Ask Christine Astrology

Should the querent take the job in his current city or the one in a faraway place? Which is the better scenario for his son? We learned yesterday that staying in the current city, though not perfect, has some strengths and is past the worst of its recent difficulties. Now let’s see what the distant city promises.

(Click on the chart to enlarge it. Chart data is available in previous post.)

The situation “there” will be shown by the 7th house, with Pisces on its cusp, and by Jupiter, the traditional planetary ruler of Pisces.

The first thing we see to the west is a flashing neon sign: Uranus on the descendant. “But, Christine - you said Uranus!” you exclaim. “I thought that word was verboten in your old-school astrology.” Correct, I ignore the outer planets… most of the time. But here, Uranus, planet of disruption, is within one degree of a critical house cusp, the 7th. It cannot be overlooked. Utter upheaval is not something I want to see when I’m thinking of relocating my family to take a new job.

So that’s strike one against leaving. Strike two: Jupiter, ruler of the 7th, is in dreadful shape: it’s in its fall. This suggests that “there” is horrible (though perhaps exaggeratedly so). I wouldn’t trade Mercury in its term and face for Jupiter in its fall.

Strike three: remember those other mean planets in their fall: Mars and Moon? Now we see they’re directly tied in with the 7th house ruler. Mars opposes Jupiter, Moon sextiles it. Plus they pull in another cruel accomplice: detrimental Venus in Aries, who squares Jupiter. Whatever’s going on with that new job in the new city, it comes with just a boggling mass of problems I want to steer my client far, far away from.

What of the most important factor in his question, his son? Because Capricorn is on the 5th house cusp, the querent’s son is represented by Saturn. To know how he will fare in either location, we need to do a little “what-if” scenario.

Take Saturn (brr! cold, icy, frosty rings - it’s okay, we’ll set him down in a second) and pretend he’s just inside the first house. How does he like it? Saturn at 20 Virgo 23 would be dignified by term. Not bad. (Plus, I see Libra in the distance in that first house: the sign of Saturn’s exaltation. That could mean good things in the child’s future… an excellent school, for instance.)

Now pick up Saturn again (brr brr brr) and pretend he’s just inside the seventh house. Any better? No, he’s worse off, actually. Saturn is peregrine in that part of Pisces: no dignity, no debility. And there’s that Uranus tripping him up. Yet one more confirmation that “there” is no place for our querent or his son. They are better off staying in the city where they currently live.

Written out this way, it looks like a lot of work to answer a simple question. But with practice, you hone in on the key factors in the chart and ignore what isn’t relevant. “How is Lord 1? Lord 7? First house? Seventh house? Anything else significant?” You don’t need to deliver a long, written-out judgment. You only need to give the client what will help them make their best decision.

Questions? Confusion? Need clarification? Comment away, I’m at your service.