Determining the profession in Astrology requires a lot of work by the astrologer. It is even more difficult to fine-tune a profession from a given similar category. It is of big benefit when an astrologer knows different types of Astrology. This presents another angle from which to examine the client’s horoscope and to extract the necessary information.
As I wrote in the article: The Continuity of Astrological Traditions, having the benefit of the experience of many fellow astrologers in history is undoubtedly helpful. However, I also wrote that one cannot expect the ancient astrological books to do the work for them. The books are valuable guides that one can consult. As Ancient Astrology always reflects life and life is so enormous, it is, of course, impossible to cover even a good part of the variations of astrological configurations.
It is here where the training and experience of the Ancient and Chinese Astrology practitioner comes into play. If they are properly trained and possess the necessary skills, they should be able to solve cases which none of the ancient astrological textbooks mention, let alone deal with. They would achieve this by having a firm grasp of the fundamental principles of Astrology and then continuously refining their increasing understanding of the fundamentals.
Fine-tuning the exact profession in Astrology due to the specializations in a given field
The topic I have in mind for this article is that of fine-tuning the profession. Now, determining the profession is the second most difficult topic in Ancient Astrology after calculating the length of life. It is so complex that astrologer must first read the whole natal chart before he/she gets on with the profession.
By fine-tuning of the profession, I mean that either:
- the astrologer has delineated what specific profession/s that native will have,
- or the native has already picked a profession but has not picked/is having difficulty selecting its exact expression
For example, someone is studying to become a medical doctor. Well, there are many types of medical doctors. When the time comes to specialize, that student will need to select 1 or 2 areas out of 20+. Now, everyone who has any experience in delineating the profession using Ancient Astrology, knows that the stars of Mars and Venus are indicative of medical doctors.
Fine-tuning the profession seems to be easier than determining it in broad terms. This is due to the fact that once the astrologer has found the professional signficator/s, they have significantly narrowed down the possible professions. And when the astrologer has determined the planet ruling the profession, then they merely have to narrow down the options/to fine-tune it.
Why fine-tuning the profession is more difficult than determining the profession in Astrology and BaZi
It is more difficult because while the astrologer can always consult the ancient astrological books for what the planets signify when they rule the profession, finding examples of fine-tuning the profession is rare, if present at all. Even when present, it does not cover the variations sufficiently.
Living in the 21st century, when the variations within a given profession have increased a lot, as well as the number of professions from ancient times has decreased, this forces the practitioner of Ancient Astrology and Four Pillars of Destiny to use all the skills at their disposal in order to determine both the profession and then fine-tune it.
Sources for determining the profession in Astrology and BaZi
The most detailed example of descriptions of professions that I know of is given by 9th century Arabic astrologer Abu Bakr, in Persian Nativities Book II translated by Ben Dykes. Yet when one carefully reads through all the professions Abu Bakr gives through the astrological configurations signifying them, it is no where near as helpful as it seems, because what Abu Bakr provides is a very incomplete picture with selected configurations that pertain to the profession. As I said though, one cannot properly determine the profession in Astrology without taking the whole chart into account.
What about determining the profession in BaZi? What do the classical sources say on this? Well, one of the most authoritative BaZi books, the Di Tian Sui (Drips of Heavenly Essence/Drips of Heavenly Marrow/The Heaven Instillation Treasure) says it explicitly that determining the profession is the most difficult aspect of the chart.
I have read parts of other classical Four Pillars of Destiny books, and they give the information in the same way that Abu Bakr does: if you have X and Y in the chart, then you will you have such and such a profession. Again, this is an extremely incomplete approach that often does not work. Of course it does not, since it does not take the whole natal chart into account.
Conclusion
I cannot stress how crucial it is to develop one’s astrological understanding. If one seriously practises Ancient Western Astrology or Four Pillars of Destiny, it is just a matter of time before they run into big difficulties when delineating horoscopes professionally. Just because an ancient astrological book, no matter how famous and useful, does not examine a given matter, pertaining to any topic, does not mean that Ancient Astrology and BaZi cannot solve it.
Over the last 10-15 years, since the Internet became such a tremendous force, there has been this desire to simplify Astrology and market it to more and more people in an easier/more digestible form. This is done to lure in potential students and thus for profit, regardless of the qualifications of the teacher. However, keep in mind that, as the highest science, Ancient Astrology and Chinese Metaphysics are very, very demanding. They take years to learn and the study never ends. There are no short cuts to learning them!
