Karmic Astrologer Taps the Lessons of Past Life
Astrology is not a science. It has not held up under any controlled experiment or statistical analysis. Nevertheless, more people believe in astrology now than at any time since the Renaissance, wrote Roger Culver in “The Gemini Syndrome,” a 1979 book debunking astrology.
Culver and other non-believers say astrology’s popularity derives from people’s feeling that much of their life is out of their control and that they have a need to believe in some mysterious, higher force. Astrology connects their lives with the cosmos, making them part of a divine plan. It offers guidance, hope and perhaps a blueprint to the future pertaining to finances and relationships. And it absolves them of personal responsibility; instead, the blame is placed on the stars, a past life or the psychic spirits.
Astrology began 5,000 years ago when man was huddled by the campfire, afraid of the night. Any measure of control was comforting.
The fundamental thesis of astrology is that the pull of the sun, moon, planets and stars somehow influence our lives based on the date, time and place of our birth. Personal and professional decisions, say proponents of the ancient “soft science,” made in tandem with planetary aspects, can decrease negative trends and capitalize on positive ones.
Many scientific experiments have tested the validity of astrology and the results are always that it contradicts reality. Although individuals born under certain signs are supposed to be more likely to have personalities best suited to be, say, politicians or scientists, a thorough study of the listings in “American Men of Science” or “Who’s Who in American Politics” shows that the distribution of birthdays is random, covering all signs. Similar tests were conducted to see if couples whose signs were “compatible” divorced less often than “incompatible” couples, but they seem to do it just as often.
Another study conducted with assistance from the National Council for Geocosmic Research showed astrologers blow a prediction two times out of three.
Still people believe in astrology.
There’s Nancy Reagan, Abraham Lincoln and . . . sometimes me.
Was it possible that my past had caught up with me? A recent session with karmic astrologer E.J. McVay had me wondering. She believes that the past and present are of equal importance in predicting trends and cycles that shape our lives.
The astrologer, who holds a steadfast belief in reincarnation, contends that knowledge of past events in this life and past lives can lend insights to help us achieve professional success and personal serenity.
“The difference between conventional astrology and karmic astrology is the concept that much of what we did in a past life is repeated in this one. To grow, we must flow with the lessons from those past lives and learn necessary lessons to make the present life better. We should be striving to be our highest and best self. Karmic astrology can help us accomplish that goal,” says McVay, who counsels clients at the Center for Health & Well-Being, a holistic health clinic in Mission Viejo.
Many of McVay’s clients are single people who are looking for love and for ways to make it last.
McVay dismisses magazine and newspaper astrology columns as too general. “All people of the same sign do not experience the same events, feelings, frustrations and successes any more than all people from Texas or New York are the same because they speak with a similar accent. Obviously each person from one place or the other has their own unique personality. It’s the same with astrology.”
Determining a person’s past life helps her be more specific.
During our one-hour consultation, in which she held in her hand a computer printout of my sign based on the time, day and year I was born, I only revealed one other thing about myself: my occupation.
She glanced at my chart and looked puzzled. Childhood aspects in my chart, she said, indicated a flurry of parental activity and confusion. Were my parents living?
I hesitated in telling her the truth. I was adopted when I was 3 and my adoptive parents died when I was a teen-ager. As for my biological parents, my father is deceased and my mother’s whereabouts are unknown. E.J. seemed to have me there.
She was also right in describing my personality, and she correctly told me of a recent artistic project I’m working on and the short-distance move associated with it. I breathed a sigh of relief when she predicted that it would be a success and that that would lead to greater success.
That was great news, but I was curious about other matters. “Tell me about love,” I begged. She forecasted that I would be seriously involved by August and married by 1991 and that I would travel across country because of my romance.
More good news. I hope either prediction comes to pass. Travel and romance have eluded me lately.
Karmic astrology can explain, says McVay, why a person tends to run up against the same or similar obstacles repeatedly throughout life. But can it explain why people keep choosing the wrong mates, or some people have multiple marriages or relationships?
“An individual’s karma is shaped by their previous lives; their soul did not learn all the lessons it needed to learn to excel to a higher plane and experience a harmonious relationship,” McVay says.
Unlike conventional astrologers, many of whom believe that individuals with conflicting charts cannot coexist, McVay believes that her role is not to judge but rather to assist those people in bringing about harmony within their relationship.
“It is not for me to tell people whom they should be with. That is their decision. If they are attracted to each other, if they have chosen to be together, there is a reason, a lesson they must learn,” McVay says. “My job is to enlighten them, helping them create the best relationship possible while they are together learning those lessons.”
Although I was pleased with my reading, I have reservations about the reincarnation and karma concept. Doesn’t a belief in reincarnation and karma excuse people for poor behavior? If you know that your soul has another chance, isn’t there a tendency for people to think that they can do anything they want because these are necessary steps to reaching a higher plane?
McVay disagrees. “It doesn’t excuse anything because each individual reaps what he sows. If a person chooses the wrong mate or breaks the law, he or she will pay for it sooner or later on this physical plane, and later in the next life. The universe isn’t out to deal you trouble. It only deals trouble for trouble. If your choice is peace, you’re going to have peace and if your choice is trouble, you’re going to have trouble.”
