What Planet Did You Come From?

What Planet Did You Come From? The Atmakaraka, or Your “Soul” Planet I was watching the TV show, Deception, and noticed that the main character, Joanna Locasto, the undercover cop who was investigating the murder of her best friend, had a luminous, soft, and somewhat round face. Her eyes are large and looked like she was lit from within, her whole being seems to shine. The thought occurred to me that she looked like the MOON. The actor, Meagan Good, plays a cop on the show, so I expected that Mars would be prominent in her birth chart too as Mars rules the police. Most actors play themselves in some way or another in most of their roles. Not consciously, of course, but because the universe has an innate order that we all follow whether we know it or not. I found her birth chart data through Astrotheme.com. I cast her chart and expected to see that her Atmakaraka, soul or “essence” planet is the Moon. Sure enough, there it is, the planet at the highest degree (not counting Uranus, Pluto, or Neptune), is the Moon. Furthermore, it’s in the sign of Scorpio, one of the signs ruled by Mars, AND, aspected by Mars! In fact, she has a Moon/Mars mutual reception, meaning that the Moon is in a Mars sign and Mars is in the Moon’s sign. She has the Sun in the ascendant (the box with the diagonal line through it) and probably adds to her “shine.” Meagan Good birth chart 8/8/1981 06:00:00 Panorama City, CA Lagna: 12 Leo 58 Mars rules Aries and Scorpio; Aries is the masculine, and Scorpio is the feminine version. It’s not surprising that Megan Good’s Moon is in the sign of Scorpio, and that her AK, or soul planet, is the feminine planet, the Moon. You can see that she looks very feminine and soft, yet she is able to convincingly play a cop too. What is the Atmakaraka? Simply put, it’s the planet at the highest degree in the birth chart, and it is the planet that best expresses your “essence.” Once you know what each planet looks like and what it’s significations are you can easily identify what a person is basically about and how they will express their personalities. It’s really a lot of fun! One night I was doing some boring paperwork and wanted to watch TV at the same time, but not something that would demand much from me mentally, I just wanted the company. I found a bunch of clips from American Idol on Hulu, and started them up. I don’t watch American Idol any other time and figured it would be pleasant, but not too distracting to have on. However, I got completely hooked because the singers were so amazingly good, and the judges were so interesting! Or, I should say, what I SAW in the judges as an astrologer-­‐-­‐their Atmakarakas, or “soul” planets-­‐-­‐ was so interesting (watching television as an astrologer is a different experience)! Nikki Minaj, a judge on the panel, had to be Mars. She is so adamant in expressing her opinions and has a way of being very forceful and clear in her delivery. She is surprisingly articulate (surprisingly, because she has a reputation for being a bit strange), and she gives very good advice to the contestant singers. Curious, I looked up her birth chart on Astrotheme, and yes, her AK in her birth chart was Mars. Now, because the judges are all musicians, the Moon should be dominant in some way in each of their charts, as the Moon rules music (music and the Moon are about rhythm). However, Mariah Carey is the most “Moon-­‐like” in my opinion because she has another characteristic of the Moon, her way of giving feedback to the contestants. According to Parashara Hora Shastra (ancient Sanskrit treatise on astrology), the MOON is: “Abounding in Vata and Kapha and filled with knowing is the Moon of round body, O’ Twice Born, auspiciously eyed, of sweet speech, fluctuating and love sick.” Mariah Carey, another judge on the American Idol panel, is concerned about the singer’s next performance and she feels it’s her job to be supportive, rather than critical, so much so, that she has been “talked to” about it from the bosses of the show who like more intensity for ratings. So, naturally, her AK should be the Moon, and so it is, and in the sign of Pisces. Pisces is kind, compassionate, and empathic and so wants to be supportive and inspiring! Plus, her Moon is with Jupiter, the great benefic and the planet that loves to give and pass on wisdom and knowledge. Mariah Carey’s Birth Chart: March 27, 1970 07:27:00 Long Island City, NY Lagna: 14 Taurus 10 Keith Urban, also on the American Idol panel, a country and western singer, also has a gentle demeanor and the feedback he gives is supportive, so he must be another Moon person too. Not surprisingly, his birth chart indicates that he too has the Moon as his AK, in the sign of Cancer, the Moon’s own sign, and he has the Moon in the first house (someday I’ll research why a musician chooses a certain type of music). Keith is a very Moon-­‐like person! Keith’s chart, 10/26/1967, 00:05:00, Whangarei, New Zealand What Planet Did You Come From? In the Jaimini sutras, Jaimini says the Atmakaraka is the planet we came from and the planet we return to. I found this to be a very intriguing thing to say, and I can’t really tell you what it means, except that when you know the characteristics of the planets, you can recognize the “essence” of the people you know personally, and don’t know personally. The AK tells you what makes a person tick, how to approach them, have a relationship with them, conquer them if they are an enemy, and how to love them. When you understand what planet you came from (apparently we are all just visitors here on earth as no one is “from” earth), and you understand what that planet is about, you understand your basic essence and what you are doing here. The Atmakaraka is central to your career or vocation in life and it can help you find your way much more quickly in a world of overwhelming options. You may end up doing a career that is related to your ascendant if your ascendant is stronger, but whatever you do, you will be doing it in the way your soul planet dictates. Your AK also describes your type of intelligence. You may have all of the seven types of intelligence well developed, but your main type of intelligence is what all the others will be secondary to (this topic will be covered in the upcoming online course that Ryan Kurczak and I will be teaching together, more about this below). More About the MOON When I found out that my AK is the Moon, I was not surprised. I was instantly brought back to a memory of something I did when I was about 14 years old. I waited until everyone in my family was asleep, and crept outside under the cool beautiful light of the full Moon. I quietly parted the low-­‐hanging branches and leaves of the big weeping willow tree we had in the back yard and slipped through, the leaves closing behind me like a pair of curtains. Under the tree was a picnic bench lit up by the light of the full Moon. The leaves of the weeping willow shielded me from possible prying eyes from my house, but the other side was more sparse and open to the Moonlight. There was nothing on that side of the tree but a tall fence and a ditch with tall bamboo on the other side of that, too dense for anyone to get through easily and no way for anyone to see me. I laid down on the picnic bench top and “bathed” in the Moonlight for a few hours! It was pure bliss. I didn’t know why I did this, it seemed instinctual at the time, but now I know why -­‐-­‐ the Moon is my AK, my soul’s home (Moon bathing is supposed to be very good for balancing hormones too, but that is another story for a different day). When you find out what planet you came from, don’t be surprised if a memory of something you did years ago pops into your mind too, usually when you were very young, that perfectly fits with your soul planet! NEW Online Course: Learn All About Your Soul Planet & the Soul Planet of the People in Your Life! Learn how to find the Atmakaraka in the birth chart, how to recognize what planet a person’s AK is, what their main purpose is and how it influences their personality, even they way they talk and what their interests are, and what they most need and want from the people in their lives, especially their significant other. READ MORE about the new Online Vedic Astrology Course, “What Planet Did You Come From? The Atmakaraka or Self-­‐Producer Planet,” starting on July 15, 2015. Hurry and sign-­‐up, it is restricted to only 24 students! The course will be taught by me and Ryan Kurczak of Asheville Vedic Astrology. We’ve worked together in the past on podcasts, a teleseminar, and videos, and you are sure to have a lot of fun in this lively class. May the stars bring you hope, healing, and happiness! Karen M. White [email protected] http://divinetimeastrology.com