#purpose-driven finances

[realestateinvesting001]

Finding Peace and Purpose in Your Wealth Journey: A Simple Guide to Financial Fulfillment 🌱💸

In this post, we explore how to find peace and purpose in your wealth journey. Learn simple, actionable steps to align your finances with your values, reduce financial stress, and build a fulfilling path toward financial freedom. Whether you’re managing debt, saving for the future, or growing your wealth, discovering your purpose behind your money decisions can lead to a more peaceful, motivated,…

[goodoldbandit]

“It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference.” - Tom Brokaw.

Sanjay Kumar Mohindroo Sanjay Kumar Mohindroo. skm.stayingalive.in A bold reflection on what matters—money or meaning? Challenge the hustle. Choose legacy. 💭 The Real Currency is Impact 🔹 What’s Worth More Than Money? We all know how to chase money. There are endless frameworks, funnels, and hacks for it. But here’s the thing: building wealth is not the same as building value. Earning a…

[unitedstatesrei]

From Ministry to Turning Purpose Into Millions in Property Power with Jordan Smith

Key Takeaways Jordan Smith successfully transitioned from ministry to real estate by finding a niche that aligned with his personal fulfillment. Building a wide toolbox of creative investment strategies offers flexibility and long-term sustainability. Purpose-driven investing can yield both profit and joy, especially when relationships and community are prioritized. United States Real Estate Investor The REI Agent with Jordan Smith https://youtu.be/0u7s2KhikLg Follow and subscribe to The REI Agent on social Facebook Instagram Youtube .cls-1fill:#fff; Linkedin X-twitter United States Real Estate Investor It's time to have an investor-friendly agent on your team! It's time to have an investor-friendly agent on your team! United States Real Estate Investor A Journey Beyond Sales—Finding a Calling Through Real Estate When most people hear “real estate agent,” they think of someone unlocking doors and collecting commission checks. But for Jordan Smith, guest on The REI Agent Podcast, real estate became far more than a profession—it became a conduit for purpose, impact, and community. Host Mattias Clymer introduced Jordan not just as another agent, but as someone whose life journey, from medical sales to ministry and eventually to flipping homes, embodies the full spirit of holistic success. “The riches are in the niches,” Jordan says. “But more than that, the fulfillment is there too.” The Forced Pivot: When Life Says ‘Now or Never’ Jordan never planned to become a real estate agent. After a promising path in medical device sales and a powerful stint in ministry leadership, life forced his hand. The pandemic hit. Furloughed and frustrated, Jordan’s wife gave him the ultimatum every dreamer secretly needs: “Either flip a house or stop talking about it.” He did more than flip a house. He flipped the script on what a career could look like. With $0 in his commission account and a heart full of ambition, Jordan got licensed and closed his first wholesale deal with a stranger-turned-partner named Wes. That first deal would be the spark that ignited a real estate empire. “Wes was the gasoline to the ember I had. We became partners in hustle—and in heart,” Jordan reflected. The Investor’s Toolbox: Why One Strategy Isn’t Enough Throughout the episode, Jordan walks listeners through the diverse arsenal that makes his business stand out. He’s not just flipping homes. He’s mastering wholesaling, double closes, seller financing, subject-to deals, wholetailing, short- and midterm rentals, lease options, sandwich strategies—the list goes on. “There’s no such thing as a bad deal,” he says. “You just need the right exit strategy.” This toolbox mentality has earned Jordan the respect of brokers and the trust of investors. He’s not chasing commissions, he’s crafting custom solutions. And in a market that’s changing faster than interest rates, flexibility isn’t optional, it’s essential. Bridging the Divide: Wholesalers vs. Agents In one of the episode’s most honest moments, Jordan tackles the stigma around wholesalers and agents head-on: “Yes, there are shady wholesalers. But there are also bad agents. The truth is, 90% of both are just out here trying to help.” Jordan’s mission is to bridge that divide. Through education, transparency, and creative deal-making, he’s showing both sides how to work shoulder to shoulder. His message is simple but powerful: “Everybody can win.” Homegrown Expertise: Midterm Rentals and Local Mastery Mid-conversation, Mattias and Jordan dive into one of today’s most underused strategies: midterm rentals. Jordan shares how a client built relationships with hospital HR departments to house travel nurses for 90-day stays, turning referrals into recurring cash flow. Mattias shares his own journey setting up a midterm rental, saying, “We loved the property, the location, the vibes—it just made sense. Even if we break even, it’s worth it for the long-term value and the joy.” That

joy, that experimentation, that playfulness, these are the invisible currencies successful investors trade in every day. The Golden Nugget: Know What Fills Your Cup If Jordan could tell every agent and investor one thing, it’s this: “Find your niche and pour gasoline on it.” Whether it’s flipping homes, working with first-time buyers, or helping fellow dog lovers find the perfect backyard, your zone of genius will never lead you wrong. Jordan’s not in real estate because it’s glamorous. He’s in it because “I’d be doing this even if I wasn’t licensed. I love it. It fills my cup.” Purpose Isn’t a Perk—It’s the Plan In a world obsessed with hustle and GCI, Jordan’s story is a loud and clear reminder that you don’t have to choose between passion and profit. You can have both. You should have both. “Congrats—you made a bunch of commission last year and hate your life,” he jokes. “That’s not the flex you think it is.” Instead, Jordan challenges agents and investors to zoom in on what makes them come alive, and then turn it into a career that sustains not just their finances, but their spirit. Because at the end of the day, the best deals in real estate are the ones that build you up from the inside out. Are you ready to build more than wealth? Then this episode is where your blueprint begins. Stay tuned for more inspiring stories on The REI Agent podcast,��your go-to source for insights, inspiration, and strategies from top agents and investors who are living their best lives through real estate. For more content and episodes, visit reiagent.com. United States Real Estate Investor Create healing and connection within yourself, your family, and your community. Create healing and connection within yourself, your family, and your community. United States Real Estate Investor Contact Jordan Smith Realty ONE Group Revolution Instagram United States Real Estate Investor Mentioned References The 4-Hour Chef by Tim Ferriss The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss The Tim Ferriss Show Furnished Finder Airbnb United States Real Estate Investor Transcript Welcome to the REI Agent, a holistic approach to life through real estate. I'm Mattias, an agent and investor. And I'm Erica, a licensed therapist. Join us as we interview guests that also strive to live bold and fulfilled lives through business and real estate investing. Tune in every week for interviews with real estate agents and investors. Ready to level up? Let's do it. Welcome back to the REI Agent. This is Mattias Clymer, your lovely host of the REI Agent podcast and your neighborhood rock star. I don't know. I'm feeling fired up right now. I've had a lot of mornings of getting up and wanting to get up earlier than my alarm goes off because I'm excited to get to work. Like today, this morning I was building out an AI chat bot that would help with scheduling. So look at my schedule. And it would say, when do you wanna see this house built into the website? And they'd say, how about four tomorrow? And they'd be like, well, actually, there's no availability there, but can you do two or whatever it is? You set all the parameters in your schedule, in your calendar, like Calendly. And then the AI bot can just read it and kind of talk back and forth with that person instead of just them filling out a link, which I think is kind of cool. And it's not something designed to be necessarily pretending to be a real person. It can be honest and transparent. I think I named mine Booker T to just be fun and like kind of a tech forward brand anyway. That's kind of like how I've always been. So hopefully other people find it amusing. I won't push it on people, but it was a fun thing to play with. I'm looking to see, I'm curious if I can get that thing set up with showing time as well. It'd be really interesting to have it, be able to read the properties availability on showing time and my availability, and then give options to the client of what to book. I think that would be a really cool, fun thing.

Not that I would force, again, people to do that only, but if somebody is on my website and wants to book something, they could just do that. And then on top of it all, I could probably have an if this, then that kind of a workflow where if they are already an existing client, they wouldn't do this. But if it wasn't an existing client in my CRM, I have a workflow where it would send them a buyer brokerage agreement to sign right away, which I think is another really possible cool thing. There's some kinks in that system, so it's not quite ready. And I think it's probably better to meet first with the client to have an introduction meeting. So a lot of things to work out, but it's just fun to see where technology can take you. But anyway, I wanted to get into our guest, Jordan Smith. Jordan Smith is an agent. He was an investor first and then became an agent and has focused his sales business on investors. So he has a wealth of knowledge. He's done a lot of different things, a lot of different type of deals. And his book of business is mainly investors on the sales side. But there's a lot of knowledge there. This is, he's perfect for the show because he gets into, he's a bridge between wholesale and resale, if you will. So we are all about learning how to be investor friendly, understanding investments, or building up your own portfolio. And Jordan is a great example of that. So without further ado, let's get right into it. Jordan Smith. Welcome back to the REI Agent. I'm here with Jordan Smith. Jordan, thanks so much for joining us. Yeah, man, thanks for having me. Yeah, Jordan, you tell us where you're coming out of, first of all. Yeah, so the metropolis of Rock Hill, South Carolina, which is Football City, USA, right outside of Charlotte. So I cover the Charlotte, North Carolina metro area. Cool. I mean, I feel like, you all probably have been booming for a while, but I feel like there's a lot of hype around the Carolinas, especially. Yeah, well, you know, it's pretty crazy, man. Like we, you know, we get all four seasons. It's freaking already hot as crap right now. And, you know, lots of folks wanna come here. Taxes and quality of life and seasons and beach and mountains, and it's all right here. So come on, we need some more folks. I need more houses to sell. So bring it all down if you're in the beautiful Northeast or West Coast or wherever. Yeah, like, no, I was in Denver last year and I was hanging out at a bar for a little bit while I had a friend had an appointment and he had to go to whatever I was visiting. And he had the, like the bartender was talking about how like, it just, like, you know, I need to get out of here. I need to get out of here. Like, it was like, you know, Boulder, Colorado is gorgeous. Like, I need to get out. I'm thinking like the Carolinas or yeah. And it just seemed like it was the vibe I got was that there was a bit of a movement happening that she wasn't the only one. And it just struck me as interesting because you hear about Colorado, Denver, you hear about, you know, California. Well, I've heard there's an exodus happening there, but yeah, have you experienced that? Yeah, I mean, I think there's, the market seems to be doing well here, right? I mean, we're a little bit insulated, I think, from the tumultuousness of, you know, everything that's going on. Still a good market here. You know, Charlotte itself, Charlotte proper is so saturated that really folks are really kind of commuting in from secondary and even tertiary markets around. So we're really hyper-focused on like an hour radius of center city Charlotte. And so you get down into South Carolina there a little bit, which is, I'm born and raised in Rock Hill and then loved it so much, moved back after college and a little bit of work. And so, you know, there's tax benefits to either or, right? Schools seem to be really well in some of these secondary markets. And so really, it's a great place to raise a family.

You know, banking is a big industry here. And so folks are moving to here. You know, we got Charlotte Douglas International Airport, which is, you know, it's not a massive airport, but you can get where you need to go from it. And it seems to be a good place to set up shop and you're three hours to the mountains and three hours to the beach. And, you know, it's fun. Yeah, I mean, that's not too different from Harrisonburg where I'm at. I mean, we are in the mountains. We're in the Shenandoah Valley. John Denver sang about that a little bit. Well, he said, people think it's West Virginia, but some argue it's Western Virginia because it talks about- Western Virginia, there you go. Which comes through us. But yeah, we're four hours from the beach and, you know, in the mountains. So it's a good place. But I definitely feel like the Carolinas were getting a bit more focus and hype than Virginia for some reason. I think you guys have bigger cities too. That's probably part of it. But anyway, I guess let's, yeah, let's hear a little bit about how you got into real estate to begin with. Yeah, so real estate's a third career for me. So I was a pre-med biology student in college and didn't get into med school. And so it's like, well, great. Now I went to school to go to school and now I can't get into school. What do I do? And so I got a job right out of college selling medical devices, orthopedic implants. So hip and knee replacements, plates and screws, that kind of stuff. So I was in sales, you know, full commissioned sales, bouncing around the operating room, had a ton of fun, learned a lot. Medical sales in general, and I think the industry's changed a lot over the last, gosh, this would have been, you know, almost 20 years ago, but it was pretty cutthroat back then. And so I loved adding value to my doctors. I didn't love the sales process of like, you know, hey, I'm gonna knock on your door. I called on you last week. Has anything changed? No, cool, like, you know, so I didn't love like checking the boxes of the sales process in like a corporate setting. So I did that for a few years and then got into ministry. I worked for a multi-site, pretty large church in South Carolina as a pastor. And really it was run like a Fortune 500 company. So really high emphasis on leadership, development, very strong org structure in place. I learned a ton as a leader from my time there in ministry at that church. And then left that in 2019, right before the pandemic. And my wife basically said, hey dude, if you don't shut up and flip a house, you're not allowed to talk about it anymore. Like, I'm so tired of you talking about flipping houses. I'm so tired of you like talking about how easy it would be. Like you either need to do it or I'm gonna forbid you to talk about it. And I was like, okay, challenge accepted. So I just got a nine to five just to pay the bills while I was trying to figure out like real estate stuff. And was looking for my first investment property for first fix and flip. And didn't really know where to look. I was looking on MLS. I found out for the very first time what wholesaling is and was talking to some wholesalers trying to find a deal. And was working and got furloughed with the pandemic. And so I was sitting at home and looking for deals. And I was like, you know what? I should get my real estate license while I'm sitting at home furloughed. I've got some time. It'll save us 3% when we list properties. You know, this would probably be a good tool to have in the tool belt. And so I did all my real estate classes online. Got licensed in November of 2020 and put my first flip under contract of purchase in November of 2020. And so, yeah, so that was kind of how I got started. And so, yeah, it was a great time to be in real estate, honestly. And the more I studied, like as I was going through the process, I had always thought like real estate seems like a cool career as an agent. But I was married and had, let's see, at that point we had two kids.

We got four now, we had two kids. And I had never worked a full commission job since I had had other mouths to feed besides my own. So I was a little bit intimidated by like the jumping full into the deep end. So, but I felt like I'd be really good at it. My biggest thing is, man, I'm a connector of people. Like I just wanna be a conduit to connect people with the people that they need to know. And I think that's a big part of real estate as an agent and an investor is just like having those relationships in place. And so in December of 2020, I told my wife, I said, hey, if I can sell a house a month as an agent, because this seemed like a totally reasonable goal starting as a new agent for whatever reason. I sell a house a month at $250,000, which was not even our median price point. It was a little under our median price point. I can sell a house a month for $250,000. Everybody's getting 3% commission, because commission wasn't, commission's decreased in our market. I don't know what it's like there, but it was still at around 3%. I said, that's 7,500 bucks a month. If I can do that for six months in a row, I'd like to quit my job and go into real estate full time. And I was expecting my wife to be the safety net and say, no, we can't do that. Like, I don't know, that's a good idea, whatever. And she said, okay. It's almost more scary. Yeah, oh shit. So that was December, turns January one. And I'm like, okay, I'm gonna close the deal in January. And then I realized I don't have anything under contract. So how do you close a deal in January if you don't have any houses under contract in January? So I'm kind of freaking out. I ended up getting connected with a guy. I had followed this guy on Instagram. We had just kind of connected through social media. He was up on the north side of Charlotte. I'm on the south side. And just a hustler, man. Grinder, really good at social media marketing, and was getting into the wholesale space. So he was trying to be a real estate investor. He'd flipped one house with some partners, trying to get into wholesaling. And he said, hey, I'm looking for a real estate agent. So I DM'd him. I'm like, hey, I just happen to be a real estate agent. You know, what you got in mind? And he said, hey, I wanna list this wholesale property that I have under contract on the MLS. And I said, man, you can't do that. And he said, why not? And I said, well, I don't know. It just seems like you shouldn't be able to do that. And he was like, well, watch this video and have a conversation with your BIC and call me back. So he sent me a video of an investor in North Carolina, excuse me, two hours away from us in Raleigh, Durham area who lists all his wholesale deals on MLS. And in our MLS, you're allowed to list a property that you don't yet own as long as you have vested interest in the property, as long as you have the contract. So I had a conversation. I was like, okay, cool, let's do it. So we list, this is January, so we listed a condo that Wes had under contract to wholesale, listed on the MLS, got it under contract, closed it January 28th. That was my first deal. And man, it's been a wild ride ever since. Wes is now my business partner. He handles all the off-market side of things. I handle more of the design, project management, execution, and listing of things. And man, we've just become not only best friends, but really great business partners. We're very complimentarian of one another. And everywhere where he's weak, I'm strong, and vice versa. And he was really the gasoline to the ember that I had of getting into real estate. I've learned so much working alongside him, and it's been a wild ride ever since, man. That's awesome. How do you feel, or how do you all dance the perceived line, at least, of wholesaling versus on the market? Yeah, so I... Question? Yes, yes. No, I'll talk about this all day. I mean, I love it. Yeah, so I call Wes my partner. I literally had this conversation this morning with somebody else.

I call Wes my partner. We're partners in theory, not in entity, if that makes sense. So we have separate entities. We joint venture a lot of stuff. So I've done that really for his protection and for mine of like, hey, as a licensed realtor, I've got all these obligations to meet, right? I'm not in the room when you're having these conversations. Yeah, I'm not in the room when you're having these conversations with these sellers. And so if you do what you need to do, bring me something once you have it under contract. Let's talk about it. Figure out the best exit strategy, right? And we've done, man, we've done so much. I mean, that's one of the things that we really pride ourselves on is being well-rounded investors. So we've done wholesale deals, assignments, double closes. We've sold to institutional buyers. We've taken down ourselves and just paid cash for it in the turnaround and put it back on the MLS. We've fixed and flipped. We've done short-term rentals, long-term rentals, seller finance stuff, lease options, sandwich. I mean, we've done all kind of crazy stuff. And most of my agents in my office have no idea how to do any of this stuff, right? I mean, my BIC is calling me asking me questions about like, hey, how would you do X, you know? And it's really just because I've gotten immersed in that world and that's the world I live in all day, every day. And so I really, I mean, I had a closing this morning of a normal seller, a normal retail residential seller. And I feel like a fish out of water when I'm doing that kind of business because probably 95% of my business is investment related. Sure. Yeah, no, it makes sense. And it is, it's fun because you have this like big tool belt. You have a big toolbox, if you will, and you can really apply the best thing that makes the most sense for everybody to that unique situation where most people have like one or two tools. Yeah, well, and you know, and I think going back to your original question, like, you know, the reason everybody feels a certain type of way about wholesalers is because there's some shady wholesalers out there, right? And, you know, There's some bad agents out there. Absolutely, that's what I was getting ready to say, right? It's like, you know, I don't know where it is around you, but here it feels like, you know, investors feel like agents are like drastically overpaid to just open and unlock doors, right? And agents feel like investors are shady and like always like the cheapest SOBs ever and like trying to pull one over on everybody. And the reality is like 90% of both are neither of those things, right? But there's the 10% outliers who really have made a bad name for themselves and put a sour taste in the other's mouth. And what I try to pride myself on, and Wes is the same way, is like, we're ethical, we're honest, right? I've sat in someone's living room and had to explain to them like, hey, what do you think your house is worth? Yeah, you're probably right. If it was fixed up, it would be this. But if you back out your closing costs and your commissions, you're going to net this. And to get to that price point, you need to put $30,000 in a kitchen, you need to put $15,000 in the bathroom, like all that stuff. I'll buy your house for that number. And he's like, well, why would you do that? Well, because my guys, my kitchen renovation costs $10,000, not 30, because I have the contractors and the supply chain. It's really just education. It's an education gap. But man, I'm trying to add as much value as I can to investors to let them know like, hey, everybody can win, right? We can work shoulder to shoulder. I can be a tremendous asset to you, you can be a tremendous asset to me and my business, and everybody wins, and it's not a competition. And so that's really kind of what I've built my business on. Yeah, that makes sense. You listed out a bunch of different strategies you've done. And I'm wondering, like you talked about, like your broker, people in your office coming to you, asking you what those things are.

Do you wanna go through some of those and explain what they are at a high level? Sure, yeah, we can do that for sure. Yeah, I mean, so- That's double-closing, people may not be familiar with that. Yeah, so double-closing, I think it's a relatively new, you know, five years, relatively new exit strategy. So especially, I don't know what the laws are in Virginia, but South Carolina has a no wholesaling law in place. North Carolina's talking about putting a no wholesaling law in place. You know, and so when I say wholesale, what I mean is assigning a contract, right? So a wholesaler is going out, they're finding the property owner, the seller, they're getting the property under contract for X, and then they're gonna market the property and essentially find a buyer at price Y, and they're gonna marry the two together and take the money out of the middle, right? That's an assignment of contract. In North Carolina, our contract, by default, is non-assignable. So our North Carolina realtor form says this is not an assignable contract. So the way that people have been getting around that, you know, is what they're doing, they're doing what's called double closing. So they're borrowing money, it's called transactional funding, they're borrowing money from a person or an entity or an institution, and they're gonna buy the property and then turn around, they're gonna actually take title record and then turn around and sell the property to the end buyer the same day, usually. And so that transactional money comes into the attorney's account, it buys, the property's turned around and resold, and that money comes back out of the account back to the lender, and then the investor gets to keep the overage there. Yeah, okay, that makes sense. And what are other ways can wholesalers typically close? And again, I understand it's price-specific to your market, anybody listening to this does need to consult an attorney. And trying to find a good real estate or creative real estate attorney is challenging. So I can definitely recommend somebody that might be able to assist, even in a different state, to just kind of help educate other attorneys, if you will. But yeah, talk about what you know for your area. Yeah, same for here. If anybody's listening from the Carolinas or down in this area, we've got some attorneys that are certainly able to help on calls and educate as well. Yeah, so in my mind, when you're talking about real estate investing, it's all about what the best exit strategy is for the property, right? So there's no bad deal. It's just you gotta find the right exit strategy for the property. And so, like we said, wholesaling, marketing it up and finding an in-buyer, double-closing on it. We have dabbled in the creative finance space, so that's a whole can of worms. I don't know how much you want to open that box, but we've done some seller financing stuff where the seller of the property title transfers, but the seller retains the mortgage or they become the bank, essentially. We've done some subject to the existing mortgage kind of stuff. Sub two is a big thing. There's all kinds of videos all over YouTube about it, where you buy the house, but the loan stays in the original seller's name and you make payments on their behalf. We do a lot of fix and flip. We do some, we call it wholetail, where we're basically taking down the property with a hard money lender or private money lender and really just kind of cleaning it out and popping it right back on the MLS. I mean, the MLS is the biggest buyers list in America, right? It's the number one aggregate of buyers for real estate in your market. And with the IDX, it pushes across to Zillow and Realtor and all these other fun ones. And so if you can get your property there, you can get the most number of eyes on it. If you can get the most number of eyes on it, you can get the best price for it, in my opinion. So we're gonna always push to get things into the MLS so that we can then get it in front of as many eyes as possible.

And then it's just about educating the other agents, right? I mean, there's a ton of agents who have been in the game for 30 years and they have no idea what an assignment of contract is or they don't understand, we're getting contracts written and they're just pulling the name off tax records and putting that as a seller. And I'm like, no, the seller is this entity. And they're like, no, it's not. I'm like, yes, it is. And you're having to explain and educate, right? So yeah, so there's, I mean, there's all kinds of exit strategies, right? You know, rentals are hard right now. DSCR loans are tough with the interest rates where they're at right now. But, you know, buying and holding is still a great strategy, I think. We've done some short-term rentals, some midterm rentals, which is kind of that 30 to 90 day rental, you know, for like insurance or travel nurses, stuff like that. So in my mind, every property has an exit strategy. If you can get, if you can match the property and the exit strategy together, you can formulate a solution. It's just, you know, I get sent bad deals all the time and it's just, they're sending them with the wrong exit strategy, right? Yeah. No, it makes a lot of sense. And yeah, I think you're right with rentals being harder right now. And a lot of people are having to get more creative with how they are going about it. So some people are exploring the subject to area. And I think you mentioned something about a wraparound. That's another way of doing that, I believe, where you basically add an extra layer of protection to a subject to deal for the seller, where they basically have a deed of trust written, I believe is how that works. But yeah, and then there's, I mean, seller financing can help make that work better as well if you get better terms, so better entry rates. Lease options for folks, you know, if they can't qualify for a conventional mortgage, but they've got some money for a down payment, you know, there's the lease option there where the seller can get a lease option where the seller retains the title and, you know, they have a vested interest in the, the buyer has vested interest in the property with the down payment, and then they take over, you know, they're paying their monthly fee and they're handling all the repairs and all that jazz. There's, yeah, there's a ton of options, right? It's just knowing your market, knowing what's needed. I know you do a lot of listings. Are you getting a lot more creative finance or sub-two offers on your properties? No, not particularly. No, not in this area. Okay. And we still have a pretty strong demand. I just had a very big bidding war on my most recent listing. And so far, yeah, we haven't needed to go that route necessarily. And you're wondering, like, how is somebody willing to spend 20% over asking price at one of these interest rates but I mean, it's, I think it's just- Were you priced at market or did you price it competitively to try to drive it up? No, I mean, no, it was, no, I think it was right around market. The person who brought an offer would have argued that we were a little bit under, but, you know, it was based, it just depends on the comps you use. We were basing comps on the, in the neighborhood comps and they might've found some other ones in different neighborhoods that would have supported a higher price point. But, but yeah, yeah, it's just, you know, there's definitely properties that you can, I'm finding that different pockets of the market, you can do different strategies with like, you know, being competitive in the price point usually is the best, you know, route where you're trying to get multiple offers, trying to get it sold fast, pricing it right around where the comps say. But then I think there's sometimes, especially right now in this market, it feels like there's just this like pent up demand that's just like, you know, as soon as something comes on, it's getting sold. But there are markets that are a little bit slower.

And in that, in those markets, I've have actually pushed the price a little bit higher than I think should be, as opposed to hoping it gets bid up, thinking that we're only gonna get one offer on it, maybe as opposed to, you know, five plus, that if we're gonna get somebody in the first three days making an offer on it, right around asking price, as opposed to hoping it gets bid up, but it probably won't. Same results as $10,000 loss or whatever. So it's just, it's a fun, you know, it's kind of a strategy where you gotta get, you know, hyperlocal and really understand your market, like you said. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, for sure. But we're also setting up a midterm rental as we, as we speak, I hauled two mattresses over there today. They got delivered to our house instead of that house. So my checker on box on Amazon, huh? Yeah, exactly. I won't name names, but my co-host. Uh-huh, yep. But yeah, what, have you, you mentioned insurance. Is that like people that are like, you know, out of their house because of damage or whatever? Have you, have you, a few of these? Do you have a couple of these that you're running now or? Yeah, so we don't, I don't have any currently, but we've got, I've got some clients who do. And man, it's been, you know, again, it's a relationship, it's a relationship business, right? So, you know, this, this one girl in particular, she's done a really great job at networking with, Charlotte has a pretty expansive hospital system. And so they have a lot of travel nurses. And so what she's done is really networked. And I mean, midterm was kind of her, midterm and short term was her strategy of choice for a very long time. And she's done a really good job of building out relationships with folks in the hospital system and with, you know, in the insurance space so that when they have a need, she's their first call, right? And there's obviously, you know, websites like Furnished Finder and all that jazz, but for her it was a lot of, yeah, Airbnb, exactly. But for her, it was a lot of, you know, hey, the HR manager at this, you know, hospital system knows that these three travel nurses are coming in for the next 90 days and they're calling her going, hey, do you have housing for these three folks? Which is, I mean, it's exactly what you want, you know? Yeah, absolutely. It's where we're excited about getting this running and building those connections and seeing if it's a viable strategy to replicate. Because obviously, you know, if you do have a steady stream potential, but you like are constantly booked, you know, like having availability too will keep people coming back as well. But yeah. Now, what made your midterm on that particular property? Yeah, that's a good question. I mean, it's basically exactly what we were just talking about is it didn't pencil out well. It would have been an outstanding flip, but it's one of those things where we have held pretty much every flip we've done that we've liked the location of and liked the kind of size and everything about it, we've wanted to hold it. We've done a burn strategy with it. And this one is the same. And it could have, you know, penciled out barely. Like, you know, if you're not being super critical with the vacancies and all those kind of extra things that you're supposed to calculate in, if you were really strict about that, then it wouldn't have been the best or it would, you know, broken even kind of thing. But, you know, it was also just kind of a fun idea to try this. And, you know, I figured worst case scenario, we end up having, we lose some money on the furniture. Not really, because we'll sell it and it will make, you know, we have a pretty good margin to profit on that. So that's not- And then you can always pop a 12 month tenant in it, right? That too. Yeah, we could do that too. And, but yeah, we really liked the property. We really liked the location. We have a downtown area that's revitalized and it's brought a lot of vibrancy to that area and a lot of professionals want to be close to that area.

So this is about a thousand square foot house, not huge, and it's charming and it, you know, walkable to those bars and restaurants. And so I think it's just a, it's a great location long-term and we'd love to keep it. And we're excited about trying this kind of thing out. And if it works, we, you know, would look to maybe converting other ones that we have into a midterm or exploring some of the short-term possibilities as well. Our city itself doesn't allow it, so we'd have to go outside the city limits. Are you hyper-focused in your town, in your city? For investing? Yeah. Yeah, I mean, so I've done stuff outside of, I think it's for, yeah. Yes, and why is I think that, A, I understand the market the best, B, the city itself has gonna have the most, I think the more you are under the median sales price, the more you are, you know, in the area that the most people wanna be in, the safer you are for renting, for selling, et cetera. So that's our sweet spot. If we can get something underneath the median sales price and value, right? There's just so many exit strategies there, like you talked about, like there's just, you know, having the best one is what we go after, but then having a BCD is also good. Yeah. Good to add to that. And that's one of the big things I try to teach new investors who are coming in, you know, they're like, hey, I wanna flip a house. I'm just like, okay, cool. Like, number one, let's talk about that. You know, why, what does that mean to you? What's your tolerance? Like, do you wanna have a full gut job? Do you wanna cosmetic, you know? But then what I try to teach them is like, hey, we gotta have backup exit strategies, right? Like if we flip this and we list it and it doesn't sell, then what are we gonna do? Yeah. Right? Will it cash flow? Will it at least cover your rent on a DSCR? Okay, cool. Then that's our check down, right? Like that's our audible. Or, you know, can we short-term rental it? Can we, you know, all these things, right? So we're really big on like, man, if it's got one exit strategy, not a great, not a great fit. Not a great fit. And you really are kind of like hamstrung, right? And so always making sure like, yes, option A, like you said, is the ideal world, but have we got a B, C, and D? And if so, then let's pull the trigger on it and go. Yeah, we, I had a couple pretty difficult flips that were in, you know, smaller markets and more rural. And just, I just, you know, they took a long time, they're difficult, and it's probably just something that, you know, it was, it's not like it was 2021, 2022. So, you know, I think taking a different approach, be a little bit more conservative is gonna be good going forward. And, you know, cooling my jets a little bit on it. And then, you know, there's a whole other thing with this. We're having fun with this midterm rental and we're excited. That's important. Yeah. You can't put dollars on that, but that's like very important. It keeps you engaged. It keeps you, you know, not from getting burnt out. And my, you know, my wife's loving spending money on all the different furniture and stuff. We're probably gonna be inquiring some of the nice pieces that, you know, we, hey, that would work well in our house. We'll get one too. But it's, you know, it's a lot of fun. They're doing a great job. I have a, you know, a stager design person that's getting her license, joining my team, but she's doing a ton of work with getting like everything just to feel really good and have design elements throughout it. So it's fun. But at the same time, like even if we get a really good return on it, if we just sold it and put everything into a good syndication, we probably would be doing better. Now you have that mathematical stuff in the back of your head too, but, you know, that doesn't really factor in the appreciation as much, so. That's right, for sure. But yeah, so you say about 70% of your business is investors, right? About 90% is investors. About 90%, sorry.

Yeah. Okay. So, and then the 10% are gonna be just, you know, connections, personal connections kind of thing? Yeah, I mean, we, yeah, personal connections, fear of influence, referrals. You know, we've got some lead, I'm with Realty One Group. We've got some lead programs, but not a ton of leads coming in that way through the brokerage. And so most of mine, you know, I'm born and raised in Rock Hill. I've got a pretty strong network of folks I grew up with, folks who know my family. And so people know what I do. I am the, you know, I'm the flip realtor guy, like that's kind of what people know me as. And so, you know, so I've picked up some business of like, you know, hey, if you can't find the house you're looking for, like, why don't we buy this ugly house and make it the house you wanna buy, you know? And so, but that's a little more, it's a little more complex because, you know, personally, the reason I like working with investors is because there's not a lot of emotion attached, right? So they're not crying, but I mean, you know, this lady this morning was like crying when she saw this house and moving back to Ohio. And I'm like, you know, pat her on the back, like, it's okay, you know, it's just a house, like, you know, but there's memories, right? And there's, you know, personal value to the home and stuff like that. And I'm empathetic for sure. Like I said, I mean, I got a background in ministry, like it equips me to handle people like this, you know? But with investors, it's just like, okay, do the numbers make sense? Cool, let's do it. Yeah. No, totally, I get that. And it is appealing. I think there's also, the bad part about it is also just then it's harder to find the right property in some ways. Like I think, like there's like, it's harder to pencil out these days, especially. For sure. But, you know, there's definitely been a huge advantage for me in, and that's kind of one of the niches I've narrowed in on is kind of helping sellers get their house ready for the market with my contractor teams and my knowledge and like, you know, kind of being able to get some of those good prices from, you know, the volume I give my contractors. And applying- Are you managing that process hands-on? Yes. Yes. And are you- I'm probably systemizing that a little bit. Okay. And then are you, and if I'm getting too personal, tell me to shut up. Are you having your sellers pay for that as they go or are you fronting that and letting them pay it at closing? No, it's on them. I help pay. That's part of, I've got like a, you know, help pay you, the contractors. But also I have a contract that mostly is okay with getting paid at closing. So- Yeah, just send an invoice in. If you can get that lined up and, you know, that's gonna be, you know, it might be an extra month or so for them, but that's a huge advantage to some sellers. And maybe that's something that, depending on your contractor, like say, hey, look, just for special occasions, like we'll try to get you 75% of them. Like, you know, if you want 40% upfront or whatever, we can try to get that for most of them. But, you know, if we have the special circumstance where you'd be cool with it, I think, you know, that's a huge advantage. We get you more and more business this way. So it's gotta be a win-win with them. And the higher volume, I think, is part of it for sure. Yeah, that's great. Yeah. Yeah, man. I gotta ask if you have any golden nuggets you'd wanna impart on our listeners that could be for real estate agents or investors or, you know, agents that are looking to get into investing. Sure. Whatever you got. Yeah, yeah, I mean, I think for me, like the drum that I bang over and over again to every agent that I talk to is like, find your niche, however you wanna say it, find your niche and like double down on that and really like build that out because that's what, somebody said the riches are in the niches. And I think that's like, not only is the money there, but like the fulfillment is there. Right.

So, you know, like I told you, my first deal was with Wes on this wholesale deal, but then I had a listing of a girl that I worked with at my nine to five before I quit to go into real estate full-time. Her and her husband are getting a divorce. They're like selling this house. And it was just like, I'm like, guys, like I would rather be anywhere than in this room talking through this. You know? Yeah. You know, and then I had a buyer that wanted to go see 80 houses in a weekend and never pulled the trigger on anything. And so I'm going, like if I'm a new agent who's not resilient and I don't know that there's, you know, real estate was a conduit for me to get to the investing side of things. If that's not me, if I didn't have like a bigger real estate purpose other than just being an agent and I got my license because, you know, it looks sexy on TV or it seems like you don't have to wear that hard and you can set your own schedule. Like I would have quit a long time ago because general brokerage, like if that's not your thing, you're going to pull your hair out. And I think you've got to really hone in on like what you want to do and what fills you up. Like I got a friend of mine, she loves working with first-time homebuyers. Now I would rather get a lobotomy, but she, like, it's her jam, man. And she's got it dialed in, she's got it systematized, like she's great at it. And I refer for, like if I get a first-time homebuyer, I'm like, you need to talk to her. You don't need to talk to me, you need to talk to her. She's an expert. But you really got to like hone in on like, yes, what can make you money, but also like what can get you fulfilled at the end of the day? Like when you lay your head down at night, you know, you got to know you're making a difference and you got to know that you're doing something that fills your cup up. And for me, man, that's like running around to flip. I mean, you know, probably TMI, but like my day-to-day, like I had a normal residential closing. Then I went, picked up some materials for a flip we've got going on. Then I went going checking in on new construction stuff. I'm like, use the bathroom in a porta potty at a job site today, because I might have so much going on and I'm like running around, you know? But like, I love that stuff. Every day is different for me. I'm like, you know, my shoes are dirty. I'm not in a suit. And like, that's like my jam. Now, other people, that would be miserable for them. And it's just because it's not their niche, right? So you've got to figure that out and you've got to really like lean into that. And I think there's a tremendous opportunity if you can identify it and you can really brand yourself and like put some oomph behind it, you know? And it doesn't have to be investing, right? Like everybody, anytime I lead a training on real estate investing, all the agents are like, hey, I want to learn how to do what you do. I'm like, no, you probably don't. Like, it's a lot. It's miserable some days, right? It's really hard. But like, maybe you really like dogs. Be like the dog parent agent, right? Like, you know, lean into that. Lean into like hanging out at dog parks and like passing out business cards and giving dogs clothes and gifts. Like whatever you love to do in your spare time, like pour gasoline on that and incorporate that into your real estate business. For me, it's flipping houses. I would be doing it whether I was a licensed agent or not. And so if I can help other people, you know, not make their flip look like crap, then that's like, I'm happy at the end of the day and I get to go home and, you know, not be grumpy and all that fun stuff. So that's my golden nugget. It's just like, find out what fills you up and figure out where it overlaps with real estate and go all in on that. Yeah, I love it. Yeah, what's the point if you're miserable, right? Oh my gosh, I mean. Money's nice. Congrats, you had a bunch of GCI last year and you hate your life, you know, like get real, dude.

Yeah, okay, so do you have any books then that you think are fundamental for everybody that they should read or maybe ones that you're currently enjoying? Yeah, so I got this question and dreaded it because I'm not a reader. I need to be a reader. I am massively ADHD. And so like audio books just don't even work for me. I'm that kind of guy. In fact, we just got back from Mexico on vacation and I checked out two books out of the library to take with me. And my wife laughed at me on the plane. She was like, dude, you're not gonna read. You're not gonna read those. But I was thinking about the question and I know you've had some Tim Ferriss fans on here before. The four hour shift for me was a game changer. So I got it. I don't know if you've read that. Have you read the four hour shift? Yeah, I don't know if I did the, so my problem is I'll start things. I don't know if I read the whole thing. No, don't worry. So I like to cook and it was pitched as like learn how to hack these chef skills and all this stuff. So I got it. And really, man, my biggest takeaway from it was like, he, you know, he's crazy anyway, but like he, just the way he broke down, like learning how you learn and like breaking things down so that you can learn it to become an expert, even if you've never done it before was fascinating. And then the thing that has stuck with me, I read this book years ago. The thing that has stuck with me is just because nobody else does it or because it's not how it's historically done doesn't mean that it doesn't work, right? So the example he uses in the book is he is trying to become a wine snob and he decants wine by taking an immersion blender and sticking it in the wine and immersion blending wine for like, it's like a really expensive bottle of wine. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, you know, all these like, all these wine enthusiasts are like, oh my God. Yeah. You know, and he's like, but it makes sense, right? Like if the point of decanting wine is to get air into it, what's the best way to get air into it? And so that has, I'm a bit of a rule follower growing up. And so that has really pushed me. And Wes, my business partner is great of like, hey, Wes, we can't do this. He's like, well, why not? I'm like, well, I don't know, Wes. That's just not how it's done. He's like, well, why not? And I'm like, well, shit, I don't have a really good answer for that. So let's try it, you know? So it's opened us up to like so many things that I don't think we would have ever experienced if I would have just wet blanketed the conversation by going, ah, it's not possible. It's like, well, why not? It's like, well, that's a good question. I don't really know why not. Let's try it. And then we try it and it works. And so, yeah, four-hour chef. And there's some practical cooking stuff in there too, but Tim Curry's just a freak. I think I was talking about or thinking about, does he also have a four-hour body? He has a four-hour body, yes. Yeah, he's got four-hour work week was the first one I think. You read the four-hour body? Yeah, I never read that one. Yeah, and because he has some stuff about food in there. Like it's just like, you know, high protein kind of. But anyway, so, okay, that sounds interesting. I'd have to check that out. I mean, and honestly, like the food stuff, I love cooking too. I love food. I haven't had near as much time to do as cooking. And also the kids are a lot more picky than they want. They don't like to, you know, have my lamb sog that I want to cook, that's spicy. So anyway, eating that process up, which sounds like it probably would be part of the book, would be really, probably has some really good tips in there, I'll have to check it out. So thanks for that. Yeah, and it's like cookbook size. So it looks like a cookbook. Okay. Yeah, it's pretty interesting. So it was a cool, and if you research it, there was a whole, it was a cool branding play too. Like that was the first book he published from Amazon Publishing.

And so it was like non-traditional book publishing. And all these like traditional publishers, like got all up in arms about it. And like Barnes and Noble, like blacklisted the book. It wouldn't care. I mean, it was like a whole thing, but you know, it just helped him further solidify, I think his position of, I mean, he's just so creative. I think he's really interesting to learn from just because he thinks way differently than I think. And so anytime I think he can be around somebody like that, it's worth taking notes for sure. Do you then, are you a big podcast listener? Like if you've interviewed. Yeah, yeah, I like some podcasts, man. Yeah, my interests are all over the place though. So I can't listen to like just real estate or just leadership podcasts because I'll get real burnt out. So I'm like listening to like, yeah, I listen to some wild stuff. What about you? Yeah, no, I do. I mean, I don't, I haven't listened to it near as much as I have in the past. But honestly, I like to do a podcast and mow the lawn every week at least. And that's something that's like, I have a zero turn mower, so I'm not out there getting exercise. But that is like the most peaceful, amazing thing. Like, I just feel so much better after I do that. Just like interesting ideas, things that get my brain going and just, yeah, the peaceful moment of the lawn. So I feel like I'm Hank Hill right now. Yeah. Damn it, Bobby. Yeah. Thank you. Oh, incredible King of the Hill reference. Way to go, man. I hadn't thought about King of the Hill in a minute and you just brought it all back. It is, I don't know if underrated is the right word, but it is, it's a, Mike Judd is a genius. But Jordan, if people were interested in investing in your area, wanna reach out to you or follow you for more, where can they find you? Yeah, Instagram's gonna be the best place. I am at JordanSmithSC, like South Carolina. And there you can find all kind of my escapades and some really pretty houses we've lived. I'm a design guy, so like I, that's my whole thing is, call it ballin' on a budget. In fact, there's a, there's a shameless plug, I guess. Well, we'll try to add value, right? There's a reel in there, I will, I don't think it's pinned right now, but I'll pin it before this goes live. But there's a reel in there that I talk about design stuff and I'm actually giving away a free design guide with links to materials and mood boards and stuff like that. So if your listeners are interested, they can go on there and there's a keyword to comment and it'll send them a link to download that for free. So check me out on Instagram, @JordanSmithSC. It's, yeah, it's always an adventure over there. And my Instagram stories are usually, when I'm posting them, it's like a flip house that's in shambles and then the next story will be like a ridiculously funny meme and then the next story will be like, you know, my three-year-old singing Taylor Swift. And so it's a pretty well-rounded follow. I think I'm pretty fun to follow. You got the Swifties at home too? Oh my gosh, we are. I, it's crazy. So Collins turns four at the end of this month and she somehow latched onto the heirs tour on Disney+ and we watched it all day every day for not an exaggeration, two months straight. And I mean, like everybody in our family, I've got four kids, everybody in our family knows every word. And then the darndest thing, man, I think the algorithm got her. So like, you know, like when you finish watching something, it'll be like, oh, if you like this, you'll probably like these three movies or shows. So she, her newest infatuation is 2025. Her newest infatuation is Hannah Montana. Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana, four-year-old. And she is all, I mean, she's so sassy and has a microphone and a mic stand and a guitar and will put on a dress and you cannot tell her she's not a rock star. So that sounds like our house. We have not gotten that bug yet, but we are- Well, don't delete Hannah Montana off of everything that you can. A Swiftie cover concert.

I took the girls, a little daddy-daughter date and it was a lot of fun. So ironically enough, I'm actually taking her on to a Swiftie, to a Taylor Swift cover band tonight. For our daddy-daughter. Yeah, for our daddy-daughter date, legitimately, yeah. How old are your girls? Eight and five. And then I got a two-year-old son. Okay, fun ages, man. Yeah, ours are about to be 10, almost seven, about to be four, and then like one and a half. Okay. It's like her cats, man. Yeah. It's always an adventure. For sure. Well, Jordan, thanks so much for being on here. It's been a lot of fun. I think we're cut from the same cloth. We'll have to stay in touch. Yes, sir. We'd love that.

[balioc]

Looking at the world from a manager's perspective, you can productively model the pool of workers as being divided into a few basic groups, which are defined and characterized by their driving motivations.

Insert all the usual disclaimers for this sort of thing - this is the roughest type of rough typology. I pulled these categories out of my raw intuition, and possibly a few more would crop up with some additional thought. In reality, the boundaries of these categories are incredibly fuzzy, and almost every individual is actually going to be motivated by a complicated mix of all the relevant motivations; we're talking REALLY SIMPLE HEURISTICS here. Etc.

There have been other well-known worker typologies that share a lot in common with my thoughts here; this is mostly not novel, it's mostly meant to refine a few ideas for particular purposes.

Hustlers are motivated by concrete personal advantage. Most commonly, and most straightforwardly, they want money - as much of it as they can get. They may also be interested in fame, idiosyncratic perks, etc. They do whatever they have to do in order to get what they want.

No surprise: you see huge preponderances of these guys in fields that provide outsize concrete rewards, e.g. finance, the upper echelons of management, etc. But not every natural-born Hustler is in a position to enter a glitzy high-paying field, and in fact you find Hustlers all throughout society and all throughout the economy, finding or making hustles wherever they go.

Having Hustlers working for you is mostly pretty great. They get shit done. They can be induced to work incredibly hard - probably harder than anyone else, under most circumstances - and they'll shank their own mothers if the price is right. If you need anything really important from them, anything at all, it's just a matter of bribing them enough.

...they will also, of course, cheerfully shank you if the price is right. Hustlers aren't the only wellsprings of institutional politics and infighting, but they're the most dangerous ones; they're always potential rivals to everyone around them. Also, you need to keep the tangible rewards flowing in a steady stream in order to get anything out of them, or else they'll put most of their effort into jumping ship (one way or another).

Craftsmen are motivated by the desire to do good work in their chosen fields, for its own sake and for the sake of their treasured self-image as people who do good work.

As you'd expect, for the most part, they're excellent workers and should be prized. But they're not perfect workers. Common weaknesses and downsides include:

They tend to have their own ideas about How Things Should Get Done; they're often resistant to externally-imposed product/service requirements or process changes (and bad at implementing those things) (no matter how important or well-conceived they are), and they're very resistant to "just get it out the door, right now done is better than good."

Being driven chiefly by internal motivation is great, but sometimes it's useful to be able to push things along with external motivators, and Craftsmen are pretty resistant to those. They don't like working more or harder than they're naturally inclined to work, they mostly sneer at carrots, and sticks make them sad and unproductive.

It's important to note that, while noteworthy skill within a field correlates with having a Craftsman temperament and motivation suite - for obvious reasons - those things are not identical at all. Plenty of Craftsmen are bad at their jobs, or just average, and plenty of the best workers are most motivated by things other than the Excellence of the Work Itself.

Fanatics are a relatively rare and specialized group, whom you find mostly within a few specific sorts of culturally-valorized fields. They're motivated by a desire to be part of something Important and Good in a Broader Sense: to Save the World, or some smaller-bore version of that.

They make amazing front-line soldiers, in the sorts of institutions that have "front-line soldiers." They work super hard, and you don't even need to bribe them, you just need to keep them hopped up on inspiration.

The big problem with them is that they're mostly motivated by a feeling - the feeling of Being Righteous - and it's not easy to control where they get that feeling, in any kind of precise way. They're just as resistant to external motivators as Craftsmen are, or even more so, but they're also not being guided by an ideal of effective quality. (No, not even if their chosen cause is theoretically all about an ideal of effective quality, hem hem.) They will happily waste vast amounts of time and money doing useless things, or even counterproductive things, so long as they're engaged in tasks that hit the right psychological buttons for them. There's also a constant risk that a Fanatic will decide that his employer is unrighteous, or that one of his coworkers is unrighteous, and start an internal conflict; the risk scales in a more-than-linear fashion with the number of Fanatics you keep around.

The biggest group, unsurprisingly, is the Normies. In most fields, it is much the biggest group. Normies are motivated by the desire to be members in good standing of their communities, to have positive relationships with the people around them, and to live up to basic norms and expectations.

Managerial skills, in the traditional sense, are incredibly important with Normies. If you want them to do good work for you - and you should want that, as a manager, you've almost certainly got a whole bunch of them - not only do you have to keep them pointed in the right direction, you have to make sure that they're supporting each other. With Hustlers, you just have to throw money at them (and avoid their power plays); with Craftsmen, you just have to let them do their thing, and occasionally badger them into giving you what you need; with Fanatics, you just have to be inspirational; but with Normies, you have to lead, and construct a productive community. You have to set reasonable, achievable norms and expectations that will get you what you need.

This wouldn't be complete if I didn't talk about the Defectors. The Defectors are motivated by not working. They don't want to be there, they resent having to do their jobs, and their primary goal is to shirk as much as possible. They will, by default, put much more effort into shirking than into their assigned tasks.

Obviously, managers don't want to have to deal with them, for good reason. But they're out there, in large numbers - not always in the places and fields where you'd expect to find them - and learning to manage them is sometimes more viable than trying to get rid of them. ("Moving Heaven and Earth to find them jobs that will change their attitude" is often a good plan, although of course it's not always possible and not always worth it.)

Crucially, Defectors are not Normies. If you start with the assumption that the average baseline worker is lazy and sour, you will make some incredibly stupid decisions. There are some fields where, for structural reasons, you can expect that a very large number of your workers will be Defectors; this is a huge and complicated challenge, well beyond the scope of this post, and good luck to you if you have to handle it, but it's not the default.

----------------------

Once you have those categories in your head, and can play with them, a number of obvious-seeming ideas present themselves. Just a couple, for now:

Most high-level executives are Hustlers, or have strong Hustler tendencies, for obvious reasons. Most of the people around them are Hustlers, or have strong Hustler tendencies. This means that they tend to overweight the Hustler outlook, by a lot, when they try to model what their workers are like. More specifically, I'd wager that a lot of them intuitively divide the world into "good workers" ( = Hustlers) and "bad workers" ( = Defectors). This will lead to a heavy overreliance on tangible rewards, a systematic shortchanging of community-building, etc. Which is in fact just what we see.

In particular - crucially - Hustlers and Defectors are the only worker types who ever become more productive under heavy stress. Hustlers actually benefit from it, because it raises the stakes of the game that they're already playing. (If you succeed, you'll be king of the world! If you fail, you'll be shark food! Go go go!) Defectors suffer terribly from stress, of course, but they can sometimes be spooked into doing their jobs as opposed to doing nothing, and sometimes that's the best/easiest way to get something out of them. But stress is terrible for everyone else. Craftsmen lose their focus. Fanatics lose their hope. It's worst of all for Normies, because they take all their cues from the vibes around them; they're productive when they learn to associate work with comfort and happiness, and when you fill their working world with frantic desperation, you just put them in a permanent cringe state.

stop trying to pit your Normies against each other in competitions for status and rewards dear God what are you stupid

To some extent, you can control your institution by controlling what types of workers you have. But only to some extent. There are only so many Hustlers and Craftsmen to go around, and if you want them, you will have to (a) be able to identify them reliably on little information [HINT: you are probably very bad at this], and (b) provide them with what they want [tangible rewards / comfortable security and interesting work]. "We are going to employ only the good special people" is feasible if you're an outfit of four workers; at a dozen, it's already become a stretch; at a few hundred, uh, pfffffffft. If you want to operate at scale, you need to be able to make Normies do good work, there is no substitute for it.

[astrologydray]

Ruler of the 6th through the houses

This is where we get into daily life, service, work, wellness, and routine. Think of it as your “how I get sh*t done” energy — the ruler of your 6th house shows what area of life demands the most effort, structure, or healing🖤.

6th House Ruler in the 1st House

You are your own project.

Your identity is wrapped in your work ethic and wellness. People see you as productive, reliable, and self-improving. You’re the type to biohack, optimize, or self-discipline like a boss. You serve: Yourself, your goals, your growth. Wellness style: Actively engaged with body + health. “My body is my schedule — and my brand.”

6th House Ruler in the 2nd House

You work for stability + values.

You’re motivated by security, comfort, and building something solid. You probably have a slow-and-steady daily rhythm and need to feel grounded in your routine. You serve: Through practical help + financial support. Wellness style: Nourishment, somatic care, massage. “My routine = my resource.”

6th House Ruler in the 3rd House

Your mind is always working.

You thrive on movement, communication, and mental stimulation. You may multitask like a machine and keep a busy schedule. Writing, teaching, or running errands = daily bread. You serve: Through ideas, words, and helpful info. Wellness style: Breathwork, nervous system care, mobility. “My calendar is color-coded chaos — and I love it.”

6th House Ruler in the 4th House

Your home is your office or temple.

You crave comfort and emotional security in your daily rhythm. You may work from home or be drawn to caretaking professions. Wellness comes from emotional safety. You serve: Family, home, emotional healing. Wellness style: Nourishing food, rest, inner child care. “My peace starts at home.”

6th House Ruler in the 5th House

You work with passion or not at all.

You thrive when your work lights you up. You bring creativity to your job, and you may serve others through play, art, children, or entertainment. You’re here to infuse joy into the mundane. You serve: Through performance, love, creativity. Wellness style: Movement, pleasure, artistic release. “If it’s not fun, it’s not sustainable.”

6th House Ruler in the 6th House

You were born for systems, routines + service.

You’re naturally drawn to work, health, and structure. You may have a career in healthcare, healing, or support roles. Routines come naturally — but beware of overworking. You serve: Through consistency, integrity, mastery. Wellness style: Functional, optimized, routine-based. “Structure sets me free.”

6th House Ruler in the 7th House

You show up for others.

You serve through partnerships — whether romantic, business, or client-based. Your work may involve 1:1 relationships, and wellness improves when your relationships are in harmony. You serve: Lovers, clients, collaborators. Wellness style: Balance, connection, mirrored growth. “Your peace = my peace.”

6th House Ruler in the 8th House

You work in the shadows.

You may serve through healing, therapy, finances, or emotional transformation. You’re private about your daily habits and need depth + purpose in your work to avoid burnout. You serve: Through psychological or energetic work. Wellness style: Detox, shadow work, deep rest. “My work transforms me — and others.”

6th House Ruler in the 9th House

You work from the mind and the spirit.

You may serve through teaching, spirituality, law, or travel. Daily life needs meaning. You might crave movement or a higher mission behind the grind. You serve: Through wisdom, beliefs, or worldly perspective. Wellness style: Walking meditations, breathwork, education. “My routine is my ritual.”

6th House Ruler in the 10th House

You turn routines into legacy.

Work is your identity. You’re ambitious, career-oriented, and likely to rise in your field due to your consistency. You might manage others or become known for your service. You serve: Through leadership, professionalism, influence. Wellness style: Structured, goal-driven, visible. “Work hard, shine harder.”

6th House Ruler in the 11th House

You serve the collective.

You may work within communities, collectives, or online spaces. You need freedom and innovation in your day-to-day — and you’re likely to rebel against rigid schedules. You serve: Friends, networks, causes. Wellness style: Group classes, tech tools, unconventional methods. “My work serves the future.”

6th House Ruler in the 12th House

Invisible service, sacred structure.

You work best in solitude, or in healing/behind-the-scenes roles. Your routines may be intuitive or chaotic, and wellness is deeply tied to your emotional + spiritual state. You serve: Spirit, the unseen, vulnerable populations. Wellness style: Sleep, silence, dreams, energetic healing “Sacred rest is my medicine.”

[thealchemistbae]

Asteroid Mony (7782) Persona Chart 🤑

Disclaimer: This post is for entertainment purposes only.

thealchemistbae © do not copy, redistribute, or edit my content.

If you enjoyed this post, you can leave me a tip via PayPal at goddessguapa@gmail.com or via Venmo @goddessguapa. Thank you.

Let's breakdown the houses in your Mony (7782) Persona Chart. Each house represents a different area of your financial life. This chart tells a story of your money personality behind the scenes. Think of this as your subconscious $$$ blueprint:

💸1H -> Your money aura: This is how your financial energy shows up to the world. Do people naturally see you as wealthy, abundant, or financially smart? This house is your money image. If Mony, Venus, or Jupiter are here? You're giving rich b*tch energy on sight.

💸2H -> How you earn: Classic money house. This is your natural way of making money, your self-worth, and how secure you feel. Planets here show your talents and what brings you financial comfort. Heavy hitters here = money comes through personal effort, business, beauty, or voice-related skills.

💸3H -> Money through communication: Here, money flows through content, writing, speaking, teaching, social media, or networking. If you've got Mony or Venus here? Your words can literally be spells that attract cash. Monetize that voice!

💸4H -> Money & home: This is "homegrown money" energy. You might make money through family, real estate, home business, or comfort driven work (think interior design, food, healing). Emotional security = financial security. Also, generational wealth could show up here.

💸5H -> Luxury, pleasure & creative cash: Money through fun, beauty, creativity, romance, kids, or entertainment. This is sugar baby energy, artist/creator money, or passive income through playful self-expression. You're meant to enjoy your bag here; not work too hard for it.

💸6H -> Daily grind & service: Money through jobs, health, organization, or being of service. Influencers with Mony here often make $$$ through routines, wellness, or being super detail oriented. Hustle queen vibes but don't forget to rest.

💸7H -> Partnerships & money: Money flows through connections. Could be a wealthy partner, business collab, or luxury relationships. If Venus, Juno, or Mony are here, you were built for divine union & financial alignment. Also good for contract work or client-based income.

💸8H -> Big baller energy: This is passive income, investments, shared money, sugar daddies, inheritance, transformation through finances, or hidden wealth. It's mysterious and intense. Big "rich through rebirth" vibes. If you've got Pluto or Mony here? Financial power = shadow work + boss moves.

💸9H -> Money through expansion: This is abundance through travel, teaching, spirituality, publishing, or going global. You might make money abroad, through higher education, or online courses. Think big. You're not meant to stay small financially.

💸10H -> Your boss era: Career success, fame, reputation, and legacy income. If you have Mony, Venus, or Jupiter here, you're literally meant to be seen and paid for it. CEO energy. Public recognition = money magnet. You could become rich for just being yourself.

💸11H -> Online & community wealth: Money from social media, networking, groups, fans, brand deals, or the collective. It's futuristic wealth. Build an audience, launch a product, or monetize your vibe. You were born to have a financial following.

💸12H -> Spiritual & subconscious wealth: This is hidden income, spiritual money gifts, or past life abundance. You may have to overcome internal blocks, but once you do ...divine money flow. Dreamy wealth, donations, healing work, or passive income through surrender.

✨PRO tip: If you find Mony, Venus, Jupiter, Part of Fortune, or North Node in any of these houses...pay attention! That's a major financial hot spot.

Here are some placements you can look out for:

💰: Mony in Cancer 2° 9H -> You're meant to make money by pouring your heart into your higher calling. You may attract abundance through soulful storytelling, international connections, or being a spiritual guide, educator, or content creator. Travel to heal. Speak to teach. Monetize your meaning. Big divine purpose payout energy.

💰: Sun trine Moon -> This is the ultimate flow between your internal needs and external self-expression. You attract wealth and success effortlessly when you're aligned with your true desires. Your energy is magnetic, and you know how to shine with both confidence and emotional depth.

💰: Sun conjunct Mony (exact at 12° Taurus) -> Your identity is intertwined with your financial purpose. You were born to secure the bag. This aspect = magnetic manifestor energy. People with this have an aura of abundance and always bounce back even after financial L's. The Universe likes to fund your purpose.

💰: Venus square Mony -> Luxury taste meets lessons in value. You may have to learn how to not overspend or get too attached to aesthetic validation. Money might come and go until you start investing in yourself first rather than buying for external approval. But once mastered? You become a rich baddie with budgeting skills.

💰: Moon trine/sextile Mony -> Intuitive money maker, emotionally aligned abundance.

💰: Venus trine/conjunct Mony -> Beauty = money, effortless attraction of wealth.

💰: Jupiter trine/conjunct Mony -> Luck + big $$$ manifestations.

💰: Mercury square Mony -> Potential money blocks through mindset or communication, but once cleared, major financial glow up.

💰: NN Cancer 10H -> Legacy-building through emotional intelligence and nurturing success.

💰: Mars or Jupiter 8H -> Investments, passive income, high earning potential through other people's resources.

💰: NN in 10H/11H -> Fated success and wealth through purpose and public life.

💰: Mony trine Jupiter in Capricorn 10H (18°) -> Success magnet! This person expands their wealth the more they step into their public persona. Being seen as an expert or authority literally opens financial floodgates. You're meant to go big. CEO vibes only. Your reputation = $$$

💰: Mony in Taurus 2H -> You embody luxury and attract money through aesthetics, beauty, consistency, and owning your value. You're destined to build wealth through your personal talents. That bag is slow but stable. You don't just want money, you want wealth.

💰: Aries Rising -> You chase the bag fast and head on. You're bold, competitive, and not afraid to ask for what you're worth. Your money comes when you initiate, lead, or start something solo. Business owner energy. You don't wait for permission; you charge forward and cash checks.

💰: Gemini Rising -> You talk the money in. Social butterfly with 6+ income streams. Content creator, brand ambassador, or communicator bag. When you're authentic and constantly learning, money follows. You're witty, adaptable, and people listen when you speak.

💰: Leo Rising -> Main character in your money story. You magnetize wealth when you're seen, celebrated, and confident AF. Think: influencer bags, creative entrepreneurship, and big LEO energy that says, "I know I'm worth it." Your radiance is profitable so don't dim for anyone.

💰: Libra Rising -> You attract luxury partnerships, aesthetics, and passive income through your connections. People literally want to spoil you. Money is magnetic when you lean into elegance, beauty, and charm. High-end creative entrepreneur energy. Look good, live well, get paid.

💰: Capricorn Rising -> Built for legacy wealth. Your aura screams CEO or mogul. You come off as responsible, grounded, and hella ambitious. People trust you with leadership, long term goals, and big money moves. You're not in it for the quick bag; you're building an empire.

💰: Mony square/opposite Saturn -> Money feels blocked, delayed, or tied to intense feelings of unworthiness. You might feel like you have to work 10X harder just to get a little. But this placement also builds long term wealth after lessons are learned.

💰: Mony square Moon/IC -> Emotional instability or family struggles deeply affect your financial habits. Money = safety, and when you don't feel safe, your money reflects that. Inner child work is MAJOR here.

💰: Mony 12H -> Hidden wealth...but also hidden money blocks. You may not feel "seen" financially, or you self-sabotage unknowingly. BUT spiritual work, subconscious reprogramming, and surrender can flip this into a secret millionaire placement.

💰: Mony Retrograde -> Internal money journey, lessons around belief & fear.

💰: NN in 2H/8H/10H -> You came here to evolve into wealth consciousness. This life is about claiming your worth, receiving abundance, and building a legacy. Especially strong in Taurus, Leo, Capricorn, or Cancer.

💰: Part of Fortune in 2H/8H/10H -> Your natural luck is tied to wealth, legacy and high visibility. These placements usually bring financial abundance when you're aligned with your soul's calling and confident in your talents.

Bonus Billionaire Indicators

Stellium in the 2H/8H/10H -> More than 3 placements here? You're literally built to focus on money, resources, power, and public legacy.

Trines between Earth & Water placements in money houses -> Earth signs = tangible wealth. Water signs = intuition and emotional intelligence. Together = money flow meets money instinct.

Mony, Jupiter, or Venus at 0°/15°/29° (critical degrees) -> Powerhouse money karma. These degrees intensify whatever they touch and in money astrology, that's a green flag for big financial breakthroughs.

Let me know if y'all want a Part 2 OR I'll give 1 lucky person a Mony Persona Chart reading 🤑

thealchemistbae © do not copy, redistribute, or edit my content.

If you enjoyed this post, you can leave me a tip via PayPal at goddessguapa@gmail.com or via Venmo @goddessguapa. Thank you.

[kleopatra45]

Mars in the Signs [Solar Return]

Aries

This year, your drive is fueled by independence and initiative. You’re eager to take charge, start new projects, and assert your willpower. Expect a year of high energy and bold decisions. Just be cautious of impatience or impulsiveness.

Taurus

Your energy this year is steady and persistent. You’re focused on building long-term stability, particularly in finances or material security. Patience and determination guide your actions, but be wary of stubbornness or resistance to change.

Gemini

This year, your energy is directed towards communication, learning, and networking. You’ll be juggling multiple interests and may feel mentally stimulated but scattered. Focus on harnessing your curiosity into productive outlets.

Cancer

Your drive is influenced by your emotions and home life this year. You’re protective of loved ones and motivated to create a secure and nurturing environment. Be mindful of mood swings or passive-aggressive tendencies.

Leo

Expect a year of creative self-expression and bold actions. You’re driven by a desire for recognition and will put your energy into pursuits that allow you to shine. Just watch out for ego clashes or a tendency to be overly dramatic.

Virgo

This year, you’re focused on efficiency and detail-oriented work. You’ll be driven to improve systems, organize, and serve others. Your energy is methodical, but be careful not to become overly critical or perfectionistic.

Libra

Your energy is directed towards partnerships and achieving balance in relationships. You’re motivated to collaborate, but you may struggle with indecision. Focus on asserting your needs while maintaining harmony.

Scorpio

Expect intense focus and determination this year. You’re driven by deep desires and will pursue your goals with passion and persistence. This can be a transformative year, but beware of obsession or manipulative tendencies.

Sagittarius

Your drive this year is towards exploration, adventure, and broadening your horizons. You’re motivated to seek new experiences, whether through travel, education, or philosophy. Just be cautious of overextending yourself or being overly idealistic.

Capricorn

This year, your energy is disciplined and ambitious. You’re focused on achieving long-term goals, particularly in your career. Hard work and persistence pay off, but watch out for workaholism or a rigid approach.

Aquarius

Expect a year of innovative actions and breaking free from conventions. You’re motivated by a desire for independence and change. Your energy is unconventional, and you’ll likely pursue causes that align with your ideals. Just be mindful of detachment or rebelliousness.

Pisces

This year, your drive is guided by intuition, compassion, and creativity. You’re motivated to help others and may be drawn to spiritual or artistic pursuits. However, your energy may feel diffuse, so focus on grounding your actions in reality.

You can use the energy of Mars in your Solar Return chart to navigate the year with purpose and intention, aligning your actions with your goals and aspirations.

©️kleopatra45

[cyberclouddream]

How to Spot: Water Signs Edition

Cancer Rising

- emotionally reactive and take everything personally; their sensitivity is off the charts so they approach new people cautiously

- appear maternal, caring, and empathetic but their mood swings are noticeable; if you make them feel disrespected or unsafe they withdraw and shut down

- expensive spenders, investing in flashy things to feel better about themselves; their need to appear wealthy can lead to financial stability, as their self-worth is tied to how much they have

- constantly worry that they’re being misunderstood or that they’re words are imperfect; their siblings or neighbors might feel like they’re overly analytical or nitpicky

- obsessed with creating the perfect home, and their need for balance can cause them to avoid confrontation at home, leading to passive-aggression there

- easily jealous and need to feel emotionally secure in romantic relationships, and tend to take their desires too far

- hate being tied down to schedules, craving flexibility so much in their day-to-day life that can lead to a chaotic lifestyle l

- tend to attract partners who are older or more established, drawn to those who are stable and dependable

- distant yet controlling, justifying it by saying they’re just being responsible

- intellectualize things too much when it comes to intimacy and deep emotional transformations, avoiding getting too emotional

- come off spacey or unrealistic when they discuss their beliefs or travel plans, rarely committing to concepts or places

- bold and assertive in their career but may rub people the wrong way; they push hard for the top but their impatience can sabotage them

- social life is usually built around people they’ve known for years, and they don’t adapt well to changes in social dynamics; they have a knack for getting in with the right people

- emotional escapist, intellectualizing their emotions in an almost clinical way but the emotional truth remains untouched

- fill their head with noise and distractions to avoid dealing with the raw emotional pain, which can cause them to be prisoners of their own mind; this can lead to insomnia and anxiety

Scorpio Rising

- magnetic and intimidating at the same time, drawing people in with an impenetrable boundary

- often go through major life upheavals, handling it with an icy resolve

- their moral compass is shaped by experience and their gut instincts rather than tradition

- aren’t afraid to task risks with their finances, usually because they believe they will always bounce back

- people may find them too intense or driven, but they’re on a mission to win, even in mundane areas of life

- they hate idle gossip or shallow talk and would rether have deep, meaningful conversations; they prefer to have control over thoughts and words, wanting to be understood on their own terms

- often feel alienated at home, even if it’s self-imposed; they prioritize mental freedom over family ties

- attract odd living situations or have an abnormal family dynamic

- get lost in their creative pursuits and when they fall in love with someone, it’s all-consuming

- at work they’re fiercely competitive, even if they don’t make it obvious; if you’re slacking at work they may call you out mercilessly

- often push themselves to the point of burnout, and may expect the same intensity from others

- can be possessive and overly demanding in love, preferring those who offers stability without making them feel vulnerable; jealousy is always lurking underneath the surface

- ask a lot of questions in sensitive topics, but don’t expect them to answer any in return

- retreat into their shell if their beliefs are challenged or if they feel insecure about their knowledge

- often obtain high positions or become well-known in their field; their career success is frequently linked to their ability to project confidence and control

- have a small, tight-knit group of friends who serve specific roles or purposes

- they want their inner world to be aesthetically-pleasing and orderly, which can cause them to face challenges with reconciling their idealistic and emotional needs with reality

Pisces Rising

- they have a vague, dreamy demeanor and a tendency to blend in rather than stand out; they’ll end up being whatever you want them to be without realizing it

- people either feel drawn to their seemingly compassionate nature or find them frustratingly inconsistent

- they act fast to make money but just as quickly blow through it; they may struggle with jobs that require any real focus or consistency

- they prefer slow, comfortable conversations that don’t rock the boat, withdrawing when things get too deep or challenging for their idealistic world

- they’re not the most articulate, preferring to convey emotions through art, music, or some indirect form of communication

- likely to live in several places over their lifetime, since they can’t settle one what an open and free home feels like

- they are sentimental and often romanticize the past, partners, or projects, which can lead to melodrama and disappointment

- prone to neglecting themselves until a dramatic situation forced them to pay attention; desire to be the center of attention without putting in real effort in their routines

- attract partners who want to “fix” them, which can feel patronizing or irritating; they may end up in codependent relationships where their partner micromanages them

- prefer to avoid responsibility in financial or intimate matters; they can feel dependent or even resentful in shared financial matters

- end up with complex, unspoken beliefs that are hard to share with anyone, and they can get lost in the quest for these hidden truths

- they may inspire others with their idealism but struggle with consistency and discipline; they just want their work to feel meaningful and expansive

- they carefully choose friendships that benefit them on the long-run, and may came off cold or distant when maintaining these relationships

- may idealize being a “lone wolf” but won’t admit it outright, even to themselves

- they’re chaotic and detached from emotional expectations, prone to sudden and erratic shifts in their mental state that makes them hard to understand

[the-virgoperspective]

Part 1

Mars is one of the most important planets in a composite chart. In the composite chart, this planet represents the bond’s action and drive, a sexual one and ego-driven one. Mars is considered a malefic planet that comes with challenge no matter which house it is placed in. It can show you where the challenges can lie and what it will take to overcome them and bear the powerful fruits of a developed Mars. Mars can also show how you approach individuality as one and where your expression lies within a relationship. It is very important to review the sign placement and other planets and/or luminaries aspecting Mars, as this will give you a more detailed description of how they will affect the expression of this planet.

I will be using the writings of Robert Hand from his novel “Planets In Composite: Analyzing Human Relations” to describe the meaning and significance of Mars in each composite house. Enjoy! xoo

1H Composite Mars

Composite Mars in the first house demands that this relationship be a complete expression of both of you. This should be the case with any relationship, but it is even more important in this instance. It would be best if you could find something that you both like to do together, and the more physically active the better. There is a lot of energy in your relationship that must be expended somehow.

If you can find a common purpose, all of your energy will be focused on that instead of on each other. You will be able to accomplish a tremendous amount of work together, and in the process you will enjoy each other. There is no way around the fact that this relationship demands activity.

Unfortunately, if you do not handle these energies properly, Mars can signify fighting and conflict. It is not that you necessarily dislike each other, although that could be the case, but that the relationship doesn’t give any relevance to the matters that are really important to each of you individually. There is you, the other person, and your relationship, all of which seem to have very little in common.

Keeping this problem in mind, this can be an excellent placement for any relationship that is specifically aimed at accomplishing a job or task, such as a professional association.

2H Composite Mars

Mars in the second house of the composite chart indicates a relationship in which your mutual ego-expression revolves around acquiring things, but not necessarily holding on to them. The second house is the house of one’s resources, both material and psychological.

There is a tendency to be reckless with resources, such as spending money too quickly or taking chances with possessions. It is as if the two of you glory in being able to do whatever you want with what you own. The problem is that you both have to agree on what to do with your mutual possessions. If you cannot agree, there could be serious disputes over property, possessions, and finances. Even if the relationship is otherwise satisfactory, the way you handle money and possessions could be a serious threat to harmony between you. It is very important that you come to some understanding about this issue as early as possible.

Even if you do agree, you should be careful about what you do with your resources. Otherwise you may find that the resources you need to accomplish something have disappeared.

Mars in the composite chart is related to joint ego-expression. The second-house position means that this will be achieved through property, possessions, and money. Plan very carefully how to achieve what you want, and be very sure to do something with what you have, for that is what the position signifies.

The second house can also signify values in an intellectual sense. Whatever your value systems are, be sure that you have a conscious understanding of them, or they could become an issue that divides you.

3H Composite Mars

Mars in the third house of the composite chart indicates several areas of expression in a relationship. First of all, the third house rules the lower mind, that is, the mind in its routine day-to-day functioning. If the two of you are not getting along well with each other, this placement of Mars signifies arguing and disputes and general intellectual disagreement. The problem is that each of you may identify with your own ideas and opinions so strongly that you regard a challenge to your beliefs as a challenge to your innermost self. Habits and other ingrained behavior patterns could also become an issue for dispute in this relationship. You must straighten out within yourselves and with each other what is going on inside you. In other words, you have to have great self-awareness.

The third house also rules the immediate environment and relatives. If your relationship is working out well, this simply means that the two of you will be actively and vigorously involved with your immediate family and relatives. If events take a negative turn, however, you may be constantly at odds with your immediate environment-continual disputes with relatives, for example. Again it is necessary that you both watch out for unconscious habits of thought.

4H Composite Mars

The fourth house rules the innermost bases of life-your own inner foundation, the home, the unconscious mind, your parents and in-laws. Mars in the fourth house of the composite chart is most noticeable if its energy is not working smoothly. If the Mars energy is working smoothly, you will hardly be aware of it. The two of you will work together with a natural rapport and an inherent smoothness.

However, if the Mars energy is not working smoothly, there will be a number of difficulties to work out. To begin with, the sources of your ego conflicts are buried deep within the relationship, so it will be difficult to root them out and bring them into the open. The causes of conflict will be in matters that you take so much for granted that you are not even aware of them. For this reason you must question even your most fundamental assumptions to discover how you are subverting your relationship.

The effects of this energy will be apparent in the most basic aspects of your lives. If you live together, the energy could manifest itself as arguments in and about the home. You might have differing concepts of what a home ought to be, which could be a serious source of conflict. Or if you are married, your parents might be the immediate occasion for battle. But neither home nor parents is really the problem. The basic difficulty is that your unconscious ideas and notions on various subjects become clear to you only when they are challenged. It will take a very deep inquiry into yourselves to get at these problems.

5H Composite Mars

The fifth house is a very compatible position for Mars in a composite chart, but the needs it generates must be met. It is a position of great self-expression, so there must be an ample opportunity for self-expression in this relationship. You must give each other plenty of room to be yourselves with a minimum of interference. If you impose all manner of limitations on each other, there will be considerable conflict. Mars is related to ego energies, which create no problem if expressed. If they are not expressed, however, they can create many difficulties.

It would be excellent for the two of you to be as active as possible together, with a common set of goals toward which you bend your energies. In that way the energy that might become a source of conflict can bind the two of you together.

In a sexual relationship this position can be extremely beneficial, provided that you follow the advice given above. The fifth is the house of love affairs, while Mars, along with Venus, rules sexual energy. In a sexual relationship with this position, if you don’t work well together on a sexual level, there is not likely to be harmony on any other level. The energy that should be used in sex instead becomes the source of very divisive ego conflict.

6H Composite Mars

With composite Mars in the sixth house, you will have a sense of work to be done together. The sixth is the house of work, and in a composite chart it signifies the duties and responsibilities that the two of you must fulfill through this relationship.

The difficulty with this position, as with all planets in the sixth house of the composite chart, is that your sense of duty will often overwhelm the feelings of joy and pleasure that should be present in a relationship. The two of you may begin to regard the relationship as a burden, a set of tasks, rather than something to be enjoyed for its own sake. This is a deafening point of view and is particularly difficult in a sexual relationship.

This position is least problematical in a business or professional association in which work is the sole object. But even here the two of you must enjoy being together, so that your work becomes a form of self-expression as well as a duty. The sixth house emphasizes the needful aspect of work rather than the self-expressive aspect.

If the two of you do not feel that you are accomplishing something fairly concrete by being together, this will be a disruptive problem. Enjoying each other or feeling that you are both growing through your relationship is not usually enough to satisfy the demands of this placement of Mars. There is work to be done.

part 2

☌ animated divider by @adornedwithlight ☌

[a-d-nox]

pac/pap: rainbow road - where are you on your journey? what must you overcome? what's the final destination?

about a year ago we did a similar PAC - consider this a check up on your journey! take what resonates leave what doesn't - nothing is 100% for you because these aren't personalized so please no angry comments or dms about what i am saying not being a good fit for you or that you "don't claim" just keep scrolling if that is the case. be kind, self reflect, and have fun.

last pac/pap: a letter from your future spouse

return to the masterlist of pap/pac posts

paid reading options: astrology menu & cartomancy menu

enjoy my work? help me continue creating by tipping on ko-fi or paypal. your support keeps the magic alive!

pile one

you’re in this phase of questioning your stability, legacy, or long-term security (10h themes). this could mean you're primarily focused on financial concerns, family tensions (particularly with masculine figures), and/or feels that traditional paths aren’t working for you. you might need to redefine your success on your own terms, break away from expectations, and/or face a temporary setbacks without fear of setbacks.

you might be overcoming procrastination, self-doubt, and/or a lack of follow-through when it comes to your goals. you may have a tendency to get distracted, feel unmotivated, and/or struggle with discipline when it comes to your long-term plans/planning. this could be related to finances, career ambitions, and/or personal development - perhaps you tend to start things with excitement but find it hard to stay committed.

your final destination suggests a journey of learning to release control, surrender to the flow, and find inner alignment before pushing forward. your path may not be about forcefully charging ahead, but rather it's about overcoming internal obstacles - such as self-doubt, lack of direction, and/or having conflicting desires.

pile 2

you’re in a phase of holding on - it could be anything like finances, security, emotions, control, etc. you might have the urge to protect what you have, whether that’s material resources, personal boundaries, and/or emotional investments. your reluctance to let go of something (or someone) could very well be a fear of change.

you must overcome impulsiveness, recklessness, and/or the tendency to charge ahead without considering all the consequences. you may be driven by intense ambition or strong opinions, but this energy can sometimes lead to burnout, conflict, and/or missed details.

your final destination at this moment is deep self-reflection, breaking free from your self-doubt, and learning to trust your inner voice / intuition once more. you might be struggling with fully embracing your purpose and/or answering your intuition due to fear, uncertainty, and/or unresolved past issues.

pile 3

you’re in this phase of emotional exploration, creativity, and openness. it's a period of curiosity, new beginnings in love (not just romantic) and/or self-expression, and embracing a more intuitive side of yourself. you might receive messages from your subconscious, or feeling drawn to creative pursuits, OR find yourself experiencing a sense of wonder in your relationships or regarding personal growth (you have come a very long way).

you might be holding onto a need for external validation, stability, and/or find yourself celebrating prematurely. you could indicate a resistance to change because of your comfort with what is most familiar to you or you may fear disruptions in your life.

your final destination aligns with becoming self-reliance, learning to trust your own abilities, and breaking free from unhelpful dynamics (getting some family vibes for a majority of you). it may indicate a path where you move away from relying on external validation, teamwork (gotta do your own thing upcoming), and/or traditional structures. you will instead forge your own path - even if that means doing things differently or alone.

[the-joy-of-knowledge]

Thinking Fast & Slow

Understanding System 1 and System 2 Thinking.

In Daniel Kahneman's seminal work, "Thinking, Fast and Slow," he introduces the concept of two systems of thought: System 1 and System 2. These systems operate in different ways, shaping our decisions, behaviors, and habits.

System 1: The Fast Thinker

System 1 is our intuitive, automatic, and quick mode of thinking. It operates with little or no effort . This system is responsible for our immediate reactions and gut feelings.

Characteristics of System 1:

Automatic and Quick: Requires minimal effort.

Emotional: Driven by emotions and immediate impressions.

Unconscious: Operates without conscious awareness.

Fast: Reacts instantly to stimuli.

Examples of System 1 Behaviors:

Binge Eating: Grabbing a bag of chips and consuming it mindlessly while watching TV.

Impulsive Shopping: Buying items on impulse because they are on sale or displayed attractively.

Driving on a Familiar Route: Navigating through known streets without consciously thinking about each turn.

Reacting to a Sudden Noise: Jumping in response to a loud sound.

System 2: The Slow Thinker

System 2 is our analytical, deliberate, and effortful mode of thinking. This system is responsible for making more deliberate choices and reflecting on complex issues.

Characteristics of System 2:

Effortful and Deliberate: Requires mental effort and attention.

Rational: Driven by logic and reasoning.

Conscious: Operates with full awareness.

Slow: Takes time to process information.

Examples of System 2 Behaviors:

Intentional Eating: Planning meals ahead of time to ensure a balanced diet.

Careful Budgeting: Analyzing finances and creating a budget to manage spending.

Learning a New Skill: Dedicating time and effort to practice and improve.

Solving Complex Problems: Taking time to think through a difficult work-related issue or a puzzle.

How System 1 and System 2 Affect Our Habits

Our habits are largely influenced by the interplay between these two systems. System 1 often governs habits formed through repeated behaviors and routines, while System 2 comes into play when we try to change or form new, deliberate habits.

System 1 Habits:

Unhealthy Eating: Reaching for comfort food when stressed, driven by emotional responses.

Procrastination: Putting off tasks in favor of immediate, less demanding activities.

Mindless Browsing: Scrolling through social media without a specific purpose.

System 2 Habits:

Regular Exercise: Planning and adhering to a workout schedule.

Mindful Meditation: Setting aside time for mindfulness practices.

Continuous Learning: Reading books or taking courses to gain new knowledge and skills.

Practical Applications

I have realized that for me to form a new habit, I have to constantly fight against System 1 behavior (checking my phone first thing in the morning, impulsive eating etc). By fighting against it, I mean reminding myself of my intentions, taking time to ask myself why I really need another brownie. It is difficult at first but understanding the differences between System 1 and System 2 can help us make better decisions and develop healthier habits. For example, recognizing that binge eating is a System 1 behavior can lead us to implement System 2 strategies, such as meal planning and mindful eating, to counteract it.

Tips to Engage System 2:

Pause and Reflect: Before making decisions, take a moment to consider the consequences.

Create Routines: Establish structured routines that require conscious effort initially but can eventually become automatic.

Set Clear Goals: Define specific, achievable goals to guide deliberate actions.

Practice Self-Control: Develop self-discipline through regular practice and reinforcement.

By harnessing the power of System 2 thinking, we can override the automatic responses of System 1, leading to more intentional and beneficial habits.

[wildtales1973]

What it would actually be like to date various HBOWAR men (modern au):

by me and @guarnerepdf

Speirs:

-is a cokehead finance bro

-you wake up in the middle of the night to him watching you sleep with no explanation given, just an eery smile

-is gaslighting you for purposes unknown (moving your furniture one inch to the left etc)

-buys you the fucking tackiest expensive jewelry and designer clothes as random gifts but half of it is fake

-you justify staying because he takes you to NOBU but you’re afraid to google him

-malarkey keeps telling you he's a serial killer but he has such beautiful hair

-lipton keeps handing you domestic violence brochures when he thinks no one is looking. you throw them away because you want that fucking ugly gucci belt! and the staring is sort of charming after a while

-possibly has a secret child that he is hiding from you. you're not sure.

-the first time you have sex he chokes you without asking and is confused when you get mad at him over it.

-does coke while eating dry fruit loops cereal in the morning. somehow looks hot while doing it.

Liebgott and Webster:

-challengers level toxic throuple, these two come as a pair!

-liebgott is xanned out so badly on the regular that he does not remember the last time he washed his hands.

-lieb met bill and toye in rehab and now all his friends are undergrads even though he's going on thirty.

-lieb won't kiss you in the morning "goddamn it woman, brush your teeth" but will kiss webster no problem!

-lieb likes webster more, but web likes you more because you don't call him slurs and you let him rant to you about sharks.

-you and web unionize at some point to get liebgott back into rehab. when he's gone you realize your relationship is 200 million times healthier but also extremely boring. you take him back the minute he releases himself AMA.

-lieb cannot figure out how to work tiktok, meanwhile webster has 100k subscribers on youtube and does grwm story time videos.

-you once had to be driven home by babe from the gas station after lieb kicked you out of the car. the fight was because he didn't believe you when you said you were allergic to gluten. babe lets you play cinnamon girl by lana del rey on the way home.

-lieb keeps trying to weaponize therapy language against you, 'baby you're fucking gaslighting me!' webster just makes it worse when he tries to explain what the terms actually mean.

Bill:

-you start dating Bill after he steals you away from Babe. Babe was nice, but you got the ick immediately after realizing he's not the leader of the friend group.

-bill sends you disgusting dick pics with extremely poor lighting. you can see his bottle of lotion in the background.

-you think it's sweet that he brings flowers when you go out until you realize they're stolen from the neighbor's flowerbed.

-you have an extremely lavish jersey shore wedding that culminates in a horrible fight when he shoves cake in your face ruining your 400 dollar makeup (that you paid for) and your 2000 dollar dress (that you paid for). during your vows babe has to hold himself back from saying something when the priest asks if there are any objections.

-DIRTY fingernails! does not wash his hands. gives you a UTI but doesn't understand that it's his fault.

-Doesn't cheat but is always on the brink of it.

-Follows multiple swimsuit models on Insta, claims it's okay because 'sweetheart, listen, it's all on the screen!'

-Is so cheap he refuses to pay for extra sugar for your coffee, 'you've had it bitter before, babe.' you are ready to murder him. takes you to chili's and acts like it's a michelin star restaurant.

Talbert:

-cheats on you immediately. within the first week.

-sends you anonymous texts to get STD tested, too scared to actually go to the clinic but is certain he's dying of syphilis.

-cries to lip for an hour when you leave him for speirs.

Gale Cleven:

-'sweetheart. are you really gonna wear that out to dinner? it's a bit...well... risque.'

-accuses you of being an alchoholic every time you drink, but Bucky has done four Jeagerbombs tonight and isn't getting any lectures. Also. Why is Bucky with you two on your date night?

-is straight but keeps stringing Bucky along because he reminds him of his father and for narcissism reasons.

-marge messages you on facebook to warn you about him, and also to sell you on her new MLM scheme.

-bucky keeps giving you mean little grins as he hangs off your man....you are very close to murdering him.

-you finally leave him after he calls you daddy in bed. not mommy. but daddy.

Bucky:

-gives you chlamidya three weeks into dating. gaslights you into thinking you got it from sitting on a public toilet seat.

-drives drunk while you're in the passenger seat, goes above 90 and almost kills the both of you.

-is in love with gale and you both know it but refuses to talk about it.

-laughs when you start crying over your new STD diagnosis.

-is the worst boyfriend in the entire world. do not date this man!

Leckie:

-cheats on you with vera, but has a jealous meltdown everytime you talk to hoosier at house parties. you were literally just asking the man for a lighter.

-hoosier is stirring shit up for shits and giggles. he keeps liking your thirst trap insta photos, commenting 'photo cred'

-cries when you confront him about cheating. writes a poem to you about how badly hurt he was by the whole situation. says he only did it because that's how he was raised! no one taught him how to love properly!!

-exploits his family trauma at any given opportunity, shameless about it

-writes you sweet yet cringy love poems

-chuckler keeps trying to warn you but is so awkward about it that you just end up super confused

-blows up the minute you try and critique his writing

-tells you you're acting 'just like you're mother!' during arguments

-eventually you break up because you cheat on him with hoosier and he cheats on you again with vera

Hoosier:

-completely emotionally unavailable

-laughs at you in the middle of a fight, then when you storm out he stares at the wall for four hours straight. no blinking. no moving.

-goes to chuckler thinking he's dying because he has a 'weird feeling in his stomach.' the feeling is literally just a crush.

-catches leckie flirting with you. doesn't cause a scene but DOES immediately cheat on you as a retaliatory action. has no idea why you're mad about it.

-determined to hurt you before you hurt him.

-somehow makes you think you're in the wrong due to the sheer FORCE of his conviction that it was okay for him to cheat on you.

-you two break up but get back together after having a baby. the baby is possibly not hoosier's but he's a genuinely good father. (the baby very obviously has leckie's face. no one is fooled.)

-during your wedding ceremony leckie has to be thrown out after making the worst best man speech of all time.

-parent teacher conferences are a nightmare because your child is biting the other kids and is failing all her classes. hoosier blames you for not helping her with her homework. you all go out to souplantation afterwards and he keeps dropping barbs about you being a dumbass.

-the two of you stay married for 40 beautiful years before dying of old age. within those 40 years you separate and get back together a total of 5 times. leckie somehow outlives you both.

Luz:

-is sweet and lovely and handsome and makes you laugh a lot but

-you're banned from six movie theatres, three bars, the pier, disneyland, and a froyo shop

-you don't even LIKE froyo but the fact that you can't fucking go there anymore is driving you up the wall

-you got kicked out of disneyland because he got into a fistfight with donald duck

-his mother HATES you. she is the ultimate boy mom. they are constantly talking about you in Portuguese behind your back. she wears white to your wedding.

-cannot go grocery shopping because he's stopped every five feet by some old acquaintance. you have no idea how he knows any of these people!

Eugene:

-you're his beard but he doesn't know it

-is the ideal gay boyfriend/husband

-buys you flowers and takes you out on beautiful dates. cringes when you try to kiss him

-everything would be PERFECT except snafu keeps creating dummy accounts to harass you, drives by your house at all hours of the night, and you're pretty sure he's planning to SWAT you.

-eugene has no idea why you hate snafu? he's such a sweet guy!

Babe:

-you're a bit embarrassed to tell your friends you're dating him....he's sweet but just so dorky

-almost puked on you after taking a dab at bill's house. you had to comfort him for ten minutes

-long suffering angel who you cheat on because you know he's just too good for you.... better to hurt him before he leaves you first!

-is popular on tiktok somehow. you have no idea how this happened but it did

[thetrialsandtribulationsofeb]

the main reason i fell in love with 9-1-1 is because it had that long-forgotten vibe of long-running comfort shows from the 2010s (modern family, brooklyn 9-9, new girl, etc)

first of all, shows like these usually have the perfect balance between depth and drama, and humor and silliness - though 9-1-1 is obviously a bit more packed with drama since it’s not a sitcom. but it’s not entirely a procedural drama either

the thing is, i’m not really a fan of that genre - exactly because it’s kind of “lazy” with its characters most of the time and focuses more on the job aspect (though there are some exceptions, ofc)

i think one of the main reasons why 9-1-1 is still going strong isn’t the crazy emergencies - it’s that it’s a character-driven story. which is why:

1. i simply don’t care about realism

2. i don’t want main characters to die on this show, maybe ever (or at least not until they’re all 90, so i’ll never have to witness their deaths)

just like i don’t care whether the finances of characters in friends, himym, and new girl are realistic, or whether the detective work in brooklyn 9-9 is accurate. for me, that’s not the point. i don’t watch the show for an accurate representation of living in new york or la, or for a realistic portrayal of being a detective

for me, 9-1-1 isn’t a show about firefighters - it’s a show about characters who just happen to work as first responders. and i don’t think that’s just in my head, because the show has focused on character depth and development since the very first season - abby trying to figure out her place in life despite her circumstances, michael and athena’s divorce, buck’s coming-of-age story, bobby’s guilt and dark past, eddie being a single dad and dealing with his messy relationship with his ex-wife, the whole found family trope, etc

the show actually dedicated a lot of its episodes to the characters’ stories in a way that made me feel completely emotionally attached to them. and it’s not my fault i did - the show convinced me that that’s what it’s about

if it were the type of show that is mostly plot-driven, where characters are purposefully not that deep and don’t have huge lore because that’s not the point, then i simply wouldn’t feel the way i feel, and i wouldn’t categorize it as a comfort show in my head

so that’s why i’m never going to be okay if bobby stays dead and buddie never get together. it’s like if they killed captain holt or jay/phil dunphy, or if nick and jess or amy and jake never got together. the death of a main character or the collapse of a main ship affects the show too much - to the point of no return - because it’s all about the characters and their dynamics. and when you take one piece away, it all crumbles down

the fact that i love this show and the story it created is exactly why i can’t just accept the way 8b went and gladly swallow the “bobby is dead,” “buck and eddie will always stay just friends,” and “who even cares about athena’s, madney’s, and henren’s personal stories at this point? let’s make everyone ooc (forgetting hen’s birthday!!!) and focus more time on side characters and boring ‘action’ stuff instead” pills

and they can’t even do the action stuff right anymore - the helicopter chase, the way bobby’s death was handled (if it’s actually permanent - like, there are two options: either you kill your character permanently, and in that case, make the build-up and aftermath as good as possible, or you make it ambiguous and weird on purpose because the character will actually come back to life - and considering that bobby’s death felt ambiguous and weird, it should turn out to be fake), and the building collapse in 8x18 were just straight-up dull and strange. it genuinely felt like i was watching a different show

and i just want my comfort show back :(

i want unrealistic emergencies and realistic characters - that’s the balance for me, and that’s what made the show so good in my eyes

[cosmic-daydreamz02]

Career Reading

Placements to look at for your ideal career:

2nd house-how you make money

6th house-daily routine and work

10th house-career and public image

MC- career point.

11th house-social networks, long-term goals, opportunities for advancement (2nd from MC, so it shows the income from the career)

North Node - your life purpose and direction ; what you are meant to move towards in this lifetime

Part of Fortune - Where you find joy and success in this life, linked to both material and spiritual fulfillment

Vertex - represents fated encounters in your life. Where and how your destiny unfolds/ your turning point in life (not normally linked to career, but I think it can show what leads you to your true calling in this life especially if yours is in one of the money or career houses)

Saturn- rules discipline, structure, and long-term achievement, where you need to put in consistent effort to achieve success. Indicates your approach to responsibility in your career

Sun- core identity and life purpose, where you shine the most

Jupiter- expansion luck and growth. It shows your opportunities for success

Venus - where you can use your artistic abilities and social charm. It can also be how you attract money and resources

Signs and Career

Aries

• Career style: Assertive, pioneering, energetic, independent.

• Fields: Leadership roles, entrepreneurship, sports, military, anything involving action or competition.

• Drive: You take initiative and thrive in dynamic, fast-paced environments where you can be first.

Taurus

• Career style: Steady, practical, patient, and value-oriented.

• Fields: Finance, banking, agriculture, real estate, art, luxury goods, anything involving material wealth or beauty.

• Drive: Security, stability, and a focus on building long-term wealth. Aesthetic and sensory satisfaction are important.

Gemini

• Career style: Communicative, versatile, adaptable, intellectual.

• Fields: Journalism, writing, teaching, marketing, sales, technology, anything that involves communication or travel.

• Drive: Curiosity and intellectual stimulation. You thrive in dynamic, social environments where you can multitask.

Cancer

• Career style: Nurturing, protective, intuitive, emotionally driven.

• Fields: Healthcare, caregiving, real estate, hospitality, education, psychology, anything that involves caring for others.

• Drive: Emotional security and a need to create a safe, supportive environment. You work best when you feel connected to your work on an emotional level.

Leo

• Career style: Charismatic, creative, confident, leadership-focused.

• Fields: Entertainment, arts, fashion, politics, sports, anything involving self-expression and performance.

• Drive: Recognition, fame, and the desire to shine. You excel in careers where you can showcase your talents and leadership.

Virgo

• Career style: Detail-oriented, analytical, service-minded, organized.

• Fields: Healthcare, administration, research, editing, writing, data analysis, anything involving precision and service.

• Drive: Efficiency and perfection. You aim to serve others by improving systems or contributing to something meaningful.

Libra

• Career style: Diplomatic, collaborative, partnership-oriented, aesthetically inclined.

• Fields: Law, diplomacy, art, design, beauty, fashion, anything involving partnership or justice.

• Drive: Harmony and balance in professional relationships. You thrive in roles where teamwork, fairness, and aesthetics are valued.

Scorpio

• Career style: Intense, transformative, secretive, powerful.

• Fields: Psychology, research, finance (especially investments, taxes, inheritance), surgery, anything involving transformation or mystery.

• Drive: Power and control. You are drawn to careers that allow you to dig deep and uncover hidden truths or manage shared resources.

Sagittarius

• Career style: Adventurous, philosophical, expansive, freedom-loving.

• Fields: Education, travel, law, publishing, international business, anything that involves exploration and knowledge-sharing.

• Drive: Freedom and expansion. You seek opportunities that allow you to learn, grow, and explore new horizons.

Capricorn

• Career style: Ambitious, disciplined, authoritative, responsible.

• Fields: Business, politics, government, finance, engineering, management, anything that involves structure, authority, and long-term goals.

• Drive: Success and achievement. You are career-focused and work tirelessly toward building a solid reputation and legacy.

Aquarius

• Career style: Innovative, humanitarian, unconventional, forward-thinking.

• Fields: Technology, science, social reform, innovation, group work, anything involving progressive change or social impact.

• Drive: Making a difference and creating a better future. You work best in collaborative or unconventional environments that allow for innovation.

Pisces

• Career style: Compassionate, imaginative, spiritual, idealistic.

• Fields: Art, music, healing, psychology, spirituality, charity work, anything that involves creativity, intuition, or service to others.

• Drive: Helping others and finding deeper meaning. You’re drawn to careers where you can use your empathy and creativity to make a positive impact.

Houses and Career Focus

1st House (Self-Identity, Public Persona)

You identify closely with your career. You're meant for careers where you're the leader or face of whatever you do, you're meant to be in the public eye somehow.

2nd House (Money, Resources, Values)

Financial stability and security is what drives you in your career. You would do good in careers related to banking and finance or sales (more like selling luxury goods or real estate)

3rd House (Communication, Learning, Siblings)

Communication, education, and travel. Or working in media. Teaching, writing, or sales/ anything that involves exchanges of info

4th House (Home, Family, Roots)

Home design, family business, real estate. Care giving or working from home. Emotional fulfillment through your career

5th House (Creativity, Pleasure, Children)

Creative fields, working with children. Career allows for self-expression. performance or leadership roles

6th House (Work Environment, Health, Service)

Service industry, Healthcare (especially if you have heavy virgo/pisces or 6th/12th placements), administration, work that requires tedious precision and detail

7th House (Partnerships, Marriage)

Collaboration, requires partnerships in career. Law, any counseling/consulting work, diplomat

8th House (Shared Resources, Transformation)

Finance (other peoples money like taxes, inheritance, etc), psychology, research/investigation

9th House (Philosophy, Travel, Higher Education)

Higher education, travel, law, publishing, career could be linked to foreign lands, (travel vlogger, professor, resort owner?)

10th House (Career, Reputation, Public Life)

Leadership, recognition, achieving goals, public image and success are emphasized

11th House (Community, Goals, Social Networks)

Community service/humanitarian work, technology, collective work

12th House (Spirituality, Solitude, Healing)

Healing, spirituality, charity work, hospitals, or creative/behind the scenes work like set design, director etc

[percheduphere]

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE LOKI SERIES' ROMANTIC TROPES AND JANE AUSTEN

I am going to compare the relationships and romantic undertones of Loki, Sylvie, and Mobius with my all-time favorite Jane Austen adaptation because the character archetypes and plot-points are strikingly similar with Ang Lee and Emma Thompson's 1995 Sense and Sensibility.

This sounds cracked, but stay with me. Tropes are tropes for a reason. They are often repeated in writing subconsciously because they are very old and near-universal story arcs regardless of the literary genre we are discussing.

Please note that this is not a 1-to-1 comparison. This is an analysis of basic archetypes, tropes, and plot-points: the barebones skeleton of story structure. With that said, let's dig in:

Loki = Kate Winslet's Marianne Dashwood

Sylvie = Greg Wise's John Willoughby

Mobius = Alan Rickman's Colonel Brandon

For those of you who have not seen (or read) Sense & Sensibility, the story is about a family of women who are rendered near-destitute when the patriarch passes away and, due to English law at the time, all the family finances fall to the only son. The only hope for the women to escape the edges of poverty is to marry into wealth.  

The Loki series’ main storyline is a far cry from that of Sense & Sensibility. It is first and foremost a sci-fi action-adventure, but don’t let that genre fool you. Well-written stories are always character-driven. The setting serves to establish the rules of the world and the tangible challenges the characters must confront to achieve their goal. The end goal for Loki is his ascension to the God of Stories (and time). Therefore, his character arc must follow a trajectory that prepares him for that ascension.  

Love, above all else, is essential for Loki’s journey. In order to understand and be capable of love, Loki must experience love in all its forms including but not limited to romantic. I've seen a lot of social media posters mocking shippers with comments saying, "the story is not about romance." I wholeheartedly disagree. While romance is not the main concern of the series, romance does serve Loki's character development.

It is critical that we remember romance does not require physical contact or even blatant declarations of love. If that were true, unrequited love would not be thought of as romantic, which we know is not the case. Further, it is possible for physical intimacy to exist without any romance at all. One does not require the other.

While dismantling HWR’s old regime is the Loki series’ “Plot A” thread, Loki’s emotional experience serves as the series’ “Plot B” thread. Love and romance exist in Plot B.

THE CHARACTERS & THEIR ARCHETYPES 

LOKI & MARIANNE 

Within Sense & Sensibility’s plot, one of the main heroines, Marianne, has the archetype of the mercurial, passionate, and freewheeling spirit. She is rebellious at heart, chaffing at society’s rigid expectations of emotional repression and polite rather than fiery courtship. Much like Loki with Sylvie, Marianne is drawn to John Willoughby because his temperament, values, interests, and talents very closely mirror her own.  

Like Loki, Marianne is emotional. Her emotions drive many of her decisions, some of which are rash and socially unacceptable for her era. 

Like Loki, Marianne detests social norms. Refusing to contain her nature for anyone, she is unafraid of the stares and judgment of others. 

Like Loki, Marianne is poetic, a lover of words and metaphor. 

Like Loki, Marianne is a hedonist. She will follow where her heart takes her regardless of the consequences. Just as Loki runs after Sylvie through the portal door, Marianne chases after Willoughby.

SYLVIE & WILLOUGHBY 

Willoughby fulfills the archetype of the ideal lover at first sight. He is young, handsome, strong, deeply romantic, and a lover of poetry, pleasure, and unfettered emotion. I will not go into the deeper details of his character and plot here as I don't find them relevant for the purposes of this analysis. The key point to remember is that Willoughby is meant to be Marianne's perfect match by virtue of similarity.

Like Sylvie, Willoughby is emotional and consequently chaotic in nature. At his worst, Willoughby is unafraid of hurting others in the pursuit of his desires. 

Like Sylvie, Willoughby chooses absolute freedom over the genuine love and care he has for Marianne (Loki).  

Like Sylvie, Willoughby views institutions with social authority with contempt.  

Like Sylvie, Willoughby judges character based on association with institutions rather than the individuals themselves. He holds repugnance for Brandon’s (Mobius’s) association with the military (the TVA). Fair enough, both the TVA and the military (especially the British military) are institutions that have committed horrific global atrocities.  

Like Sylvie, Willoughby is unable to separate the institution from the individual people living and working within it, who are capable of goodness.  

MOBIUS & COLONEL BRANDON 

Colonel Brandon, a decorated military officer, fulfills the trope of the “dark horse” in love. He is Willoughby’s opposite: older, "less physically attractive", reserved, practical, and orderly. The main character (Loki/Marianne) appreciates his friendship yet does not feel any romantic affection for him (Mobius/Brandon) until the primary love interest (Sylvie/Willoughby) abandons the relationship for absolute freedom.  

Like Mobius, Brandon is drawn to intelligent, artistic, footloose nonconformists. 

Like Mobius, Brandon accepts and loves Marianne exactly as she is, including her faults. He does not want her to change against her will and gently reprimands her older sister, Elinor, at such a suggestion.

Like Mobius, Brandon serves an institution with significant influence on the lives of others. 

Like Mobius, Brandon accepts that his love is not returned yet continues to express his love through his support of Marianne’s (Loki's) wishes, including his romantic rival Willoughby (Sylvie). 

Like Mobius, Brandon is seen as a dear friend rather than a potential romantic partner in the first 2/3rds of the story. 

Like Mobius, Brandon’s personal desires are secondary to Marianne’s (Loki’s) happiness. 

THE ROMANTIC PLOT 

It is understood by the audience that love is not only a feeling; it is also an action that requires incredible responsibility. In that responsibility, both lovers must choose to take into consideration the feelings, wants, and needs of the other.

The trope of a main character meeting their perfect match and falling quickly in love informs the audience that conflict must lie ahead, and that the third party of the love triangle will be tested for their worthiness as a romantic partner.

Loki & Sylvie and Marianne & Willoughby possess a fast, passionate, and explosive love.

Loki & Mobius and Marianne & Brandon posses a slow, steady, and gently burning love.

These two relationships, which are BOTH valid AND romantic, are set against one another to contrast each suitor's strengths and weaknesses, as well as to shed light on which suitor best meets the feelings, needs, and wants of the main character.

The main character's (Loki/Marianne) love interests inevitably collide in a tense confrontation. Being the Georgian Era, Brandon and Willoughby do not discuss their dislike for one another directly but with Marianne's older sister, Elinor.

Sylvie, on other hand, is not afraid to tear into Mobius, saying exactly what she thinks of him. Both directors of photography frame their shots in a near-identical fashion, demonstrating who are at odds and the individual (present or not) who is between them.

Whether in the realm of fiction or reality, the act of love inherently requires some degree of self-sacrifice.

While Sylvie performs self-sacrifice by pruning herself in hopes of finding and rescuing Loki from the Void, that self-sacrifice does not extend to her personal values and beliefs with respect to free will.  She therefore fights Loki, ultimately kissing him farewell before kicking him through a time door to get what she wants.

Likewise, Willoughby, cut-off from his family's estate due to indiscretions he refuses own, prioritizes wealth over his relationship with Marianne in order to continue his lifestyle of luxury and absolute freedom. Willoughby therefore marries the exceptionally wealthy Miss Grey to achieve this end, abandoning Marianne and breaking her heart in the process.

At the midpoint of each storyline (where the narrative turns), both Loki and Marianne have lost the person they felt most strongly about because they were not that's person's priority.

Marianne's quote in the above gif is significant. It is a poem she and Willoughby recited together when they first met. She recites it again, alone, as she looks upon the estate Willoughby has married into in the rain. The poem is as follows:

"Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove. Oh, no. It is an ever-fixed mark that looks upon tempests and is never shaken."

This poem defines love as not fickle but persistent in the face of challenges and "never shaken".

THE DARK HORSE IN LOVE

Brandon, who falls for Marianne first, establishes himself as not only a friend of Marianne's but her whole family's. All of his actions throughout the film are performed out of love for Marianne, but these actions are not read as romantic by Marianne because there is no fast-burning fire and (seemingly) little commonality between them.

Marianne's mother cautions her, pointing out that the romances she cites all meet pitiful ends. In return, Marianne describes such love as not pitiful but "glorious."

Brandon and Mobius express their love for Marianne and Loki through practical means. Their actions are predominantly viewed as marks of friendship rather than marks of romantic love. It should be noted that in both cases, no verbal declaration of love, nor any physical declaration of love, such as a kiss, is ever made by either Mobius or Brandon on screen. Brandon's unrequited love, however, is readily apparent to everyone (the characters and the audience) due his presentation of the opposite gender.

Brandon, upon seeing Marianne struggle cutting reeds for weaving, offers her his pocketknife. Mobius, knowing that confrontation with Sylvie at Roxxcart will be dangerous, offers Loki his daggers for protection. 

Brandon, recognizing Marianne’s need for artistic pursuits, gifts her a piano. Mobius, recognizing Loki’s need for validation, provides him with words of affirmation, encouraging Loki’s talents in magic and cunning.

Brandon, acknowledging Marianne’s love for Willoughby, invites Willoughby to a picnic at his estate despite his distaste for him.  Mobius, acknowledging Loki’s love for Sylvie, frees Loki and is pruned despite his jealousy of her. 

Marianne, out in the rain and in distress over her loss of Willoughby, succumbs to a deadly fever. Loki, kicked through a time door and in distress over his loss of Sylvie, succumbs to time-slipping.

Brandon and Mobius actively make themselves available in response to their loved one's individual break-ups with ZERO expectation of having their love returned.

Brandon, concerned that Marianne's illness may kill her, rides nonstop for hours to retrieve her mother during a storm. Mobius, concerned for Loki's wellbeing, risks his life on the loom's gangway, risking exposure to temporal radiation and death.

In the end, both Brandon and Mobius are the triumphant winners of Marianne's and Loki's hearts.

Indeed, Brandon reads poetry to Marianne, and when he announces he must "away", Marianne worriedly asks "where?", demonstrating her desire for him to stay. Brandon teases her, fulfilling Marianne's need for romance and excitement by saying, "it is a secret."

Mobius, meanwhile, begins to open himself up to worldly pleasures, allowing himself to drop the strict, no-nonsense behavior he exhibited in S1. Loki, in turn, begins to provide him with the type of emotional support Mobius has consistently given him since the beginning (yes, he has a jealous meltdown, but he recovers relatively quickly).

The outcome of their successes, however, diverge due to their gender presentation.

Whereas Brandon happily marries Marianne ...

... Loki returns Mobius's selfless love with a sacrifice of his own, and they are separated.