Past lives: signs and what they mean
A past life is a life a person is believed to have lived before this one, in the many traditions that hold that people are reborn. Past life astrology reads the south node, Saturn and the twelfth house of a birth chart as the patterns such a life is said to leave behind.
These guides set out what each tradition says, in plain words, so you can decide what fits your own story.
| Tradition | What it holds | Start with |
|---|---|---|
| Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism | Rebirth: a person is born again, carrying the results of what they did before | Signs you have lived before |
| Pythagoras and Plato | The soul passes into new lives; in Plato's Republic, souls choose their next life | Old soul signs |
| Western astrology | The south node, Saturn and the twelfth house show patterns carried forward | Past life astrology |
| Indian astrology | Ketu, the south node, as what was mastered before, and Rahu, the north node, as what is sought | North node and south node |
How to use these guides
Start with what made you curious. If it is a feeling, such as a pull to a place, a skill that came too easily or a person you seemed to know at once, read signs you have lived before, déjà vu or karmic relationships. If you want the astrology, start with the north and south node, then find yours with the past life calculator, which needs only a date of birth.
What a past life reading looks at
A past life reading in astrology looks first at your south node's sign and house, read as what you carried in, and at the north node opposite it, read as where this life is pulling you. Then come Saturn, Pluto, Chiron and any planets in the twelfth house. The north node in each sign has a guide for all twelve. Palm readers add markers of their own, and some look at breaks and islands in the life line for themes from before.
Past lives and love
Many people come to past life ideas through a relationship that felt meant to be from the first meeting. Traditions call such a bond karmic: a connection with a history and a lesson. The karmic relationships guide sets out the signs people describe and how astrologers compare two charts for them.
Past life guides
- Signs you have lived beforeThe experiences traditions read as echoes of an earlier life.
- Old soul signsTraits of an old soul, and how astrology reads them.
- North node and south node: past life astrologyThe Moon's nodes, read as where you come from and where you grow.
- Past life astrologyThe nodes, Saturn, the twelfth house and Pluto, read as earlier patterns.
- Karmic relationshipsBonds that feel familiar and intense, and what traditions say they ask.
- Déjà vu and past livesThe feeling of having been here before, and how traditions read it.
Past lives: questions people ask
How can I find out about my past life?
Traditions point to your own experiences, such as places, skills and fears that feel older than you, and astrology to your south node. The past life calculator gives your south node from your date of birth.
What is the south node in a past life reading?
It is the point opposite the north node, read as the talents and habits you carried in from earlier lives. Its sign names the theme and its house the area of life.
Do all religions believe in past lives?
No. Rebirth is central to Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, and some ancient Greek thinkers taught it, while Judaism, Christianity and Islam mostly teach a single life. Many people today hold the idea outside any religion.
What is an old soul?
Someone who seems calm, reflective and wise beyond their years. Reincarnation traditions read it as a soul with many lives behind it, and old soul signs lists the traits people describe.