The personal style of the individual.This includes myriad factors, with a focus on
the Sun, Moon, ascendant, and midheaven signs.
The place to begin one’s career path (indicated by Saturn).
The personal activities concerning career (indicated by Mars).
Character traits that may affect job performance.This includes sign and element
of the Sun and Moon, speed of the Moon in the birth chart, position of
Mercury relative to the Sun, and numerous other factors.When career considerations are expanded to include the concept of vocation
or mission, the astrological delineation of career takes on a philosophical or even spir-
itual overtone. If one’s vocation is a calling, who calls? The ideal career satisfies this
calling in a direct way. The astrologer helps the client listen to the inner voice, or dai-
mon,to understand the unique personal life path he or she is intended to pursue. The
astrologer then uses the above considerations to identify careers that suit the individ-
ual mission.
Twenty-first-century vocational astrology has unique demands, considering
the rapid changes in the work arena. Significant careers from the past no longer exist,
or have metamorphosed into something unrecognizable by a nineteenth-century per-
son. For example, candlemaking was once an essential occupation. The contemporary
candlemaker is either working in a highly mechanized atmosphere, or is making can-
dles for the love of the task. Very few people make their living in this career. However,
like the butcher and the baker, the candlemaking profession may be seeing a small
revival, as people indicate their desire for “the real thing.”
The distinctions between work roles have blurred. For example, where a busi-
nessperson once had a secretary to prepare all letters, email now is an essential compo-
nent of an executive’s work skill package. Yet skilled letter-writing retains a place in
the career mix, and is a creative art to be developed by those who aim to get ahead.
The executive has acquired the increased need for written communication skills.
A second example involves libraries. The Internet and computers have result-
ed in major revisions in the way libraries operate. Once the province of a professional
librarian, book cataloging can be done quickly and inexpensively by staff with far less
technical training, and a library collection in Pueblo, Colorado, can be viewed by a
patron in Italy. In this case, the clerical workload of collection management has been
shifted to another staff member, and the professional librarian has moved into the role
of collection development and reference services to a large extent.
What do these changes mean for the vocational astrologer? The astrologer has
to keep current with career changes. Vocational and professional training information
forms an important part of the astrologer’s resources. Similar to the career counselor in
a school, the astrologer must be able to relate the client’s astrological vocational pic-
ture to the career market of the day.
The astrologer may act as career coach as well. Help with choosing the career
field remains the main focus. In addition, the astrologer may coach the client in how
to present his or her skills effectively. A third part of the astrologer’s role is to help the
client present his deeper character traits effectively. Missing from resumes of the twen-Vocational Astrology
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