Your horoscope is less likely to show what you will do in life, and more likely to show what you won’t. There are no definitive astrological signatures to show the path you will take. Instead, as Robert Hand notes in Horoscope Symbols, what you choose to do with your life is usually based on an interplay of chart themes, environmental and circumstantial opportunities and plain old free will. Career choice cannot be linked to any one planet, point or placement. This said, there are certain areas of the astrology chart that can give a clear indication.

Studying the horoscopes of three well-known healers reinforces this idea. While no specific signature says a person is likely to pursue a career in health or therapy, there are certain sign and planet combinations that have a greater propensity for this kind of expression. To showcase this, we’ll explore the charts, lives and professional careers of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Deepak Chopra and Louise Hay.

Before going further, let’s look at how career or vocation is described in a birth chart. Through blending dominant themes, like your Sun, Moon and Ascendant sign plus the qualities of the Midheaven and the 10th House, an astrologer can understand what you are most likely to feel comfortable with. Planets found in the 10th House, especially those close to the angles (MC or IC), also come into play.¹

Your public self

The Midheaven is that part of your chart (usually found near the top) which forms one of the main “angles”. It is displayed by the letters MC, and will almost always be found in Houses 8-11. Together with the Asc/Dsc axis, which shows the horizon line in the place you were born, the MC/IC axis shows the point in local space where the Ecliptic and Prime Meridian meet.

The MC describes your public self and reveals those qualities you willingly show others. It also describes what you want to become. Frank Clifford, author of The Midheaven: Spotlight on Success, explains how the sign (and any planets) on the Midheaven describe your reputation, public image, personal definition of success and deep-seated drives to make a professional contribution to your world.

The 10th House and the Midheaven

Some astrologers equate the Midheaven with the cusp of the 10th House. Depending on the house system used, the MC and 10th House cusp may be the same. This means there is no need to distinguish between the qualities of the MC and the sign on the cusp of the 10th House.

Other astrologers, using equal and whole sign house systems, project the 10th House cusp (describing work/profession) from the Ascendant. Therefore, the Midheaven may or may not fall into the same sign as the 10th sign from the Ascendant.

When you express what comes naturally, success is often the outcome.

From an interpretive point of view, this allows for an important distinction. The sign on your 10th House cusp often accurately describes the kind of work you do, whereas the Midheaven reveals a much more sensitive point that describes not only what you might aspire to become, but also when major life transitions are likely to occur.

You will see this in the charts in this article, where major dynamic influences to the Midheaven coincide with periods of professional change. In the case of Louise Hay, you will also see how the sign on the cusp of the 10th House points to activities which have earned her an income but do not describe the core essence of who she has become in the same way as the sign ruling her MC.

Chiron, wounds and healing

We’ll also explore the relevance of Chiron. Since its discovery in 1977, Chiron has been associated with themes of woundedness and healing. It’s common to find this celestial body prominent in the charts of individuals who choose to work as therapists, as well as those who undergo painful life experiences that lead them to heal or serve. Often outsiders in some way, those with Chiron prominent tend to challenge the status quo.

Chiron features strongly for both Deepak Chopra and Louise Hay, and it is easy to see how this influence manifests in their lives. But first let’s look at Elisabeth Kübler-Ross.

“Dying is something we human beings do continuously, not just at the end of our physical lives on this earth.” ~ Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross was a Swiss-born American psychiatrist instrumental in pioneering the concept of providing counselling to the dying. She is best known for her work on death, and had a huge impact on how health professions treat the experience of death and dying.

Kübler-Ross’s first book, On Death and Dying, famously described five stages of grief that have become cornerstones of Western psychotherapeutic practice. She had a profound impact on palliative care in the West, arguing that death should be considered a normal stage of life and openly discussed. She offered strategies for helping patients and their families as they negotiated these transitions. In turn, her five stages of grief have been recognised as useful benchmarks to understand the process of going through any period of profound life transformation.

Kübler-Ross brought to the surface important issues that had, up until that time, been avoided by the mainstream. The topic of death was typically avoided by many physicians, and the initial reception of her work among peers ranged from welcome acceptance to shock and dismissal. Yet in time Kübler-Ross’s book became a standard text for professionals working with terminally ill patients. She pioneered new approaches to death that brought an emphasis on counselling for the families of dying patients, bringing comfort to millions of individuals through her widely read publications which explored death, the process of grief and studies into near-death experiences.

Born under a Cancer New Moon and with Pisces rising, Kübler-Ross had an innate need to nurture and support others. On the day she was born, the Sun was closely conjunct Pluto and the North Node, implying a “fated” life story that would involve close personal encounters with the painful truth of birth and death, plus the urge to bring these truths to the surface.

With such a strong emphasis on water signs, there is little wonder that Kübler-Ross would want to alleviate the suffering of others. At the age of five she was hospitalised for pneumonia and, while there, she watched the death of a roommate. This was her first encounter with the process of dying. Later in life, she watched a neighbour calmly reassure his family as he lay dying from the impact of a broken neck. She learned early not to fear death, a natural process.

At 19, Kübler-Ross visited Majdanek, a Nazi death camp, where she met a girl who narrowly escaped the gas chambers because they could not hold another person. Instead of bitterness, Kübler-Ross recalled that this girl had chosen to forgive, saying, “If I can change one person’s life from hatred and revenge to love and compassion, then I deserved to survive.” This experience changed her life forever — and she decided to dedicate herself to healing others.

She went on to study medicine in Switzerland and then psychiatry in the US. Kübler-Ross’s first choice was unsurprisingly paediatrics (Cancer Sun and Moon in 5th), but she was denied access to this residency program because at the time she was pregnant.

Sagittarius rules Kübler-Ross’s Midheaven, as well as the 10th House. This placement suggests an individual who will seek to educate and inspire others. Jupiter, the ruler of her Midheaven, is in Aquarius and the 12th House, implying a person who will seek to distinguish themselves through knowledge that is progressive (Aquarius), transcendental (12th House) or geared to alleviate the suffering of others (12th House). Drawn to face the challenging issues of life, death and family, Kübler-Ross made a profound impact on the world simply by doing what was most natural for her to do, with the timing for all this to unfold perfectly described by her chart.

Kübler-Ross began her most influential work in the mid-1960s, providing an opportunity for a group of medical and theological students, nurses and social workers to gather and learn about dying from terminal patients who were willing to share their experiences or fears. The group work grew and, in 1969, she was featured in Time magazine. Her groundbreaking book On Death and Dying was published that same year.

Between 1963 and 1969, Kübler-Ross’s natal triple conjunction of Sun/Pluto/North Node moved by solar arc to conjoin natal Neptune and oppose Jupiter — ruler of the Midheaven. At the same time, progressed Sun/Pluto formed powerful trines to the Midheaven itself.

Major professional changes often occur when the MC or its ruler are triggered by dynamic planetary influences. These astrological conditions were ideal for Kübler-Ross to gain greater recognition for her work. She went on to teach and inspire countless individuals, opening a healing centre of her own in 1977 as well as doing groundbreaking work with infant mortality and AIDS. She died in 2004, having lived a life of service and healing, teaching others to find peace by acknowledging the process of death.

“The highest levels of performance come to people who are centred, intuitive, creative and reflective — people who know to see a problem as an opportunity.” ~ Deepak Chopra

Deepak Chopra

A similar story comes to the fore when we examine the chart of Deepak Chopra. Like Kübler-Ross, Chopra was born with Pisces rising and Sagittarius on the Midheaven of his chart. Also suited to a path of teaching and service, Chopra has devoted his life to the exploration of mind-body medicine as well as the benefits that can be derived from ancient therapeutic practices such as meditation, yoga and Ayurveda.

Chopra has a Libran Sun conjunct Chiron in the 8th House, as well as a 7th House Virgo Moon. He displayed a keen mental aptitude and desire for practical service (Virgo Moon), which made him well suited to the study of medicine. The ruler of his Midheaven (Jupiter in Scorpio) joins the Sun and Chiron in the 8th House of his chart, suggesting an inclination to explore the psychological foundations of disease and how mental patterns manifest as hormonal triggers through the endocrine system, affecting systemic health.

Major professional changes often occur when the MC or its ruler are triggered by dynamic planetary influences.

Chopra initially decided to follow in the footsteps of his cardiologist father and forged a successful career as a licensed physician and endocrinologist in the US. But, with a close Sun conjunct Chiron aspect, coupled with Uranus exactly conjunct his IC (so opposing his Midheaven), he carries the signatures of a maverick who will innately seek change.

In the early 1980s, Chopra went through a series of major life transformations. First, he rediscovered Ayurvedic medicine in his native India, then he met the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1985, founder of the Transcendental Meditation movement. Between 1981 and 1985, Uranus by solar arc squared Chopra’s Sun/Chiron conjunction and transiting Neptune crossed his Midheaven. Chopra credits the events of this time as the pivotal triggers for changing his life, laying the foundations for his future success as a global leader in mind-body medicine.

Further dynamic influences impacting the Midheaven of his chart continued to coincide with major milestones in his career/public life. In 1987, Uranus opposed its natal position and passed over the Midheaven, and Chopra’s first book, Creating Health, was released. Most spectacularly, in 1993, as solar arc Jupiter crossed his Midheaven, Chopra appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show and his best-known work, Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, reached the top of the New York Times bestseller list. Chopra was catapulted to national attention and went on to develop a suite of entrepreneurial New-Age ventures for which he is so well known today.

“You have the power to heal your life and you need to know that. We think so often that we are helpless, but we’re not. We always have the power of our minds … claim and consciously use your power.” ~ Louise Hay

Louise Hay

Dubbed “The Queen of the New Age”, Louise Hay built a successful publishing business and a reputation as a healer since penning her first pamphlet on the power of thought to influence wellbeing. Eight years after Hay wrote the pamphlet in 1976, it developed into the book You Can Heal Your Life, which reached the New York Times bestseller list in 1988 and has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide.

Like Chopra, Hay was born with the Sun in Libra, but this time in the 3rd House of her chart. The 3rd House is associated with all forms of communication. What’s more, instead of Uranus, Mercury was found on the IC, suggesting a career as speaker or writer. Hay has built her success on her easy-to-read self-help books as well as the group events she has convened.

In the 1980s, Hay organised large meetings (called HayRides) for people suffering from the impact of AIDS; she was one of the few individuals prepared to work with AIDS patients at the time. She demonstrated a willingness to challenge the status quo, describing pain and suffering as a mental experience, while offering a new message of balance and hope. Now her publishing company Hay House connects authors with their audience in innovative ways.

Chiron is powerfully placed on Hay’s Midheaven and exactly opposite her Moon in Scorpio. This astrological signature demonstrates her credentials for this kind of journey. Hay’s life story is well known and embodies the experience of the “wounded healer”. She was born into an abusive family, was raped at the age of five, gave birth at age 16 to a daughter she then gave away, dropped out of high school and had to find her own way in life. She was later betrayed by her husband of 14 years and developed “incurable” cervical cancer around the age of 50 (between the ages of 49 and 50, Chiron returns to the same degree of the zodiac it was at birth).

Typical of those with a prominent Chiron, Hay was able to eliminate her own cancer through “a regimen of forgiveness, therapy, nutrition, reflexology and occasional enemas”, as she told New York Times journalist Mark Oppenheimer in 2008. She taught others to do the same.

Hay went on to become a leading light of the New Age movement — an achievement that she herself credits to the rise of AIDS in the 1980s. The epidemic brought Hay to national attention through her work with thousands of gay men, leading to appearances on both Oprah and The Phil Donahue Show. Her message about healing and the power of thought changed the lives of millions. As New York Times journalist Oppenheimer puts it, “Though you may not know it, you live in Louise Hay’s world.” Her impact on popular culture in the West has been immense, and Hay has probably done more than any other individual to bring new paradigms of spirituality, health and positive living into the mainstream.

For astrologers, it is interesting to compare Hay’s chart to that of Chopra and Kübler-Ross. These two healers both have the same sign on the Midheaven as on the 10th House cusp of their charts (Sagittarius). Their public/professional lives have been quite singular to a certain degree. Yet Hay was born with the Midheaven in Aries (denoting an individual who would be known for carving out her own path in life), and the cusp of her 10th House is Taurus (equal house system).

Taurus is associated with finery, aesthetics and beauty. Hay says that another turning point in her life was moving to New York in her early 20s and becoming a high-fashion model. She married a wealthy businessman and for a while lived a life of relative luxury, able to “travel the world, meet royalty and even have dinner at the White House”. She is still well known for her radiant Beauty. This is a good example of where the occupation you become associated with (10th House) may not be the same thing as that which you are ultimately “called” to do (Midheaven).

Your path to success

Success in life comes from doing what you feel most qualified to do. In this sense, you can find success by following your calling and by being who you were born to be. Through looking at the charts of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Deepak Chopra and Louise Hay, you can learn about them as individuals as well as the dynamics that motivated them. These renowned healers have made the most of their innate potential by simply being themselves.