Notes on vocational astrology

Vocation as a Process of Individuation

Typically, a job is what we do to pay our bills, and Vocation is the work we do in the world that leads us to wholeness. It is a path towards a sense of completeness. Vocation speaks to our instincts and identity. The Latin word Vocare means to call. Vocation is what we are called to do, a summoning, a cosmic invitation perhaps.

‘The way to find out about happiness is to keep your mind on those moments when you feel most happy … not excited, not just thrilled, but deeply happy … What is it that makes you happy? Stay with it, no matter what people tell you. This is what is called “following your bliss”.’

• Joseph Campbell

 

Unfollowing the Herd

A successful profession that honours our deep authentic self is dependent on separating from the herd, and outside expectations. Ask yourself, what was I doing when I felt whole, in a state of complete contentment, energised, and completely myself? 

Vocation develops through a lifetime. We can move between many careers, trying to find what feels authentic. It’s normal to not know what your passion is and this is where Astrology can be very useful, acting as a guide, as we uncover the various images within the symbols of the chart that can illustrate vocational possibilities.

Archetypes

According to Jungian psychology, archetypes are potentials that exist within us, hidden forms that become realised through our individual experiences and expressed in our behaviour. Jung’s concept of the collective unconscious suggests that we share universal experiences, which can help explain fundamental aspects of life such as love, death, and fear. He did not believe we are born as ‘blank slates’, shaped only by lived experience. Instead, our experiences build upon a foundation of unconscious, underlying archetypes. Jung saw these innate forms and symbols, much like dreams, as coming from a source outside of ourselves- a shared landscape that contains the patterns and forms shaping human experience.

Archetypes are inherently present with the ancient gods and myths, and planets embody the traits of the gods they’re named after. E.g., Mars, God of war, aligns with rage, courage, protection, and wounds. The astrologer’s task in vocational astrology is to uncover the central archetype in a client’s horoscope and impart these themes whilst connecting it to vocational paths.

The Reading Process

The chart can uncover talent, purpose, and values which inform vocation. Key factors in the chart include:

• The Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Midheaven, and Lunar Nodes

   

• The 2nd, 6th, and 10th houses

   

• Career transits (changes, setbacks, promotions)

   

Reflection of life’s work: consider career choices so far, personal history, education, motivation, life experiences. Astrological analysis is grounded in lived circumstances.

 

Key Vocational Symbols

 

The following images are born from the archetypes inherent within the planets (astrologers refer to the Sun and Moon as planets); pay attention to the planets in any of the vocational houses; 2nd, 6th, and 10th, or on the angles. 

Sun – The self. A guiding presence, leadership, creativity, the arts, performance, children.
Moon – Family, motherhood, safety, public moods, caretaking, hospitality, design, fertility.
Mercury – The trickster, communicator, dealer.

Venus – The lover, partner, beauty.
Mars – The warrior, desire, pioneer.
Jupiter – The teacher, traveller, guru.
Saturn – The wise old man, authority, discipline.
Chiron – The wounded healer, outsider.
Uranus – The rebel, humanist, genius.
Neptune – The artist, victim, dreamer.
Pluto – The transformer, therapist, oracle.

Vocational Houses

• 2nd house – Gifts, talents, resources. How we value and apply them for security.

   

• 6th house – Daily tasks, work routines, wellbeing. Also linked to work-related health.

   

• 10th house– Career, public reputation (authority), achievements.

Our personal compass

 

The ascendant and Midheaven present two directions in the chart, both guiding us though life. The Ascendent is the sign on the eastern horizon at the moment we were born, calculated by the time and place of birth.

Symbolically it is much about our outlook on the world, our initial world view, an outer layer informing our personality; our appearance, what we expect from the world when we walk out of the door each morning. It is about a persona, informed by early life experiences and thus later expectations.

Capricorn rising, for example, may have experienced hardship, a sort of ‘bleak house’ childhood in which they landed into a position of responsibility, responsible for the parents unhappiness, or carrying the weight of expectation. A rising Capricorn, despite appearances carries this knowledge through life, dutiful, knowing life is challenging. 

The Midheaven is the highest point on the ecliptic, at the time of birth, usually found at the top of your chart. It presents your public persona, how you are perceived in the world, your legacy. This is the point of direction that we aspire to follow. It is the unfolding path of our life, what we vow to become in the world. 

Aries on the MC, for example, denotes entrepreneurial tendencies, usually making one appear very independent and self-motivated. They might come across as forceful and domineering. This is the person who doesn’t really like being told what to do and their pioneering urges will seek to be challenged and expressed in the outer world. 

The Ascendant and Midheaven rulers, along with stellium rulers, help shape vocation. Look to where they are placed in the chart- this will give you much more information.  

predisposition; Elements & types

 

Ancient astrology grouped the signs of the zodiac into 4 four types known as the elements; Fire, Earth, Air and Water, through which the archetypes of the planets and signs are expressed.

Stemming from this, Jung published Psychological Types (in 1921) and in it proposed that there are 4 main functions of consciousness; Intuition, Sensation, Thinking and Feeling. You may recognise this foundation in more recent work by Myers Briggs, a popular personality test that gives you a 4-letter result.

The dominant type or element, will direct you to a career path, differentiating what type of work you orient yourself to. 

 

• Fire houses (1, 5, 9) – The approach to life is one of action, inspiration and restlessness. For work, the fire signs need a goal to pour their energy into, otherwise they can become self-critical, and can turn the energy inwards, becoming destructive.

   

• Earth houses (2, 6, 10) – Earth’s approach is more conservative, slow and they move with purpose. Self-esteem is important, so that they value their resources, otherwise, an over-reliance on material goods will hinder their progress.

   

• Air houses (3, 7, 11) – Air seeks to connect and relate by exchanging ideas and so relationships and communication are central to their vocation. Mental stimulation is important otherwise they can become despondent or anxious without the mind set to something bigger.

   

• Water houses (4, 8, 12) – Water craves depth of feeling, and seeks to experience compassion, creativity and sensitivity through work. It’s vital to feel nurtured, and emotionally safe in the workplace. There is often a mystery around vocation for water signs. Loyal and insecure, they can stay too long in a situation that has outgrown them.

Vocation in Practice

Vocation can unfold over the course of a lifetime. The archetypal themes at play can’t always be realised through one’s experiences or help guide our choices. Often we arrive at our vocation through fated events. 

As a teenager, I always wanted to be a novelist, and before that, an artist. My mother was an art teacher and took me to many of the YBA exhibitions as a child. I no longer draw, but I still follow the work of the modern British artists today, and whilst I journal, I never make attempts to start a novel. 

A few years ago I had an astrology consultation with a well known Astrologer here in Britain whilst knowing nothing beyond my sun sign. It was a fascinating experience, as the astrologer discussed themes that resonated deeply with me. Speaking of vocation, she told me, from looking at my chart, that I’d make a good astrologer. Remembering this a few years later, and with a deep interest to uncover the methods of chart analysis, I decided to study the subject with a leading Astrology school. Astrology has become my life’s greatest pleasure. It makes me happy and it feels like a part of me. This is what vocation is. This is what Joseph Campbell called ‘following your bliss’.