Karma, Relationships and Astrological Synthesis
Nothing causes your heart to beat faster than a powerful romantic or sexual relationship! Astrologers get more questions about romance than just about anything else, so you need the best techniques to analyze charts with partnerships in mind. In this column you can read about three different facets of astrology that you can use to explore relationships—past, present, and future. Not an astrologer? Skip to the section on Ex-Relationships.

Past Karma
If you have not associated karma with your astrological chart, maybe you will want to take another look. Your chart reveals your entire experience, including something about your past lives and how they influence your present relationships. In fact, every part of your chart points to key karmic factors—understand them and you will learn how to engage in more fulfilling relationships.

Whatever your sign, one sure path to spiritual understanding is through someone of the opposite sign. For example, in Karmic Astrology: Past Lives, Present Loves, author Ruth Aharoni states that the karmic purpose of Gemini is "gathering information and passing on knowledge." Sagittarius seeks higher meaning, and Gemini brings Sag back down to earth with "just the facts." You can deepen your understanding of relationships in the present by considering karmic indictors in your chart—they can explain your spiritual attraction to your partner.

Ex-Relationships
How many of you are with someone who has had a prior relationship? Did you ever think about the karma you face in dealing with your partner's ex? Rowan Davis can show you exactly why you come up against certain problems, and she shows you how to handle the formidable problem of dealing with your partner's relationship karma. She is right on the money!

The Ex Files: A Zodiac Guide to His Former Flames by Rowan Davis will answer a lot of your questions about your partner and his past:

• What his ex is really like
• How his children play into the picture
• What he misses about her
• What he surely does NOT miss!
• How to piss her off (if you choose to go there)
• How your Sun sign can best deal with the situation

Buy this book to get valuable insights into your partner's ex. If you consult with clients, this book can add a bit of humor to difficult discussions about anyone's most significant relationships.

Into the Future
Astrology is the most accurate prediction tool you have. The art of good astrological interpretation rests on figuring out how the relationships between the planets will play out in a person's life. Most astrologers use aspects to provide information.

Now you can use another set of indicators—midpoints—to reveal how planetary energies are interwoven in your chart. With Midpoints: Identify & Integrate Midpoints Into Horoscope Synthesis, Don McBroom puts together a fabulous text that provides a sure-fire way to achieve synthesis in your astrological work.

Beginning with the basics of what midpoints are and how to identify them, McBroom then discusses all the finer points of midpoint analysis. He details the two most important midpoints, Sun/Moon and Ascendant/Midheaven, and shows how to use midpoint analysis in birth charts, progressions, and transits. AND he reveals how to bring all these bits of information together in a meaningful synthesis.

These three books cover topics of interest to just about everyone. The Ex Files will make a great gift for anyone who has an EX in the picture. For the spiritually minded, you will definitely want to read and study Karmic Astrology. Every serious astrologer will find Midpoints a handy reference tool.