Architecture of Purgatory from La Comedia Divinade Dante Aligheri, "Il Purgatorio"

< class="style3"> < size="2">from H.H. Dalai Lama.(1989). The Dalai Lama at Harvard: Lectures on the Buddhist Path to Peace.Jeffrey Hopkins. (Trans, Ed). www.snowlionpub.com < size="2"> Body shows Past; Mind shows Future: "We are all persons who have accumulated misdeeds in the past. In this way it is said that you can tell what you were doing in the past by examining your body now And that you can tell what will come in the future by looking at what you are doing with your mind now. In any case, with regard to whatever misdeeds have been done in the past, you should engage in disclosure of them and in developing an intention to restrain from them in the future. For a Buddhist practitioner, the usual practices include prostration and recitation of certain mantras such as the one hundred syllable mantra. One of the best methods is to make gifts to poor and sick persons . The giving of donations for education as well as in the medical field is very great work, one of the best ways to gain merit."

The chart of an individual is a map of blessings and curses in a lifetime. The pair of opposites work in each individual life. We do not remember our past deeds, but we do feel in times of trouble.

What mistakes knowingly and unknowingly I would have done in my past,I wish to know.

What I failed to learn or what I misused the most, the powers!. Can it be known through one's chart?

Best Regards Jai Ganesha.

Yes, we can presume that life's greatest obstacles, challenges, and difficulties are "payback" events which "balance the books" regarding moral errors of past lives. Whenever one has harmed another person, whether intentionally (more serious) or unintentionally (less responsibility but nevertheless a karmic 'debit') the harm is recorded in the "akashic record". One of the qualities of the subtle substance of akasha is akasha's ability to record and store "memories" of past and future events. The akashic record contains evidence of everything that has occurred or will occur, at least within the current universe.

In an individual nativity, it may be assumed that the natural and temporal malefics point to corrective actions = "karma". Look to Shani, Mangala, and Rahu for the most obvious corrective requirements.

For example, one who has harmed another through depriving the other of protective shelter, perhaps separating a child from its mother, may in the current life be born with Shani very close to Chandra. This native may lose the mother early in life, or be emotionally separated from her, or otherwise experience deprivation of home, shelter and social support.

Shri B. V. Raman, who was born with uchcha Chandra very close to Shani in bhava-4, writes in Autobiography of an Astrologerthat he suffered the tragic death of his mother at the age of two, and as a result he moved from house to house during his childhood.

Look to Mangala for evidence of violence or physical harm to others in past lives. Look to Rahu for evidence of uncontrolled desire which harmed the peace of others in past lives. In the current life, Rahu may induce a cycle of psychic invasions or one's inability to control the passions that indicates "payback" for invasion of other's physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual boundaries in a past life.

Neechcha graha have been disabled in the current lifetime due to overuse in past lives. The neechcha graha does not perform according to expectations; it is disempowered and dysfunctional. We can presume that the neechcha graha also represents misuse of power in a previous life. A neechcha graha may show correction of a past-life tendency to "go too far" with a particular power. The neechcha graha may represent a past-life error caused by preventing another from exercising the other's entitlements or indeed harming one's own higher self through over-use of a single power in exclusion to other priorities.

For example the neechcha Shukra often indicates past-life over-indulgence in sensual pleasures which distracted the native from one's spiritual priorities. In the current lifetime, the native may have chosen to make sensual pleasure experiences, especially those related to enjoying the company of women, a disappointing and frustrating experience. In this way perhaps the native is reminding oneself of a commitment made upon a previous death-bed that Shukra the sensual-pleasure agent should never take top place in life's value hierarchy.

Another example might be the neechcha Surya, indicating a weak social personality who lacks self-confidence and tends to become the result of the wishes of others. Such a native may be acting upon a past-life death directive to compensate for an inflated ego in past lives. Perhaps one misused royal (Surya) powers, was arrogant in the exercise of ethical judgment, or failed to acknowledge the divine as the ultimate source of one's personal brilliance. The neechcha Surya can indicate an intentionally corrective choice to live a humble, low-ego, and self-doubting life. If other graha are supportive, the self-doubt can be a successful starting point for rebuilding confidence in the divine without the stumbling block of human pride.

Look to the difficult graha (natural and temporal malefics); the difficult angles between the graha ( 6/8 and 2/12); and the difficult bhava (3, 6, 8, 12 - particularly 6 and 8). These Jyotisha indicators may represent the soul's choice to begin "balancing the books" regarding harm done to others in past lives.

The soul will undertake corrective action only when sufficient supporting stability is available from other, healthier graha who represent "credit" for compassionate treatment of others in past lives. The karmic workload may be extremely painful but it is never unbearable.

The good news is that with sufficient consciousness, including a commitment to reject the Victim Mind, all karmas can be completed by assuming responsibility. It must be responsibility without guilt, and without blaming.

Simple and intelligent acceptance of responsibility for whatever past life errors have made the current corrections necessary, is the moment of liberation from the karmic cycle.

Wishing you best success in the study of Jyotisha,

Sincerely, Barbara Pijan Lama, Jyotisha