Venus in the Midheaven gives social elevation and lifts a person above the sphere of birth. Good planets in the 11th show patronage. But when the luminaries are heavily afflicted there will be an inconstant fortune and many reverses, so that position gained will be lost again. Most of the planets under the horizon shows success and position in the latter part of life, while if they be between the 4th and 7th cusps, there will be advantages after marriage, or by means of partnerships. In judging of the means by which the position will be sustained, respect must be had to the positions of those planets which are in good aspect to the Midheaven, or to benefic planets in the Midheaven, and if none be so situated, then those which hold benefic aspect to either the Sun or Moon at birth must be taken, and judgment made according to the nature of the planet and the sign it occupies. Preference should always be given to that planet which has the strongest aspect for good. Thus if two planets were in trine, that which is in elevation should be preferred, especially if it be strengthened by the good aspects of other planets. CHAPTER VII THE CHOICE OF OCCUPATION The enormous waste of force and time entailed by the experimental trip upon which most young men embark at the outset of their career in life, might be greatly reduced by a proper knowledge of individual aptitude in relation to circumstances. The average boy cannot readily make up his mind as to what occupation he will follow, because he does not know either enough of his own powers or of the world in which he is called upon to use them. Parents are in the same difficulty. They must needs wait to see how a boy will shape out. They study his inclinations to the best of their ability, but without coming to a definite conclusion any sooner than the boy himself. Given a fair education, such as may fit him for almost anything, but which specialises him for nothing in particular, he is put to some desk or bench and there left to his own resources. By a fortunate chance, he may find himself suited to his post. More frequently he is several years in finding out that he has missed his vocation, that his inclinations and his work are not in accord, that he has misapplied his energies for some time, and that he has made a false start. Fortunately circumstanced at birth he may have been equipped by higher education for some distinctive profession, to which he gains access after the payment of large fees or premiums. The man has a strong dramatic faculty and the stage claims him after all. Here is both waste of time and money. Astrology, as a reliable key to character and inclination, deserves some recognition on the grounds of social economy.