In the book, “The Lawyer Bubble: A Profession in Crisis”, the author concludes that while things in the legal profession have degenerated significantly, the greatest negative impact is on those at the margin – attorneys who did not choose the right career in the first place.
The author, Steven J. Harper, goes on to quote Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Archibald MacLeish, who left private (law) practice in 1923. “The law is crowded – interesting – full of despair.”
Astrology is also interesting and full of despair. I often speak with people in anguish and it doesn’t bother me. I am all-in when it comes to this job. I’m not at all squeamish when it comes to dealing with pain and loss, even when it’s epic.
I give this to my packed 8th house, and perhaps to Neptune in Scorpio on my midheaven.
Would you be suited to a profession that exposed you to people in despair? What’s the astrology?
Lots of unhappy lawyers in the world. Most of the m are liberal arts refugees.
Thanks, Kat21. He writes about that in the book. 🙂
I’ve worked as a clinical social worker, astrologer, human design analyst, yoga teacher for many years… Sun in Scorpio in the sixth house… stellium of Neptune, Venus, and Mercury also in Scorpio (5th), Saturn and Jupiter in the 8th, Pisces Chiron on the midheaven opposite Uranus, and Pluto (Virgo) trine Taurus Moon… I no longer do social work after fives years of working with sexually abused 10-14 year old boys. I know the despair of others, but I also have held their hope and was a witness to their healing.
Yes, I’ve been very suited to this kind of work and have felt quite ‘at home’ in it, working in homeless hostels and the like. I attribute it to my Neptune Midheaven in Scorpio, Virgo sun, and Saturn Moon opposition (1st to 7th Houses) in T square with Saturn square Venus. The legal profession has come up on my career aptitude tests in the past, but I don’t think my authority issues (Saturn placements) could have coped with that, I’m too rebellious even if I control it (Sun-Mercury-Mars-Jupiter T square).
I studied for social work and worked with abused women early after college..I hated it. It constantly brought me down and I just despaired at the human condition and how people hurt one another. I was constantly depressed. not for me…Right now I do help people with medications, but usually they are happy with me because I am offering them something they need at no cost. I dont like to hear their stories about their situations, though. I steer their conversations to safe and happy places.
forgot to add, Pisces here, sun, moon and mercury.. no boundaries, maybe thats why I dont like the pain. meds are my forte (neptune)
I really appreciate when people can be truthful about this. I questioned whether or not I wanted to be a therapist after coming close to re-traumatization by some of the stories I was hearing. I am glad that you’re still a helping professional without sacrificing your well-being!
Very much relate to Scott’s comment; ‘I know the despair of others, but …. ‘. I’ve found it to be a privilege and a deep education around level of authenticity. Am a better person for it. Having said that, I (too) now work in other fields, using what I learned, but in other ways.
The happiest person I know is a lawyer. And someone who actually wanted to be a screenwriter, originally. I have no other explanation except a wildly aspected 1st house Pluto for this here. This is someone who just doesn’t thrive in conflict situation, but pretty much needs it. And being an active agent of a change, rather than object, is vital too.
Looking at things from this point of view, I could well manage a job in which I deal with despair too. I do, to an extend, at my current job, and do the best job in situations like this. Pluto, again, but I suppose Capricorn Moon too. I know how to bring concrete solutions to table. I think I will gravitate towards some sort of crisis management when I’ll return to work force.
Well suited, yes–Pluto in 10th sextile Saturn in 8th; Uranus/MC sextile Capricorn Moon provides enough detachment. After months of tests and interviews, I was hired with the local ambulance service before I took my current job, but during a particularly hellish Mercury Rx I couldn’t obtain one last certificate before training’s start date. I was invited to come back during the next round of training (which I took small comfort in) but I couldn’t put it off. I needed to find work as soon as humanely possible. So, I ended up with another job entirely (as a personal assistant).
I have thought about this topic a lot (my suitability for a job like this), because of course many people in my life have had expressed relief I have ended up with another job, one that is more creative. I still think I am well suited on a psychological level. On a practical level, however, I don’t think sitting in one spot for 12 hours, listening to people calling for the ambulance would have been good for me for one specific reason.
As a person who worked for years at a very physically demanding job, I think physical conditions and their impact on workers are greatly underrated. At my current job, but am free to move around as much as I want, go for walks (went down to the beach yesterday) etc. My hours are flexible (left early to go to a medical appointment yesterday, with no wrangling to do beforehand), I break when I like, and my body senses aren’t placed under duress. I can play music if I like. So it isn’t so much the psychological impact that would’ve bothered me; it was being chained to a chair for 12 hours with headphones on and pain coming through.
Top of chart well-occupied, although, I’m not an astrologer and cannot interpret but being a realtor for 17 yrs, I’ve been a character in everybody’s drama. Death, ICU, suicide, ghosts, ghostly-orbs, nightly energies putting stovetops in a microwave and laying wet towels all over the place, bribing Fung Shui Masters, S & M, the boatloads of tears I’ve seen, the anguish of a sudden loss of a child, brother, parent. And, the lies families tell each other.
I think so. I enjoy Tarot reading and love the readings with real problems most. This stuff feeds me… like reading about criminology. I have thought about volunteering for the crisis hotline or the women’s shelter. This stuff just feeds me at the root. (Moon in the 8th)
I am currently volunteering at a place where they provide transitional housing for those who have become homeless. When they entered the program, they had lost their homes, they’re in debt, had no savings, they have at least one kid, and they lost their jobs. Many are single parents who do not get child support. Some have had to prostitute at one time or another. Clients sometimes have to get kicked out for drug usage or because they’re not willing to help themselves over the person who is draining them. Just yesterday, an Aries client shut down. They had a Saturn in Scorpio situation — they met a block and they were very upset. They felt like rat in a maze.
I have Sun, Moon, Mercury, and Mars in the 8th House; Venus aspects Pluto. I also have a lot of Neptune and Capricorn.
I would be suited to a profession that exposed me to people in despair. I would not be able to work in an asylum though. I thought I would’ve liked to be a psychologist or psychiatrist when I was in my teens. I thought I would’ve liked to work with the mentally ill. I don’t think I could work with the mentally ill or disabled. I’ve also considered being an EMT, but I like my sleep. This is one of the reasons I don’t want to be a surgeon.
My job is frequently an “in despair” one– most of the time you don’t come here unless you’re unhappy with something and want us to fix your life. I am so not suited to it at all–I feel drained by all the constant NEEDY NEEDY NEEDY going on and I can’t get anyone to leave me alone and give me some peace. Every time they make me serve the public, the public just keeps coming and coming and coming. I don’t care if it’s stuff I know how to do, but frequently I have no idea what they are even talking about and I have to be an expert on everything. Ugh.
I am also sick of hearing, “I have a question” or “I have a quick question” (hint: no, you don’t). OF COURSE YOU HAVE A QUESTION. YOU WOULD NOT BE HERE UNLESS YOU HAD ONE. WHICH YOU WILL ASK ME EVEN IF I TELL YOU YOU CAN’T ASK ME. So why are you bothering to act like I have an option here?
I have conflicting astrology about this, I have the ruler of my chart Uranus in scorpio in the MC, pluto in the 8th, then I have empathy as a pisces, moon conj neptune, south node pisces.. but moon in sag, i hate drama and lingering in bad things. I have worked with developmentally disabled, and will likely be working in psychiatric hospitals and prisons as a career, as a psych tech nurse.
I have a sotry that may be weird to some, but a few years ago before I worked with developmentally disabled I asked my higher self what kind of work I would be doing, and I saw myself working with D.D. and my first question was “won’t that be too depressing?” and the answer was that I would learn to not empathize so much, I would learn to not compare myself, others have their own destiny and reasons for whatever their path is, and it’s not up to me to feel bad for them. And that has been true.
Computer ate my half-finished comment…grr…
I do now. It’s both what Littlemy said, and also Viviana’s last sentence. I don’t think I’ve got the balance quite right yet though. Extremely saturn/pluto job. Work that didn’t involve depth and despair and drama feels beside the point in a way; it feeds me, I’m meant to be at this raw elemental level. But at the same time it takes a huge cost. I have 1h Pisces and I just DO pick up the despair of the people I’m around, so to do this kind of work means I’m constantly in a state of very actively managing the impact on myself. That management can occupy all my spare time. Better balance is needed, I’m working on it always.
Astrology: Neptune conj MC in Scorpio. Pluto/Ur in 7th in Virgo opp Sat/Chiron/Ceres in 1h, sq Sun in h10. Venus in 12th.
I worked as a clinical social worker in health care, and I met a lot of very ill people who were quite stuck in toxic emotional / physical /relationship patterns. I was told by a supervisor that in my care they’d either change very quickly or want to kill themselves!
Virgo stellium (Mars, merc, sun) and Scorp moon allow me to discern the deepest, ugliest, possibly secretive crux of a situation very quickly, and articulate it in a fairly blunt manner with practical suggestions to fix things. I can detach, though the work sometimes takes a toll on me physically.
Based on my supervisor’s comment, I went into palliative care. Everyone dies, so there is not a lot of bullshit. People want to get to the essence of things quickly, and make amends (if that is required) quickly, and the whole “I’m-too-proud/busy/scared/lazy -to-change” attitude generally drops shortly after the diagnosis is accepted, if it is. If there is no shift in attitude, or a ton of denial, I am also very good at listening to angry people talk about how hard they’ve had it and why life isn’t fair. I have Saturn square my Virgo stellium, so I get frustration, anger and feeling hard done by!
I may sound harsh, but my Taurus ascendent makes me appear soft, gentle and plodding and I can act this out to the fullest when it is necessary to do so.
and that is exactly what those people need virgovixen. me, it would hurt too much to hear it, I would help them float along that river of denial, but it is not what they need. ..no , the stuff i’m made of is not gonna help those people…I know there is so much pain and hurt and wrong in the world, that i couldnt handle..I thank god every day of my life that my children were born with all 10 toes ,fingers and brain matter they needed…I couldnt have handled less..my husband and I both worked 50 hrs a week, and on my days off, I tried to put the fantasy of life and fun and sense of adventure in their lives that I had as a child of the fifties….god, it was hard!
No, mine is public school and college teaching. All EGO. I’m so sick of working with EGO freaks. As a Pisces, I would rather work with those in despair, so I could help BOOST their spirits AND EGOS, than arrogant, controlling, narcissistic EGOS. But then again, I don’t know, what’s worse, EGO or depression? Either way, they’re both addictions.
No, mine is public school and college teaching. All EGO. I’m so sick of working with EGO freaks. As a Pisces, I would rather work with those in despair, so I could help BOOST their spirits AND EGOS, than arrogant, controlling, narcissistic EGOS. But then again, I don’t know, what’s worse, EGO or depression? Either way, they’re both addictions. Of course my ascendant is Leo (EGO), so I can run but not hide.
Linda, I have also taught at the university level and I can tell you that the ego is worse than depression in my humble opinion! The egoist just goes blah blah blah all the time and tries to manipulate. The depressive does this too, but at some point usually in a couple of years reaches “rock bottom” and the only place to go is (humbly) up. The egoist can stay stuck for DECADES if nothing knocks the floor out from under them. What I find detrimental about both types is when they tend to blame others for their predicaments. Please.
I work with war-torn countries so I try to help people get past despair and have hope. I have a Virgo stellium (sun, Merc, Pluto, Uranus) and my sun is in the 12th house. I feel that I was born to do this work.