Fifth House Romances as Karmic Connections

Donna says, “Jessica Shepherd’s new book, Karmic Dates & Momentary Mates: The Astrology of the Fifth House, is well written, a great read, and full of original insights.  People love information about their romances, but this is the first book to shed light on the ones that got away and why they came into our lives in the first place.

It certainly helped me get a new perspective on that stormy decade when Pluto in Scorpio transited my 5^th house and the love of my life was a Scorpio!

The excerpt below is reprinted with her permission. It is copyrighted, so for further reprinting, you must contact her first. Here’s what Jessica writes:”

Having fifth house planets doesn’t doom anyone to a lifetime of dating and short-term love affairs, but it does suggest the necessity of friendships, lovers, playmates, and creative partnerships—for a time. These partnerships may last a month or a decade (time is elastic in the fifth house, and short-term could mean anything less than forever), but they are no less significant for your interpersonal and spiritual development than a partner in marriage. Nowadays, a marriage partner could be a short-term partner, too.

Then there’s the question of hidden karma. Maybe you can easily entertain the idea that all of your significant relationships are not “new news,” that there are people with whom we have made prior life contracts to meet. Of course, we may never be able to prove this factually, but the critical mass of people with regression experiences makes a very strong case for past lives.

Karma is certainly a mysterious force that complicates, informs, and weaves itself, snakelike, through this lifetime (and perhaps the next) for as long as we’re alive and making choices. Some of us have more short-term shared relationship karma than others, and having fifth house planets—with their hunger for heart-opening connections—alerts us to this possibility.

Having planets in the fifth house alerts us to the fact that we may have unfinished business with one or several people who share the nature and behaviors of that planet-sign combination. What if we don’t have a planet here? We can look to the sign on our fifth house cusp, as well as the ruling planet of that sign which also alerts us to the quality of karma we share.

Karma is nothing to feel guilty about. Sharing karma is both a gift and an obligation. The gift is an ability to receive and exchange a teaching, blessing, or learning. The obligation is to learn to recognize when such a relationship has outlived its usefulness, and to let it go with respect to all involved. Just because a relationship is short-term, doesn’t make it any less valuable, precious, or worthy of an honorable ending.

When we are substantially attracted to someone enough to enter into a relationship, we undoubtedly share a level of karma. Clearly, we must share karma with all our important relationships. We share karma with people who, over the course of a lifetime, help us to self-actualize and reach our dreams with love and support. I call these people our soul mates—people who hold us in love for as long as time allows. Karmic mates are “time-of-life partners”; these partnerships are eventually meant to end. Karmic mates may be a form of soul mates, for we certainly share soul contracts with them—but while there is no ending to the love story with soul mates (save death), karmic partners have an expiration date.

Karmic mates wear other guises, too, besides sexual partners. You can recognize them by the joy, buzz, attraction, and excitement they stimulate in you—the initial, heady yeast of relationships. They may be a playmate or a muse, inspiring shared artistry and creativity. They may be someone who shares a hobby or interest that our primary partner doesn’t, but through sharing, we grow stronger and shine brighter. We can share karma with our elementary school teacher, our best friend, our therapist, and maybe even our pet! Through their belief in us, confidence in our talents and abilities, or any positive heart-centered emotion, we just feel good being around them.

The karmic mate is always a catalyst for our growth. By virtue of the conversations and experiences we share over a brief period of time, we end up making a change in our lives. Playmate, muse, catalyst, boss, lover, roommate, friend… while they don’t stick around forever, their impact on our lives can be profound.

Am I in a Karmic Partnership?

All relationships have some element of karma, so how do we know if we’re in a relationship with an expiration date? Initially, it can be hard to tell. Here’s a common sense checklist for identifying whether you are in a karmic romance.

-You experience a compulsive mood or emotion unique to only this relationship, which you don’t normally experience. Around this person, you may feel caretaking, insecure, chatty, irrational, moody, exceptionally beautiful, larger or smaller-than-life. When apart, you are free of this condition.

-You are attached to trying to get something (attention, affection, love, commitment) from them. When you don’t get it, you feel nutty.

-Your partnership elicits irrational behavior in one or both of you. You feel powerless to stop it.

-You know this relationship won’t last, yet you cannot seem to tear yourself away.

-Friends and loved ones say they no longer recognize you, or that you’ve changed (not for the better) since you’ve been with this person.

-You experience compelling magnetism, and even love. But while you are attracted to certain parts of them, you do not fully accept them.

The book is available in paperback and Kindle. Here’s the link to purchase on Amazon:Karmic Dates And Momentary Mates.

About Jessica: Author of A Love Alchemist’s Notebook, Karmic Dates and Momentary Mates, and Venus Signs, Jessica Shepherd has studied astrology since 1992, and has been practicing and writing about astrology since 2003 at www.Moonkissd.com. She specializes in coaching people through transition, personal growth, and awakening. Jessica holds a bachelor’s degree (B.A.) in art and business and is a certified health coach. Sign up for her newsletter or book a reading at www.Moonkissd.com. Become a Facebook fan here.

Donna says: ”I hope that reading this brief excerpt from Jessica Shepherd’s Karmic Dates and Momentary Mates has opened up a world of understanding about your own and other people’s puzzling romances. If you’re having light bulb moments about one of your romances, tell us about it in the comment section. (A couple of paragraphs at the most—not a whole romance novel!) The excerpt above is reprinted here with her permission. It is copyrighted, so for further reprinting, or if you are an astrology blogger and would like to request a review copy, contact her at moonkissd@gmail.com.”

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