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.

Returning client, new question. He’s got job offers in two cities: the one where he lives now, and another an ocean plus a continent away. But the way he carefully phrased his question revealed the true issue on his mind. He asked, “Which represents the best future for my son?”

(Chart data: 21 April 2008, 3:54pm EDT, Boston, MA USA. ASC 20 Virgo 23, Moon 17 Scorpio 29. Regiomontanus houses.)

(Click the chart to enlarge it.)

I’m taking the 1st house and its ruler to stand for “stay here.” I’m taking the 7th house and its ruler to stand for “move there.” The added twist of “Which is better for my son?” means we’ll take the ruler of the 5th house into account. The 5th is the house of the querent’s children.

With Virgo rising, “here” is represented by Mercury and by the state of the 1st house. How are things here? Mercury is in mixed condition, but improving. By essential dignity, it has strength by term and face. Term and face are minor pluses, suggesting this current city isn’t the querent’s ideal, but has some good things going for it.

By accidental dignity, Mercury is seriously suffering. Less than 6 degrees away from the Sun, Mercury is combust: burned up by the Sun’s heat. Ouch! Count that as a major affliction to “here.” The good news is that Mercury is separating from conjunction and quickly outdistancing the Sun, so there’s the sense that the worst problems are behind it.

Any benefits or afflictions to the first house? Yes, three serious afflictions. One, the ascendant is trine Jupiter in its fall. Two, it is sextile Mars in triplicity and fall. Three, it’s sextile Moon in its fall. These are Not Nice. But the same planets afflict the descendant as well (Jupiter sextiles, Mars trines, Moon trines). Since both “here” and “there” are similarly afflicted, these factors – though all really ugly – don’t tip the balance for or against either place.

So “here” has some natural advantages. At the moment, it seems to be in dire straits but, on the plus side, it seems to be escaping them. Tomorrow, we’ll look at the 7th house and see whether it promises a better future – or a worse one.