The Anaretic Degree

The Anaretic Degree, sometimes also called the Karmic Degree, is most often referred to as the 29th degree. To better understand its significance, let's break it down mathematically.

The full wheel of the zodiac contains 360 degrees and is composed of 12 houses (representing the 12 signs). Thus, each house contains 30 degrees. Each degree within a house is labeled 0-29; therefore, the 29th degree is the last degree that a planet travels through in any house (29°00'00" to 29°59'59"). If you have a planet positioned at the 29th degree in any of the houses of the zodiac in your chart, you could say that planet is stationed at the Anaretic Degree.

Your personal astrological chart is a snapshot of the planets in the heavens. It captures the location of the planets within the houses at the exact time of your birth. Astrologers look to the characteristics of the planet at a Karmic Degree and respect its teachings. In astrology, it is very significant if you have a planet at the Anaretic Degree. If a planet is in this position at the time of your birth, it means that you are very close to mastering an important lesson of the universe, but you have not quite achieved success. It is only when the lesson of that planet is mastered that you may move on and progress spiritually and universally. People with an Anaretic Degree have a lesson to learn.

Astrologers take the meaning of planets at an Anaretic Degree and encourage people to push themselves in the directions of the planet's characteristics. This planetary position signifies an urgent need to correctly utilize the energy of that planet. The lessons it indicates cannot be ignored if the individual wants to grow and transcend or achieve reincarnation and spiritual reinvention of the physical form.

Below is a list of the meanings of each of the planets when they are positioned at the Anaretic Degree. Find which placements are in your chart. For a more precise reading, the attributes of a planet at the Karmic Degree must be taken into consideration along with the houses and the signs that the planets occupy.

Sun

When positioned in the 29th degree of your chart, the Sun indicates a need to focus more on your identity and your sense of self. Answer the question, "Who am I?" Deeply consider your roots and how they've shaped the person you are. Issues with your father or your father figure may need to be resolved. You may often have difficulty relating to men due to this conflict. Keep your ego in check. Work on your sense of individuality and cultivate proactive channels of self-expression. Pay closer attention to certain aspects of your health, mainly issues concerning your heart, back and spine.

Moon

Spending some time unpacking your emotions is time well spent. The Moon encourages us to open ourselves up and to communicate our true feelings. There may be issues with your mother or women in your life that you need to resolve. Listen to your instincts and your feelings and make efforts to express them more honestly. Pay attention to your mood. Your first reaction may be the best; trust your instincts and reflexes. Seek out or offer your mothering and nurturing side. Pay close attention to the health of your stomach and breasts.

Mercury

Mercury is the planet of communication, and at its Anaretic Degree it focuses on the lesson of expressing oneself more clearly. Strut your intellect and practice your mental dexterity. Stretch your vocabulary and use new words. Take the time to contemplate your mental processes and explore your inner mind. You are preoccupied with issues of mental health or mental acuity. Practice the logic that you study. Pay closer attention to the health of your arms, hands, shoulders and lungs.

Venus

You've always had issues with relationships and romantic partners, and in this lifetime you need to work the kinks out of having a successful relationship. Beauty, charm and aesthetics are also worthy of your reevaluation, and thinking about what makes something or someone pleasing is a big part of that lesson. Assess your relationship with material possessions. The company you keep is more culturally astute and you hope to emulate their tastes. Seek harmony and sociability in everything you do and you will reach the popularity you seek. Pay close attention to the health of your throat and kidneys.

Mars

Problems with asserting yourself have always been an issue; you're on the cusp of either learning how to be more aggressive or learning to keep your aggressions in check. Learn to put your needs out on the table rather than surrounding yourself with people who fight your battles for you. You have suppressed passions that you need to bring to the surface. Get closer to your own sexual energy and expertise and bring the lessons of assertiveness into the bedroom as well. Once you have courage and willpower, you can have whatever you want. Pay close attention to your health concerning blood, cuts, burns and headaches.

Jupiter

The planet Jupiter encourages you to achieve your goals. Go back to school if you've been wanting to, or self-educate. Get in touch with a higher sense of thinking and learning. Take note of ethics, religion or foreign affairs. Explore more of the world outside of yourself. Avoid excess in drinking and risk-taking. Embrace opportunities that involve long distance travel. Any or all of these experiences will bring the enrichment you desperately need. Pay attention to the health of your liver, hips and thighs.

Saturn

If Saturn appears in the 29th degree in your chart, it symbolizes that you've never learned to take proper responsibility for yourself and that you need to get organized, once and for all. Learn your limitations and accept them. Make plans accordingly. Deal with your ambitions and your frustrations; take real steps to make your plans come to fruition. Patience is something you've always battled with and you've never had a great respect for authority figures, but part of moving on is learning how to deal with both. Practice diligence. Ask for assistance when you need it. Learn how reassuring and comforting a little structure in your life can be. Pay close attention to the health of your knees, skin, bones and teeth.

Uranus

Accepting revolutionary ideas -- your own or someone else's -- will take you to new heights. You've always been one to be stunned by bizarre, erratic happenings, but you should learn to accept these events as great opportunities. Celebrate the differences and the oddities of the world around you and you will become an active participant. Until you learn this social tolerance, you will never progress to the next stage of universal development. Your dependence on stability is keeping you weighted down. Create and invent new projects and new possibilities. Pay close attention to the health of your nervous system and your ankles.

Neptune

With Neptune in your Karmic Degree, you've never learned how to face an issue head on. You always escape your problems or pretend they don't exist. Too often this planet brings with it alcoholism or drug dependency, or the kind of shallow happiness that comes from faded glamour and tattered gowns. You currently deal in smoke and mirrors, and planting yourself in the here-and-now is the most valuable task you can undertake. Unveil the secrets of your life and deal with them directly and frankly. Pay close attention to the health of your feet.

Pluto

You've always had a difficult time accepting changes, letting go and starting anew. Recognize that change is a chance for rebirth and rejuvenation and that death is an infallible part of living. With every ending there is a new beginning. Your tendency is to hang on to the past for as long as you can. Accept the hand life deals you; take it moment by moment. Learn to start anew and to make life where there was once nothing. Pay closer attention to the health of your reproductive system.