Q. I
have recently been laid off after 17 years.
My boss is retiring on June 30, my last day,
and the department is being collapsed. I am
the only other person in the department. It
was in a bureaucracy and not personally rewarding.
I have a severance package of a few months,
15 at most. I hope to be employed again soon,
but my age (54) is a factor. I have considered
starting a business in Web creation and design,
but practically speaking, I have very little
experience in this high-tech field. What influences
will either aid or hinder my way toward employment?
Is a new job on the horizon? If so, when is
it most likely to manifest?
— Web
Goddess in Training
A. What
a timely, though complicated opportunity you
have now. The planets are propelling you toward
major changes; the challenge is to maintain
financial security while re-orienting your
career to do more than just pay the rent. You
are so ready!
In December, you begin a new 30-year cycle
of development
1 (progressed New
Moon). This rebirth is a fortuitous time of
new beginnings. During the first 3–5
years of your new cycle, you will “seed” your
life with possibilities that grow as the cycle develops.
It’s now time to prepare the ground; visualize
how you want your life to be, and begin to create it.
Your chart shows that you’re more than ready
for this huge shift, even though it’s scary (solar
arc MC conjoining natal Pluto). Security issues loom
large from late 2003 through 2005 (transiting Pluto
conjoining natal IC).
2 Plan
well to create the life you want, but remain flexible.
It’s extremely important for you to align
your actions with your vision for a new life.
If you do not lose faith in yourself, you will
make the right choices and find your true path
(transiting Neptune square natal Sun through
November 2005). Connect with “higher
powers” in whatever way works for you;
pray, meditate, or take walks by the ocean
regularly, and use this practice to reinforce
your vision.
As far as a new career direction goes, you may be on
target with the idea of becoming a Web designer. Your
natal Uranus in the 10th house of career shows a potential
affinity for the high-tech world. A cardinal t-square
defines the structure of your entire chart (Uranus
square Venus in the 1st opposite Jupiter and the Moon
in the 4th); thus, your challenge is to balance the
need for security with your entrepreneurial and artistic
spirit.
Develop a multifaceted action plan. First, do the intense
market research mandatory for any would-be entrepreneur,
and also consider the benefits and disadvantages of
working for an existing firm. Investigate the opportunities
that exist in Web design, and see whether the business
suits you. If you discover that it’s not the
right career, continue to search high-tech possibilities
until you find something that grabs you and holds promise.
Next, investigate training programs, and figure out
how you’ll pay the rent in the meantime — perhaps,
some temp work along with beginning Web design assignments.
Your original career choice was a safe but boring one.
Imagine how it would feel to wake up each morning excited
about your work. Even in this difficult economic environment,
it’s now time to live the potential promised
in your chart for a creatively challenging career.
Go for it!