In 21st century, career analysis is required not only for youngsters but for all professionals, corporate workers and business owners in their middle ages or even later. Sure, the purpose of career planning could be different at different stages - find or change to suitable profession, change job role and profile, getting trained in different skill set, switch to a different industry/sector, exploring independent business option or self employment, etc.
How astrology helps in career?
Vedic astrology, as you will realize after reading this article to the end, offers full fledged SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis of one's career.
Vedic astrology or Jyotish, helps us identity the overall growth potential, specific qualities possessed or lacked, the kind of industry sectors most favourable for good career growth, what roles are best suited, identify the risks and learn to manage them. In a nutshell, career analysis in astrology helps us to know :
- Overall potential for career growth and status
- Strong (and weaker) career traits in birth chart
- Suitable profession based on personal strengths
- Whether employment or business or self employment is best long term option
- Major obstacles in career rise and practical ways to handle them using astrology
In regard to example charts, my students, friends and associates in Astrology know that I am not a big fan of cherry picked 5 or 10 example charts to learn techniques. Yes, but I always prefer one example chart that I don't cherry pick for you - that's your own birth chart. So please treat own chart as example chart throughout this article. I use example charts only to apply the techniques in fully scalable manner, meaning that's supposed to work on almost all charts if you apply correctly.
Potential for high career rise
At the outset, vedic chart analysis can tell us what's the overall growth potential in career. To begin with, we start with the first step which is fundamental to any house analysis. To check the positive strength of 10th house of career, the strength of it's lord and significator(s) i.e. karaka. If the lord of 10th house is placed in it's sign of exaltation, mooltrikona, own or friend's sign and atleast 10-12 degree away from Sun, it's strong. Placement in kendra or trikona ie 1, 4, 7, 10 , 5 or 9th house is a definite plus.
The check for the strength of any planet is incomplete without looking at the strength of it's dispositor i.e. sign lord. The dispositor of a planet should not be in sign of debilitation. For example, if 10th house lord is Mercury and it's placed in Sagittarius, then it's dispositor is Jupiter. We don't want Jupiter in it's sign of debilitation i.e. Capricorn in rashi chart D1 or in vargas i.e dasamsa (D10), navamsa (D9), Dreshkan (D3), dwadasamsa (D12), etc. This is very important. Even if 10th lord goes to sign of debilitation but it's dispositor is strong due to exaltation or own sign or strongly placed in kendra houses, it can still give a good career despite many challenges.
The barometer of career rise goes higher or lower based on how many of above findings are positive or negative. In most cases, we notice a mix of the favourable and unfavourable facts which is a perfect representation of common people. However, if a chart is special, we won't fail to notice it too specially if we paid good attention to varga placements (Navamsa, dasamsa, etc.) of planets as mentioned (above).
Motivation to have successful career
Check the navamsa sign where 10th lord has gone i.e. check in which sign in D9, the 10th house lord of D1 is placed. If the lord of that sign (navamsa dispositor of 10th lord) is well placed and strong in rashi chart i.e. D1, it's a big boost to the native's motivational level to have a successful career. This is a crucial consideration as far as career motivation is concerned and can be the only difference between ordinary and the extraordinary.
Analysis of career traits (strong and weak)
A great deal of information is revealed by the karaka or significators of 10th house which are : Sun, Jupiter, Mercury and Saturn
Let's see what kind of information each one of them reveals about the native's career.
Status and position at work
To check the status the native enjoys in public life, see the sign where the 10th house lord is placed. If that is a sign where Sun is considered strong, e.g. Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, etc. the status of the native can go high if Sun is also strong and well placed in the chart. This is an important consideration to measure leadership qualities at workplace.
Career growth, respect and credibility
To know the scope of material growth, respect and credibility the native enjoys in public life, check the sign where the 10th house lord is placed. If that is a sign where Jupiter is considered strong, e.g. Cancer, Sagittarius, Pisces, etc. the status of the native can go high if Jupiter is also strong and well placed in the chart. Management skills at work is indicated by this placement.
Work skills, communication, learning ability and dynamic qualities at work
Work skills are critical for any serious career. To see how good the native is in acquiring good work skills, professional communication skills and adaptability to dynamic environments, check the sign where the 10th house lord is placed. If that is a sign where Mercury is considered strong, e.g. Virgo, Gemini, Capricorn, Taurus, etc. the job skills and training potential of the native can go high if Mercury is also strong and well placed in the chart.
Ability to handle challenges, high work pressure and high expectations
Handling challenges at work and high work load has always been important. To check how good the native is in handling work pressure, see the sign where the 10th house lord is placed. If that is a sign where Saturn is considered strong, e.g. Libra, Capricorn, Virgo, Aquarius, Taurus, etc. the native is good at working hard, handle work pressure and negotiate rough conditions if Saturn is also strong and well placed in the chart.
Career analysis in astrology to find suitable profession
Anyone wondering "which profession suits me according to astrology" can find the right career using many tools that we will take a closer look here. It's no secret that each person is unique and hence possesses special mental and physical qualities. It's obvious that one should do the work one is naturally good at. The main problem is how to find that out. Thankfully we will see two different methods to understand what are ideal career options for the native.
These two methods are
- planets based (the navamsa lordship of relevant planet)
- nakshatra based
Vedic astrology career analysis and prediction using navamsa
To begin with, we look at :
- Any planet placed in 10th house from ascendant and also as counted from Moon.
- Then we find the lords of these houses e.g. lord of 10th house from ascendant and that of 10th from Moon.
Role of planet(s) placed in 10th house from lagna and Moon
The planet placed in 10th house indicates helpful person in earning income. When we say "helpful person" they either directly help the native in the direction of gaining income or become the human source/medium of earning. Most astrology classics are near unanimous about this person. Following are the helpful people in earning from work when the planet is :
Sun - Father, government, people in power, top bosses in organizations help the native earn livelihood.
Moon - Mother, elderly women, public popularity, people with Moon in their ascendant, etc people connect the native to profession
Mars - Confrontations, fights or disputes with rivals/enemies help in earning income, younger sibling also helps the native in professional matters
Mercury - Friends, relatives, cousins, maternal uncle helps the native earn publicly
Jupiter - Guru or elder sibling, spiritual people, judges, etc. help the person in this direction
Venus - Wife, womenfolk, Venus driven people like actors, showbiz professionals are helpful for the native in career pursuit
Saturn - Poor or labour class, elderly or sick people become helpful in earning money when Saturn is placed at 10th from ascendant or Moon
The above human significations have been mentioned in various classics e.g. Phaldeepika Chap 5, Jataka Parijat chap 15, Hora saar chapter 22 and many other text.
That was about earning income in which human signification plays an important role.
Role of lord of 10th house (from lagna and Moon)
Now let's see the planet(s) that gives profession. As far as success in career is concerned this is the most important planet.
The profession is indicated by the planet in whose navamsa the 10th house lord is placed. For example, if 10th house lord is placed in 9 degree of Libra, the navamsa will be Sagittarius which is a sign of Jupiter. So in this example profession is indicated by Jupiter (the authentic list of career options indicated by planets is mentioned below).
Here the 10th house lord is to be seen from 3 reference points - ascendant, Moon and Sun (often you will see 10th lord from ascendant and Moon play more important role). So we may have 3 different planets as 10th house lord here. The strongest among them (in D1) should be taken. The profession is indicated by the navamsa occupied by the (strongest among 3) lord of 10th house.
The work that one does in the society by which he/she is known as "professional" or expert is indicated by this planet. It's important that this planet is well placed and strong for a good career. The overall career success is indicated by this planet. Apart from the strength of this planet, the strength of dispositor of 10th house lord (in rashi D1 chart) is also very important for level of career rise. For example, if 10th house lord is placed in Gemini, strength of Mercury becomes very important.
Professions indicated by planets
The lord of the navamsa sign occupied by 10th house lord in rashi chart (D1) is the crucial planet in giving career. Let's look at various professions indicated by planets according to classical text e.g. Phaldeepika, Hora saar, Satyacharya's imports as well as their logical extensions from practical experience.
Professional sources indicated by Sun
The person earns through organic sources e.g. tree, plants, wood, medicine, furniture, fruits, mantra japa, blanket, carpet, woollen cloth, sculpture, metallic processes etc. It also gives a job to work under some highly placed person e.g. CEO of a company, famous person, minister, a leader or government job or simply involved in father's profession/business. The strength of Sun and relevant planets (as discussed above) decide the level at which a person works for example a personal secretary of the CEO or someone directly reporting to the board of directors. If Sun is under influence of natural malefics, it can also give professions of manipulations, falsehoods even cheating.
Professional sources indicated by Moon
Native earns through water sources e.g. sea, river, pearls/non precious stones, export/import of items through sea route, farming, animal husbandry, cows, milk products, pilgrimage, trading of raw fabric or any industry where consumers are predominantly female.
Professional sources indicated by Mars
The source of livelihood can be machinery, metals, buying/selling of gold, working in fire/heat dominated places e.g. kitchen in restaurants or industrial processing work, furnace, weapons, intelligence/spying, military/police/coast guards or any work related to security, electricity department, fitness industry, sports, property and real estate, engineering, medical surgery, theft and robbery, etc.
Professional sources indicated by Mercury
Mercury gives careers in intellectual and knowledge based industry e.g. information technology, authorship, book writing, literature, number/mathematics, communication driven industries e.g. call centres, internet services, fund raising, public relations, diplomats, journalism, advertising/marketing and sales, documentation experts, middlemen/commission agents, academics, corporate trainers, ancient or religious text, astrology, etc. Mercury being planet of knowledge and cognitive intelligence, this planet can lift the native to highest point of success and create inventors of highest order depending upon how strong, well placed and influenced by benefics it is.
Professional sources indicated by Jupiter
Jupiter is significator of 2nd house in chart ie. dhana or wealth. Jupiter gives earnings from banking and financial industry, investment and interest earnings, human resources and development activities, education, religion, priests/pandits, judiciary, royal favours (benevolence of the govt or influential people), monasteries/ashrams, sweet food, confectionery, baking (cakes, pastries etc), spirituality, weight loss industry, etc.
Professional sources indicated by Venus
Venus gives livelihood through entertainment industry, showbiz, modelling, singing, performing arts, non performing art e.g. painting, beauty industry - cosmetics and parlours, textile mills, garment and fabric industry including export, life saving drugs, jewellery design, making and selling, animals e.g. horse, elephants, escort services, tourism - sight seeing, etc.
Professional sources indicated by Saturn
If the navamsa lord of 10th house lord (of D1) is Saturn, then livelihood comes through work done using wood for example wood cutting, lumbering, furniture work, leather industry including shoes, bags, accessories, rocks and stone cutting, mining, marble work, hard core labour work or labour driven business, work that are particularly not knowledge/intellect driven but physical labour driven i.e. most skilled and semi-skilled labour intensive activities, "inferior grains" which are typically thicker/darkish e.g. gram, sesame, etc.
Find career using nakshatra in vedic chart
A person gravitates to a profession that's guided by the mind. It has a strong element of choice and will. Moon holds the key to these choices. This is where nakshatras become an important influencer because Moon has a special relationship with them.
Here I am not getting into the academic controversy of the nakshatra measurement (which is traditionally taken to be equal i.e. each of the 27 nakshatras measure 13°20'). If you use different number of nakshatras and their measurement, you can use that division here.
The native works in the type of activity indicated by the 10th nakshatra from the one occupied by Moon. So, for example if someone is born in Magha nakshatra (Moon in Magha at birth), the 10th nakshatra from Magha i.e. Moola will indicate the person's profession. The professions indicated by each of the 27 nakshatras is mentioned below.
Ashwini
Physicians, doctors, chemists, druggists, those involved in medical cure, rehabilitation of addicts, horse trainers, mechanical engineers, motor mechanics and driving/flying trainers, people working with heavy machinery, heavy metal industries, travel and transportation industry, police and military personnel, those working in arms and ammunition industry, defence and warfare research, fire fighters, etc.
Bharani
Professions related to child birth, maternity, gynaecologists, creative people painters, sculptors, entertainers, sportsperson, actors and those connected with motion picture, tobacco, coffee/tea industry, hospitality industry e.g. hotel, catering and restaurants, seed/fertilizer industry, people in politics connected with a specific cause/demand, revolutionaries, powerful and highly placed people handling secrets unknown to common man, people connected with morgues, mornings services, slaughter houses, occultist/tantrics.
Krittika
Professions where fire plays an important role e.g. working in places/industry dominated by fire, sharp objects, cooking devices, utensils, weapons, firearms, blacksmiths, potters, butchers, carpenters, construction materials, people involved in fire sacrifices, magicians, those involved in mystic work, astronomers, leaders in military and police force, inventors and discoverers, those working with foster homes, shelter and orphanage, child care (child birth is more in Bharani), secret "manufacturing/training", people we find at the "throne" e.g. top leaders/CEO's.
Rohini
Most important energy of Rohini is prosperity, abundance and indulgence so all wealth creation, business including agriculture, transportation, travel, oil and petroleum, beauty, fashion & cosmetic industry, bars, restaurants timeshare and hotel industry, music and performing arts, water, naval, ports and dockyards specific activities, textile industry, business liaisoning etc. are professions supported by Rohini nakshatra.
Mrigshira
Mrigshira energy supports travellers, travel writers and film makers, explorers and navigators, transport industry, job/business that require extensive travel for example advertising and sales, love and romance writers, singers, those dealing in sale, purchase and training of "cute" animals, veterinarians, those working in fashion and fabric industry, gemstone dealers, real estate dealers and investors.
Ardra
Ardra professions include microbiologists e.g. those working on bacteria/viruses and their vaccines and medicine, professionals handling "poisons" of all types that are used to kill/cure symptoms e.g. homeopathy, alternate medicine and antibiotic medicine, those involved in crisis and incident management roles, trauma management centers, electronics, computer software and IT professionals, adventure sports, professionals involved with natural calamities and response teams e.g. floods/storm/hurricane, electrical engineers, those working in food processing industry, frozen food, psychologists, detectives/spies, etc.
Punarvasu
Civil engineers, architects, project managers in all fields and roles that require clear goal settings and adherence, pilots and those working in airline industry, leaders and gurus of virtue, priests and monks, teachers in esoteric subjects, communications driven professions, construction of homes and home maintenance, delivery, those working in weapons research/development particularly missiles system, courier/postal services, etc.
Pushya
People in hospitality industry, hotel, restaurants, air hostess, those involved in irrigation of farms, maintenance of garden/landscapes, food suppliers and dealers in food grains, dairy industry, spiritual gurus, priests, nuns, people born in rich and famous families, royalties, highly placed management official in organization, all kind of human (and animal) caring, etc.
Ashlesha
Professions indicated by Ashlesha are genetic engineering and those dealing with DNA, those who deal with reptiles, snakes and zoology, doctors and surgeons, psychologists, sex industry, work in occult and magic, spirit medium, people working with primordial energies e.g. kundalini awakening, people in secret services and intelligence, quack doctors, fake teacher/gurus and cheats in other professions, con artists and psychological manipulators, political and business lobbyists, judges in law or umpire/referees in sports, people dealing with poisons and drugs made from them, etc.
Magha
People involved in genetics, study of races, genealogy, history, archaeology, anthropology, palaeontology and related fields. People working for government organizations, those working with very big and old multinational corporates, gynaecologists, nurses, those working in official birth records, traditional business houses, societies and institutions have a good percentage of Magha energy. Also, people working in family courts are indicated by Magha nakshatra. People living on grants from government or society are Magha energy in action.
Purva Phalguni
Purva phalguni indicates professions with creative faculties in art, music, actors, models and related work. Professions in time share industry, travels of pleasure seeking nature, event management, sex workers, happy-go-lucky people, those living off inheritance, those involved in subjects like cosmology and creation of the universe, those involved with alternate solutions to infertility problems including quacks and frauds may also be represented by this nakshatra work. Unless Sun is weak in horoscope, this nakshatra helps in prosperity and physical enjoyments.
Uttara Phalguni
Professions related with Uttara phalguni are wealth management, good quality life coaches, social workers and leading men/women in society, people who create highly effective business solutions to solve human and societal challenges for example micro financing, media/movie/sports celebrities, those involved with spiritual and religious travel industry, those who establish trusts and foundations for philanthropy work etc.
Hasta
Hasta nakshatra is associated with work that require accumulation and control of resources e.g. finance management, business planning, resource allocation, accountants and chartered accountants, MBA's in finance, entrepreneurs, those with skills of hand-mind coordination e.g. sports, arts, manual labour, goons and criminals, stage performers, business and investment consultants, frauds in religious/spiritual sphere, etc.
Chitra
Chitra nakshatra indicates professions related to advertising and marketing, PR (Public Relations) and image management for brands and individuals, story tellers, media personalities, trend setters and innovators, fashion icons, social/political activists and debaters, intellectuals, authors, photographers/videographers, designers of new systems and structures, architects, medical professionals including beauty surgery and alternative medicine and wellness solutions, those working in fabric industry, industrial engineering etc.
Swati
Swati nakshatra is connected with business startups, consultancy, risk and crisis management, expertise in turning around sick business units, creating business growth plan, human resources (HR), trading (buying/selling), maternity and fertility, philosophy and religion, traditional learning and training, modern gurukuls, literature, etc.
Vishakha
Vishakha nakshatra indicates professions related to strong leaders in all walks of life including industry, science and politics. People who are strongly aligned with a philosophy or idea for example those who believe in big bang theory of those who don't. People who are working in legal professions, administrative work, religious leaders, social activists, political leaders, military personnel often officers, those who run political campaigns, media managers, etc. This is a great nakshatra to support multiple professions and sources of income.
Anuradha
Anuradha nakshatra gives career in foreign services, diplomats, travellers, entrepreneurs, business liaisoning, business partnerships, human resources (HR), experts in business mergers and acquisitions, statisticians, numerologists, occultists, mathematicians, physicists, accountants, teachers, public relations officers, spokespersons, mass media professionals, journalists, etc.
Jyeshtha
Jyeshtha nakshatra offers career related to armed forces like police, military, para military, security and cyber security experts, careers in regulatory bodies like central banks or stock market watchdogs, electrical engineers, those working in emergency services like earthquake/flood relief, fire fighters, those working with space organizations and satellites, those who work in occult, shamans, etc.
Moola
Moola nakshatra has direct connection with research activities in the field of science, literature or philosophy, unconventional professions, investigative work, this energy helps in causal analysis (root cause), public speakers, success coaches and motivators, people with out-of-the-box thinking hence innovators and inventors of new ideas, services and products, revolutionaries, CEO's and CTO's of firms, Moola nakshatra natives have higher percentage of success rate among start-ups, healers and practitioners of traditional as well as modern medicine, organic farming, buying/selling of fruits, vegetable and flowers, woodworkers and builders, civil engineers, etc.
Purva Ashadha
This nakshatra helps in careers related to human resources (HR), chemical engineering, chemical reactors and laboratories, fabric processing, mathematics and academics, police, coastal guards and military particularly navy, proof readers and publishers, doctors and surgeons, agricultural yield processing and food supply, travellers and explorers, those working in fishing industry, marine researchers and oceanographers, etc. This nakshatra also indicates career shuffles, breaks and strong comebacks.
Uttara Ashadha
Uttara ashadha nakshatra indicates careers in purva ashadha nakshatras but with more stability and acceptability, sportsperson in boxing, wrestling, martial arts, working with wildlife and forests, forest officers and poachers, revival of closed or loss making businesses, advertising and marketing professionals, business analysis and feasibility study, medical services mostly related to post trauma and emergency services, etc.
Shravan
Shravan nakshatra offers careers in business management in a wide variety of industries, process control in operations, resource allocation and distribution, food and restaurant industry, environmentalists, meteorologists, priests, sacred oral tradition, professors and lecturers, music industry, audio and acoustics, ENT specialists (medical), neurologists, heart specialists, those working in medical's allied industries e.g. artificial limbs or hearing aids, physicists, opticians, linguistics, those making YouTube videos/podcasts, poetic recitals, etc.
Dhanishtha
Dhanishtha nakshatra careers are related to broadcasting, media, news, public announcements, advertising professionals in electronic media, music for a cause or propaganda, folk and devotional music e.g. bhajans or church music, precious metals and gems, jewellery industry, export/import of high value or precious items, dealing in antiques, mechanical engineering, multimedia and video gaming industry, movie production, marriage counselors, sexologists, etc.
Shatabisha
Shatabisha nakshatra gives careers in scientific research, philosophy, spirituality, medicine, surgery, intoxicating beverages manufacture and selling, manufacture of anti viral/bacterial/fungal medicine, traditional medicine for chronic illness, doing drift net fishing, dealing with various plant/tree extracts, those operating at border areas e.g. immigration, border security forces, body guards, customs, real estate material suppliers, agents and builders, sellers of garments, umbrella/raincoats, secret agents and clandestine activities, detectives, business strategists, anthropologists and social "engineers", etc.
Purva Bhadrapada
Purva Bhadrapada nakshatra related careers are in hospitals, mortuary, obituary services, executioners, psychologists, eccentric and impulse driven work e.g. sports, crime, gambling, ascetics, practitioners of sorcery and black magic, revolutionaries, radicals, fanatics, suicide bombers, duplicates for action sequences in movies, those working in insurance industry, insurance claims and settlements, electrical engineers, social relief workers, etc.
Uttara Bhadrapada
Careers related to Uttara Bhadrapada nakshatra are solo travellers, philosophers, spiritualists, researchers of sacred texts, healers and occultists, practitioners of yoga, meditation and even tantra, treasure hunters, explorers, innovators in communications including telecommunication, intellectuals of special insight, political thinkers and commentators, Information technology and software professionals, electronics engineers, neuro scientists, etc.
Revati
Revati nakshatra is associated with travel industry, civil engineers, real estate contractors and developers, infrastructure developmental work e.g. Public Work Department including roads, highways, ports, etc., hospitality industry including hotels and restaurants, IT maintenance, industrial maintenance, marine life, historians, experts in Eugenics, anthropogeny, animal husbandry, predictors including financial speculators, traders, astrologers, numerologists, palmists and meteorologists, running foster care including old age homes, etc.
Employment or Business or Self-employment ?
This is a common question in this information age. Only a couple of decades ago an overwhelming majority of people thought about employment only as a serious career option. Not anymore. Independent career options like self-employment or business are seen as very practical and doable options.
Let's understand what are the fundamentals of "business friendly" indicators in chart before we look at specific planetary placements. No doubt Mercury is the significator of business and commerce hence we need Mercury to be strong in the chart.
Next, Mercury alone can't ensure success without a strong and supportive Jupiter in the chart. Why Jupiter - Jupiter helps in understanding the "market gap" as popularly called these days because it helps with a robust "human" perspective. There is no business without detailed understanding of customers or consumers of the services/products. Moreover, Jupiter is also a significator of wealth.
For these two planets to deliver on business as career option, Mercury should associate with 10th or 11th house by placement/aspect with one of these two houses OR with their lord(s). It also works when Mercury goes to the other sign of 10th lord e.g. if 10th house has sign Taurus then Mercury goes to the other sign of Venus which is Libra. It works in another case i.e. if Mercury goes to the navamsa (D9) of Taurus in this example. It's important to have support of a strong Mercury in one of these manners.
Next, moving to more specific chart placements. There are some business friendly houses as well as obstructive ones. Houses 3rd, 7th, 9th, 10th and 11th are business friendly houses whereas houses 6th and 12th are not business friendly houses if not directly using the energies of these houses e.g. medical industry or loan disbursement or settlement.
We don't want the lord of 10th house in 6th or 12th house as well as in the navamsa (D9) as well as dasamsa (D10) represented by these two signs for example - if 6th house (in D1) has Cancer sign and 12th house (in D1) has Capricorn sign then you want neither Mercury nor 10th lord in ANY of these signs in rashi (D1) chart, navamsa (D9) and dasamsa (D10).
Any yoga (by conjunction, sign exchange or mutual aspect) between Mercury/10th lord AND 6th/12th lord is not suitable for business. That combination indicates only job or self-employment but not business. That is assuming someone doesn't have big ancestral pockets to perpetually offset the losses and high expenditue.
If these indicators are positive or neutral, business as career option is a go ahead.
There is no fundamental difference between employment or self-employment in the chart except that self-employment is not supported if 10th house lord aspects Jupiter or is in any yoga (by conjunction, sign exchange or mutual aspect) with Jupiter OR 10th lord is placed in 11th house or aspecting it. Otherwise self-employment is supported in the chart. This restriction however is overcome if a stronger lagna lord or 3rd house lord also aspects 11th house or 11th house lord himself is placed in own sign.
Obstacles in career rise (How to handle them)
Apart from full fledged horoscope analysis, there is a short cut technique that comes in very handy in identifying the planet that's blocking progress in 10th house matters. Counting from the 10th house, we must look at 3 pairs of houses and see if there is any malefic placed or not. These 3 pairs of houses (as counted from 10th house) are :
- 2nd and 12th houses (A)
- 4th and 8th houses (B)
- 5th and 9th houses (C)
Counting from ascendant, these would be 9th and 11th (A), lagna and 5th (B) and 2nd and 6th (C). We have to check the natural malefics (Sun, Sat, Mars, Rahu, Ketu) placed in one or more of these houses. Natural malefic(s) in A indicate challenging work environment and culture, those in B indicate challenges in stability and sustainability (or long lasting) at work and those in C indicate sheer misfortune and bad luck in career.
The weakest among these planets is the cause of career obstacles, stagnation or setbacks. While any remedy or practical corrective measure should be done after detailed horoscope analysis, there are some instant measures we can take that will help us steer clear of further trouble or setbacks. These corrective measures are :
- Avoiding the weekday ruled by the planet identified (in previous paragraph). For example if Ketu is placed at 5th house from ascendant (which is 8th from 10th house), one should avoid Tuesdays for any important career activity for example interviews, important meetings, etc. It could potentially bring instability, restlessness and cut short the lifespan of new venture/job. Please also read more on this point later in this article
- Avoiding the food items carrying the energies of that planet for example, fish, dry fruits and nuts like cashew, pistachio etc. in the above example of Ketu
- Avoiding the direction ruled by Mars i.e. South for the purpose of career. One should avoid facing that direction while performing any important career related task.
- More specific and prominent steps based on detailed career analysis of the birth chart ...
In regard to knowing career favourable and unfavourable planets, we need to separate two factors - the analysis and predictive aspects. How many times have you not heard someone say, "Mars or XYZ planet is my best planet for career because I had the best time in my career in it's dasha"? Or conversely, "Mercury or XYZ planet is very bad for my career because I had horrific time at work in it's dasha"? What mistake is being often made here is confusing the analysis (static) aspect with predictive (dynamic) aspect of the chart.
To understand better, let's take the example of Ketu in 5th house forward. Ketu in 5th by itself is not good for smooth career as mentioned above. This is not specific to Ketu but natural malefics in general (we are taking Ketu as an example). This is the overall career pattern as far as Ketu's placement in birth chart is concerned i.e. it is ongoing (static) aspect of career. However, on the contrary someone could very well experience a great time in career matters in Ketu dasha if Ketu is placed in the nakshatra of 10th lord and aspected by 10th house lord or lagna lord.
This could happen say for a Pisces ascendant chart, if Ketu is placed in Cancer 5th house in Punarvasu nakshatra and aspected by Jupiter (assuming there is no natural malefic placed in the signs of Jupiter i.e. in 10th house or ascendant). A novice in astrology having a great time in career during Ketu dasha in this example would jump to the conclusion, "Ketu is my hero".
Other things standing equal, such a Ketu in 5th house would bring about a pattern of sudden, forced and unforeseen changes in career, often unpleasant ones but in Ketu dasha in this example these sudden changes in career would be pleasant ones. Often, a novice completely overlooks the static platform over which the train of predictive astrology runs.
Now that I strayed a bit on predictive side, I don't want to leave you high and dry on predicting when is a good time for career. It's very simple once you understand the birth chart thoroughly.
The dasha/bhukti of strongest among these 3 planets - (A) rashi dispositor of 10th lord i.e. sign lord of 10th house lord in D1, (B) navamsa dispositor of 10th house lord i.e. lord of the sign in D9 where where lord of 10th house of D1 is placed and (C) any planet(s) placed in nakshatra of 10th lord is going to bring good time in career.
There are many other incremental and standalone predictive techniques but this one alone can answer the most common questions. Even to use this simple method, one must know which is strongest among those planets and which one is more favourable for career. That understanding comes with finesse of refined horoscope analysis. Otherwise there are so many half baked pop-corn astrologers who incessantly keep talking about that silver bullet technique as if they are the gifted One.
There are many persistent or recurring career issues that astrology can address like low productivity is a common complaint. Our body-mind clock works in individual patterns and we have been mandated to be more productive at specific hours of the day. I think many people know this trait of themselves but high performance at those hours of the day depends on a specific planet in birth chart. That planet is the kaal hora lord of those hours in the day.
If that planet is not supportive or is weak in birth chart then it requires more comprehensive solutions to improve productivity at work. If that planet is weak in gochara (transit), then low work productivity is a temporary problem. I have done a separate article on these finer aspects of career astrology hence not elaborating much here.
Astrology has to be applied at micro level to get visible results. Career astrology is a comprehensive field that requires an astute astrologer to effectively apply it in today's digital age.
In conclusion, there is no prediction before solid, robust analysis of birth chart. If you don't know the map of railway tracks, how can you tell the dynamic location of train at any point of time? Rock solid birth chart analysis is the foundation of predictive astrology which is only a natural (and easier) inference from birth chart analysis.
There is/are career friendly planet(s) whose energy has to be increased in our lives to make career growth more effective and sustainable. These specific actions should be decided only after detailed horoscope reading without unknowingly increasing the energy of planets that are detrimental to career growth in the birth chart, just like the misguided opinion of "Ketu is my hero" formed after Ketu dasha in our example.
Author : Partho Banerjee
