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.
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.