Need career advice? Consider looking to the stars of your astrological birth chart

Figuring out your next move is often difficult, not least when it comes to your career or purpose. This is something with which US-based keynote speaker, podcaster and author JJ DiGeronimo is familiar.

DiGeronimo worked in the tech industry before shifting to a role in which she strives to help women flourish in their careers. Her work includes two podcasts and three books, the latest of which is Seeking.

“Seeking is about all the energy practices I did to align myself with my life’s work. Energy practices are so powerful at getting clear about who you are and overcoming the stories in your head that say ‘no, not now, you’re not ready, it’s not going to work’. Those stories hold so many people back,” she says.

Our call came after the 2022 launch of her latest book. The conversation entailed learning about her work and Seeking, as well as experiencing her skills. Ahead of speaking to her, I sent her the date, time and location of my birth so she could provide me with an astrological birth-chart reading. 

Also referred to as natal charts, they use the information to determine the position of the planets at the time you were born.

If you have a basic understanding of astrology, this goes beyond your sun sign — your main zodiac sign. Many people believe you have to read your full birth chart to gain deep insight into personality, motivations, desires, strengths and weaknesses.

“The same information is used in practices like human design and gene keys, so there are other tools that use your birth date, time and location to give you insights about who you are,” DiGeronimo explains. “I use the birth chart because I believe that’s your soul’s recipe of why you’re on the planet.

“It’s one of many tools I use to gain additional insight about myself — how I show up in the world. I’m happy to share that information when asked to do so by other people.

“I’m math-minded and astrology is numbers-based. When I discovered astrology, I felt it was the tool that gave me permission to step in and have this next level of conversation.”

As a child, DiGeronimo’s mother explored different spiritual practices, but she didn’t revisit the idea of astrological birth charts until the age of 40. To learn how to interpret them, she went to two teachers for more than a year each.

For her, it’s a great tool when you need new ways of doing things or insights to where you’re going to take your life.

“I’ve started to do birth charts over the last few years because they were instrumental [in stepping] out into things that I was thinking about. I do them for friends and professionals who feel [they] need more insight.”

Of course, there’s no getting around the criticisms of astrology, the most striking of which is its widespread rejection by the scientific community.

When I ask DiGeronimo about her response to these criticisms, her answer is simple: “There are tonnes of tools out there that we can use to better align and understand why we’re here. If this isn’t something that resonates with you, no problem.” Basically, take what works; leave what doesn’t.

As for my reading? It was somewhat overwhelming trying to wrap my mind around unfamiliar terms such as my Chiron and Midheaven, or MC. There was talk of the more familiar sun, but also my moon and rising sign.

There’s not much I could argue with; DiGeronimo hit the nail on the head regarding many aspects of my personality, my interests and what sets my soul on fire, something I find often happens with astrology. The hard part, I suppose, is taking this and translating it practically.

If your interest is piqued, why not give it a try? If for no other reason, it’s a fun, if not innocently vain, endeavour. People love hearing about themselves and with a bit of luck your reading might alert you to new possibilities that could open exciting doors.