An Introduction to Vocational Analysis

Twenty-first century Vocational Analysis in Astrology is one of the most difficult disciplines. Many astrologers have postulated reasons for this. The most common explanation is that the world of work itself has blossomed so dramatically over the past one hundred years with thousands of new occupations. This is certainly true. The workplace is so very much varied than it was one hundred years ago.

Another reason suggested is that people don’t simply follow their parents job pattern, but are free to expand, move away, or make adjustments to their work itself.

These reasons blame society for the inadequacies of astrology. But it is true also that changes in society that have influenced every other discipline from physics to music. And these disciplines have grown with this impact, rather than diminished. I have chronicled the development of astrology in another essay.

Work itself hasn’t changed; only the ways that we do work have become released from the rigidity of the past. In essence, the same transition has taken place in the world of work that has taken place in every other discipline including astrology. But this transition is in how the world of work has become internalized and we’ve modified it from the inside out. Ours and others reactions to the changes that happen in work have remained the same. And, what the world of work expects of us, as workers, has also remained pretty much the same.

This fractional change of the landscapes of perception has effective specialized and compartmentalized other academic disciplines, which in many ways has made them more effective. Unfortunately, astrology has always described life, and human existence. This compartmentalization has not helped astrology, and has fractionalized its ability to deal with the three landscapes of human existence: events, human needs-and-fulfillments, and the transitional impact between the two.

I believe astrology’s effectiveness in helping people to understand their total existence requires all three landscapes be addressed. Up until now, astrologers have specialized in either a 4th stage classical approach(events), a transitional 4th/5th stage approach(dealing with change), or just a 5th stage psychological approach(psychological traits and need fulfillments).

The one branch of astrology that is most affected by this specializing schism of thought is Vocational Astrology. To work effectively, the vocational astrologer must be able to integrate all three landscapes of human existence for the client.

Each of these three landscapes have been ably identified by skilled astrologers over the past two hundred years. What is missing at the dawn of the 21st century is their synthesis into a breathing functional whole. The following is the systemic process used by Zarathu Total Immersion Astrology to address this synthesis in vocational astrology. A future delineation will suggest this synthesis in areas of intimacy and love, as well as general birth chart analysis.

These three landscapes are as follows:

Vocational Analysis I: Trait Patterns: The Inner Landscape

Every individual has 12 combined patterns of what they believe they want to do to feel fulfilled. These arrive through a combination of signs, houses, and planets in the natal chart. This first analysis identifies those patterns of which show the indications for self/expression fulfillment, emotional fulfillment, focusing of vocational drive, expansion of influence, development of competency and authority, development of identity awareness, focus of goal orientation, and detail in work, among other places in the landscape. These are all intensely personal and idiosyncratic patterns that all of us use to bring about our own fulfillment in careers, love, and other aspects of life. Failure to develop our traits properly may not appear to affect our skills, our interactions with others, our ability to handle change as it comes, or how much money we make. But this failure will affect our feelings of satisfaction and excitement/depression in our vocations(and other aspects of The Inner Landscape.

Identification of The Inner Landscape is essential to vocational analysis, but not good enough by itself.

This landscape is defined partly by the writings of Michel Gauquelin, the astrological notation of Zip Dobyns, PhD, and by the trait analyses of Jamie Binder in PLANETS IN WORK.

Vocational Analysis II: Transition. Identifying Vocational Change: How the Outer Landscape Impacts the Outer Landscape.

Trait awareness is necessary but there are two other significant parts of the picture. The second mode is a transition state that identifies features in vocational change. These features show the impact of The Inner Landscape of trait patterns with The Outer Landscape of Expectations of the World of Work.

These features are based around three impacts and a couple of subsidiary ones. They are Natural Aptitudes, Natural Ambition for Work and the Kind of Ambition, and the Natural Ability to Work(or the Grindstone Factor.) The ancillary features are Income Abilities, Pinpointing Trouble, and Individuality and Function.

These features are made important by issues of fulfillment and emotional expression in work, and they are made important by the kinds of work that the individual will find themselves empowered to do, and least friction to get done, by the World Itself.

This area is defined well by the transitional 4th/5th stage astrology of Ivy Goldstein Jacobson in IN THE BEGINNING ASTROLOGY and Zarathu(me) in http://home.epix.net/~tzarathu. And it is described in the large section on vocational astrology in the 5th stage vocational astrology of Noel Tyl in SYNTHESIS AND COUNSELING IN ASTROLOGY: The Professional Manual.





Vocational Analysis, III. The World Of Work Landscape: What the World of Work Expects from the Individual.

The last mode looks at those work applicational areas where we have the most power to be successful, and the areas where we will experience the most and the least friction from the world in reaching our success. Its one thing to know what gives us emotional satisfaction, and another to recognize how we might manifest those fulfillment needs(and the potential downfalls) through aptitude, ambition, and just plain nose to the grindstone. But without the last landscape we may still flounder.

The last is represented by the Impacts of the World itself. In this mode, astrology is used to determine what areas of action we are likely to find the world empowering us, and what areas it will give us the most resistance. To be successful we need to be able to find the best medium wherein we are most empowered, and least restricted.

Some of these features impacted in this empowerment/resistance landscape can show the where of the practice of vocation, the potential motivational characteristics for a possible occupation, the best occupational area for income potential, the possibility of being an independent employER (rather than employEE), and the degree that finances will impact work for the individual.

This landscape is most successfully described in the various writings of Doris Doane, CC Zain, and Ken Stone. Some of these include: VOCATIONAL SELECTION AND COUNSELING, vols. 1 &2 by Doane, Astrology: 30 Years Work (also by Doane), Delineation with Astrodynes by Ken Stone, and Astrodynes for Windows by John Molfese, a component of the astrology computer program Astro- Deluxe for Windows written by John Halloran.

With all three parts of the Vocational Picture, we have the tools for the most success. Using these patterns we can responsibly, with the assistance of the client, look for a vocation most suited to ALL the needs available.

But there is still more.

Vocational Analysis, IV. Synthesis

As was specified in the introduction, the most fractionalized astrology is Vocational Astrology. But in many ways, other branches also use all three landscapes. The final step is putting the package together and making comparisons. Part of this synthesis is the awareness that people simply won’t choose what works best for them, but will choose something else. As astrologers, we must be willing to go beyond the recommended choices, and look at the pitfalls and pinnacles of the client’s own choice, even if doesn’t match the most comfortable landscape which they might have chosen based on their horoscope. This synthesis requires an effective combination of all three landscapes, and an appreciation of the choices already made by the client.

After all, astrology is not FATE. People can be like salmon. The can successfully swim upstream against the current, and still be very, very, very successful.