Yesterday's Sky: Astrology and Reincarnation

by Steven Forrest

Behind your familiar astrological chart lies another chart entirely, one whose existence you may never have suspected. It carries your treasures and your wounds. Where the astrologer’s predictions and the realities of your life might not in all honesty have lined up, this chart-behind-the-chart will help you see why. This second, hidden chart tells the tale of who you were in a prior lifetime. It speaks of what wounded you then and what work you left undone. It reveals the old ghosts that still haunt you today and it describes what happens when you let them grab the steering wheel of your life. This chart explains the reasons you have the chart you have today and it clarifies how you can get on with your evolutionary journey. In Yesterday’s Sky , Steven Forrest completes the picture he began painting in his best seller, The Inner Sky , over twenty-five years ago.

Genres: Astrology, Spirituality, Reference, Nonfiction, Divination, Esoterica

378 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2008

Reviews

[Sven Eberlein · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are few in the field of astrology who have mastered the art of connecting the head and heart like Steven Forrest. His first book, "The Inner Sky," is one of the few staples on my bookshelf, like an old friend you're eternally close to, no matter how far or wide you've strayed. Steve speaks in a language that's inviting to all, not just a few peers trained in the same grammar and syntax. He's a poet who makes you think you're reading a great novel while he's really serving you up the tools you need to understand a birth chart in a holistic, integrated way.

"Yesterday's Sky" cranks it all up several notches by putting the "Evolutionary" into astrology. It may have been a blessing in disguise that editorial concerns kept him from including the nodes of the moon and their implications on past lives in "The Inner Sky," because 25 years later he comes out swinging hard and unequivocally. His quiver loaded with deep insights from thousands of hours of studying and learning from his clients and students (as well as a mind-boggling reservoir of examples, from literature to history to religion to music), Steve shoots straight to the heart of reincarnation.

While being very respectful of anyone who may have doubts about the existence of past lives, Yesterday's Sky is far beyond needing to prove a point. In this show-don't-tell tour the force, Steven Forrest first throws out the vast net of information -- sign by sign, house by house, planet by planet -- then pulls it all together through the soul gates of the moon's nodes in a cosmic jujitsu that seems miraculous yet is firmly rooted in the integration of all the available tools and symbols. While not beginner's material, this is a great treat for anyone with some basic knowledge of astrology. Don't miss the finale when 5 charts get conducted into their respective past life symphonies.

[MizzSandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In such a fan of Steven Forrest.
His take on astrology; the psychological, developmental and evolutionary view of it is right up my alley. The need of a combination of head and heart and intuition.
And then there is his way of communicating this rather difficult topic and making it all make SENSE - here too he is gifted and inspiring and his heart (intuition) not just his head (technique) shines through.
He makes me want to read everything Steven Forrest - even the parts of astrology that is out of my capacity and interest field (at the moment). But his VOICE, his telling it, is just so compelling, fascinating and enriching.

[Aline · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 stars.

Very good to understand the Nodes and aspects to them.

[Kitija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es vienkārši dievinu Stīvenu F. un tur vairs nav ko piebilst. Atkal atvēris man veselu pasauli pa kuru pamuļļāties pārdomās un ņemt lielo šķipeli, lai tik raktu tālāk.

[Leah Bebee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely genius

[Avory Faucette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really accessible, practical book on evolutionary astrology that combines a few different things:

* Grappling briefly with the question of past lives and how to approach them
* Explanation of the elements of the author's technique on their own terms
* "Cookbook" style descriptions for specific placements
* Discussion of transits and other timing techniques
* Examples of charts and placements throughout to help understand the concepts

I found this to be a really good introduction to the topic, as an intermediate astrologer but an absolute beginner in evolutionary astrology. You'll want to at least have a firm grasp of signs, houses, and planets and their meanings before reading.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and authoritative overview of "evolutionary astrology"--a relatively new thing that examines the birth chart for clues to a person's past lives and the intentions behind the current one.

The author spends a whole chapter trying to persuade the reader of the validity of reincarnation. I skimmed that chapter, since I am already a firm believer in reincarnation, although I realize that many Westerners (and, for all I know, an increasing number of Easterners) have difficulty in accepting it. But, as Forrest also asserts, belief in reincarnation is not necessary in order to be able to realize the benefits offered by this approach.

And those benefits are many. With evolutionary astrology, the birth charts shifts from being a snapshot of the soul to being a plan for one's life, complete with a history, a goal, and tasks that must be accomplished in order to realize it. The whole chart is an expression of this plan, but the particular focus is around the so-called Nodes of the Moon: the points in space where the orbit of the Moon intersects the ecliptic, or the orbital plane of the Earth around the Sun. The South Node, the point where the Moon dips below the ecliptic each month, symbolizes the past life. The North Node, where the Moon rises again above the ecliptic, symbolizes the goal of the current life. The rulerships and aspects affecting these points provide the details.

I have only just begun to experiment with this, but already it appears to be a powerful technique, and certainly an interesting and creatively exciting one. The author is at pains to stress that a birth chart does not have enough detail in it to construct the exact particulars of a previous life; rather, the astrologer can use it to build a lifelike story or parable of the previous life--a story that has the same meaning and emotional impact as the actual life, whatever that was. It's not about uncovering the facts of that life, but its truth, which is what matters as far as the current life is concerned, for we are all born to work on the business left unfinished by our previous births.

The author uses the word karma to talk about this unfinished business, and I confess that I, with my Buddhist training (such as it is), am not altogether comfortable with the way this word is bandied about in New Age literature. In the Buddhist teachings, which are deep and exact, karma is an impersonal and, as it were, mechanical force that acts somewhat like gravity, conditioning and shaping almost every action and event in some way, and operating over great spans of time and countless lives. The New Age notion of karma seems more loosey-goosey, operating with a relatively crude sense of "balancing the books" and "payback." According to the Buddha himself, karma is a profound mystery and directly knowable only to one who has attained a high degree of sensitive clairvoyance. I'm not sure that it makes much difference when it comes to interpreting a chart in the light of evolutionary astrology, but it might be interesting to explore this approach from the point of view of a more precise understanding of karma.

The author writes in a folksy and conversational style that might make the material more accessible for many readers, although this reader found it to be a bit too casual. But this is one of the most exciting works of astrology that I've read, and I'm eager to explore the ideas and methods that Forrest lays out here. If you're an astrologer, this book gives you everything you need to start opening the door to your past life and to your highest good for the present one.

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

" Reincarnation is, in some ways, that kind of idea. It sounds good, but that alone doesn't make it true. The good of "coming back again" are obvious. For starters, nobody really dies - there goes that worry! For seconds, you don't really need to get it totally right in this one lifetime. You've got time. For thirds, justice is always done - the kid who stole your bike will get his bike stolen someday, as he deserves. Immortality, a second chance, and ultimate fairness - it is an attractive package.
... My intent in writing this has, in essence, been to make it safe to consider reincarnation to be a fact. I will be operating on that assumption from here on out as we move into exploring and mastering the technical realm of Evolutionary Astrology. I believe that astrologers in general are no wiser than the cultures in which they are operating - we drink the same water and breathe the same mythic air as everyone else. I believe that the strange rejection of reincarnation in the West for the past fifteen hundred years has ripped astrology from its roots in the universal mysticism of nearly every culture. I feel that it is time to restore those roots, to put the soul and the mystery back into the astrological wind." chapter 2 - pgs 15, 41, 42

This is an Astrology book for the more advanced student of the subject. Those who have already delved into the concepts of North Node Astrology and are ready to take the next step in fully comprehending the Soul's Journey from the South Node as well. I've long been a devotee of the principles of the North Node and have found that knowledge an incredible wealth of personal clarity and wisdom. In revealing the deeper truths of the South Node, Steven offers further lucidity and an opportunity to fully engage with the hidden and or shadow aspects of your inner world and how you can find balance and insights from those understandings. An incredibly thorough, forthright and astute resource for the intrepid seeker of knowledge and acumen!

[Carol Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for Inner work

A beautufully written book. Truly engaging. These are some of the most important and profound teachings on my journey of learning astrology. I am so grateful to Steven Forrest for sharing his wisdom and that of so many others so that we as students can develop a deep and rich understanding of these concepts.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an advanced astrologer, most of us believe in reincarnation. This book is good, and I refer to it when doing interpretations of astrology charts for my clients. I put it in reference too, because it's a lot of information and I will be referring to it often.

[Ann Dudzinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in 2021 and loved it - finally an astrology system that made sense to me! I loved it so much, I enrolled in Steven's class - which is why I read it again 8 months later. If you're interested in Evolutionary Astrology, I can't recommend this book enough.

[Ailish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great cookbook-style intro to evolutionary astrology.

[Bea · Rating 5 out of 5]

For people who are interested in incorporating past lives into their astrology readings, this is the book I recommend.

[雨 刘 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just for beginners

[Amy Herring · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Detailed. Rich and in depth. Ample cookbook delineation as well as theory. His clear and warm style as always. Summarizes decades of his work.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book and fascinating astrologer. If I could give it 10 stars out of 5, I would.