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You don't have to believe in reincarnation to heed your astrological past life. Past lives can be a metaphor to help you better understand the meaning of retrograde. When you look to your past life for guidance, you can see the astrological lessons you need to focus on today. Past lives teach us to attain enlightenment by reviving the old ghosts of important occurrences that shaped our personality. You must master this plateau before you can evolve spiritually and holistically.

Please keep in mind that Astrology is a guide, not a god. It is not a belief system but merely suggests methods by which we may live our lives to the fullest. Real Astrology is quite complex and assumptions are made based on intricate calculations. Putting too much weight on any single aspect of Astrology is fallacy. If you're looking to the stars for guidance, keep in mind that a proper reading, such as your own unique astrological chart, is the sum of all of its parts.

If the following planets appear in retrograde in your birth chart they are indicative of a monumental happening that once occurred in a past life. Astrology suggests that you pay attention to the lessons that you never learned in the past and that you strive toward achieving these goals in current pursuits. Each of the planets represents a different lesson to be learned.

Mercury Past Life:

If Mercury retrograde is in your chart it's likely that you were once scorned for speaking out; perhaps your words incensed a riot. Mercury retrograde symbolizes that you are afraid to say the wrong thing and that you don't feel assured of your own intelligence.

To master this life lesson, you should believe in your intelligence and the power of your communication skills. Practice public speaking and celebrate the achievement of speaking to a group.

Venus Past Life:

You have difficulty connecting with your soul mate and sustaining intimate relationships. You seek fulfillment from your partner but always come up short. In a past life, there were external forces beyond your control to keep you and your lover apart; thus, you never learned how to conduct a mature, productive relationship.

Try to focus on what you really want in a relationship and consider your choice of partners carefully. Also, look within yourself and ponder what you give back to your partner. Search for ways to improve the gifts you share.

Mars Past Life:

In your past life you may have been a soldier in the military and performed regrettable acts under someone else's orders. The anguish and the guilt this experience caused has left you crippled when it comes to dealing properly with your anger. Oftentimes you're not even sure where your anger comes from, but it is released hastily, harshly and inappropriately.

Relaxation and focusing techniques will help you get through this tangled web, as will some inward examination on the forces that rile your blood in this life.

Jupiter Past Life:

With Jupiter retrograde in your chart you were perhaps persecuted for your iconoclastic religious, ethical or spiritual beliefs. This experience was troubling and has left you feeling uneasy about embracing anything larger than yourself out of fear of exile once again. You are also fearful of showing anyone the light of your wisdom as you don't want to feel responsible for jeopardizing their social standing.

In this life you may have come full circle and snub religion or hold it in disdain. Your lack of spirituality or fickle relationship with spiritual beliefs may leave you feeling flat. Coming to terms with the things that make you happy and listening to your inner voice will set you free.

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