Saturday, April 14, 2007

Careering along on automatic pilot

Although I've always loved astrology, I never harboured an ambition to be a professional astrologer. In my days of ambition-harbouring, back in the UK, in the 1950s, astrology seemed far out of reach, something enthralling and mysterious. The ambition of my youth was to be a journalist. It still simmers away on a backburner of my subconscious. That may be what led me to the blogosphere. Here I can play at being a journalist of sorts, and talk about astrology at the same time. My blog satisfies two cravings. I've never had much opportunity to discuss astrology, my companions in life haven't shared my enthusiasm for the subject. Computers and astrology software have been my saviours, my gateway to understanding the mystery more clearly. The computer has changed my life in so many ways, it was instrumental in bringing me to the USA !

Thinking back to my early ambitions, my best friend and I (two Sun Aquarians born a week apart)used to pretend to be writers. We invented a magazine - a girls' magazine. In those days, girls' mags were non-existent. We'd prepare "articles" and pictures for inclusion. With the right connections, we thought, one day we would publish our own girls' magazine - first on the market ! We were a couple of young dreamers.

Writing as a profession didn't happen for me, or my friend. She went on to Art School, but never did achieve the career she craved and deserved, in the art world.

I worked with the archivist of our county for some years, then, overcome by itchy feet I left home and worked in hotel offices, moving around the UK season by season.

By my mid-30s I had a stable relationship, and found the job which carried me through to retirement, in the UK's civil service. The department in which I worked, with lawyers and judges, deals with employment disputes (unfair dismissal, redundancy matters, sex and race discrimination, equal pay). I didn't get to do much in the way of writing, other than letters and staff performance reports. The job satisfied my Sun Aquarian idealistic streak though, and that's what kept me there.

I've often studied my chart to see how my career history fits. There is a rhythm, which I've mentioned before in these blogs. The cycle of the Moons' nodes, and the vertex have had a significant part to play in timing the changes. As for planetary "influence", I guess natal Mercury (the communications planet) close to the descendant angle, and Jupiter (the publishing planet) close to midheaven made themselves felt in my wish to be a journalist. Planets close to any of the angles are said to have "strength". Venus in Sagittarius and Jupiter (Sagittarius' ruler) at midheaven gave me itchy feet, and set me on the road, working in hotels for a few years. My longest career stint of 23 years in the civil service might be represented by Saturn in Aries in 10th house of career - and again Jupiter at midheaven (Jupiter also represents legal matters), Saturn represents laws and their enforcement too, I guess.

I didn't ever get the chance to do the job I'd dreamed of, but things worked out fine, on the whole, just by taking the road that opened up naturally. I think that in the absence of clear instructions to the contrary from our free will, our astrology does guide us, whether we know it, believe it, or deny it. Mine guided me, like an automatic pilot.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

But what about Uranus? It rules electronics and the internet and software, does it not? It would be interesting to see how it's transits fit in, especially if these devices have changed your life.
I still want to be a foreign journalist. I travel a lot and it seems you do, too. How about freelancing? You just need a guide to what publications accept what. You are writing anyway, why not submit it?? I think it is very good. I like your observations.

The Writers' Market, that's what the book is called. Are you sure you don't have a copy somewhere??
(Laughs)

Twilight said...

Hi Chrispito.

Yes Uranus had a big part to play.
I'll get around to telling that story soon!

It's kind of you to say so, but I'm pretty sure that publishers are looking for someone with much more flair than I possess. The blogosphere is full of wonderful writers, yourself included.

I hope your ambition is realised, it sounds exciting!