Q. I have been living
with and looking after my 89-year-old grandmother
for about three years. I am working part-time
but feeling the financial strain of doing so.
I’m in a committed relationship and have
a strong urge to start my own business now,
to find full-time work, or somehow both, but
daily pressures keep me from this. My grandmother
suffers from dementia and has almost no short-term
memory and now needs someone to look after
her in a much more parental way. I have Power
of Attorney; this house is in my name and everything
to do with it is in my control alone. To say
that I feel burdened would be quite an understatement.
Is this a good time for me to change jobs?
Or is it best to wait and see what happens
with my grandmother before making a decision?
— Impatient Beyond Measure
A. Your natal
Moon–Mars
conjunction straddles your Ascendant in a dynamic
First-Quarter square to your natal Sun–Pluto
(and, by extension, your Virgo–Libra
stellium) in the 9th house, dramatizing your
current dilemma. You
are a fiercely devoted and caring person
but also strongly independent and ambitious.
Your 9th-house planets highlight the importance
of developing significant connections through
a broad range of worldly experiences, something
that your current situation clearly does
not support.
This robust natal planetary pattern
directly involves seven out of ten planets,1 plus
the nodes and the angles of your chart.
Currently, transiting Pluto is making its
way through Sagittarius, stimulating this
configuration and challenging your entire way of life.
Pluto first crosses your natal Moon and then conjoins
each mutable planet and point2 until
December 2008 — so,
naturally you’re feeling torn.
It’s particularly challenging because,
at your age (mid 30s), it’s normal
to be building both a career and a family.
Although you don’t actually say so,
I imagine that at least part of the reason
you’re unmarried is because of this
difficult situation with your grandmother,
which must also strain your relationship.
The
answer to both your questions is yes. Start
your own business, and take care of your
grandmother. With the current planetary
mandate to get moving in a powerful way,
you absolutely cannot put your life on hold
indefinitely. After all, your grandmother
could be around for years more, and time
waits for no one. You don’t want
to wake up in your mid 40s with no relationship, no
career, and no grandmother!
Your family home is a significant
asset. I suggest that you hire well-qualified legal
or financial professionals to outline your options
and to help you figure out how to use your resources
to care for your grandmother and start your own business
before life passes you by. Isn’t that you’re
your grandmother would want for you, too?
As I write this in the summer
of 2003, there’s
clearly no time to waste. By mid November, transiting
Mars in Pisces and transiting Jupiter in Virgo create
a t-square with transiting Pluto in Sagittarius, further
activating your natal placements and demanding that
you move forward with your life. Thankfully, transiting
Pluto will also sextile your natal Midheaven and IC,
on and off through September 2005; so, be bold in creating
your personal and professional goals while the planetary
support is there. Along the way, continue to ask yourself:
How can I use what I’ve got to get what I want?
Now, you go girl!