Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Jupiter in Cancer


          Some nights you can walk outside, look up and see a big fat star.  Although the evening star can sometimes be Venus or Mars, often that really big one is Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system.  I always love to tell people that Jupiter is so big, if you could pop its top, you could drop all the other planets inside.  Thus it doesn’t surprise you that Jupiter is all about expansion.  By astrological standards, expansion is considered a good thing, and in days long ago at astrology’s inception, even an expanding waistline was a good thing because it meant wealth, which was a very good thing.  Nobody wanted to be skinny in those days and it was centuries before the infamous wife of the Duke of Windsor said you could never be too rich or too thin.
          If you think of expansion as growing and of growing as becoming a better version of yourself, or improved at some area of your life, or in a better circumstance in some aspect of your life, this is the real idea of Jupiterian expansion.  The whole idea of Jupiter as it transits your horoscope is that it will give you little boosts here and there, some kindly breaks, a little extra good fortune, and that will prompt you to reach for a grander and better level of self-expression.  You will therefore grow and your own personal universe will expand.  Life will seem bigger, and the possibilities available to you more numerous and even more interesting. 
          To understand the energy of Jupiter, consider the best of all possible worlds, for that is what Jupiter is truly all about.  If you can envision this utopia, what would you see?  Everyone would be honest and kind, nobody would suffer, and if one person fell, another would stop to offer a helping hand.  Life would be good as a matter of course, and nobody would feel so deprived that permission would be given out of feelings of insecurity to snatch something undeserved.  If the larder is full, you need not steal a piece of bread.  If you are well regarded at work, you work hard and never are tempted to take credit for anyone else’s work. Instead you say, hey Jerry did that—what a great job, boss, right?  That’s a much brighter world than the one we currently inhabit.  The better you feel about yourself and your life, the easier it is to be kindly and noble, and that is the goal of Jupiter, which is clearly a push toward that utopian reality we’re discussing.
          Jupiter is the ruler of the sign Sagittarius, and its many qualities shine in that sign.  Freedom and justice for all makes sense to Sag people and they feel personally the plight of someone suffering injustice, whether human or animal.  This nice quality represents the ability to see one’s self in another, and not to want anyone to be in pain.  Although Sag isn’t considered an emotional sign, this is empathy, and it’s one part of true justice and charity.  When focus on the idea of freedom with no specific thoughts about justice, it too belongs to Jupiter, for this playful, fun-loving planet adores time spent in happy pursuits.  Happiness should be the right of everyone, and Jupiter wants you to enjoy your life.  We’re not here to haul endless boulders up a hill but to live each day with joy, something that comes from finding a true path and walking it happily.
          Our legal system is a complicated thing and anyone involved in a law suit will sometimes marvel that it’s about rules and loopholes.  But what if it were about right?  Right is a simple concept.  We all know what it means.  If all behavior were a function of choosing what’s right, we wouldn’t need laws at all.  Someone would say, I’d like to do that, it might be nice for me, but it wouldn’t be right.  If everyone did that, we would have that utopian reality.  Is that your modus operandi? If so, good.  If not, try to institute it.  Before making questionable choices, ask yourself, is this right. If it’s not right, don’t do it.  Life is much easier when we make choices that way, and life such as that is Jupiterian.
          Jupiter enters Cancer on June 25, 2013.  Cancer is considered a positive sign for Jupiter and thus one in which its energies can shine.  It makes sense, doesn’t it?  Cancer is the sign of home and family, and Jupiter’s energies of kindness, generosity, empathy, and nobility feel at home here.  Cancer wants to nurture the world and Jupiter there will do so.  Cancer wants to see nobody go hungry, and it was with Jupiter in Cancer that the modern food stamp program was first originated.
          Cancer also loves babies, and it understands not so much the need to regenerate the race but rather the urge to swaddle and hold a baby, to watch it grow, and to love it.  We’ve come very far with modern science in helping those who can’t conceive, and it was while Jupiter was in Cancer that the first test tube baby, Louise Brown, was conceived in-vitro.  Here’s hoping there won’t be more cases of abuse of science as in the case of the Octomom.
          Cancer seems a sign of women, because well gee, the Moon, the breast, Mom.  Even though there are probably as many male Cancers as female, it seems the sign belongs to the gals.  Women are noticed when Jupiter is in Cancer.  Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister of England then and Mother Theresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  In Pakistan, there was not only a woman Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, but she actually gave birth during her time in office, becoming the first female national leader to do that.
          Family is definitely a big deal with Jupiter in Cancer and it brought us the TV megahit Roots.  Bad things happen to families now as well, such as the brutal slaying of their wealthy Beverly Hills parents by the Menendez brothers.
          Jupiter’s energy is broad, and it extends to national pride, and really it’s even more global than that.  We see the world and our connection to it.  But 9-11 happened during this transit, and that led to our invasion of Afghanistan, a nation we still occupy as of this writing, twelve years later, thus making this war ongoing during two passes of Jupiter in Cancer (and all the signs in between).  As a result of 9-11, President Bush enacted the USA Patriot Act, aimed at preventing terrorism.  It’s not hard to see how this is an effort to protect our home and our people, something Jupiter in Cancer relates to.
          Nationalism is important with Jupiter in Cancer and it applies to other countries as well as our own.  In the UK, many events took place during Jupiter in Cancer, even since the 1970’s.  Queen Elizabeth celebrated her Golden Jubilee upon the 50th anniversary of King George’s death; the Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret died in her sleep and was buried six days later on the 50th anniversary of her father’s funeral; a few months later the Queen Mother was buried.
          Jupiter in Cancer events are not just sentimental.  Sometimes they’re financial.  The Euro was introduced during this transit and drew together in commerce France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Finland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Austria, Ireland and the Netherlands.  In effect it made most of Europe one financial entity, at least as far as currency is concerned.
          Expansion is a good thing, and McDonald’s agrees, bringing the big Mac to Russia and China during Jupiter in Cancer.  I wonder if they have the Beluga and Kung Pow burgers there, respectively.
          Jupiter in Cancer applies a broad spectrum of standards, opens it arms to include others, and attempts to make life better for all those who are weaker as well as those who are close and beloved.  Jupiter in Cancer wants life to be a kinder and gentler form of self-expression.
          As Jupiter moves through the houses of your horoscope, it will bring a boost of energy to the affairs of that house.  This year, whatever house contains Cancer, will be enhanced and in this area of life, you will be able to grow as a person with some help from this planet of expansion.
          When considering what a planet will do in a sign, it’s also important to understand how it will interact with the other transiting planets in the sky, and no doubt you’re already thinking about the fact that this is a very significant year because of the clusters of transiting energy in Cardinal signs and Water signs.  Jupiter will not just transit Cancer, but it will become the missing leg in some very intense configurations, and I feel this period of time will become the most significant of the decade, perhaps even longer.
          In the Cardinal signs, we’ve had Uranus and Pluto in square for a while.  During the year that Jupiter will be in Cancer, Uranus will travel between 8 and 16 degrees Aries.  Pluto will travel between 9 and 13 degrees Capricorn.  Virtually all of this time Uranus and Pluto will be in square, an aspect of extreme turbulence.  Things are being upended, exposed, broken down, and ultimately changed, often not in a way that could remotely be described as genteel.  During those times when Jupiter is in Cancer between 8 and 16 degrees, it will form an opposition to Pluto and thus a T-square with the energy focalizing out through Uranus.  This describes very powerful forces at work.
          Jupiter and Pluto tend to work well together, bringing powerful energy for the greater good.  Big successes can be forged with these titans in partnership.  But just today I read an article saying that some of the nation’s billionaires were displaying a lack of confidence in the largest of American corporations and were dumping stocks.  Seventy percent of our economy is dependent on consumer spending, and a lack of faith in companies like Johnson & Johnson, Intel, Proctor and Gamble, Kraft Foods, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Goldman Sachs has prompted their decision to sell.  The reason given is something called a massive market correction, which seems to indicated that stocks will be devalued.  Is this true?  Do I even understand this?  I don’t know to both questions.  But it seems to me that Jupiter opposing Pluto could boost stocks, not devalue them, although the glitches that might occur will likely do so when that T-square is formed.  It would seem that technology stocks could face problems or maybe there will be a large scale virus or power outage of some sort.
          The worst things that occur with Jupiter seem to be from excessive assumptions, such as someone boasting he can do one thing which actually he can’t.  Expectations exceed reality and the balloon bursts.  So if some powerful blowhard comes along in the business sector and galvanizes the financial community and then messes up, that could create some sort of mini crash.  There could also be electronic spying scandals or e-theft on a big scale.  Maybe there could be some sort of crisis in energy.
          So do we think this will be a bad or good thing?  Probably some of both, just as most things in life are.
          The other big configuration now ongoing is in the Water Signs.  Neptune in Pisces is trining Saturn in Scorpio, bringing together two incompatible energies which must attempt to coexist.  Neptune moves between 2 and 7 degrees Pisces during this period and Saturn travels between 4 and 23 degrees Scorpio, which naturally is a broader spectrum because Saturn moves much faster than Neptune.  Even with a decent orb, Neptune and Saturn won’t be trine for the entire twelve months Jupiter is in Cancer, but they will be in aspect part of that time.  When Jupiter in Cancer is at the same degree, it will form a Grand Trine, which could be very interesting energy for many events.
          Saturn is all about work and achievement, and Neptune is about illusion and creativity.  When they partner, a person who might otherwise be content to lie on the couch and daydream about a story, a painting, a movie, a song, or even a designer dress, will find the gumption to get up and put some effort into creating those things.  Saturn asks that Neptunian dreams be actualized.  Neptune asks that Saturn be less of a taskmaster so that a creative project can be truer and more fully realized, even if it requires more dreaming time to make it the best that it can be.  Also, to Neptune dreaming is more enjoyable than doing.
          Neptune goes beyond creativity, and it encompasses many areas, such as drugs, so with Saturn as its partner, maybe there will be a drive to develop more life-saving drugs.  There could be strides made in the battles against diseases like cancer, diabetes, and even mental illness.
          Neptune dreams of other realms, and although Saturn isn’t exactly a ship builder, there could be travel to farther points in space, or maybe just better telescopes.  Fuel is certainly a Neptunian item—and with the transits mentioned above, maybe we will make strides in the production of a fuel that isn’t dangerous to the earth and doesn’t require invasion or alliances in foreign lands.
          Remember here we’re dealing with a trine, congenial energy, compared to the square that Pluto and Uranus are making.  So with the trine, we look for good manifestations of energy, for opportunities for disparate vibrations to sing in harmony.
          When Jupiter comes along and is in aspect to both Saturn and Neptune, it can provide a tremendous boost of energy.  Jupiter is sort of the counterpoint to Saturn, and they don’t really see eye to eye.  Rather their function is to balance each other.  Jupiter says go for it, Saturn says, you can crack your head open that way, so a middle ground must be found.  Jupiter, on the other hand, is highly compatible with Neptune because they both can see life not as it is but as it might be—better.
          Jupiter brings big possibilities to the big dreams of Neptune, and Saturn is willing to work to make them happen, particularly because with Jupiter involved, actualizing those dreams is a less arduous process, one blessed by a little luck.
          We can see how everyone in the world will feel this energy because it will create not just events but global situations that exist over a relatively long time frame.
          So in your own horoscope, how will these two big configurations affect you?  Firstly, we all have a solar return, a chart that shows how our year will be birthday to birthday, so these configurations could play a prominent role in your life that way.  Secondly they will affect a number of the houses in your chart.   When there is the T-square in the Cardinal signs, three of your houses will be activated in a dynamic way.  Likewise will all three of your water houses be activated during Jupiter’s Grand Trine with Saturn and Neptune.  This will be true even if you have no planets in these houses, although it’s likely that you will have some, no matter what your age range.  And lastly, if you have planets somewhere close to the degrees mentioned in the Cardinal signs, you will feel the Uranus-Pluto-Jupiter aspect, and if you have planets in Libra at those degrees, you will experience a Grand Cross in your own chart, an aspect of turmoil and extreme busyness.  Life will be whirling all around you, the particulars of which will be determined by what planet is being activated.  Suppose your Sun is tweaked by Jupiter, giving you a boost of confidence and you decide to try something risky with a potentially grand payoff.  But Pluto comes along and your plans are challenged by someone who doesn’t have your best interests at heart.  Then Uranus gets involved and everything changes, perhaps not in a way of your choosing.  If it’s your Moon, your homelife could be involved, or you could decide that the dream house you always wanted, which is now at a fantastic discount due to a foreclosure, should be your home, so you sell your current house and move into a place that isn’t as great as you suspected (even if it had been on sale for many thousands more than you could afford years ago, making it seem like a great opportunity now).  Then you discover plumbing and electrical problems.  My cousin, a new widower is in process of moving from the dream house he and his wife built into a place they couldn’t afford which now was greatly reduced so he decided to snap it up.  I just hope the potential problems described above don’t materialize.
          If Mercury is involved, Jupiter hits and you enjoy taking college classes, so you sign up for more than you can handle, but somehow Pluto comes along and you do badly, perhaps flunking out, but you’re terrified of revealing this to your parents so you pretend for a year still to be enrolled and work part-time at a yogurt shop.  This actually happened with a client’s son!  If Venus is transited, Jupiter hits and you feel buoyant and cheerful and life is more fun.  Maybe you’re dating too much, or dating two lovers at once.  Pluto comes along and the partners fight it out for you, and then you discover (Uranus) that they were friends all along.  Ok this is ridiculous, but it’s the plot I saw in a movie earlier today.  If Mars gets that nod from Jupiter, there’s a desire for adventure and maybe travel, but you could lose your passport in a foreign country and have to wait in an embassy for it to be replaced.  The point with all these scenarios is that the best laid plans can actually lay you to rest, so don’t assume what you envision will happen when you’re caught up in these big transits.
          If your personal planets are involved with the Grand Trine in the water signs, it could actually be a good thing.  Your life could change for the better because so much energy will be siphoned your way.  There are only three water signs and all will be occupied during the grand trine, but even when Jupiter isn’t there, your own natal planet in Cancer could create a grand trine with Saturn and Neptune, or if it’s in Scorpio or Pisces it could be affected as well.  This is your chance to do something you were never sure could work out.  Or just to have faith and see dreams materialize in whatever realm is affected.  Sun could receive a creative boost and maybe your dreams of being an artist in whatever field will bring a payoff.  Moon could see some domestic improvements.  Mercury gets energized and fulfills the need for self-expression.  Venus could also be used for creative self-expression, or you could fall for someone who wants to encourage your dreams.  Mars could travel.
          There are millions of possible scenarios when it comes to huge transits like this, so don’t assume any one of these is specific to you.  But things can and will happen.
          Now let’s look at the year month by month to see when Jupiter will be sending us energy and of what sort.
          Obviously the first Jupiter transit comes in June, on the 25th, when it enters Cancer.  By July 17th, the Grand Trine we’ve been discussing is precise, at almost 5 degrees.  For people my age—aka geezers—that could mean a hit to natal Uranus in Cancer, and that could mean some form of liberation, depending on the house.  Also remember that although the water signs are all being transited by this grand trine, the earth signs (Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn) are also affected because planets there at this degree form a kite, with this energy focalized out through those planets.  This can bring much luck and many opportunities.  A simpler transit occurs on July 22nd, with Mars conjoining Jupiter at nearly 6 degrees, bringing even more energy to Jupiter, and giving everyone the desire to do more and achieve more.  And now that I consider it, because this transit is so close in time and degree to the previous one, it will amp up even more the Grand Water Trine.  Let’s face it, Jupiter enters Cancer with a bang.  On the 28th, we have a nice sextile between Venus at 7 Virgo and Jupiter.  This brings kindliness and generosity and is a good time to volunteer or do good deeds.
          The Cardinal T-square we discussed happens in a piecemeal sort of way in August.  On the 7th, Jupiter opposes Pluto at 9 degrees and on the 21st, Jupiter squares Uranus.  Does this mean there’s no T-square?  Nope!  It means the T-square is basically in effect during this entire period, and perhaps beyond.  Remember the transits I’m citing have been calculated exactly, with precise degrees, but we feel energy that isn’t precise.  One planet can be at 4 degrees and another at 6 and they’re still interacting.  Once the orb goes beyond 8 or 10 degrees, then the energy is weaker but some say you can feel that too.  The tighter the orb, the stronger the energy.  Also on the 21st, Venus at 13 Libra squares Jupiter, creating a Grand Cross.  All the Cardinal signs have planets in hard aspect, and because they’re close to the middle of the signs, orbs will reach out in each direction, virtually guaranteeing that every natal planet in any Cardinal sign (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) will feel this energy very strongly.  And remember that as those signs make trines and sextiles into the other signs, we have a broad spectrum of energy that can be felt in all our natal charts in many ways.  Thus we have a surge of energy in both July and August.  The final August transit is from Mercuryon the 30th at nearly 14 degrees Virgo, sextiling Jupiter, and once again it fits into the larger energy pattern.  At the least people will be doing crazy things romantically in August.  There could be a crazy bestseller about sex like those Shades of Gray books.  There might be issues about global adoptions now as well, something which has already started in Russia.
          Things seem to calm down a little in September, as Jupiter continues to move forward, away from the degree of Uranus, and Pluto goes retrograde, so we see fewer massive configurations.  On the 7th, the Sun at 15 degrees is sextile Jupiter, but it’s a Saturday and many people aren’t working or looking for stellar new opportunities that day, but it could be a good day for networking at one of those work-related social events.  The 19th features a square from Mercury at nearly 17 Libra to Jupiter, which can really just be lots of chatter and some travel.  On the 26th, Venus at nearly 18 degrees makes a sweet trine to Jupiter, creating a romantic and nurturing atmosphere.
          October has only one aspect, a square from the Sun at 19 degrees Libra, which can create too much optimism, not such a terrible thing.  As in September, this aspect occurs on a Saturday, so if people are sharing big ideas while recreating, so what.
          On November 7th, Jupiter goes retrograde at 20 degrees.  By the 12th, it makes a nice trine to the Sun at 20 degrees Scorpio, and it’s on a Tuesday, a mid-week workday, so take advantage of this energy to shine at your career, and remember if you have planets in Pisces at this degree, you’ll enjoy a Grand Trine for a day, pleasant and even lucky energy.  On the 19th, Mars at 20 Virgo is sextile Jupiter, bringing more energy and perhaps a desire to play more or to work out more.  Or even just to work more, although that last one is a long shot.  Jupiter and Mars together like to play way more than work.  The 28th features two transits, a trine from Mercury at nearly 20 Scorpio and an opposition from Venus at nearly 20 Capricorn.  Sounds like someone will be penning tortured but hopeful love letters.  Maybe not so tortured!  Could be one of those crazy proposals at a sports arena or some other extravagant gesture of love.  Just don’t drop any diamond rings in champagne glasses.  Too many teeth have suffered for love already.
          In December, we see Jupiter at 18 degrees making a trine to Saturn on the 12th.  This is not a Grand Trine, however, because Neptune has been going retrograde since before Jupiter entered Cancer and now is down all the way to 2 degrees, something we all admit is far from being in orb.  Neptune will go direct this month, but it never quite catches up to Jupiter’s degree, making a trine with an orb of maybe 5 degrees in 2014.  The real fireworks of this triad happen at the beginning of Jupiter’s transit of Cancer.  In any case, the Jupiter-Saturn trine can be beneficial on its own, and it’s a chance for people to work hard at something that seems just and right, or simply to achieve more via belief in what’s possible and the willingness to apply energy to make it work out.  Do remember though, that if you have a planet in Pisces at this degree, you will feel the Grand Trine we discussed earlier.
          Jupiter continues its journey through Cancer in 2014, and in January ’14, Mercury in Capricorn at nearly 16 degrees opposes, followed by the same aspect from the Sun on the 5th.  It’s a chance to speak up about what you want to achieve.  By the 8th, Mars in Libra makes a square, so plans that were vocalized earlier in the month might move forward, or they could meet some resistance, because after all, a square is an aspect of challenge.  On the 31st, Jupiter at 12 degrees opposes Pluto.  At this time Uranus is only at 9 degrees, but that’s a small enough orb for all of us to feel the T-square, even if it has a sense of deja-vu because we’ve already experienced it, and even if it feels not quite as compelling.  Perhaps this is a chance for a do-over.  Plans that didn’t quite work out because of whatever monkey wrench can now be tweaked for a better accommodation.  At least that’s the idea with repeat transits.  You recognize the energy and have a sense of how to deal with it.
          On February 26th, Jupiter at 10 degrees makes the square to Uranus.  This is the reverse of what we saw in the summer with the first pass, and as it was then, the T-square is in effect from the first hit of Jupiter to Pluto through this hit to Uranus.  On the 28th, the New Moon shines on a trine of the Sun at 10 Pisces to Jupiter.  Saturn, now at 23 Scorpio, isn’t involved in this transit, although planets at 10 Scorpio can be.
          Jupiter goes direct again on the 6th of March ’14.  On the 26th we have a nice Mercury-Jupiter trine from 11 Pisces.  That’s good for communication and travel.
          Will you be playing a joke on April Fool’s Day?  The Sun will square Jupiter from 11 Aries, so that’s playful energy.  Big energy begins on the 14th, with Pluto making a station at nearly 14 Capricorn, squaring a Mercury-Uranus conjunction and ultimately opposing Jupiter.  There’s much energy for change here and for discussing it and it continues through and beyond the 20th .  And don’t forget planets in Libra at this degree will be strongly activated.  On April 17th we have a pleasant Venus-Jupiter trine.  On the 22nd, Mars joins the mix, at 13 Libra and this is point at which we can and will likely see some events.  I wonder what country will bomb or invade another.  On the 30th Mercury at nearly 15 Taurus sextiles Jupiter.
          May ’14 has the Sun at 16 Taurus in sextile to Jupiter on the 6th, a Tuesday, so you can shine at work.  The 18th, a Sunday has Venus at nearly 18 Aries making a square, which could lead to an ill-advised shopping spree.  On the 24th, we see the Jupiter-Saturn trine at nearly 19 degrees.  Neptune is not involved here because it’s only at 7.
          The final aspect of Jupiter in Cancer occurs on June 18, 2014, with a sextile from Venus at nearly 24 degrees Taurus.  Hug someone you love that day.  Then on July 16th, wave goodbye and hello to Jupiter as it moves into Leo.  Did anyone say party?

          This is a significant year, to put it lightly.  It’s important because of the magnitude and precision of the aspects in the sign and because of the number of heavy hitters being brought together.  There will be events both globally and personally.  Perhaps a good way for you to use this information is to note your own horoscope and the degree of your natal planets and when those degrees will be activated by the transits mentioned.  Put a little red X on your calendar, then note what occurs that day.  If it’s a pass that will recur, you’ll have a clue what to expect the next time around.  That’s the best part of astrology, isn’t it. 

This post was excerpted from my article about Jupiter in Cancer which appeared in Dell Horoscope Magazine.