Career Orientation in Astrology

Neptune, The 12^th House and Pisces

Career Orientation in Astrology

(Published in the Oct/Nov 2007 edition of The Mountain Astrologer)

the Pisces archetype reflects how a person can tap into public/collective consciousness and its needs! The 12th House content, together with Neptune and Pisces planets, can represent our ability to address the public and also affect it. From this perspective, we can also conclude that Pisces’ influence represents our ability to provide services to the public and answer its demands professionally! This archetype basically describes the way an individual will deliver the fruit of his personal skills and efforts to the impersonal public. The archetype in polarity to Pisces, namely Virgo (the 6th House, Virgo Sign, and Mercury) reflects the person’s skills and practical capacities. In order to have a more complete picture of one’s professional potential and orientation, the whole axis of Virgo/Pisces, 6th House/12th House, and Mercury/Neptune’s placement must be analyzed. From personal observations, it seems that this axis describes professional orientation, more so than the 10th House/MC does.

Most astrologers agree that the Pisces influence in the chart represents spiritual development and the transcendence of egocentric attachment to matter. It points to the concept of “oneness” which reflects the idea that beyond our seeming differences, we are basically made of the same substances and share similar fundamental goals, such as survival, love and happiness. The Pisces influence reflects what is beyond the ‘time and space’ factor and reveals our primal identity as children of the universe (or life). Consider the imagery of the Pisces archetype as the womb of the universe, where we all originates from before we are birthed into the Aries reality when individuation commences. In that universal womb we can remain passive because all is taken care of: life is provided with all natural conditions to support its continuation. Food, water, and light, among other resources, are readily available in the rich garden of nature. It is indeed not uncommon for people with a strong Piscean signature (including 12th house and Neptune emphasis), to long for a time where things were simpler and primal, and innocence was an option under the sheltering sky; a memory of paradise harkening perhaps to that universal womb!

If we take this concept to another level, the “oneness” attributed to the Pisces archetype can manifest in an everyday life context in our collective sense of identity and our relationship to the general public; it can refer to the mass effect that dissolves individual differences. Anything that cannot be privately owned and is shared indiscriminately and impersonally by the collective is part of that influence. This includes something as simple as sidewalks; the sidewalk is public domain and regardless of how educated one is or what one’s background may be, one will freely walk on it. In this same vein, Air, Water, Earth, and Sun are also available beyond discrimination; no one owns oxygen or sunlight (at least not yet!). Thus, through the 12th House, Neptune’s position and the placement of Pisces in the chart, we can detect how an individual personally copes with and addresses the impersonal public domain. This dynamic includes for example, how one deals with taking public transportation. There can be a sense of closeness between total strangers under these circumstances, as if being “in the same boat” so to speak. For example, one may have a conversation with a stranger on the train, spend some good time and never see that person ever again. It is an impersonal interaction where an impersonal intimacy is created. The capacity to have this intimate moment with a total stranger relies on that (usually unconscious) sense of “oneness” symbolized by Pisces. Alternatively, one can feel overwhelmed in a public space because boundaries between the self and the masses dissipate and it can generate a feeling of invasion. In one way or another, through the Pisces archetype’s influences a person is exposed to collective dynamics and currents and it becomes part of his/her existential experience.

Following this train of thought further, the Pisces archetype also reflects how a person can tap into public/collective consciousness and its needs! The 12th House content, together with Neptune and Pisces planets, can represent our ability to address the public and also affect it. From this perspective, we can also conclude that Pisces’ influence represents our ability to provide services to the public and answer its demands professionally! This archetype basically describes the way an individual will deliver the fruit of his personal skills and efforts to the impersonal public. In this equation, the archetype in polarity to Pisces, namely Virgo (the 6th House, Virgo Sign, and Mercury) reflects the person’s skills and practical capacities. In order to have a more complete picture of one’s professional potential and orientation, the whole axis of Virgo/Pisces, 6th House/12th House, and Mercury/Neptune’s placement must be analyzed. From personal observations, it seems that this axis describes professional orientation, more so than the 10th House/MC does. To further clarify, the 6th House/Virgo/Mercury complex refers to the skills and the maintenance work, whereas the 12th House/Pisces/Neptune describes the channel through which one will tap into public needs and provide a service without discrimination; in other words, it will describe one’s professional function! When referring to “service” it is not necessarily about voluntarism as one might think, but an actual remunerating profession.

For example, if someone owns a store, the Virgo part of it would be choosing, pricing and displaying the merchandise or any other technical aspect of the work, including sharing functions with co-workers and interacting with them. The Pisces part of it would be the actual contact with the public. As it occurs, the store owner has to passively wait for clients to respond to what is offered on the shelves and assess if it raises interest or not. Once the technical work is done, there is a surrendering to the public response which will determine if one will be successful or not in that particular endeavour and orientation.

Career Directions Through the Pisces Influence:

In order to understand how to apply these principles in a birth chart, here is a list of examples of professional associations with the Pisces archetype, through the respective Signs, Houses and Planets. The associations are made through the synthesis of archetypes (specific application examples will follow).

Pisces with Aries archetype professions:
any artistically oriented profession, activism, defense, army, crime, weapon industry, fire-fighters, sport, sales, sex symbols (models and show business), sex industry.

Pisces with Taurus archetype professions:
finances, banking, loans, music, design (interior, hair, graphic), landscape architects, construction industry, massage, sex industry, food industry.

Pisces with Gemini archetype professions:
transportation, travel, communication, language and translation, cross-cultural related professions, anthropology, lecturing and writing (published), media and journalism, teaching and special education, trend related professions.

Pisces with Cancer archetype professions:
hospitality industry, food industry, real estate, social work, foster care, homeland security, the ability to address/affect public emotions: politics, show business.

Pisces with Leo archetype professions:
creativity/art, performance, show business, leadership (politicians, icons, spiritual teachers, film directors), children related professions (pediatrics, toy/game industry, school teacher, adoption), pet industry, saving lives: medical field.

Pisces with Virgo archetype professions:
medical field (conventional and alternative modalities), mechanics, maintenance, secretarial, engineering, infrastructure, hygiene, domestication of wild (animal training, agriculture) body use and refinement related professions (sport, yoga, diet, fitness industries) beauty, aesthetics related professions (modelling, plastic surgery, fashion industry, design).

Pisces and Libra archetype professions:
any aspect of counselling (psychology, consultants), mediation, law, wedding industry, professions that relate to the exploration of the lives of others (biographers, journalism/interviewers) sociology, human resources.

Pisces and Scorpio archetype professions:
therapy: (psychology and related alternative modalities), defense industry (crime, weapon, security), sex industry, banking, mortgages, death industry (hospice, funeral, coroner.)

Pisces and Sagittarius archetype professions:
publishing, sales, entrepreneur, (higher) education, mysticism, theology, anthropology, travel.

Pisces and Capricorn archetype professions:
politics, law and law enforcement, morality related professions, mentors, educators, trainers, architecture.

Pisces and Aquarius archetype professions:
all sciences, engineering, computer industry, internet businesses, visionaries and inventors, astrology and esoteric disciplines, professions that relate to community/organisations, human resources/social rights, mental health and psychiatry, media and broadcasting, script writing (fiction and science-fiction), photography, trend related professions, chic related professions.

Pisces and Pisces archetype professions:
natural resources (oil, gas, gems), oceanography, climate related professions, wildlife and nature, religion and spirituality related professions, vacation industry (resorts, travel agents), public institutions (police, health-care, fire-fighters, army, welfare), movie industry.

Let us explore an example for potential vocational orientation as an astrologer. While astrology surely applies to counselling and therapy related professions as well (listed above: Libra and Scorpio with Pisces), it is more specifically associated with combinations of the Pisces and Aquarius archetypes. These combinations predominantly include: Neptune or Pisces in the 11th House, Uranus or Aquarius in the 12th House, Neptune in Aquarius, Uranus in Pisces, or Neptune/Uranus major aspects. Neptune/Pisces/12th house refers to providing a service to the masses/public, while Aquarius/Uranus/11th house refers to the field of astrology. Whatever energy is associated with the Pisces archetype, by house, sign or planet, can become a channel through which one will address public needs through a career. Referring back to the above example, when Aquarian themes are associated with the Pisces archetype, in one way or another, one may have an Aquarian-type profession, which includes among other options: astrology.

Application Principles

The more intricate details of this paradigm are described in my book on the subject: Neptune, the 12th House and Pisces, but in order to provide an immediate and yet tangible reference to the validity of these affirmations let us use real life examples. For this purpose, I will explore the astrological signatures for the profession of politics. Following the above principles, a career in politics is represented by combinations of Pisces (accessing the public through a career) and Capricorn (politics) or combinations of Pisces (accessing the public through a career) and Leo (leadership, role model, iconic image). Thus, the following combinations are astrological signatures referring to a potential for a career in politics:
Neptune or Pisces in the 10th House, Saturn or Capricorn in the 12th House, Neptune/Saturn major aspects, Saturn in Pisces, or Neptune in Capricorn.
Or Neptune or Pisces in the 5th House, Sun or Leo in the 12th House, Neptune/Sun major aspects, Sun in Pisces or Neptune in Leo.

It is no coincidence that a vast majority of politicians share those signatures. The most immediate example is George. W. Bush * (July 6th 1946, 7:26 New Haven CT. rating: A) who has both Sun and Saturn in the 12th House (and Sun/Neptune square), and yet, no planets in the 10th House! If we would go according to traditional concepts, at the look of that 12th House, he would have been assumed to operate behind the scenes, or lead the life of a monk. Instead he is a prominent public figure, widely exposed to the masses, whose personal life completely revolves around the public arena through the vehicle of politics (12th House Saturn) and leadership (12th House Sun).

He is not the only one, since Tony Blair (May 6, 1953, 6:10am. Edinburgh, UK. Rating: A) fits the equation as well with a 12th House Sun and a Saturn/Neptune conjunction! Abdullah II, King and head of state of Jordan (January 30, 1962, 5:23am Amman, Jordan. Rating: A) has Neptune in the 10th House, squaring his Sun/Saturn conjunction. Indira Gandhi (November 19, 1917, 11:10pm Allahabad, India. Rating: A) had Saturn conjunct Neptune in the 12th House in Leo, Jacques Chirac (November 29, 1932, 12:00pm Paris, France. Rating: A) has Saturn in the 12th, Sylvio Berlusconi (September 29, 1936, 5:40am, Milan Italy. Rating: A) has a Pisces Saturn opposing Neptune. Bill Clinton (August 19, 1946, 8:51am, Hope AK. Rating A) is a little less obvious example: The ruler of his 12th House: Mercury, conjuncts Saturn. He has Neptune on his Ascendant squaring his MC and sextile Saturn;
* Note that the Koch House System is the reference for all charts in this article

the fact that Neptune so tightly locks on the angles his chart (including the 10th House of politics) makes him suited for such a public role.

These concepts do not end with politicians and leaders; they apply to any profession, be it the shoemaker, the baker, or the street cleaner. We all have a Neptune, a 12th House, and Pisces somewhere in our chart, reflecting the prime inclinations for our vocation. Generally speaking, individuals with an emphasized signature in Pisces or with 12th House stelliums are likely to be more involved in collective matters, often to the point of overshadowing their intimate reality and needs. There is much more to the 12th House than the limited and gloomy “behind the scenes” associations or the connection to confining institutions. Consider the chart of Mick Jagger (July 26, 1943, 2:30am. Dartford, UK. Rating: A) and observe his Mars and Moon in Taurus in the 12th House. Taurus is obviously associated with music, while Mars to artistic and instinctual expression. Being in the 12th House, he can tap into public needs through the channel of rock music. Additionally, Neptune in his 5th House takes his creativity (5th House) to the mass level (Neptune) and makes a collective (Neptune) icon (5th House) out of his personality (5th House). Had we gone according to the classical MC, his Aquarius cusp and ruler Uranus in Gemini would have indicated a career in more intellectual fields such as sciences or media for example.

Another music industry example: Rod Stewart (January 10, 1945, 1:17am, Highgate, UK. Rating: A). Venus in Pisces in his 5th House clearly demonstrates a career (Pisces) in music (Venus) through creativity (5th House), turning him into an icon (Pisces in the 5th House). As mentioned, a general signature for an artistic career is often seen in Aries’ influence combined with the Pisces’ influence (such as Mars in the 12th House, Mars/Neptune major aspects, Mars in Pisces, Neptune in the 1st House). Rod Stewart has Mars square 12th house Neptune, and Mick Jagger has Mars in the 12th House. Another example is Johnny Cash (February 26, 1932, 7:30am. Kingsland, AR. Rating: A). Could it be more repetitive in his case? Mars in Pisces, in the 12th House, opposing Neptune! The ruler of his 12th House: Uranus, is conjunct Venus which is the planet representing music more specifically.

The conclusion is that any sign, house or planet in the chart associated with the 12th House, Neptune and Pisces directly or indirectly so, can be expressed on a public/collective level through a profession. It is important to understand however, that this does NOT mean that the Pisces archetype refers to a more glamorous or soulful career, while the “boring job” would be the 10th House. While fame and glamour can surely be part of the Pisces archetype dynamic, we can also find the most trivial professions such as a cleaner (Virgo influence with Pisces), a taxi driver (Gemini influence with Pisces) or an electrician (Aquarius influence with Pisces). Tapping into a collective need through one’s profession can be done quite mundanely; in fact it is more commonly so than glamorous.

Moreover, as one analyzes the chart through this lens, it become obvious that multiple options are identified when adding up all the chart factors involved with the Pisces archetype. In a simplified manner, a person may for example have Virgo on the 12th House cusp, Neptune in the 2nd House, and Jupiter in Pisces in his/her natal chart! Will this person have a profession in the medical field (Virgo in the 12th), in music or finances (Neptune in the 2nd), or become a publisher (Jupiter in Pisces). The answer is that all these options are possible! We must take into consideration that people do change careers in the course of their lives, and while all the options will likely not be accessed, they remain options. An analysis of the overall chart dynamics can help narrowing tendencies in this regard.

Public Influence – Positive or Negative

While we can recognize mundane professional options through the Pisces archetype, public recognition, fame and notoriety are also part of the 12th house, Pisces and Neptune’s influence! Through these channels, we can witness a single individual rising to public eminence and affecting cultural trends, sometimes to even change the course of history; the possibility of being remembered beyond the confines of one’s own time is particular to these influences. Consider Adolph Hitler (April 20, 1889. 6:30pm. Braunau, Austria. Rating: AA) engraved in our collective consciousness for mass destruction and genocide with Neptune conjunct Pluto in the 8th House! Neptune being in Gemini, he was able to brainwash the masses and manipulate information for that purpose.

12th house and 10th house Nuances of Career Direction
The other question that remains is if the 10th House does not represent a choice of career according to this perspective, then what is it about? The way I personally see it, the 10th House demonstrates “how” we approach the public arena and how we are going to promote and manage our career, rather than the actual choice of career. Using again the example of George W. Bush: while his career orientation was prominently politics: Sun and Saturn in the 12th house in Cancer, the way he managed it is through the sign of Aries in the 10th House, that is a very entrepreneur-like way, defensively, and quite graphically through launching a war.

Another example is film director David Lynch (January 20, 1946, 3am, Missoula MT. Rating: AA). Natal Neptune in the 11th House describes his professional orientation as a fiction and science fiction script-writer, clearly venturing within the complexity of mental health and esoteric spheres. Additionally; having Pisces on the 5th House cusp reflects more specifically the position of a film director, also recognized as an icon in his field. He has Virgo on his MC cusp (conjunct the Moon); his profession is obviously unrelated to any Virgo field, however, those familiar with his work will agree his approach (the “how”) to his profession is clearly Virgo oriented: he is a master of details and clearly a perfectionist. He has chosen to produce and distribute his last film Inland Empire himself in order to avoid any compromise on the content of the film; this is the extent of his purism in his approach.

I invite you to explore these ideas and reconsider the way you have approached the 12th house, Neptune and Pisces in chart analysis. Surely, with Neptune approaching the sign of Pisces itself, we need to shed more light into this foggy corner of the zodiac! As our consciousness evolves in the course of time, so does our approach and understanding of astrology.

Chart source: AstroDataBank Program

Neptune, The 12th House and Pisces