by Robert Wilkinson
A dear friend asked “Don’t know if this is outside the scope of the Aquarius Papers, but if you ever felt like doing a piece on where to begin looking/planning for a new career/life change - you'd have at least one person interested in reading it. I guess it would have to be a pretty general type of thing, but l think a lot of people have a hard time just getting started/oriented.” This is certainly a universal issue, since shifting jobs, careers, or any other major life change can occur at any point, for a variety of reasons. So let’s explore some things about moving into a new job, career, or life.
I first gave parts this to you many years ago. In reinventing your life or career, there are many parts to the equation, both practical and astrological. I believe these two must be considered together, since “real world” considerations are paramount, with astrological factors pointing us in the right directions and offering us the right time to begin our studies, or make the leap into a new job or career.
In part 2 we’ll discuss various astrological factors indicating our most natural work, service, and profession, since each of us has our own specific vision conditioned by who we think we are relative to our world. That involves the sign on each house, and which planets occupy which sector of our maps. Some of us are more suited to public work, others private. Some are more suited to individual work, while others are more suited to collective work. Some are better in the interpersonal realm, while others are not.
1. Open Your Imagination and Make Your Lists
The first step in moving into a larger, more fulfilling life and work is to imagine which would be interesting, maybe even fun to do. The world needs lots of people skilled in lots of things, and the good part of it is that everything can serve as a bridge to help us to find how to do something well which could fulfill us and give us a sense of having done good service. Ask yourself what would be enjoyable to work at where you can learn new skills and new understanding, in a place with co-workers we can get along with, and feel fulfilled for accomplishing significant personal growth.
This also means we have to find something appropriate to our personality. That also is a combination of our birth chart tendencies and the beliefs we’ve learned which shape our expectations. What is desirable and what is possible may not ever meet, but if we ask our heart for inspiration and guidance to find something ideal for us, then we’ll be able to keep our eyes on the prize. To facilitate the process, we have to make a couple of lists.
We need to write down different jobs we’ve done well in the past. What did we learn? What did we do? What did we produce? What did we realize? We have all acquired practical skills along our life path. Take a look at the evolution of what you’ve done from youth to now. That will give you a sense of what you’ve learned along the way, and what you were able to do.
The second list is the many things we always wanted to do but never got around to doing. It might be gardening, it might be welding, it might be law, or one of the medical tech skills, or project management. We all have dreamed of what we might do if we could. Some things might seem like a good thing, but we may not really want it enough to do the work to learn about it and master it.
2. Open To Learning, Do Your Research, and Be Receptive to Signs Pointing the Way
After we make our list of things we might like to do, then we have to be realistic knowing that whatever is worth doing will probably require some degree of time and effort. That means taking a look at our skills, specializations, inclinations, likes, prejudices, and willingness to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes. However, if something could be a source of income, happiness, and a growing natural sense of fulfillment, it’s worth the effort.
Sometimes we easily recognize when something is a good fit for us, while other times we don’t see our part clearly, because we don’t know much about what we haven’t done. That’s why taking the time to research the larger possibilities is important to update our knowledge of what’s out there, what people want, what various businesses want, and if we want to imagine doing any of those things.
When we take an inventory of our skills, what we did well and liked to do in the past, and take a wider view of how we might fit into a team, we realize that we want something where we can transfer certain skills we learned in a prior time to our new role in life. Organizational and analytical skills are useful in all kinds of jobs and professions!
Once we have a sense of what we’ve done and what we might like to do, then we have to program our mind consciously to be receptive to all possible impressions related to opportunities to begin something new. We have to be consciously open rather than closed when seeking a new job or life. I’ve found it helps to have an attitude that “we don’t know yet but are open to seeing” since a receptive “emptiness” can be filled, whereas closed windows and doors don’t let much in. I’ve also found that those who are receptive always find something which is perfect for them in that moment.
If we stay on the alert for opportunities to try something new which seems like it might be fun and we could make money and learn something we want to learn, then we open to possibilities and perceptions which could lead us in the direction of our highest good. Here it’s important to remember not to reject a perfectly good opportunity even if it seems “not good enough” or not exactly perfect for what you believe you want, since it just might lead you to your next career!
In that sense, it doesn’t matter how many doors we’ve knocked on, or how many times we’ve been rejected, or how many times something didn’t work out in the past. Eventually we’ll find the right door with the right people, but only if we’re open to the unusual and have a positive attitude when the opportunity arrives. When it does, remember you’re there to learn, you’re there to grow, and you’re there to embrace a different life with different skills than you did before.
3. Don’t Clutch, Don’t Fear the Journey, and Relax Into Doing Something New
One reminder, though – if it’s not true for us, we’ll never be able to hang on to it for very long. Maybe we’ll learn for a while, but eventually we’ll move on. These are not failures. We simply learned what we needed to learn and get to move on with grace. Whether we can incorporate the old into the new is up to individual circumstances. And we’ll always have the opportunity to learn new skills and understandings that will help us in our next job, profession, or chapter of life.
It should be a joyous thing we move into, something that can provide us a maximum possible growth in ways that will naturally improve us. That implies if we’re not loving the adventure of learning about what we’re shifting to, we probably shouldn’t go there. Again, though, sometimes what doesn’t work in one area would work perfectly in another area. Here being open to different functions within a profession, or different methods to do what you’re already good at can also open doors.
To maintain the love of doing something and not burning out too quickly, or feeling too much weight too fast, try not to lumber anything down with excess expectations too soon. Don’t resist or overlook perfectly good opportunities because they don’t conform to your prejudices and expectations. You wouldn’t plant corn expecting it to look like anything like corn until a few months down the road.
Try that approach with a new hobby, a new attitude, a new job, a new professional direction, or any new life initiative. Take it easy at first, try to get a sense of the larger “lay of the land,” and be creative in embracing new skills and perspectives that will ease the way into the new life.
A proper sense of time helps, so try to create a timeline where you can see when things should be set into motion, and when they should stand accomplished. This will help you craft a plan, so that you don’t waste time spinning your wheels or getting frustrated because you’re not able to grow grapes in a battle zone. Remember that there is no failure, only the realization that you’re in motion and haven’t found what you’re looking for. That’s also why you can’t allow frustration, negativity, or impatience tempt you to “push the river,” since it never works.
So to sum this up, I believe getting clear about what has been, what is, and what could be a more fulfilling life, job, or profession is attainable. As we cultivate an attitude of openness, willingness, positivity, and perseverance, we find ourselves on a journey which will inevitable lead us to some form of our ideal. If it isn’t, we’ll move on to something closer to our ideal. If it is, then we have found our way to a new job, profession, or life.
© Copyright 2022 Robert Wilkinson
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