A woman asked me whether she should give up her work and go into Full Time Healing. http://www.astronor.com/healing.gif

My answer was no - she would do better in thinking twice. Not underestimating her healing abilities. I passed judgement on retrograde Mars in the ascendant, Neptune on the Midheaven, Lord of the 10th - Saturn, being with the South Node in the 4th, lastly the Moon is cadent and in a fixed sign.

I do believe this was the correct verdict, however it seems proper to examine whether the astrological principles and energies involved have been understood in a correct manner.

Neptune culminating could be the spiritual or self-sacrificing nature of her mission and call. The lord of the 10th, Saturn with the South node in Virgo in the 4th, could indicate her treating the weakness and worn among the elderly. The Moon is located with Chiron, the teacher and healer. And the exaltation degree of Mars is on the cusp of the 8th with Mars in his own triplicity [in a nocturnal chart!] in the terms of Jupiter!!, retrograde and on the ascendant.

Retrograde - is this what healing is about? Turning the energy-currents in the opposite direction of traditional therapy/medicine & surgery.

In either case it could be that her healing qualities were indcated but that the venture would not prove a financial success, or that there could be a conflict or the energy demand would prove detrimental. But do feel free to comment!

Hi, Andrew

I was looking at this chart, and since I posted to you on how I interpreted Mars retrograde on the ascendant, I thought I might as well let you know what I saw in the rest of the chart as well.

"A woman asked whether she should give up her work and go into full-time healing."

This is the Northernmost chart I have ever read! You should see how many times I scratched out the degrees on the house cusps as I transferred it to my notebook. I'm just not used to seeing Saturn over four houses!

And I found I needed to rethink my chart-reading strategies for that reason. There are two quesiteds in this chart: the current job, and the healing profession. My first instinct is to take the tenth for the current job, and the ninth for the job for which the querent is training. They are both ruled by Saturn. But I felt I had to abandon Saturn as a significator of both quesiteds, since the question demands that one be preferred over the other, and if both are Saturn, both are identical.

I retained Saturn as Lord of the tenth house, which I took to represent the current job. Saturn rules fully a third of the chart, and conjuncts the South Node, posited in the fourth. Whether the querent presently works as an employee (tenth house) or as a contractor, (seventh), Saturn signifies both. I think it is a good thing Saturn is not active in this chart (by that I mean no aspects to the Moon, no changes), since he conjuncts the South Node and therefore indicates both problems and loss. Posited in the fourth house, he represents outcome. Loss of partnership, inheritance, training and employment are a little too much to risk at once, most would feel.

The sign on the ascendant being Cancer, Moon represents both the querent and the action of the chart. Nothing ambiguous there.

Alternate significators for healing include: Venus, benefic; Jupiter, benefic; Mars, surgery (unlikely for a nontraditional healer, although I have heard of shamanic "surgery"); Sun, Apollo; and Mercury (Hermes Trismegistus).

Moon is separating from aspects to Mercury and Venus, and does not aspect either Saturn or Mars in her current sign.

She is also tantilizingly out of orb of aspects to Jupiter and Sun, leaving her in a temporarily "void" state.

This casts us into the appropriately "alternative mode" of reading the chart for antiscia. Mercury (Hermes Trismegistus) casts his antiscion to the cusp of the tenth house. That house being in a fixed sign, ruled by a planet with no aspect to the Moon in the current sign, I would say she will remain in her current job; but the antiscion indicates opportunities to work her healing on the side, or in quiet conjunction with her present work.

So far, the charts I have seen perfect by antiscia tend to have very origninal or innovative solutions.

In answer to the first part of the question: Leave the current job? No.
In answer to the second part: Do find a creative way to be productive with healing without being full-time. The way is clear to do this.

I welcome your comments!

Well wishes,

Pam