Tag Archives: career

Ask Real Astrologers: Will the Eclipses Bring Career News?

This week’s question comes from Brandy in Phoenix:

I’ve been watching the sky, specifically the November 28th Full Moon lunar eclipse and recent New Moon with a vague sense that my career path will reveal itself. Stuff is hitting my tenth house big time! Still confused though – perhaps because of my Pisces Midheaven? All I want to do is help peeps, don’t care about money. Always a HUGE fan of the weekly forecasts, thank you for all the help over the years. :)

Brandy, it’s true that the New Moon in Pisces on March 11 fell in your tenth house of career, with Mercury, Venus, and Mars all in the same sector. Normally, we’d expect to see major developments in your professional life with this much planetary power. However, as you may recall, Mercury was retrograde at the time, which had the effect of a big wet blanket. Sometimes when a New Moon falls during a Mercury retrograde period, we get “results” at the following New Moon (remembering, of course, that the planets don’t “cause” events on earth) or when Mercury returns direct. The New Moon in Aries was on April 10, and we’re still in the period of influence, right up to the Full Moon on April 25, which is the first of three eclipses in a row. I’ll discuss more about that in a minute, but first let’s have a look at Jupiter and Neptune.

In ancient times, astrologers assigned Jupiter as the ruler of Pisces. After Neptune was discovered in 1846, some astrologers gave him rulership of the Fishes or at least considered him as co-ruler. That makes sense, because Neptune was the Roman god of the sea. Still, it’s a good idea to look at both planets. Pisces is the sign of compassion, and people with strong Pisces in their charts do want to help others, often with no immediate reward for themselves.

Although this is a noble goal, living in the material world requires things like food, shelter, transportation, and vet care for your cat. So it might be a good idea to seek a job in which you can make a living wage helping others. Fortunately, there’s a strong need right now in fields such as mental healthcare, drug and alcohol counseling, work with the homeless, and many other service fields. These jobs tend not to pay a lot – especially if you’re working for a nonprofit – but you can at least keep body and soul together. With Pisces on your Midheaven, it’s natural that you’d want a career helping the less fortunate – a desire strongly reinforced by your twelfth-house Moon, which acts a bit like Moon in Pisces. Your natal Saturn, the “career planet,” also is in the twelfth house, which traditionally is associated with Pisces, and your natal Neptune is in the sixth house of workplace and service to humanity.

Transiting Neptune currently is hovering near your Midheaven and was within three degrees at the New Moon on March 11. However, he won’t quite get there before turning retrograde in June. This alone might account for your feeling of being “close but not quite there” in terms of your career, as well as the confusion. Jupiter, meanwhile, is transiting your twelfth house and has been crossing back and forth over your Moon. Jupiter’s transit through the twelfth house typically correlates to spiritual growth, an inner sense of optimism, and the ability to visualize what you want, but not so much with external manifestations. Given the positions of transiting Neptune and Jupiter, it’s not surprising that your natural inclination to help people is being activated, but that you’re not seeing concrete developments. Hang onto those positive thoughts, because I think you can manifest them into reality before long.

It’s interesting that you mention the lunar eclipse of November 28. That one was in your twelfth house, very close to your Moon, and it was the culmination of the New Moon on November 13, which was a solar eclipse in your sixth house. The sixth house is also related to your work – not necessarily your career, but it could be. They go hand in hand. The sixth house can represent a day job for someone whose real passion is an activity that doesn’t pay, or at least not until after years of honing skills. Or, it can represent the workplace, as opposed to career advancement. If you did experience some job developments in November or December, you could get additional news around late May, when we have another eclipse in your sixth house. Better still, Jupiter is about to cross your Ascendant. It’s very important that you visualize what you want now, because once Jupiter enters your first house, you’ve got “luck” on your side to start making things happen.

The reason I chose your question to answer this week is that it’s a good reminder to everyone to think back to what was going on for you in late November and early December. These issues are likely to come around again in May, especially with the eclipses of May 9 and May 25. If you don’t know where the eclipses fall in your chart, you can find out in the seasonal edition of StarGuide, which I just put on sale for 25 percent off, or you can order a StarGuide monthly forecast for May.

Best of luck to you, Brandy. I hope you get what you’re looking for, as it sounds like you’re ready to provide real service to the people who need it most.

Pat

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Ask Real Astrologers: Flopped at Sales, What Else Can I Do?

This week’s question comes from Jamil in the United Arab Emirates:

I just finished my MBA degree and completed four years in a sales executive career. I was not that successful during it, but because I have built my experience in sales (chemical materials), I am forced to continue in this business. In fact, I am finding that I do not have the sales personality … I want to know what type of career would suit my personality and that I would be creative in.

Jamil, the problem may be in what you are selling and for whom.

Now, before I explain further, I need to mention that your birth time is important in career counseling, and you don’t know yours for sure. The range you provided me makes you either a late Rising Leo or a Rising Virgo. I cast a chart using the average, but it would be better for you to try to get an exact birth time and an in-depth career reading to get the best answer to your question. If your birth time is not available anywhere, you can get what’s called a chart rectification. Using significant events in your life, an astrologer can do an analysis to come up with the likeliest birth time, and then you can test it over time.

For the time being, we’ll assume you have Virgo Rising. Your Sun is in Gemini, and your Moon is in Pisces. Mercury ruled Gemini is a natural salesperson, and with Mercury as your chart ruler, you are heavily influenced by the planet of commerce and business negotiations. In addition, your Pisces Moon allows you to read people intuitively. You know what they want and how to convince them that they want it from you!

However, unless you’re a Rising Leo, you probably don’t want to be an executive but would rather be out on the road, dealing directly with customers. Or, you might consider the marketing angle of sales, which requires Gemini’s great communications skills. Marketing can be a highly creative career.

We also want to look at the sign and house position of your chart ruler, Mercury, which was in Taurus at the time you were born. Instead of chemicals, perhaps you’d enjoy selling organic fertilizers or chemical ingredients for brewing beer (just a thought!).

In any case, with Moon in Pisces, you need to believe in what you’re selling. I would suggest doing some research (something you’re very good at) to find products and services that you believe in and that you believe will help humanity. Virgo tends to be very health-conscious, so if the chemicals you’ve been selling are harmful either to the environment or to human health, you will naturally not feel good about what you’re doing. You might even have sabotaged your career by deliberately not being good at it.

The purpose of this column is to provide quick answers, and that’s what this is. I hope it helps at least a little, but I also strongly recommend that you get a complete workup with a professional astrologer to help you sort out your career dilemma before it goes any further.

Thank you so much for writing, Jamil, and I wish you all the best for finding just the right career match for you.

Pat

Ask Real Astrologers: Will I Be a Famous Musician?

This week’s question comes from Chris in Vancouver, British Columbia:

Am I destined to be a famous musician or should I stick to being a nurse? Healthcare pays good, but I want more in life. What is your expert opinion? What career should I focus on and strive for? Literature, music, film, art, or just a conventional RN? Help!

P.S. I went to an astrologer and he told me I should not have a career because it will get in the way of my sex life!

Chris, you didn’t say whether you are male or female, but it’s hard to imagine an astrologer – or anyone, for that matter – telling a man that a career would get in the way of his sex life, especially a career as a musician! Everyone knows that musicians are chick magnets (you’re too young to remember that Dire Straits song, “Money for Nothing”).

All kidding aside, you definitely need to follow your heart. You have what’s known as a locomotive chart, with the Moon in your first house as the driver. You are drawn to the arts, music, and literature, no doubt about it. Combined with Sun, Mercury, and Mars all in Aquarius, your Gemini Moon needs lot of mental stimulation, action, and variety.

At the same time, you have Saturn conjunct your lunar North Node in Virgo in the fourth house, which strongly suggests that nursing or some other service-oriented career isn’t a bad choice for you. So you do have a dilemma.

The good news is that Moon in Gemini is well-adapted to more than one career, and that would be good for you. Why not stick with nursing for awhile and write a novel in your free time or moonlight as a musician? Almost no one gets to be famous overnight. Even the artists we think of as “overnight sensations” had to pay their dues. Many did gigs while working other jobs. You can, too.

Rather than striving to be famous, for now just work at being an accomplished artist and networking with others. And, by the way, I don’t think an empty eleventh house means that you won’t find others to work with.

As for the other astrologer’s prediction, he probably was looking at Venus in Capricorn in your seventh house. I don’t know how he arrived at that conclusion, if that’s indeed what he meant. Truly, it’s hard to imagine anyone making such a statement, so I’m wondering if perhaps you misunderstood. Astrologers sometimes forget to speak in lay terms, and all that astro-speak can get very confusing.

Best of luck to you, Chris, and thanks for writing.

Pat

Ask Real Astrologers: Is This a Bad Time for a Career Move?

This week’s question comes from Kinja in San Francisco, Calif.:

After having a bad experience in a new job that lasted from November 2009 to February 2010, I started thinking perhaps I should look into other career options. … Is this just a bad time to try new career moves for me? Should I just stick with what I have been doing in the last couple of years?

First of all, Kinja, thank you for resubmitting your question using the e-mail submission form. My Mercury in Capricorn needs to keep the files in order!

As you rightly noted in your e-mail, Neptune currently is opposite your natal Saturn. Because you have Saturn near the Midheaven, this also means that Neptune is on your IC. In effect, you’re getting a double dose of Neptune on your career, so it’s no wonder you’ve had such a difficult time of it lately.

Neptune is a dissolving agent. Just as the relentless pounding of waves wears away rocky cliffs, Neptune transits can break down structures in our lives. An old order is falling away so that something new can take its place. The problem is that the “something new” isn’t immediately apparent. In the meantime, you can feel aimless and disoriented.

Remember, too, that Neptune has been indirectly linked to the Saturn-Uranus opposition of the past two years via an inconjunct with Saturn and mutual reception with Uranus in Pisces. Saturn has been in your tenth house of career, which normally is a good time to achieve professional goals. However, with Uranus in opposition, every time you’ve tried to establish yourself, the rug has been pulled out from under you.

Even if you tried to move into a different career, you probably wouldn’t be much more successful than you’ve been recently, and Neptune transits tend to cloud our judgment and distort our sense of reality. Unfortunately, the outer planets move through the chart slowly, and so these transits last for several months.

In any case, I’m advising my clients not to initiate new ventures until the middle of September, when the cardinal T-square will start to dissipate. Events this summer may take on a life of their own, and if you’re flexible and open to change, you can jump on opportunities that might not be available to you if you’ve already committed to another course of action.

It sounds to me as though something really good is trying to break through in your life. The fog of Neptune may be a blessing in disguise, as it’s forcing you to let go of attachment to a particular outcome so that you can embrace a radically different way of being.

You obviously have a good grasp of astrology, but I always recommend a professional reading, if possible. There are lots of good astrologers in the San Francisco area, and I do readings by phone.

Best of luck to you Kinja, and thanks again for writing.

Pat

Ask Real Astrologers: What Is My Best Choice of Career?

This week’s question comes from Christoper in Louisville, Kentucky:

Excluding social work (which would require a Master’s Degree – I don’t want to go back to school now), what career would give me the most social status and satisfaction, as indicated by my natal astrology and current transits? My first college degree is in Liberal Arts and my second is in Accounting.

I am getting a lot of career questions these days, and this is a great one, Christopher. Astrology is a useful tool to help determine a suitable career, both in terms of personal satisfaction and material rewards. You obviously know this, or you wouldn’t have asked.

Unfortunately, you didn’t provide a birth time, which is absolutely necessary for an accurate, in-depth career report. But that’s quite alright, because you unintentionally helped me make a point, which is that this type of analysis is a major undertaking with many factors to take into consideration. For example, we’d want to look at the house, sign, and aspects to your natal Saturn, the house and aspects of your Sun, and the sign and position of your tenth house ruler, to name a few.

If you don’t know your birth time, we still can make some observations, but the conclusions will be less reliable.

There is a lot of information out there about career choices by Sun sign. This does work some of the time. I know several Virgo accountants, a few Aries policemen, a couple of Taurus musicians, and a Sagittarius travel agent. But just as you can’t determine astrological compatibility by Sun sign alone, your best career choices are far more complex, too.

So, with all these caveats out of the way, there are a few things I can tell you, Christopher.

First, you have a tight sextile between your Sun and Saturn, indicating that you will find success through sustained effort and hard work. You are responsible and orderly, which might suggest some type of management position, depending on the house positions of your Sun and Saturn. I would also note that Venus in Pisces conjunct Chiron does suggest some type of social work or work in women’s health. This might not be financially lucrative, but it would give you a great deal of satisfaction. The timing for going back to school is something we could determine through house transits — which, again, requires a birth time.

The second thing that jumps out at me is that your natal Jupiter is at 1 degree Aries. This means that your Jupiter is being activated by the cardinal T-square and especially by Saturn in Libra. When we’re going through a Saturn-Jupiter opposition, which happens every 29 years or so, we may find that our opportunities for career advancement are limited. Patience is required, but that’s often what’s most lacking. It’s usually not a good time to start down a new path, but often it’s when life hands us a big course correction. You may find that by fall, a new pathway is lighted for you.

Thanks for writing, Christopher, and best of luck to you.

I’d like to encourage you all to keep sending your questions. I’m sorry I can’t answer them all, but I do read every one of them. If you’re in need of immediate guidance and in-depth advice, please consider contacting me for a private consultation. I do individual forecasts as well as relationship counseling. For career consulations, I offer a few different options, depending on your budget and how much information you want. For clients outside the United States who would like a live reading, I have Skype and Gmail video chat. If you would like more information or have questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Love and blessings to all,
Pat

Got a quick question? Click here to contact Ask Real Astrologers. You must use this form to contact me, or I won’t get your question. Be sure to fill out all the fields, and please spell out the month of your birthday. If you don’t know your time of birth, indicate “time unknown.” You can also use the drop-down menu above under “About Us” to get to the question form. THANKS!

Ask Real Astrologers: Will Saturn in Libra Jumpstart My Career?

This week’s question comes from Amanda in New York:

I’m a Libra Sun, and with Saturn soon to enter Libra, I’m concerned about my choice in career. I recently made a decision to leave my career as a speech language pathologist and try to enter the field of publishing. I’ve had no luck, and I’m resigned to go back to my previous career, but I’m having trouble finding a position that would truly make me happy. Will Saturn have any effect on my career?

Neith’s response:

With your natal Moon and Jupiter in your second house of values and personal income, Amanda, I would not be surprised to learn you are emotionally invested in utilizing your talents and determination to the best possible advantage.

Saturn’s journey through Virgo and your third house over the past couple of years has to have weighed heavily on you, coinciding as it did with your Saturn return. However, that is behind you now, and I believe you will find Saturn in Libra will bring very different challenges for you. In fact, as it draws closer to the cusp of your fourth house and your Pluto-Sun conjunction, you may find your home and family concerns looming larger. But that’s still two years away.

Pluto in Capricorn has been hovering around the cusp of your sixth house this past year – the second earth house (the second house and the tenth house are the others) and the most service-oriented. This may be another factor in your desire to revamp your career. Finding a way to serve others and your community may bring you more satisfaction, too.

Please keep in mind Mars in Leo is crossing your Ascendant about the same time as Saturn moves into Libra. This transit will be very helpful for encouraging you to put your best foot forward and increase your overall energy levels. You do know how to project confidence and warmth, with both your Ascendant and Midheaven in fire signs!

I have confidence in your ability to make your own luck, Amanda, and encourage you to believe in yourself. Good Luck!

Pat’s response:

Amanda, I don’t see that anything major is going to change in your career as a result of Saturn’s entrance into Libra. That said, Saturn is indeed playing a significant role in your life right now and especially in your career, and you will notice more developments the closer transiting Saturn gets to your IC and your Libra Sun. This will happen two years from now, in October 2011.

When assessing where clients are in their career and in life in general, I look at two aspects of the Saturn cycle. The first is where transiting Saturn is relative to natal Saturn, and the second is the house position of transiting Saturn. As a general rule, you’re in an upward cycle when Saturn crosses the IC and begins to move up in your chart, and in a downward cycle when he completes his tour of your tenth house and begins to move downward.

You just completed a Saturn return, when Saturn crossed the degree of your natal Saturn. The first Saturn return is a maturing process and does bring up questions such as you are asking. Sometimes the changes happen all by themselves, and they can be radical, but that depends on where Saturn is transiting the chart. In your case, you’re finishing up the tail end of your downward cycle, so you didn’t experience this effect.

The good news is that in two years’ time, you will begin climbing upward, and for a good 15 years after that, you’ll steadily move toward a new professional peak. The next two years would be a good time to decide what you want to do — or not do — so that you can begin laying the groundwork for your new career. Don’t try to rush this process. The more patient and disciplined you are, the more successful you’ll ultimately be.

As always, I highly recommend a complete reading with a professional astrologer, although I don’t think there’s any hurry for you to do this, as it won’t push things along any faster.

Best of luck to you, and thanks for a great question!

Got a quick question? Click here to contact Ask Real Astrologers. You must use this form to contact us, or we don’t get your question. Be sure to fill out all the fields, and please spell out the month of your birthday. If you don’t know your time of birth, indicate “time unknown.” Thanks!

Ask Real Astrologers: Economic Worries

We received two questions recently about jobs, both from readers named Lisa:

I was laid off November 21, 2008. When will I have a job?
Lisa, Tallahassee

This year’s big aspect, the Saturn-Uranus opposition, is conjunct my MC (Uranus) and IC (Saturn). Consequently, I quit my job last year and have only just found something better, but I’m wondering if Uranus/Saturn has not quite finished with me yet and if I should be ready to move jobs again during the year.
Lisa, London, England

Neith’s response:

Lisa in Tallahassee, Jupiter is currently making his way through your sixth house along with Neptune, Chiron and Mars. It is possible as Jupiter moves closer to your Part of Fortune, conjoining it the second week in April, you will feel more positive about finding a position that suits you.

Neptune is no longer squaring your Moon, as it was for most of January and February, creating confusion between your dreams and reality. Take advantage of feeling increasingly clear about your goals to make plans for moving ahead.

I realize that Saturn transiting your first house is not the most upbeat transit, but you can effectively present yourself as a reliable person. This might really work in your favor in today’s tight job market, where competence and reliability are going to play well.

Good luck and do your best to stay positive, Lisa.

To Lisa in London, with your Aries stellium in the tenth house, you are very well suited to life as a professional mover and shaker. If you feel a little let down at the moment, it’s probably because Venus up and turned retrograde just before she made it to your Mars, Venus and Sun. However, after Venus turns direct on April 17, she will be back to sweeten your life by mid-May.

Currently, Uranus and the Sun are conjunct your Midheaven, and Saturn has moved back into your third house. When Saturn finally crosses your Nadir in August, just before the third exact opposition of Saturn and Uranus, I am willing to bet you will be very relieved. Saturn in Virgo pretty much demands we pay attention to the details, and in the third house, it’s all about finding the right words to get our point across.

If you do change jobs, it will likely be your choice and because you find a situation that offers you more creative options.

Hey, enjoy Venus extending her stay in Aries and in your tenth house. With your Saturn return coming next year, life is bound to get a bit more serious, as Saturn will be anchoring and grounding your Aries stellium even more than usual. No bad thing with Uranus electrifying your tenth house for quite some time to come!

Pat’s response:

With the economy the way it is, it’s hardly surprising that we’re seeing an increased number of questions concerning job security.

To Lisa in Tallahassee, you were laid off in an astrologically tumultuous period. This was right after the Full Moon in Taurus/Scorpio, which marked a halfway point between eclipses in February 2008 and January 2009 and also fell close to your natal Moon in Scorpio.

This eclipse series is strongly affecting your sixth house, the area of the chart that rules your job (although not necessarily your career; that’s a tenth-house issue). Throughout this eclipse series, we’ve had Neptune and Chiron closely conjunct in Aquarius, just as you are going through your Chiron return, which happens to everyone around your age.

I see a great opportunity here for you to get a job that is more in line with who you are and the direction you wish to go in life. If you are in the healing professions, so much the better, but if not, you may find the experience to be very healing.

Currently, Jupiter is moving through your sixth house, and this typically is a good time to find a new or better job. You’ll have the benefit of this favorable transit well into next year, and at the same time, the eclipse series I mentioned above ends in early August 2008. That’s the latest date I see for you to find a new position, but we have every reason to be optimistic that it will happen before that.

Lisa in London, I don’t think Saturn-Uranus is “done” with you – not by a long shot – and I’m very excited for you!

When Saturn approaches the IC, we are “bottomed” out, so to speak, in our career. The good news is that once you hit bottom, there’s no place to go but up. You are entering a 14-year phase in which you will be climbing steadily toward the pinnacle of your career.

At the same time, for the next several years, you will have Uranus in your tenth house, the area of the chart that rules your career. Uranus is known for surprises and sudden change, so I think we can expect many more, and all toward the end of furthering your career.

What I see as most challenging for you right now is to be sure that you are on the path you wish to be on, because whatever you put your energy into, that’s what you’re going to get. Saturn will make sure you pay attention to the details and don’t overlook important factors in your drive to get ahead.

To both Lisas, I’d like to thank you for including all of your data, including your current location. We’re getting a lot of questions these days and, although we’re sorry to say so, we’ll have to start skipping those with missing data.

To everyone who is being rocked by hard economic times, we’re there with you, so hang in there!

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