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Something about career choices and ticking boxes…

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On the telly thing for The Conversation Arena the other night, Ben asked me whether the corporate energy drained me. He asked me the same question, back in November, in the first radio interview we did.

My answer on Wednesday night was different to what it was when he first asked.

That first time I answered in the affirmative- yes, it did drain me, it made me feel empty- and when I feel empty I eat to fill the gaps…and I engage in typical Piscean escapist behaviour. I did all of that back then.

This time around it feels different, so I answered differently.

I’m working for the same company I left two years ago, I’m even doing a similar job, but I feel very differently about it. This time around, I’m energised and stimulated, where last time I felt drained and empty.

Don’t get me wrong- I’m exhausted. I’m still teaching my weekly astro class, and am juggling deadlines for writing work that I’d already committed to. I haven’t worked on my fiction, other personal writing or managed more than a couple of times at the gym over the last few weeks. I’m expecting things will settle down soon.

My writing, my teaching, my astrology, even the little bit of broadcasting I do- all of those activities fit my chart perfectly. So why then, would I compromise that to take a corporate role- especially one that left me so unfulfilled emotionally and creatively last time? Aside from money, of course…

Here’s why it feels different this time:

I’m a New Moon girl

Last time, I spent the last couple of years in a position of maintaining the status quo, and the last year in winding down, finishing up, demolishing what had been built. At the time, the demolition bit suited the Pluto transit I was having, but other than that, finishing things isn’t an energy I’m comfortable with.

I was born under a New Moon. I find uncharted territory exciting.

I’m more into start-ups- and even though this is an existing business I’m working in, what we’re doing feels new. There’s nothing business as usual about it.

I like commitment on my own terms

I don’t do commitment well. And yes, I realise that’s a strange thing for someone to say who’s been in a relationship with the same man for 25 years. Since I was 20, I’ve also, only worked for two companies- each for twelve years (yep, a Jupiter cycle).

With Uranus prominent in my chart (opposite my ASC, Sun, Moon, conjunct Uranus and sextile Jupiter and Neptune), I tend to feel trapped after a time, and periodically look to break free and seek to reinvent myself.

I can stay in long term situations only when I have room to move.

Towards the end last time, I was feeling trapped. This time around I’m on a contract- it’s short term. I can breathe.

I like to be creative

I have the Sun in Pisces, so no matter what I do for a job, I need to be inspired. Although I’m working in a corporate environment, my current role requires me to look for creative and unusual (hello Uranus) solutions to existing problems.

Jupiter (in the 5th) rules my career zone- creativity is an absolute deal breaker for me.

The challenge thing

I have Mars in the 8th house in Scorpio. I like to get under the covers of things, dig down to the root cause of a problem. I like to prove what I know to be true. More than that, and this part sounds arrogant, I like to heal and transform- whether that’s through my astro, my writing or, in this case, a business issue.

Pluto is also very prominent in my chart. I like to pull things apart and tear them down and turn them into something else- metaphorically speaking, of course.

I like to make a difference

With Sagittarius ruling my Midheaven, not only do I need room to move, but I also need to make a difference. My writing work, the bits and pieces in broadcasting and teach absolutely fit the bill, but for now, so does this. Besides, with Sagittarius on the Midheaven, I work best when I have multiple deadlines, and more than one “job”.

The money thing

I have Aries on the cusp of my 2nd house, so I’m fine with the perceived instability of contracting.

The attachment thing

With the Moon in Pisces, I need to feel attached…yet I’m not attached to what I’m doing now. I am, however, working for and with one of my closest friends. And that’s where the attachment piece is.

I am attached to my writing- possibly too attached…which is why I’m (not necessarily stepping back) but standing back a tad. The rejections have been getting me down. More concerning, I’ve almost become attached in a weird way to the excuse of and the habit of rejection. It’s almost an escape. The best way to deal with this is to change that habit.

The Saturn thing

I have Saturn transits this year, and that requires maturity, practicality and realism. Part of me feels as though I’m selling out, but the part of me that is looking to re-build the financial coffers and independence is absolutely fine with this…for now. I love to write, I love to travel, I love to experience, I love to be inspired- I can’t do any of that if I’m not able to resource it- myself…and that’s my Taurus North Node speaking.

And my point is?

My point is, on paper what I’m doing now, for now, is absolutely not what I should be doing. Yet right now, for now, it ticks the boxes and satisfies the requirements of my natal chart. For now- after all, I wouldn’t want to tie myself down… Having said that, I do have Neptune sitting smack bang on Mercury, so maybe I’m being delusional…

There is no single, right career. If we’re fortunate we have a choice- although many don’t.

Sometimes what we should be doing is the thing that scares us the most. Sometimes we might need to go back in order to go forward. Sometimes we might need to look laterally rather than literally at our chart. In doing so, we can find pleasure, solace and satisfaction even in a role that at face value is wrong.

More on that next time…

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something more about managing Mercury retrograde…

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On our road trip yesterday my parents were talking through some tales of technological woe.

Their land line has a fault that Telstra had advised could take 2 weeks to fix. This meant that all their calls had to be diverted to a mobile they maintain only because us kids tell them they should have one. This then caused issues with the alarm company. It’s all been sorted, but…

Then Dad was concerned because one of the right wing shock jocks he listens to each morning had said that Telstra was going to cancel all lines from 2014 and where would that leave them? I suggested that maybe the plan was to begin to phase out land lines- given that most people rely on their mobile phones these days, and that perhaps the message hadn’t meant to come out quite in the way that it had. Apparently the lines were full of enraged (mostly older) listeners, so I daresay the message came out exactly the way the radio announcer planned.

The stories are everywhere- mixed messages, delayed plans, traffic snarls. This morning I was 10 minutes late to a skype meeting with someone who so didn’t deserve me to be late, simply because an unscheduled 10 minute round trip turned into a 40 minute one.

I could blame Mercury retrograde, but the truth is, I should have left home earlier to make sure I arrived back on time. If I’d been thinking clearly, I would have factored in the possibility of delays and done that. That’s what I usually do, but as I said in my earlier post, I’m not thinking on all cylinders.

I’m asked a lot how to avoid having Mercury kick your butt, and the answer is easy- slow down, leave earlier, plan ahead and build in contingency- and a plan B. Mercury incidents may still happen, but if you’re flexible, the kicks won’t hurt quite as much.

It’s like the business continuity planning and disaster recovery planning that I used to do. It’s all common sense, but having it there means that when the brown smelly stuff hits the whirly thing, you’re able to assess, adapt and recover- more quickly than those who haven’t done the pre planning.

I read this article this morning by a travel writer whose course I did a few years ago- when I first started on this freelance lark. Although Sue is not an astrologer- nor do I think she is into it, but who knows, the post is pertinent for everyone.

Personally, I back my words up constantly. Once to a hard drive, then to the cloud (in case my hard drive and computer is stolen). In the case of my fiction and manuscript work- for which I use scrivener– I also export to word every few days and then back those documents up in the same way…just in case. It doesn’t mean that I won’t be inconvenienced if the worst does happen, just that I’ll be mitigating my risk and minimising the impact.

Travelling during Mercury Rx periods has taught me a lot too. Things like:

  • Always pack a toothbrush, a stick of deodorant and spare undies in your carry on- in case the bag doesn’t make it. This one comes courtesy of a Virgin flight to Perth where none of the bags were loaded on the plane.
  • Always carry your charging equipment with you- in case you need to empty your laptop/tablet battery entertaining yourself during long delays (same flight as above- 6 hours delay)
  • Always carry a real book with you in case of extra delays or for when the plane doesn’t level out and the seatbelt signs don’t get switched off. A few flights out of Wellywood back across the Tasman in wind will give you this experience.
  • Never get on the plane with a full bladder- if you’ve ever been stuck on the tarmac or on a flight out of Wellington in wind (see above) you’ll know why I say this.
  • Never keep the only copy of your travel documents in your check in luggage.
  • Never lock your house keys in your check in luggage. Don’t ask.
  • Always take out travel insurance.

You can survive Mercury retrogrades with your professional reputation and personal stress levels intact, but only if you make friends with flexibility and contingency plans.

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Working it out…

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Miss T doesn’t stress much about much.

Despite her extreme Aries (Sun, Mercury, Saturn and Mars) she has an innate practicality (Capricorn Rising). She also has an enviable ability to put most things into perspective and rarely does the diva teenage tantrum thing. I thank her Aquarius Moon for that.

She’s now at that age where she’s being asked to look at options for work experience…and has no idea what she wants to do. It’s a nice problem to have- options, that is.

In a couple of months she’ll be choosing subjects for her last 2 years at school. These subjects will have to take into consideration whatever she wants to do at Uni- indeed, if she wants to go to Uni. And obviously, whatever she wants to do at Uni- indeed if she wants to go to Uni- will be based on what she wants to do after school.

I wrote a bit more about the options over at and anyways. The link is here.

Anyways, she asked me what I thought she should do.

My answer was simple- whatever you want to do.

I’m hopeful that she’ll gravitate to something that will suit her chart.

At the moment she’s talking about the police or the defence forces, but the other day she mentioned Occupational Therapy. The one thing she’s absolutely positive about is she doesn’t want to work in a traditional office.

Given that she has the Moon (conjunct Neptune) in Aquarius and Venus (conjunct Uranus) there as well, I think she’s probably showing a lot of self -awareness.

With a truckload of Aries planets, she needs a challenge and something she can really go after. With Capricorn on the Ascendant, she’s an absolute workhorse and has a lot more tolerance than the average Aries. I think she has the ability to run her own business one day.

It’s her Midheaven I’m most interested in. With Virgo on the cusp of the 10th, I can see bodywork or OT as suiting her. Mercury rules her career zone and is in Aries conjunct her chart ruler (Saturn), her Sun and Mars.

I haven’t told her any of this. I want her to make her own mind up, and I don’t want to influence her. I’ll guide her (if she needs guidance), I’ll remind her to keep her options open and I’ll tell her that it’s ok not to know.

The funny thing is, the school is investing a truckload of dollars in getting the kids to sit career testing. It sort of scares me as well- to me the answer sitting in her birth chart is a more accurate profile than anything artificial that one of these testing companies can come up with.

 

What did you want to do when you left school? Did you do it, or follow some other path completely?

Related Posts:

I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

Sun in Houses 1-6

Sun in Houses 7-12

 

 

 

 

 

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Your Career & the Cosmos- the truth you can’t handle?

Some more on Pluto going direct- this time for Your Career & the Cosmos. The link is here.

Pluto is very much about truth, but Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men type of truth. The sort of truth that you may not be able to handle.

Elsewhere in the sky, the Moon is about to shake hands with Saturn in Libra for the last time this cycle. By next month Saturn will have moved into Scorpio.

On the Facebook page and twitter today we were talking a bit about the things that we’ve learned about ourselves and our relating patterns over the last couple of years. The words stability and maturity were used a lot. For those of us with Pisces Rising, we’re a little slow on the whole uptake when it comes to relationship patterns, and particularly maturity within relationships, so the move into Scorpio ends a 5 year cycle for us- 2 1/2 years with Saturn in Virgo in our 7th followed by a repetition of the message while Saturn has been in Libra.

Saturn in Libra has also raised a few questions around sugar in the diet. Sugar is a Venus ruled substance- in fact the whole business of sugar storage in the body is taken care of by Venus and Jupiter. To be technical about it, Jupiter represents glycogen- the end product.

Saturn represents restrictions, limitations and, in the body, ageing.

The burning and destruction of energy is a Mars-Saturn function. Yep, the benefics build it up and the malefics break it down. Naturally too much of either is not good- too much Venus and Jupiter can cause health problems and too much Mars and Saturn can result in ageing. The balance is somewhere in the middle- in Libra, a sign where Venus rules and Saturn is exalted…As Robert Jansky wrote in his book Astrology, Nutrition and Health, this indicates that a balanced diet is the best defence against Saturns ageing process.

Anyways, I’ve had a little bit to say about the whole sugar and Saturn in Libra thing over on Are Your Planets Keeping You Fat. I’ll be posting occasionally over there, but mostly on astro stuff related to nutrition, training and mindset. Yep, this is me building a social profile to better convince a publisher that they really should be picking up my manuscript! I’m keeping it really quite simple and real lifey, so don’t expect anything ground breaking or genius in nature! Come over and have a look if you are interested. Better yet, sign up to follow the posts.

 

 

 

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Your Career & the Cosmos: Chaos Theory

I have a friend who is a Virgo Sun and Moon, with Capricorn Rising.

She said to me a few months ago, ‘Do you know how exhausting it is to be a Virgo? I wish I wasn’t.’

Sure, she is uber Virgo, the Virgo from the textbooks, the type of woman who’d buy a white tiled house and spend her weekends cleaning the windows.

Nothing gets in the way of her routine. If something comes up on a weekend that will impact her gym session, house-cleaning, shopping etc, she will simply get up 2 hours earlier and fit it all in. She is thin, wiry and likes nothing better than putting her husband (and anyone else she can) on a diet. She wears herself into the ground, she is unappreciated and undervalued. She doesn’t know how to get off the treadmill. She’s gone too far from order into chaos. I worry about her health.

She is also not typical.

We laugh because I am uber Pisces and strive to bring a little more Virgo into my life. I suggested that she might want to try a little Pisces…just a little. Maybe sacrifice a weekends cleaning for a day out with the family. She says if she doesn’t do it, no one will. I ask whether that matters.

I have another Virgo friend who is the opposite. Her house is a haven for dust bunnies. She is overweight and she cares little about her health these days. Why? Because she had gone so far into the chaos that she can no longer see a way out. Where to start with the housework? Why start a diet when she knows she will break it? Anything less than perfection is not an option, so why go there at all?

She is also not typical.

Yet, these are the extremes we read about in the textbooks- the reality is somebody very different. Sure the average Virgo may admit to these traits, but then again, there’s a little of the escape artist where’s my next addiction in most Pisceans as well. Me included.

I think we dwell too much on the extremes and forget to celebrate the wonderful things about our signs. I was reminded of this on my Facebook page today (thanks Amanda).

Every other Virgo in my circle fall somewhere in the middle. They are useful- and thrive on that, health conscious- and happy to offer advice, are well organised- without being over the top.

Too few of us do it.

Anyways, here is my latest post for Your Career & the Cosmos. It’s all about Virgo.