Sometimes you understand what is happening, you talk about it and you try to change something. And yet the same experience comes back — with other people, in another context, but with a tension you recognize. You start to wonder what you keep carrying with you, and why certain responses come so naturally, even when you would like to choose otherwise.
Karmic astrology looks at the natal chart in relation to these experiences and to your possibilities for growth. From this perspective, the past includes both what you have lived in this life and what the tradition of reincarnation considers the inheritance of earlier existences: abilities, attachments and ways of reacting that still influence your choices today.
Karma expresses the link between cause and effect, between what you do and the consequences of your actions. When you always respond in the same way, you can keep alive situations you would like to change. Understanding your own reactions gives you reference points for choosing differently in situations that repeat.
At the center of the interpretation is the axis of the lunar nodes, traditionally also called the “axis of destiny”. The South Node is associated with what is familiar to you: abilities, habits and responses you use spontaneously. The North Node points to directions of growth through qualities and attitudes you have practiced less. They may feel difficult precisely because they are less familiar. Together, the two points relate what you already know to what you have yet to learn.