Sign due to past karma

Have you ever felt as if you were unconsciously driven to live your life in a specific way, even though you think you'd rather not? Have you ever been fascinated with a certain profession – to the point where you'll defy everyone around you to follow it?

To answer could be "karma." What you have or haven't done in previous lifetimes is at the root. But if you're not aware of this, you can feel as if you're not in control of your own life. A young man once demanded to know why his former girlfriend had elected to become a nun. Her answer? "I have no choice."

The unconscious mind – especially when it stretches back over millennia – is the most complex and bewildering factor in our world. Your Sun Sign provides a clue, however, and can help shed a little light on your karma. The main point to remember is that extremes in one life need to be balanced in another one.

Aries:
(March 20 - April 19)
In previous lifetimes, you always did the proper thing. You ate, dressed, worked, and lived just the way everyone else did. Conforming made you feel comfortable and accepted, yet at times you went too far, going against your principles because others believed differently. Now you're meant to stand up and be counted. Your point of view, your chosen way of life, is just as valid as anyone else's.

Taurus:
(April 20 - May 20)
You love nice things, but often you deprive yourself of them, even when you can afford it. After all, do you really need to buy that bestseller when you can get it at the library? In several lifetimes, you were, frankly, a miser. You lived like a pauper when you had plenty of money. Now, you need to accept that it's all right to enjoy nice things. They are part of the gifts of the Earth.

Gemini:
(May 21 - June 20)
The simple things in life fascinate you: clouds, flowers, ripples on the creek. You could walk or sit for hours, observing whatever you encounter. Throughout many incarnations, you were a scholar, caught up in higher knowledge: law, philosophy, theology, science. You rarely took the time to notice the simple things – and the profound truths they represent. In this life, you're meant to notice them. Keep it up!

Cancer:
(June 21 - July 21)
You love your home, and there isn't a place on Earth you'd rather be. Your family is top priority and, as a result, you're very deeply loved. But you weren't always this way. There were lifetimes in which you cared about nothing but business. Whether you were a king, a merchant, or a simple farmer, you probably knew your associates better than you knew your family. This lifetime should balance the scales.

Leo:
(July 22 - August 22)
Are you often teased because of your big ego? It's OK! You're meant to acknowledge your own magnificence now, because previous personalities were too busy taking care of the poor and downtrodden. You treated each and every one as if they were part of your own family. Now it's your turn. The secret is to be quietly aware of your strength without coming off as a braggart.

Virgo:
(August 23 - September 22)
Priest, priestess, monk, nun, healer – you've been them all, dedicated to the spiritual life, retiring from the world, though willing to help others in their time of need. In this life, you may have found yourself cast into the world of mundane commerce. You're responsible for administration, management, personnel, and such. You may still long for the cloister, but learn this lesson first.

Libra:
(September 23 - October 22)
Society – and its expectations of you – tends to be very important to you. Your manners are impeccable, you feel most comfortable when you behave in a way that others consider acceptable. In past lives, you didn't. Previous personalities may have been egotistical, arrogant, and somewhat selfish. Therefore, it's your job in this life to behave yourself and to be very nice to everyone.

Scorpio:
(October 23 - November 21)
Do your friends think of you as secretive? Chances are, this is true. You never reveal anything about yourself or anything if there's any way you can avoid it. In long-ago lifetimes, however, you may not have been that way. You probably had very few secrets, sometimes bordering on giving too much information. The lesson to be learned here is to find a balance between the two.

Sagittarius:
(November 22 - December 20)
You enjoy a good time, but often your idea of fun is different from that of your friends. There are times when you'll pass on a good party to attend a lecture on a highly intellectual subject that would bore most people. You probably came to terms with frivolity in lifetimes in which you learned most of what you knew from observing life. You do that still, but you prefer intellectual puzzles.

Capricorn:
(December 21 - January 18)
In spite of the fact that you're a very career-oriented person, there are times when you long to spend all your time at home. This results from previous lives in which your home was your entire world. In this life, you're meant to be successful in the world outside your home – and probably, you are. But don't forget to channel energy into your home as well. Remember, the keyword is balance.

Aquarius:
(January 19 - February 17)
Do your eyes well up with tears when you hear about victims of war or famine, people whom you'll never know, but still feel a connection with? In prior incarnations, you never even thought about these people. Your family and friends were all that you cared about. Now, in this incarnation, you're meant to look beyond your immediate circle and realize that we're all one family. Think about it!

Pisces:
(February 18 - March 19)
As a native of the twelfth sign of the Zodiac, your previous lifetimes have covered almost all the lessons outlined above. The main one for you, however, is embracing spiritual practices and expressing your feelings about life through art. In past lives, you were very practical and down to earth, perhaps too much so. In the present lifetime, you're meant to look above and beyond it all.