posted December 22, 2005 03:35 PM              

Having noticed a couple of threads dealing with how astrology can be of help in finding a suitable vocation, I was wondering if anyone might have some ideas as to whether I'm "on the right track" with my choice of profession. Though I'm definitely going to stick with my course of studies (way too far into it to make any changes there, and besides, I like it ...) and am not a total believer in the authority of astrological analysis, it would still be interesting to know what the chart "has to say" regarding my choice, where the possible advantages/disadvantages may lie, etc.
I'm enrolled in Translation Studies and believe that I would enjoy actually working as a translator...

I was born July 10, 1978, at 6:20 PM in Kevelaer, Germany.
Any thoughts, anyone?

posted December 23, 2005 01:29 PM              

Actually, I think that becoming an interpreter in addition to being a translator is something you might want to take a look at.

As we discussed in another thread, you need to do things for others, and a translator is certainly there to help others. Also, with the strong focus in relationships and expansion, also wisdom, this would give you a chance to relate to others and learn from them. In addition, it may be a source for you to develop your power, and with Libra (relationships) modifying Pluto (transformation, also power, control) conjunct (energy is combined with) Midheaven (outer world), you like to be in control of your outer world.

People who come to an interpreter by definition don't understand what is being said to them. They trust the interpreter to interpret things correctly for them and convey their sayings accurately completely. This gives the interpreter a LOT of power over the people they work for AND the situations they are inerpreting for!

Interpretively,

Tim

posted December 28, 2005 11:21 AM              

Can you cut and paste your PORTRAIT table info from astro.com in your post here? I'll take a look. Thanks.

posted January 03, 2006 05:52 PM              

Tim - My personality certainly doesn't predispose me to becoming an interpreter, since I generally prefer working behind the scenes and tend to feel very uncomfortable being the center of attention, unless I know the people involved really well.
An interpreter has to be really good with words orally, be agile and quick, and it sure helps if he/she exudes confidence and is at least somewhat of a "people's person". I fulfill neither of these qualifications to a sufficient extent, despite of what the chart may claim about my being an "outer world person" .
I'm definitely at my best whenever I can work quietly behind my desk, with as little outside intrusion as possible, and I also like having the opportunity to check and re-check what I've produced, which isn't really possible for an interpreter, since everything proceeds so fast, calling for immediate, inalterable results. Interpreting would probably drive me crazy, since I'd keep focusing on the mistakes I've made, rendering it impossible to properly concentrate on that which comes next, which in turn would lead to even more mistakes, and so on, a vicious circle, so-to-speak.

I have another question for you, though, if you don't mind, that I came up with when looking at my planetary placements again: The planet Neptune seems to form almost exclusively stressful aspects to other planets in the chart (squares and the like), how would this be interpreted? Does it mean that I would be exceptionally prone to being deceived or anything of the like?

astro junkie - Alright, here's the table information from astro.com, hope it helps, and thanks in advance!
P.S. I've used their default time system, the use of LMT, as Rev. Alice suggested in an earlier thread, would place both Moon and Mars in the 8th house instead of the 9th, Uranus would be in the 10th, and Neptune in the 12th.

Planetary positions

Sun Cancer 18°05'19 07 direct
Moon Virgo 16°24'34 09 direct
Mercury Leo 12°12'51 08 direct
Venus Leo 28°26'02 08 direct
Mars Virgo 15°07'20 09 direct
Jupiter Cancer 17°53'05 07 direct
Saturn Leo 28°13'16 08 direct
Uranus Scorpio 12°21'52 11 retrograde
Neptune Sagittarius 16°07'14 01 retrograde
Pluto Libra 13°58'25 09/10 direct
Pluto is technically near the end of house 9 and is interpreted in house 10.
True Node Virgo 29°17'44 09 retrograde

posted January 03, 2006 06:14 PM              

You asked:

quote:

---

The planet Neptune seems to form almost exclusively stressful aspects to other planets in the chart (squares and the like), how would this be interpreted? Does it mean that I would be exceptionally prone to being deceived or anything of the like?

---

Having stressful aspects to Neptune (spirituality, also confusion, deception) indicates that you may be deceived by others but most importantly it indicates that you may be confused about yourself and your abilities. This possibility is increased with Neptune square (energy needs to be combined with) Mars (being, also actions), indicating confusion about actions and Neptune focused in the first house (being, also actions).

All these challenges to Neptune indicates you may not be able to assess your own abilities at doing things but, instead, need to try them out and do them before deciding on what is possible and what is not possible.

However, on the helpful side, it DOES tie you into the spiritual world a great deal and make you prone to be able to break down the barriers between you and those around you.

Spritually confusingly,

Tim

posted January 03, 2006 08:47 PM              

If the job as translator/interpreter allows you to use your talents to read people, and allows you to mediate to an extent, then I say you would be using your full potential. You say you are most comfortable behind the scenes, but I think you should be out there getting your props.

posted January 08, 2006 01:10 PM              

Perhaps your comfort zone is where you should stay, and perhaps you need to step out of it. I'm SO much more comfortable expressing myself through writing, and still struggle with expressing myself orally. However... I DID take a course at the university on Speech (Oral Communication) in order to step OUT of my comfort zone.

So surprised to learn some of the statistics, the majority of us are NOT comfortable making a "speech" in front of others. Like 70-80% of us. This is a GOOD thing! It means that the people in the audience are really very empathetic towards the one up their talking.

Well, to make a long story short, you have to imagine that everyone in the audience is as empathetic towards you as you are towards someone up their talking. AND, no one was more surprised than me when I got an "A" for the course. Come to find out, since I was so into communicating effectively on paper, I was able to transfer that care into oral communication as well, and it added up to my practice audience being quite interested in what I was saying.

You know how you feel really uncomfortable around someone who is very nervous when they talk? Well, people will be into what you are saying when you relax.

Anyways, that's my experience, and we have some things in common.

posted January 12, 2006 07:17 PM              

I really think you will surprise yourself. The course I took was for credit at a university, and the course happens to be a core requirement.

posted January 12, 2006 11:29 PM              

If you want to develop your public speaking skills, join a Toastmasters club near you!
http://www.toastmasters.org

Linking,

posted January 13, 2006 06:44 PM              

The German university system is quite different from the American one. Those differences are one reason for there being so many "old" (30+ is not at all unusual!) university students over here. We don't have tuition fees (some exceptions apply in regard to this matter), and studies generally take much longer than they do in the U.S. Courses on speech, however, are not usually part of the curriculum. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea if people were "forced" to take courses teaching them practical speaking skills. It would definitely be a good thing for people like me... Though I can hardly deny the fact that, in a lot of respects, I couldn't possibly be any gladder about NOT having to take a course in which the grade depends entirely on oral work! (Or did you have written tests in that course also, e.g. about the techniques of speaking effectively?)

Tim -

Thanks for the link, I've read everything that's written on that page intently. However, I feel that joining Toastmasters would as of yet be one, if not a few, steps too high for me, as I'm getting the impression that the people participating in those groups are (for the most part, at least) not "beginners", but have probably got some basic experience in public speaking already. If I joined such a group, I'd without much doubt be the least skilled of all members, not exactly a big confidence booster (I hate being last in anything ). It's an option I'll definitely keep open for the future, though, I've already put a marker on that page.
For the more immediate future, I found something that would probably suit me better, namely a loose group of people meeting twice a month to practice things very similar to those Toastmasters is all about. While this group is definitely less "professional" than Toastmasters seems to be, one advantage is that joining is completely free of charge, another one being the fact that the group consists exclusively of people who are somewhere on the continuum between simply being shy and suffering from social anxiety disorder. I believe that I would feel more "at home" in this group, since everyone there has got the same problem.

posted January 14, 2006 02:30 AM              

Whether or not you join Toastmasters doesn't matter...as long as you get out there and get started talking! But, just in case you talk about Toastmasters to others, people who join are NOT professionals and many have NO previous experience in public speaking. They learn by doing and following the exercises in the Toastmasters manuals all in a helpful, supportive club...like the club you have joined!

As to your question about asteroids, I don't use asteroids simply because with 10 planets 2 nodes, and 4 angles of the chart I have QUITE enough to work with! But there is a LOT out there on the Internet on asteroids and asteroid interpretation...in addition to the people on this list who use it. Here are a few links to "Black Moon Lilith" to get you started: http://www.google.com/search?q=black+moon+lilith

Wishing you good luck in your public speaking,

posted January 14, 2006 08:00 AM              

Thanks a lot for the links! I kept looking for a site that would list all the different aspects Lilith can make in a chart, of the kind where it would say "Sun conjunct Lilith - ...", "Moon conjunct Lilith - ...", etc. However, there doesn't seem to be any such site. One of the links had a "funny" explanation, though, saying that "...If you have Lilith conjuncting your sun, moon, rising sign or midheaven of your chart you grab attention when you walk into a room. You are capable of hypnotizing people with your personality. Your magnetism is strong." So much for that, then... Well, at least it gave me something to smile/be amused about!

As for Toastmasters, I know that the members are not professionals in the field of public speaking, and I wouldn't have claimed for them to be in case of talking to someone about the group! (I DID read their website, after all! ) That's exactly the reason why I put "professional" in inverted commas in my previous post. I simply wanted to compare the two groups, and since, with Toastmasters, you have to pay to be a member, they have a manual/manuals to guide them along, in addition to the depiction of people in a business environment on their website, they simply seem to give off a more "professional" feel to me than does the other group.
As for the term "beginners", I also used this for comparison, above all else, since I would imagine the people most inclined to join Toastmasters to be (though not in all cases, of course) those who hold down full-time jobs already and who now want to improve on their communication skills in order to arrive at better chances for promotion, that sort of thing. The great majority of them are probably more or less confident of themselves (at least, so I would imagine, I may be wrong, of course...).
In contrast, with the other group I mentioned, the basic step, even before acquiring actual presentation skills, lies in gradually becoming better at even TOLERATING being the center of attention for any length of time. Consequently, the expectations are probably a lot lower, which should make it easier to get started (at least, so I hope, since I haven't actually joined yet).

Feeling the need to explain ,