How our career and legacy manifest in our horoscope
by Pamela McDonough
From the Eastern outlook of Jyotish (Vedic astrology), our horoscope represents a snapshot of the karmic bank balances in all areas of our lives. These are the karmas that are ready to be experienced, or our prarabdha karma. According to Sri Swami Sivananda, “Prarabdha is that portion of the past karma which is responsible for the present body.”Each of the 12 houses of the horoscope has significant and specific meanings related to our life experience and our prarabdha karma. However, only the tenth house, the house of karma, has the ability to powerfully influence us and our actions.
The tenth house of karma is what we are known for in this lifetime. If we view this house with a narrow field of vision, it could be analyzed to understand our career. More broadly, the tenth house represents what we will be remembered for in our community and society: our legacy.
Planets that are placed in our tenth house at birth have a significant pull on us to “do” our karmas. They will literally tug at us to connect with their energy and the meanings and actions that they induce. For example, a strong Sun in the tenth house can give amazing leadership capability and provide us with the impetus and ability to work in high-level positions within organizations or government. Whether or not this will manifest depends upon the remainder of the horoscope.
Venus in the tenth house can manifest as tremendous gifts in the artistic, beauty or design fields. Mars is excellent for the role of the protector, as police officer or member of the military. A wise counsel member, such as a judge, coach or mentor, would have a healthy influence of Jupiter. Mercury in the tenth can point to an excellent communicator or marketing guru. And someone with Moon in the tenth may work with the public or primarily with women.
One example of how planets in our horoscope can predict our gifts is Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who had Sun and Mercury in Cancer, in the tenth house. She spent much of her life in the public eye, campaigning on her husband’s behalf after he announced his candidacy. During this time, she also wrote a weekly syndicated newspaper column called “Campaign Wife,” and later worked in publishing and editing. Her life experience strongly represented the strength of this combination of Sun (fame and name) and Mercury (writer and editor) in the tenth house.
Each planet or combination of planets placed in the tenth house will create unique outcomes or life trajectories, thus creating a magnetic pull on our consciousness. The relationship between the tenth house, the rest of our horoscope, and our life experience is complex, however, anyone who is struggling with career or finding their life’s work could consult an experienced Vedic astrologer. The astrologer would look closely at the tenth house in order to determine the issue and find the solution. Once the root cause is identified, practical suggestions can be offered to help you realize your path and overcome obstacles.
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