Impatient Beyond Measure - Caring for my grandmother with dementia is straining me to my limit!

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!