Can Astrology Help You Find Your Life Purpose?
The surprising meaning of empty houses in your birth chart, how to discover your destiny, and more!
Hi, I'm Juliana, a full-time Vedic astrologer. Subscribe for free to receive my monthly astrology forecasts and calendars. Upgrade to a paid subscription to receive all of my articles, including special astrology guides and more!
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Welcome to the sixth installment of my Astral Asks column!
Here, I answer questions that I receive from clients. It's a chance to share the softer, more personal part of my work with you. If you enjoy the informal conversational tone here, you might also appreciate my chat feature for paid subscribers, where you can ask me questions or take part in discussions with others.
In today’s article, I'm tackling a common question about how to use Vedic Astrology to understand your purpose in life. This information is shared with permission, and I've changed certain details to protect the person's privacy.
Dear Juliana,
I had a milestone birthday recently, and I've been reflecting on my life and accomplishments. Or, lack of accomplishments, I should say.
I work part-time at a boring job. I spend the rest of my time caring for my elderly mother (my dad has passed away, and my mother is in poor health, so she needs a lot of help). I love my mother, and I will always help her, but this isn't what I imagined my life would be.
After my birthday, I was studying my birth chart, and I noticed that my Tenth House of career is empty, but I have three planets (Mars, the Sun, and Mercury) in my Fourth House of the family and the mother. This made me feel very disappointed. When I was younger, I thought I would find a grand purpose for my life. I imagined that I would have a big career that allowed me to be creative, make a difference, or earn a lot of money.
But my chart suggests that instead of having a meaningful career, I will spend the rest of my life taking care of my mother. Is this accurate? Can astrology help me find a purpose for my life?
Sincerely,
Feeling the Birthday Blues
Dear Feeling the Birthday Blues,
I'm so sorry to hear that you're feeling this way! Milestone dates can be really hard, and it's common to feel depressed after an important birthday. Fortunately, I think I can offer some astrological wisdom that might improve your mood.
To answer your main question, astrology can help you find purpose and meaning in life. In fact, one of the most common questions that my clients ask is “What is my purpose?” or “What am I meant to do in life?” So, I have a good deal of experience using astrology to guide people in this way!
Since I don't have your birth chart, I can't provide you with a full analysis of your purpose. But, I can say that your empty Tenth House is not as bad as you think it is!
In traditional Vedic astrology, practitioners analyze nine grahas: the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu, and Ketu. Each birth chart has twelve houses. As a result, everyone will have some empty houses in their birth charts. Since Mercury and Venus are never that far from the Sun, most people will have a lot of empty houses in their charts!
An empty house does not mean that you will fail to reach success in the area of life represented by that house. In fact, many famous and successful people have no planets in their Tenth House of career. Astrological analysis is based on a lot more than just the specific planets that are in each house. Instead, to analyze a particular house, an astrologer must look at the planet that rules that house, the aspects the house receives, and many additional factors.
Again, without your complete birth chart, I can't give you a full analysis of your Tenth House. But I do notice that you have three planets in your Fourth House. Every planet casts an aspect on the house that is directly opposite that planet.
Since the Fourth House is directly across from the Tenth House, the three planets in that part of your chart all cast aspects on your Tenth House. Thus, your Tenth House receives energy from the Sun (representing the soul, power, and authority), Mars (focus and courage), and Mercury (intellect and speech).
This is a very powerful combination! People with similar karmic energy can become business owners, writers, CEOs, engineers, artists, and actors. Thus, your birth chart shows that you could have a significant, meaningful career.
If you feel comfortable, I would suggest getting a reading with me or another astrologer who could discuss your career options and give you a full analysis of your Tenth House and overall birth chart. Receiving a more nuanced view of your birth chart could help you understand that you are a valuable, worthy person with great potential.
In addition to receiving a professional consultation, I would encourage you to take a broader view of your life purpose. In the United States, people often focus on career, money, and status as an indicator of worth. But our purpose as human beings is so much more than that! Being a good friend, taking care of your loved ones, raising children, and volunteering are all important activities that do have value and meaning.
Even though you're not currently working in your dream job, you are already living a meaningful life. By caring for your mother, you're making a difference in the world. Your dedication to her care is very admirable, especially since you didn't envision your personal journey going this way.
Often, life isn't about finding one grand, singular purpose, but steadily working to make the world a better place in smaller, more achievable ways. During a professional reading, an astrologer can help you identify your passions and find ways that you can achieve more meaning and direction in your life.
Again, thank you so much for writing to me and sharing your thoughts. I hope that my response helps you feel more optimistic about the future and gives you an idea of how to find your life purpose (or purposes!) with astrology.
Warmly,
Juliana
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