Your birth chart is a personal map and describes you as ‘self’. It shows the nature of you as a person, functioning in the world, and describes your psyche. To explore the inner workings of your soul, you must look beyond the surface of your horoscope, full of planets, aspects and houses, and into the Arabic Parts which, sometimes referred to as Lots, describe the essence of your soul.

There are numerous parts, one for everything imaginable; but it is the seven primary parts, each linked to one of the seven planets of antiquity, that describe your soul goals.

From the perspective of your soul, the self and the world appear to be the same. The self/world view is the obvious image displayed in the birth chart. The interaction between the soul (as reflected in the seven primary Arabic parts) and the self (as portrayed in the energies created between your planets, signs and houses) is often uncomfortable. The soul aspect of you aspires to your personal higher good, while the self part of you gravitates towards that which is of the material or physical world.

To separate the soul and self and explore the interaction between these different aspects of you, another tool is needed through which to depict the soul in the horoscope. Working with these seven Arabic parts allows your true essence to be described and the unique relationship between your soul and psyche/ self to be explored in all its richness and complexity.

When you look at a birth chart, there is always an empty space in the centre. It is this space which symbolically reflects the energy of the soul, even though the Arabic parts are depicted on the Zodiac wheel (or ecliptic) like planets. It is as if the Arabic parts, which aren’t immediately visible in the chart, are part of the mystery of life. The Arabic parts must be calculated, most effectively by hand, and then inserted into the chart. This way the true essence of soul is revealed through practical application. As in life, soul and its manifestations are not immediately obvious to the naked eye. This passage, credited to Lao Tzu, sums up the importance of space:

“We make a vessel from a lump of clay;

It is the empty space within the vessel that makes it useful. We make doors and windows for a room:

It is these empty spaces that make the room liveable. Thus, while the tangible has advantages,

It is the intangible that makes it useful.”

Soul, Arabic Parts and incarnation

The arrangement of the Arabic Parts around the birth chart reveals the chart within the chart; the soul within the psyche; the essence or heart within the practical demands of your life. Each Arabic part is calculated using a unique formula that incorporates planetary placements as well as key angles (like the ascendant or midheaven).

It is said that it’s the relationship between the parts and the planets in the horoscope that becomes the selling point of each life. After each part is calculated, it is then allocated a planetary ruler to follow throughout the life.

The philosophical perspective inherent in much of astrology regarding incarnation, is described in The Myth of Er at the end of Plato’s Republic. This story details the journey of Er through the afterlife as he encounters new souls waiting to incarnate. Their choices around selecting a ‘lot’ or life show how you engaged in a co-creative dance to select your life this time around, with the kinds of experiences necessary for your soul growth.