Astrology tends to be a highly contested topic. Whilst some people make major life decisions based purely on their horoscope, others dismiss star signs altogether. But whether you believe in it or not, astrology is important to many of us. And despite often being labelled as fake, many people have found at least some truth in their horoscope. But how does astrology affect our career prospects? To find this out, we must first learn more about what astrology actually is.
What is Astrology?
Astrology studies how our lives are affected by celestial bodies, such as the moon, sun and stars. Its origins can be dated back to 6000 BC when the Sumerians first discovered the movement of planets and stars. These findings allowed the Babylonians to develop astrological charts based on these movements, to predict the future.
The oldest of these charts to be discovered dates back to around 1700 BC. But astrology as we know it today is credited to the ancient Greeks. Using the Babylonian astrological charts, combined with the work of Egyptian astrologer Ptolemy, they developed the zodiac signs that we all recognise. Astrological charts were used to predict how these signs were affected by the movement of celestial bodies, which is exactly what astrologers do today.
In its early years, astrology was held in the same regard as astronomy. But when science and religion began operating separately in the lead up to the renaissance period, astrology was caught in the middle. Not considered a religion, and no longer considered a science, people stopped valuing astrology. The growing popularity of modern science in the age of Enlightenment appeared to add the final nail in the coffin of astrology. But in the 20th century, the first newspaper horoscope column allowed astrology to make a come-back. And astrology is becoming even more popular today thanks to millennials, who use the internet and apps to find detailed information about their star, sun and moon signs.
How Does Astrology Affect My Career?
Since astrology has such a big impact on our personalities, it makes sense that it should be a significant factor when deciding which career path to follow. For example, Taurus tend to be very in touch with their creative side. So to excel in a career, they should choose a role which allows their creativity to flourish, such as copywriting or social media marketing. Virgo’s on the other hand, are usually more logical, so they should choose a career that will test their analytical skills. A role in project management or accounting would be perfect for them.
Our star signs play a role in shaping our health too. Medical astrologists can use an individual’s birth chart to discover a number of things, including the person’s bodily strengths and weaknesses, which diseases they may be prone to and potential nutritional deficiencies. Whilst you should not use medical astrology to diagnose yourself, it can still be of use to you. It can show you any potential health problems you may be facing now or in the future. You will be able to use this knowledge to reduce the risk of these issues — and using your birth chart to look after both your health and your career. Mental and physical health can seriously affect an employee’s productivity. The average worker loses 8 days of work a year as a result of unproductivity due to poor health. So protecting our health is the best way to protect our careers.
Fire Signs: Aries, Leo and Sagittarius
Fire signs tend to be energised and extremely passionate. This intense passion is truly unique to fire signs. It’s a charming trait, and it’s one of the biggest strengths of their personalities. They tend to do well in roles which require public speaking, especially when they are required to be persuasive. The passion and dedication that fire signs possess makes it impossible for anyone to say no to them. But this passion can sometimes turn into anger, which can cause a few problems. Anger at work can seriously harm your relationships with colleagues. And who can blame them? I wouldn’t want to be friends with the co-worker who shouted at me for bringing the wrong spreadsheet to the meeting either. Employees who let their anger get the best of them in the workplace tend to have worse reputations, which can lead to them being passed on for promotions and major projects.
Unmanaged anger can create a whole host of health problems too, including increased blood pressure and anxiety. Fire signs should take the time to learn how to manage their anger. Fortunately, there are many coping mechanisms that they can use. Pausing and counting to ten is a great technique and reduces the likelihood of saying or doing something impulsive. Or they could try putting the energy of their anger into something else, like exercise or painting.
Fire signs can also be highly competitive. This can often be great for their careers. Employers love workers who have drive and ambition. By being competitive, fire signs show their employer that they are dedicated and they like to aim high. But remember, there’s no “I” in team. Fire signs who become too competitive often struggle to keep healthy relationships with their colleagues. No one wants to be friends with someone who is always trying to best them in every single way. Fire signs should try to use their competitive nature in a healthy way. For example, using your competitive nature against yourself rather than others ensures that you can improve your work performance, whilst protecting your friendships too.
Earth Signs: Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn
Earth signs are celebrated for their strength and independence. They’re also the most dependable sign. Whenever anything goes wrong, people often turn to earth signs for help. Their strong and authoritative nature is perfect in a time of crisis. And an earth sign will always respond to these calls for help since they are born with a sense of duty towards others. This can be great in the workplace. They’re true natural leaders, who put the success of the team and the company ahead of their own personal gain. This is something that won’t be missed by their employers. But it isn’t always great for their health. Expectations to be constantly strong come from both themselves and those around them. This can take its toll on earth signs, although they probably won’t admit it. This can be especially dangerous for their mental health, as they may become reluctant to speak out and get the help they need.
It can even be dangerous for their physical health too. Since earth signs tend to be stubborn , they often refuse the help of others. For example, Taurus’ tend to be reluctant to see doctors, as they prefer to solve problems by themselves. Obviously, this can be highly dangerous, since so many things can go wrong if illnesses go diagnosed. So earth signs, remember: it’s okay to seek help, and you don’t need to be strong all the time. The world (and the workplace) won’t fall apart if you take some time to heal yourself.
Air Signs: Aquarius, Gemini and Libra
Air signs are the most social out of all of the elements. Since they’re so diplomatic, they can get on with almost anybody. This means they’re often the life of the party, and it also explains why many great leaders tend to be air signs. They tend to be great mediators, so an air sign is the perfect person to quell a workplace dispute. They’re also very social creatures, and can become very lonely and depressed if they spend too much time working independently. But to ensure that they’re able to build strong friendships with their colleagues, they must learn to open up. Despite being good communicators, air signs tend to be closed off and hard to read. If you’re an air sign and you’re struggling to open up, be honest about how you feel. This will give your friends and colleagues the patience to wait for you, and you can begin to open up at your own pace.
The greatest weakness of an air sign tends to be their indecisiveness. As an air sign myself, I understand how toxic this trait can be. It might not sound like such an awful characteristic, and it isn’t always. Whilst it’s frustrating when I take hours to decide which takeaway I want, it certainly doesn’t have drastic, life-changing consequences.
However, it can be bad for your health. Being indecisive can cause stress, which often leads to bigger health problems like anxiety and heart disease. It can also be a problem at work, since being indecisive can stop you from pushing the boat out and taking risks. And employees who play it safe tend to not advance as far in their career as their risk-taking peers. If you want to become more decisive, the best advice I can give you is to stop aiming for perfection. You might make the wrong decision sometimes, but that’s okay. Don’t let this fear stop you from moving forward with your life.
Water Signs: Pisces, Cancer and Scorpio
Water is shaped by what surrounds it, and water signs are shaped by who surrounds them. These signs tend to let their lives be defined by their closest friends and family. Whilst this shows the intense love and dedication of water signs, it isn’t healthy. Allowing others to influence your personality and outlook on life to such an extent is dangerous. Not only does it mean that you don’t value your own identity, but it shows your employer that you’re just one of the crowd. To advance in your career, you need to stand out. The only way you can do that is by being yourself. So don’t try to get ahead by imitating someone else, no matter how successful they may be.
Water signs should also watch out for competitive colleagues. If others know how easily manipulated you are, they may decide to take advantage of you for their own personal gain. But not every colleague is out to get you, so don’t close off to others completely. You should still let people in — you just need to learn who to trust.
Water signs are also known for their intense emotions. If a water sign is happy, everyone will know it. There’s nothing better than a happy water sign, they can absolutely make your day. But on the other hand, if they’re processing negative emotions, being around them can feel like you’re in a whirlwind. This hypersensitivity brings out all the best parts of water signs — their love, compassion and creativity. But it can also be harmful, for both themselves and others. Highly sensitive people can react negatively to events both physically and emotionally. Some physical reactions include headaches, nausea and trouble sleeping.
Being highly sensitive also makes it difficult to maintain relationships with your colleagues. People may find your emotions intense, and you may be turning your office bestie into your therapist without even realising it. Make sure you establish clear boundaries with your colleagues, since some people may not be comfortable being so open with their emotions. And if you ever find that your emotions become too much to deal with, consider seeing a therapist. You’ll benefit from talking things through with a professional, and you’ll also gain some healthy coping mechanisms to deal with intense emotions.
Want to Find Out More?
With astrology, you can get into as much detail as you like. If you want an in-depth analysis of how astrology affects both your health and career, consider creating a birth chart. Cafe Astrology will create you one for free, and they’ll even tell you what each section means in great detail. So take the time to learn more about yourself, and discover how to excel in your career.
Written by Siobhan Kelly
Siobhan is a recent Sociology graduate, with a passion for writing. Her degree has given her experience researching a range of topics relating to the Sociology of both physical and mental health. She has a particular interest in understanding the effect that body image has on mental health.
