When you were born your soul’s unique vibration formed a profound impression on the Universe. This impression is your soul blueprint, but you may know it as your astrological birth chart. It forms a complete picture of what your distinctive energy looks like. Your soul blueprint is a treasure trove that reveal astounding psychological insights about how you think, how you love, your emotional style, values, ideal self care rituals and much more. When used in an empowering manner, vocational astrology can help you unveil the mysteries of your psyche and unwrap your natural gifts and talents. Your birth chart is a portal that will enable you to start showing up in a way that is aligned with your purpose or calling.
“Sooner or later something seems to call us onto a particular path. You may remember this “something” as a signal moment in childhood when an urge out of nowhere, a fascination, a peculiar turn of events struck like an annunciation: This is what I must do, this is what I’ve got to have. This is who I am.”
-James Hillman
According to astrologer Brian Clark, there are three houses in astrology that are considered the vocational houses or ‘houses of substance.’ They are the 2nd, 6th and 10th. Learning more about what resides here will help you understand your resources, talents, proficiency and vision to promote and earth your career. He calls this, “soul-making on the physical plane.” However, it’s important to remember that every house in the birth chart should be considered when evaluating vocation. Astrology is most effective when studied holistically. Special attention should be paid when a house contains a stellium, the ruler of the ascendant or midheaven or when it contains either of the lunar nodes. Let’s explore the significance of each of the vocational houses and what each one has to teach us.
The Vocational Houses
2nd house (income)– is home to our innate gifts and talents as well as the worth we assign to them. The sign on the cusp and its ruler as well as any planets found in this house indicate which valuable resources we’ve been blessed with. Specifically those that can be used to bring home the $$. This realm of your chart can also tell you what it is you enjoy doing, what you value, what you need to feel worthy as well as your natural assets and resources (these can be tangible/material or psychological/spiritual). The 2nd house also describes your self esteem.
6th house (employment)– is the guidebook to your everyday life. The 6th house, the sign on its cusp and its ruler as well as any planets found in this house paint a picture of your daily work or jobs, the way you approach daily tasks, how you keep yourself busy and the self care rituals that nurture you physically and emotionally. This house also addresses the nature of your technical skills, your coworkers, routines and your ability to focus on your duties. You can use this house to discover what you need to do every day to feel centered and at ease. Additionally, the 6th is a house of health and it can describe the best course of action for addressing work-related stress and imbalance.
10th house & MC (career)- describes your relationship to the public and the external world. The 10th house, the sign on its cusp and its ruler as well as any planets found in this realm indicate your rank in the social hierarchy and how you are perceived in the public sphere. In contrast, or perhaps complement, the midheaven symbolizes what we hope to attain, our accomplishments and career performance. It also represents our role as a professional and what our work contributes to the world. The MC is your soul’s oath to the world, grounded by the IC.
+ Lunar nodes– Nope, these aren’t a vocational house, but they are super helpful for exploring your vocation! The moon’s nodes are intrinsically connected to your life path which is why they’re an important part of your chart to consider. The north node represents what we seek to hone and develop through our career; it’s the invitation. Whereas the south node by sign indicates our natural talents; it’s the past-life karmic dowry or gift. And the house placement tells us where we are called to distribute our gift.
Dreams vs Reality
The vocational houses focus on three primary facets of vocation- income, employment and career. In a perfect world, we would like to enjoy experience this trinity simultaneously. But the truth is, our creative passions do not always translate to a profession with a steady paycheck. There is nearly always a taut balancing act between stability and freedom to express ourselves, our dreams and reality. “To be true to our vocation we need to be loyal to our calling, patient and prepared to participate in what life has to offer us.” -Brian Clark
One thing to keep in mind when it comes to analyzing vocation from an astrological lens is that it should always be evaluated in the context of life cycle. Determine which stage you’re at in the cycle and whether you’re in the midst of a critical season of development. Transits can give us a good idea of the energetic weather that we’re experiencing. They also provide a way of observing our vocational evolution in real time as well as containing an ‘archive’ of our career history. The following transits are all indicators of developmental milestones:
*transits of Saturn and Jupiter through the 2nd, 6th or 10th house.
*secondary progression of the moon through the 2nd, 6th, or 10th house.
*when one of the four angles is transited by Saturn, Chiron or an outer planet
Planetary Archetypes
When you’re studying your birth chart so that you can learn more about your soul gifts, don’t forget to investigate the planets. The planets represent powerful archetypes that reside in the collective unconscious and manifest themselves through us. One of the methods they can express themselves is through our work, what we do for fun and how we occupy our time. Each planet represents specific professions and is associated with certain behaviors and preferences.
The sun and the moon are known as the luminaries and they are two of the most vital archetypal energies in our chart. Their inherent influence on our personality and character means that they play an undeniable role in shaping our vocation. When a planet is especially strong and highly emphasized in your horoscope, be sure to take notice because one of the ways they might express themselves is through the career path. Here are some flashing neon signs that a planet may be a driving force in your vocation:
*angular planets
*any planet conjunct the MC
*planets on the ascendant
*planetary ruler of the ascendant
*planetary ruler of the MC
*any planet in major aspect to the sun or moon or a planet that makes a number of important aspects in the horoscope
*planets aspecting the lunar nodes
*part of fortune
Elemental Considerations
Finally, the last piece you’ll want to think about when evaluating your natal chart for career potential is what elements reside in the 2nd, 6th and 10th houses. For example, the signs located on the cusps of my vocational houses are all water signs. As a result, I can anticipate that my work will be imbued with the qualities of this element. Below you will find some of the strengths and weaknesses of each element, along with what they need to thrive in a vocation:
Fire signs:
Strengths– Brilliant catalysts and trailblazers, you are always buzzing with vibrant, joie de vivre energy. Fire signs are famous for their confidence, excitement and passion.
Weakness– Start many projects and endeavors, but often fail to follow through. Shiny object syndrome.
Needs– freedom, challenge, stimulation, exertion, adventure.
Earth signs:
Strengths– Practical and divinely disciplined, Earth signs are the folks you can count on to show up every day and put in the hard work. They have a serious approach and laser-sharp focus. Slow and steady wins the race.
Weakness– It’s important for them to set boundaries around their jobs as there is a tendency to slide into workaholic territory. Also, their cautious nature can lead to procrastination that originates from a fear of failure.
Needs– security, stability, loyalty, devotion. Defined goals and plans allow them to blossom.
Air signs:
Strengths– Air signs are dreamers and master networkers with an eye for style and detail. They are innovative intellectuals, skilled conversationalists and fantastic researchers.
Weakness– This elemental can find themselves crippled by indecision and distracted by the overwhelming amount of thoughts floating around in their minds. Focus is an area of improvement.
Needs– open channels of communication, room to explore a variety of interests and strong relationships.
Water signs:
Strengths– Water signs are intuitive and compassionate and seek deep connection with others. They want to know you on a soul level. They are insightful, idealistic and brimming with creativity.
Weakness– They are drawn to the noble service professions, but often have unrealistic expectations about how much they can realistically help. It is vital for water signs to learn boundaries, despite their desire to merge with others and dissolve any emotional separation.
Needs– to remember that their needs matter too (hello, self-care!), emotional support and validation, a flexible schedule with room for daydreaming and strong boundaries to keep out any psychic vampires.
I hope these astrological insights helped you on your vocational quest! Let me know in the comments below which soul gifts you unearthed from studying your chart, I would love to hear about them <3 And if you enjoyed today’s post, I think you’ll get a lot out of this one too.
Sources:
Clark, Brian. Vocation: The Astrology of Career, Creativity and Calling. Astro*Synthesis, 2016.
