Ask An Astrologer: How Can I Create More Success and Flow in My Career, According to the Stars?
Q: I know career is largely in the 10th house. But what else can I look at to see how I can create more flow in my career?
Dear Career FloSeeker,
When it comes to the career flow-state, many of us are like, (to quote the illustrious Kate Bush), "If I only could, I'd be runnin' up that hill...with no problems." But you know....life is filled with spooky twists and turns that F with the flow while also being part of the flow. Lucky us -- we have astrology to assist us in grasping this wild thing called LIFE ON PLANET EARTH.
Firstly, Career FloSeeker, thanks for your excellent Q. As you'll see below, it's a long and winding road to the answer. Hopefully, it helps you and other FloSeekers out there!
So, the birth chart is kind of like an opera that hums and sings a song about your light, life purpose, and vibes while being connected to a piece of larger cosmic music: the good, the bad, the eternal, the temporary, the bland, the punk rock, and the freaky. And yes -- the 10th house is linked to Capital-C Career vibes, as that's the part of the chart that's getting blasted with the most solar rays. The 10th house is high noon and everything there, including the sign ruling it, walks the red carpet of the heavens.
Look to what planets are at or near your midheaven (or MC, which is the exact degree of that career/public life sector). These messengers are oracular and if you ask nicely, they will likely tell you what kind of career your particular opera wants you to pursue and with what notes. The 10th house/4th house axis is the about praxis, or action. It's how we happen to the world. That being said -- your suspicions are totally correct: there are many other crevices to check out.
5 Astrological Aspects to Pay Attention To For Career Advice
The 4th house/10th house axis or MC/IC.
Astrology is a language of polarity. Masc. / Femme -- Sun / Moon -- Light / Darkness -- Public / Private -- (wait, am I making a poem...jk..kind of). Anyway, because astro speaks in poles (like the earth herself), we must also look at the 4th house (midnight), which lies directly beneath the 10th, to really understand the glam light of the career sector.
The 4th house is the subterranean place. It's underground and holds the base note of the chart -- the gnarled roots of our ancestral and family histories. It's where we came from and what intel feeds the rest of the chart. But like many basements, it's not renovated.
Look to what sign rules that house and any planets in residence. While I don't know if it's true what the bumper stickers say, "You can't know who you are unless you know where you came from...." I do find that my clients get *downloads* about their career when they bust out the heavenly flashlight and look at the roots of their charts. The axis of action speaks pretty loudly. Let me know what you come back from the depths with.....
The ruling planet of your 10th house/Midheaven
Say your 10th house is ruled by Taurus. Taurus' ruling planet is Venus, so you would look at what Venus is up to in your chart. Venus is a creative planet, so we would already know you're a creative person who needs a career where beauty and environmental coziness exist in droves. Because Venus' job is to watch over the 10th house, she acts kind of like your career emissary: where she's located, who she's hanging out with, and who she's looking at will tell you something about what your chart wants to be publicly known for.
Also, what is her relationship to the 10th house? Is she in it? Near it? All of these questions will tell you a story about your career. If she's near Neptune, maybe your career sector requires imagination/dreaminess. If she's in Capricorn, maybe your creative career needs some structure, order, and Saturnian grit. Etc...
Your SUN
The sun is the knowledgeable light of our lives and is a little like the hero's journey. The sun's placement talks about your life purpose and how you're meant to shine in the world -- the fuel propelling you and your career forward in cosmic flow. The house, sign, and aspects made to your sun will reveal how your zodiacal aura wants to shine.
Your north and south nodes
The north and south nodes are the places in your chart where eclipses happen. Light and shadow, expansion and contraction. Both your north and south nodes can energetically reveal something about your flow and how to oscillate between the light and the darkness in a way that feels true, graceful, and interesting.
Transits
Lastly, check out what planets are transiting your 10th house. Your chart is a living document being ever-revised by the sky. You can learn from these planets and aspects and create structure and rhythm around them i.e. "flow." And, check out what's happening near the ruling planet of your 10th house/midheaven.
in cosmic flux + flow,
XO EMMALEA
Emmalea Russo is a writer, astrologer, and creative. Her writing on astrology, culture, art, and literature appears in Cosmopolitan, Poetry Foundation, The Thirlby, Los Angeles Review of Books, Fanzine, BOMB Magazine, and elsewhere and her published books are G (2018) and Wave Archive (2019). She has been a writer-in-residence at 18th Street Arts Center (LA) and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (NY). Emmalea writes and podcasts on astrology and culture at The Avant-Galaxy. In her practice, she combines ancient and modern astrology, tarot, and creative praxis, helping her clients connect with their stars for a more cosmically nuanced life experience. She uses astrology as a language, art, and tool for connection.
In this bi-monthly column, Emmalea will tackle real-life situations from an astro perspective. Think: A punk-rock Dear Prudence, with a natal chart for good measure.
