I have studied both western and vedic (eastern) astrology. From the east, the present incarnation is seen as only one drop in the bucket of many lifetimes. The ultimate goal of each soul is to return to its source - God.
And vedic astrologers who are very good can get a pretty good idea of when a soul starts to be born with karms (planetary positions) that promote enlightment.
The 9th house in vedic astrology takes on great importance. A secondary chart is made by dividing things up by 9, it shows your recent past lives and what you are working towards. The 9th house is the house of Guru/enlightentment.
Originally vedic astrology didn't have access to the outer planets - pluto, neptune, and uranus, so the outer planets were/are saturn and jupiter. It is natural to know that jupiter and saturn aren't so concerned with personal things like the other planets - mars, venus, moon, mercury, and sun. So when saturn and jupiter are together (conjunct) or opposed it shows the soul's impending path towards enlightenment. Or if they are significantly placed. Issues beyond/above the bodily consciousness start finding there way to the forefront. I will give you a direct example - myself.
I have jupiter conjunct saturn (both retrograde) in the 9th house and jupiter again comes up in the 9th house in the 9th chart. People forget that they are choosing their karma to be born into and work through. They think the planets came first, but no their soul's come first. In vedic astrology jupiter with saturn in the 9th is a dead ringer for the soul seeking enlightment. And this has been true for me - however I have been a seeker of enlightentment in an ignorant way and have had delays (retrograde saturn and jupiter?).
I have all kinds of rough planetary placements that on one level I have lived through but I have always had someone in my watchtower overlooking and rising above (jupiter/saturn 9th) what I know is the petty goings on of what most people call normal life - most people think that this is all there is. Know for a fact all souls have to return home so as they are born and born again they will eventually allign the planetary positions up to reflect their enlightentment.
I'm a man and the first time I really opened my heart up to a woman I started having divine experiences - somehow I began sensing myself beyond the body (across the waters) - and I started going into some little ecstacies. It was triggered by the opening of the heart which had been fairly dormant in my case.
All souls are seeking enlightentment in various ways in their charts but they get distracted by the faster more immediate planets that really are only wasting their time in the big picture. Like someone else said look especially close at sag and pisces, neptune and jupiter, and the 9th and 12th houses. Venus in pisces shows a soul who is/has learned to love beyond the personal so this is also a ringer for enlightentment because they are getting closer to universal love which is God. Venus in the 12th, too.
Surprisingly, Aires can be a good sign for seeking enlightentmant because if other energy in the chart is pointing in this direction aires gives a push and focus to it that no other placement can provide. This is especially good for nuns.