything in order to see, it happens anyway. Yet our ego-mind immediately takes the credit by thinking “I see”. There is an assumption that there is an “I” which is ‘doing’ the seeing, but if we look closely we cannot find this “I” or “me” anywhere, other than in our thoughts.


"Egoism, the limiting sense of 'I', results from the individual intellect's attributing the power of consciousness to itself"
- Patanjali


In our everyday lives we can become identified with many things including thoughts, feelings, actions/roles, possessions, which all contribute to our sense of self. So if we feel sad we may identify with being ‘a sad person’ or if we have a role in society we may become identified with our position. When circumstances fit our idea of ourselves we may think “this is really me”, and when they don’t we may think “this isn’t me” or even “I’m just not myself”.

One of the functions of mindfulness is to observe how this idea of ‘I’ arises in our daily lives. This requires observing those thoughts, feelings and activities that generate a strong sense of ‘I’. If we have personal planets in any of the fire signs we may notice a strong sense of ‘me’ or ‘I’ arises in association with action - when we are doing something. This can include a role or career, for example if we are a Mother or a Manager our sense of self can be so interwoven with that identity that if we lose the role we feel we are no longer ‘ourselves’.

Twelve Archetypes, Twelve Ego's

The twelve signs of the Zodiac are human archetypes, which means they can also be thought of as twelve types of ego-mind, in other words twelve “stories of me”! 

Each sign has a key phrase that sums up it’s dominant ‘ego-story’ in the form of an “I” statement, which we will transcend as we align with our higher consciousness. For example, in terms of the fire signs: for Aries this key phrase is “I am”, for Leo “I will”, and for Sagittarius “I seek”. 

As we practice mindfulness and become more aware of our true nature we will gradually begin to drop the ego story so Aries will experience pure existence without “I” getting in the way. This will be a higher, clearer, purer octave of Aries energy, unobstructed by any story. Likewise Leo will experience pure creativity, unimpeded by any erroneous ideas of a creator, and Sagittarius can experience seeking in total freedom without the added hindrance of a seeker.

Few of us are dominated by one element. Most of us are a mix of at least two or three which makes life interesting! As you go through your day, notice where your attachment to your ‘story’ is strongest, and how it relates to the elements of your personality signs. With practice you can drop your story and allow your energy to flow freely and naturally. It gives new meaning to getting out of your own way!


The Earth Ego: I Am What I Own

If you have a predominance of earth in your personal planets you might find your sense of ‘me’ connected to the practical, tangible, physical world. Your status or worldly position, your home base, your income and possessions, and even your physical body. You may derive your identity, your sense of ‘who I really am’, and especially your sense of value and self-worth from these things. Ego arises with the mental concept that if there are possessions, there must be a ‘possessor’ of these objects.

The Air Ego: I Am My Thoughts

If you have a predominance of air in your chart you may find your sense of ‘me’ attached to thinking. This concept is encapsulated in the famous quote by the French philosopher René Descartes “I think therefore I am”, as though your ability to think is evidence of your existence. Yet there is so much more to you than your ability to think. When you delve a little deeper into your being you realize there is also awareness. Awareness of thinking. Ego arises with a mental concept that if thinking is present, there must also be a thinker. Yet if you look closely you will never find any evidence of this thinker, beyond an idea of it’s existence. What you find is awareness.


"I think therefore I am."

- René Descartes

The Water Ego: I Am My Feelings

If you have a predominance of water in your charts you may find your sense of ‘me’ attached to your feelings and emotional experience. This is encapsulated in phrases such as “I feel great!” or “I don’t feel like myself today”. Your sense of self is affected and influenced by your moods and feelings. Your sense of ‘who I really am’ is attached to a feeling state. Ego arises with a mental concept that if there are feelings there must be a ‘feeler’, there must be a person inside who is experiencing the feelings. Yet again, if you look really closely, you will find no such experiencer beyond an idea of it’s existence.


Three Modalities

Within each element there are three ‘modalities’, or ways through which the energy expresses: cardinal, fixed and mutable. Modalities tell us something about the way energy moves, or flows. The three modalities are: Cardinal, Mutable and Fixed.

  • Cardinal energy has a creative quality to it. It is the energy of spring and creation and it’s purpose is to initiate and make manifest. 
  • Fixed energy has a stabilizing quality to it. It is the energy of summer and it’s purpose is to act as a place-holder to stabilize creations for the duration of their lifespan. 
  • Mutable energy has a dissolving, changing, quality to it. It is the energy of autumn and it’s purpose is to dissolve creations and release the energy so it may be re-used by cardinal energy again in the next cycle.
Cardinal Energy

Think of a tree. The first green shoot that fights it's way purposefully through the rocks and the earth towards the light of day, is driven by cardinal energy: the energy of creation, evolution and new beginnings. Cardinal energy is a driving force that pushes life onwards and upwards.

Fixed Energy

Now think of the trunk of the tree. That is fixed energy: the energy of a placeholder, containing and holding the energy within a fixed form or structure. It will stabilize the tree within a structure for the duration of it's life so it can fulfil it's purpose. Fixed energy is a stabilizing force that supports and sustains life.

Mutable Energy

Now think of the end of the life cycle when the tree dies. The leaves die and drop off, the trunk will eventually break down, and the matter will decompose and transform into compost. This breaking down, changing and dissolving of form is mutable energy. The energy can then be re-used (in the form of cardinal energy) once again for the beginning of a new life-cycle. Mutable energy is a destructive force that allows continuity of life through death and rebirth.

In the modalities we see the three essential energies that comprise the cycle of life: cardinal (creation), fixed (stability) and mutable (destruction).


There are three signs in each element, one corresponding to each modality:

FIRE:
Aries is the cardinal fire sign.
Leo is the fixed fire sign.
Sagittarius is the mutable fire sign.

EARTH:
Taurus is the fixed earth sign.
Virgo is the mutable earth sign.
Capricorn is the cardinal earth sign.

AIR:
Gemini is the mutable air sign.
Libra is the cardinal air sign.
Aquarius is the fixed air sign.

WATER:
Cancer is the cardinal water sign.
Scorpio is the fixed water sign.
Pisces is the mutable water sign.


Cardinal Signs

Cardinal signs are the initiators in life. When it comes to change they are right there at the beginning getting things started. Like the ignition of the car, they give a burst of energy, impulse and enthusiasm at the beginning to ignite any project or practice. The challenge for cardinal signs lies in following through. Once a change becomes established as habit or routine, cardinal signs can become restless again and seek something new to capture their interest. This can lead to starting one thing after another without sticking at anything long enough to establish it and reap rewards.


Fixed Signs

Fixed signs create structure and stability. They find a deep sense of security in established routines and are happy to continue plodding on exactly as they are. They are very reliable but often resistant to change. It can be very challenging for them to create space in their lives to do something different, but if and when they do they will likely continue until it becomes firmly established and achieve the results they desire.


Mutable Signs

Mutable energy is the energy of change. They change all the time and have probably tried every form of meditation, yoga and everything else in between, just for the experience of it! Often a practice can be dropped before it even gets started because they have done all the research, read about every possible spiritual practice, maybe dabbled a little, failed to experience any results, concluded that it therefore mustn't work, and moved on. Their challenge lies in applying something long and deep enough to get at least some preliminary results.


Cycles of Time

When we place the twelve Zodiac signs in order throughout the year - each cycle begins with a cardinal sign, which flows into a fixed sign, which flows into a mutable sign and then another mini-cycle is initiated with another cardinal sign. 

The full Zodiac year begins with cardinal sign Aries and ends with mutable sign Pisces. So we can see the patterns - cardinal energy initiates a cycle, fixed energy sustains it and mutable energy dissolves it into the next cycle. 

The Twelve signs in order as the appear throughout the year:

Aries - cardinal
Taurus - fixed
Gemini - mutable
Cancer - cardinal
Leo - fixed
Virgo - mutable
Libra - cardinal
Scorpio - fixed
Sagittarius - mutable
Capricorn - cardinal
Aquarius - fixed
Pisces - mutable

Cardinal is always first, followed by fixed energy, followed by mutable. So we can begin to see how life operates through cycles within cycles! Each cycle begins in a cardinal sign, is carried forward in a fixed sign, and is completed and dissolved in a mutable sign. If we apply this to the year, we can see that each season begins in a cardinal sign.

The four seasons, spring, summer, autumn and winter are marked by the four cardinal signs: Aries (spring equinox), Cancer, Libra (autumn equinox) and Capricorn. 

The peak of each season is marked by the four fixed signs: Taurus is the fullness of spring, Leo is the height of summer, Scorpio the peak of autumn and Aquarius marks the depths of winter. 

The mutable signs mark the changing season, where one season rolls into the next - In Gemini spring rolls into summer, in Virgo summer rolls into autumn, in Sagittarius autumn rolls into winter and in Pisces winter rolls into spring. One of the best ways to understand the energies involved is to observe ourselves through the changing of the seasons.


Sign Polarity

Generally in Astrology the polarity of a sign is whether it is considered 'positive' or 'negative' (this is different from the 'six polarities' in Soul Astrology). This is often misunderstood, because the tendency in modern times is to equate 'positive' with 'good' and 'negative' with 'bad' as the popular expressions 'positive thinking' or 'negative thinking' reflect, but the polarities in astrology are nothing to do with moral judgements of good or bad, but are specifically referring to how we flow energy.


For example, you wouldn't think of a positive electrical charge as 'good' and a negative charge as 'bad', they are simply the labels we have chosen to describe the differences in how energy flows! Likewise, in astrology, when we use the term positive and negative, we are referring to the polarity of a sign. In other words, how the energy flows.

Everything in nature has cycles. Nature breathes in, and breathes out. We cannot breath out continuously and forget about the in-breath, yet that is what we try to do on a daily basis! Our modern lifestyle has become about ‘productivity’: doing, action, creating, production, putting out, putting out, putting out, in other words breathing out.

Yet the most effective part of any exercise system, whether it be a training program at the gym or a regular yoga practice, happens when we stop and allow ourselves to receive the benefit. This is why in any yoga practice ‘resting’ postures are built into the plan. The key to health is balancing the output, with the input. We expend energy, and then relax and allow ourselves to receive the benefits of that expenditure. The correct balance between “breathing out and breathing in” is the key to our health, well-being, and spiritual growth!

Positive signs are considered to be electric, in the sense that they are sending energy outwards. They are active, radiant, enthusiastic, and are traditionally associated with masculine or 'yang' energy. These are all just different ways to describe energy that radiates or emanates outwards away from itself.

Negative signs are considered to be magnetic in the sense that they are receiving energy inwards. They are passive, attractive, reflective, and are associated with feminine or 'yin' energy. These are all just different ways to describe energy that magnetizes, or attracts in towards itself.

These labels have nothing to do with male and female in gender terms. It is perfectly possible for women to have a dominance of positive signs and for men to have a dominance of negative signs. Most of us have some planets in both polarities, although one polarity will be dominant, while in some people there will be an equal balance of both.

Are You Electric or Magnetic?

To see whether your energy is mostly positive (electric) or negative (magnetic) take a look at your natal chart and count how many planets you have in each polarity. Only count the personal and social planets: The Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, together with the Ascendant (AC) and Mid-heaven (MC). Add up the points to see which (if any) is dominant in your chart.


Positive "Electric" Signs:

All the fire signs: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius;

All the air signs: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius;


Negative "Magnetic" Signs:

All the earth signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn;

All the water signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces.

As you go deeper into your self-observation, and become aware of more subtle energy, you will notice that it isn't really as simple as merely 'active' or 'passive', although that's a good description to get started.

However once you become more aware, you will realize that active implies effort, or doing something. Whereas in reality, the positive signs don't need any effort to radiate energy outwards. Like the Sun it is just a natural energy, a heat, that emanates from the core.

Likewise we will also see that the negative signs aren't entirely 'passive', because there is a subtle activity involved in the process of attraction. Like radiance, attraction is an active process, but one that doesn't require effort so much as awareness.

If you have a dominance of positive signs you need to be careful not to get caught up in too much 'doing' where you can burn yourself out. Finding the easy place of simply 'being' and allowing your energy to radiate will be helpful to you.

If you have a dominance of negative signs you need to guard against becoming too passive and slipping into dullness. Finding the place of being alert and softly focused within the active yet delicate process of attraction will be very helpful to you.

Remember, we’re not talking about ‘good and bad’ but the direction of energy flow. Like the + and - poles of a magnet, a battery, or electricity. Neither one is better than the other, they are just different, like the tide coming in or going out. Like breathing in, or breathing out.

Positive signs are more electric. Their energy is naturally pushing out. Radiating. Negative signs are magnetic. They naturally pull things towards them. Receiving.

If you have a balance of planets in positive and negative signs then you should find it relatively easier to strike a good balance between rest and activity although in our modern society you will still have to buck the trend of ‘constant doing’ to weave in some downtime and really rest deeply enough to replenish yourself!

If you have a dominance of magnetic (-ve) signs then you may need more rest than others. Rest for you is when you draw in the energies of the Universe, nurture, replenish, and rejuvenate yourself. However, in order to take in a good deep, breath, we need to breathe out fully! So for you, even though you are naturally good at magnetizing energy towards you, the balance comes in doing enough of the right kind of activity (breathing out), to maximize the benefits of your 'in-breath'. It is also vital that you find the time for quality rest involving some yoga or meditation-type practice that maximizes the benefit of your ability to draw in vital pranic energy to yourself. Watching TV or playing games doesn’t cut it… that’s still essentially 'doing’, and you may find such activities drain you even further by cutting you off from your vital source of natural prana!

If you have a dominance of electric (+ve) signs, ironically, you might have to work harder at ‘resting’. Like a Duracell bunny you do seem to have an infinite innate source of energy, and you may feel as though you need less rest, which is partly true. But then you may have periods were you feel totally burned out. Even a fire needs oxygen to keep on burning. Doing some kind of active meditation, where you regularly ‘do’ your resting as part of your lifestyle, is essential to maintain a healthy balance, connect with your spirit, and help you to avoid periods of exhaustion and burn out.

Once you understand how your energy flows it can support you in staying healthy, balanced and using your energy in the most effective way to support you on your journey of spiritual awakening through self-exploration.


Optional Fieldwork for those wanting to go deeper:

  • Download and read Your Essential Guide to Soul Astrology (if you haven't read it for a while, read it again to refresh your memory). 
  • Get two notebooks. Use one for your study notes (what you are learning about astrology); and use the other as a reflective journal where you write your deeper insights, self-observations and realisations about YOU that arise from your study, observations of your zodiac signs, and meditation.
  • Self-observation is essential. If you don't already do so, start a regular meditation practice. It can be a sitting or an active meditation, whichever works best for you, to support you in practising self-observation and cultivating self-awareness. My book "Learn To Meditate" gives examples of both active and sitting meditations.
  • Recommended further reading: "Healing with Form, Energy and Light: The Five Elements in Tibetan Shamanism, Tantra and Dzogchen" and "Awakening The Sacred Body" by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

That's all for now! See you next time and, in the meantime...  happy exploring!

Best Wishes,

Ruth 


UPDATE: SOUL SIGN Videos on YouTube

Due to recent changes in YouTube's policy we were no longer able to offer the Soul Purpose videos for rental through YouTube. We worked fast to provide them through my website instead - so I can happily tell you that most of the signs are now available again and the rest are coming very soon, in the meantime I apologize for any interruption to your studies!

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Soul Astrology
How Your Rising Sign Reveals Your Soul Path and Life Purpose

by Ruth Hadikin

“Who am I?” and “Why am I here?” are the biggest questions that you will ever ask yourself as you walk though this journey of life. The answers are hiding in plain sight and can be revealed through your birth chart. You just need to know how to look, and this book is about to tell you...

Drawing upon Esoteric Astrology, the Greek myth of Hercules, and ancient principles from spiritual masters, the author describes the journey of your Soul through the twelve signs of the Zodiac. This book offers a way of using your birth chart to answer life's big questions by recognizing the energy that you were born with and how it is wanting to be expressed in this lifetime.

For lovers of astrology, Soul Astrology is a powerful addition to your toolbox for your ongoing journey of spiritual awakening.

Available in paperback, Kindle, iBooks, Kobo and Nook...

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Ruth Hadikin, B.Sc. specializes in the science of Soul Astrology, as applied to living our Soul Path and Life Purpose. She is dedicated to supporting people to live from the Soul in 'Life's Greatest Adventure'.


, Life's Greatest Adventure, Inner, HQ, United Kingdom
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