Astrocartography: The karmic impact of Place
That seven degree latitudinal band of significant stars we call the Zodiac is wrapping itself around our planet endlessly, silently influencing events on Earth and evoking a certain quality of internal experience. Gemini started rising on the eastern horizon about an hour ago, and (without knowing that) I began writing this.
Gemini is associated with communication of all kinds and specifically writing, being ruled by the planet Mercury. Rahu is currently exalted in this sign, making any communication through computer technology more potent. So here we are. This is how I am not separate from the spinning of the earth as it turns the sky, churning our karmas into fruition through Time.
Although astrology is known to be the study of the sky, one can only know this sky in relationship to the earth. On any given day many babies are born, but it is their specific location in relation to the time of day which pins a certain sign of the zodiac to their ascendant, determining how the rest of the chart (and thus the karma) falls.
One branch of astrology that is not native to India is astrocartography, which studies how different locations on the planet shift the natal horoscope and impact the karma of an individual. This can actually be used as a remedial measure, wherein certain places are prescribed to either alleviate difficult areas of life or to accentuate positive ones. Someone might move to a given location, for example, to support the work life, or to meet a partner, or to improve their health. Places, in this way, can be like poison or medicine, depending on how they shift the planets in an individual chart. And from personal experience I cannot say that moving to a poison place is altogether negative, and sometimes it can allow us to burn through karma and extract some deep spiritual lessons, but at the cost of some suffering.
When looking at relocation there are other elements to consider aside from the astrocartography. The environment itself—whether ocean, desert, big city or mountains—will activate certain signs in the chart, each of which have an associated environment. If, for example, someone unknowingly activates Taurus in their chart by moving to a farm and this happens to be the 8th house of disease in their chart, then after spending some time in that environment they may notice their health start to decline. And if this person is running what we call a “bad” dasha—meaning a planetary period which is somewhat negative in their chart and can cause their desires to be out of line with their best interest—then they will indeed suddenly want to make a move which may not ultimately be helpful. This is where astrology can be helpful in alleviating difficulty, particularly when there are multiple choices available.
Most people do not make the connection between their experience and the places in which they happen. I have become so sensitive to this, after many years of study and observation, that I can’t help but notice not only how different places feel but also who I meet in those places, what events fructify, and what themes come up. There are some places which seem to bring out our best selves, and others which cover us with a strange cloud of confusion, but always each place has the potential to introduce us to a different facet of ourselves that we might not have otherwise known. So I consider astrocartogarphy to be a way to answer the question: which part of myself do I want to get to know and where can I go to find it?