The transits of the planets

Jupiter - Introduction

Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. If you subtract the Sun’s mass from the mass of the entire solar system, Jupiter makes up most of what remains. This physically dominant presence of Jupiter was recognized by the ancients because of its brightness, combined with the fact that it is the second slowest-moving of the seven traditional planets, after Saturn. Whether the ancients understood that this was somehow connected to Jupiter’s mass is not clear. However, in medieval terminology Jupiter was referred to as the second most ponderous planet after Saturn, and in Latin the word translated as “ponderous” means both slow and heavy. So the combination of its relatively slow orbital movement with its brightness gave the planet Jupiter, very early in the evolution of astrology, the title “King of the planets,” just as the god Jupiter (also known in Greek as Zeus, and in Babylonian as Marduk) was king of the gods.

The name of the planet in Latin, Jupiter, comes from an ancient Indo-European root meaning sky-father or day-father. In fact, one of the colors most commonly associated with Jupiter was the blue of the daytime sky. This helps us understand the main peculiarity of Jupiter’s energy in astrology. On a sunny day, when we look up into the sky, we see a comforting bowl of blue stretching from horizon to horizon that seems to protect us from whatever may be out there above the sky. The only astrological bodies that can be seen in the daytime when the Sun is shining are, of course, the Sun itself and, at certain phases, the Moon. All other planets, stars, or whatever else may be visible in the night sky are blocked by the scattering of light caused by the atmosphere, which is itself signified by Jupiter, and we see this scattering as blue. From this arises the central difficulty that Jupiter presents. The blue sky of a sunny day is an appearance. Whenever human beings go above the atmosphere, they see that the day sky looks exactly like the night sky, except that there is a dazzlingly brilliant Sun shining in the midst of it. That is the true appearance of the sky. So Jupiter, ruling the day sky in the physical world, represents a kind of illusion.

To what does this illusion correspond in human beings and human society? It corresponds to what we consider the realities of social agreements, social conventions, and even human cultures themselves with all their varieties and differences. When you are immersed in your culture, however, you do not see the variation from culture to culture. You see your own culture as “real.” So, in terms of Indian philosophy, Jupiter corresponds to one of the most important aspects of Maya, the illusion. It is not the physical world that is the illusion. It is the social world, the world of consensus reality.

Traditionally, of course, Jupiter has always been classified as the “Greater Benefic,” Venus being the “Lesser Benefic.” This is because for most of us, being in conformity with consensus reality, being able to work with it, and even to exploit it to our benefit, is the path to success and achievement as they are commonly measured in most cultures. So, Jupiter is commonly depicted as a benevolent king bestowing gifts, peace, and comfort upon his subjects. Of course, this is not entirely false, at least not in practical terms, but astrologers tend to overemphasize the benefic qualities of Jupiter. The energy of Jupiter has a dark side as well. Anyone who threatens the consensus upon which “reality” is based will encounter that side. This is what happens to heretics and to all those who do not subscribe to the assumptions of consensus reality. Also, many individuals who gain the most benefit from consensus reality develop a feeling of entitlement, as if they automatically deserve all the good things they have, and then, even when they have all those good things, they still want more. Greed, as such, is not usually considered an aspect of Jupiter’s energy, but under certain circumstances in a chart Jupiter can indicate a boundless desire to acquire wealth and possessions.

From all the above it should be obvious that Jupiter’s energy is wholly within “normal consciousness,” as I have defined it elsewhere. It can lead one in the direction of religion, but it is the religion of orthodoxy, churches, and temples, not the spirituality of a mystic. That higher kind of spirituality has more to do with the higher side of Saturn along with the energy of Neptune.

The energy of Jupiter is often experienced as generosity. This is correct; however, it is the generosity of the noble king dispensing good things to his subjects. It is not the generosity of compassion.

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Finally, while the energy of Jupiter ultimately represents an illusion — consensus reality — it is also clear that human beings cannot get along without it. As species of animals on Earth go, our power to dominate the natural world arises from our ability to work in groups, to organize, and to plan effectively what we are going to do as a group, as a social order. So, we cannot do without this illusion, but we can remember that it is an illusion and that when people talk about the “facts of living in the real world,” most of the time they are talking about living according to the illusion with its false assumptions and the goals for which it strives. The principles people believe — what they consider to be truths — about their respective societies are rendered effective only because they organize human beings into a force difficult to overcome. When a society espouses, as part of its consensus reality, something so obviously false, that is a warning signal that the social order is about to collapse. Therefore, it is vital that at least some members of humanity constantly strive to capture the truth that lies beyond social consensus — the black sky with the brilliant Sun that lies above the blue sky of the atmosphere.

Qualities of Jupiter

Jupiter is traditionally regarded as a balanced combination of the Wet and the Hot. Its benefic nature is derived from two factors. The first is that the Wet and the Hot were regarded in ancient natural philosophy as nutritive and generative qualities, as opposed to the Cold and the Dry, which tended to be destructive. The second is that neither the Wet nor the Hot is excessive within Jupiter’s energies. They are temperate and in balance. In the Ptolemaic system, Jupiter and Venus were both composed of these two qualities, and both in temperate measure. The difference between Jupiter and Venus is that Jupiter contains more of the Hot and less of the Wet, while Venus contains more of the Wet and less of the Hot. Among the Arabs, Venus’s Hot quality was replaced by the Cold. In the section on Venus I have argued that, in fact, Venus is inherently composed of the Wet and can fluctuate a bit to either side of the Hot - Cold polarity depending on circumstances. However, in both the Ptolemaic and Arabic systems Venus has its qualities in a temperate manner and is, therefore, benefic. In any case, the similarities between the qualities of Venus and Jupiter cause both to be helpful for growth and increase, whether it is growth in the biological sense, growth in income, or any other kind of growth.

Sect

The very name Jupiter, in which the first syllable may be derived from a root meaning “day” or “sky,” should be a clue that Jupiter is a diurnal planet. In the Hellenistic scheme, it is the second most diurnal planet after the Sun itself. Symbolically this makes perfect sense because the malevolent side of Jupiter comes out almost entirely when Jupiter is mixed up with too much nocturnal energy. By the light of day, which stands for the light of human consciousness, one can see when too much is too much. So, when Jupiter is placed favorably with regard to its sect, the individual knows when to stop. When Jupiter is out of sect, it tends toward excess, which can manifest as anything from a tendency to gain weight and general overindulgence to the feeling that one owes nothing to others, while others owe everything to oneself.

Ease or Difficulty of Dealing with Jupiter

The most common experience people have of Jupiter’s energies is positive. They feel good. This is the principal reason, practically speaking, that most people regard Jupiter as the “Greater Benefic.” Even when you use Jupiter’s energies in a negative and destructive manner, it usually starts out feeling good, even if it does not end that way. Think of it as being similar to having a wonderful dinner of rich foods and too much drink, followed by the morning after. Jupiter also has a protective quality. After all, the king must protect his subjects. And so, even for those who either choose not to or are unable to use the energy of Jupiter to obtain wealth, a powerfully positioned Jupiter in the chart often indicates that an individual will never experience poverty. This, of course, assumes that one lives in a relatively prosperous country. It might take a bit more than a well-placed Jupiter to prevent poverty in a nation where poverty is the norm.

Except for those individuals who manifest the energy of Jupiter as arrogance, entitlement, or excessive pride, persons with a strongly placed Jupiter are usually pleasant to be around because they are witty, outgoing, and, relatively speaking, carefree.

In the text that follows there will be much discussion of both sides of Jupiter’s energy, just as I have done with the energies of the two so-called “malefics,” which have a positive side contrasting with the negative qualities usually assigned to them. Late classical Platonists all recognized that the planets were neither malefic nor benefic by themselves. It was the way in which we adjusted ourselves to them or failed to do so that made some planets seem benefic and others malefic. They regarded the planetary energies in themselves as divine and completely positive, but the consciousness with which we lead our lives in most “normal” circumstances tends to accept some planetary energies more gracefully than others and often tries to reject the others entirely.

Function in the Natal Chart

Inward Manifestations

For the most part, the energies of Jupiter in your natal chart have to do with your ability to move forward and make progress. This is because Jupiter, being of the Wet quality, can put things together and build larger, more complex structures from smaller, simpler ones. That same quality enables you to fit into the existing social order, depending, of course, on the quality of Jupiter’s placement in your natal chart.

The qualities of personality that the energies of Jupiter bestow have to do with optimism, cheerfulness, and your sense of belonging in the cultural world into which you were born. It includes your ability to expand your horizons and to see further than you might have otherwise. It is often noted that the energy of Jupiter seems to attract good luck. This is not exactly correct. The Jupiterian personality (also known as jovial) sees its surroundings in terms of connections, systems, and the interrelationships among things. Consequently, this kind of personality sees opportunities before most others because it is open to them and welcomes them. These people have an excellent sense of timing as a result. However, it is often difficult for the Jupiterian personality to convince others that whatever good fortune they have is something more than luck, because they can always give a rational explanation for what they have sensed in advance. Jupiter’s energy is intuitive. Some, however, who have this trait can articulate what they see, and they can also articulate what they have seen in the past, and this gives many of them the ability to be excellent teachers. They can show anyone else how to do what they have learned because they recall the entire process by which they learned.

Outward Manifestations

The outward manifestations of your natal Jupiter often consist of greater than average success in life. And when they do not, it is usually because the individuals in question do not feel especially motivated to pursue success in the conventional way. Nevertheless, there is a quality of pride in the Jupiterian personality that wants to be acknowledged for what it has accomplished and learned. Such individuals are not immune to the attractions of success and social status, but they may not be particularly interested in whether this is accompanied by financial success.

One peculiar quality of a strong Jupiter in the natal chart is that, as its energies move the individual toward success and achievement, it does not typically do this by competing with others as if trying to win a contest. That trait is more characteristic of the natal Sun and the natal Mars. If you are a Jupiter type, then you will measure your success and achievement against what you have done in the past, constantly looking for signs of growth and development. The status that comes with Jupiter, all other factors in the chart being equal, comes from either appearing to be, or actually being, excellent at your job, profession, or career.

Whether Jupiter in your chart is in its proper sect can be quite important. There are three criteria. The most important of these is that Jupiter does much better in daytime births. Second, if the chart is diurnal, then Jupiter should be above the horizon. If the chart is nocturnal, then Jupiter should be below the horizon on the same side of the horizon as the Sun. Third, but least important, Jupiter should be in a diurnal sign (the odd-numbered signs). If Jupiter is in a nocturnal chart, then you will be somewhat more likely to see its negative effects. If the other two sect criteria are also opposed, those effects may increase. One of the most common effects of a negative Jupiter, although not necessarily one out of sect, is weight gain. This is the result of the anabolic processes in the body (the processes behind growth) running unchecked by the normal things that prevent weight gain. Of course, the negative Jupiter type often likes to eat and drink in excess, which does not help. This, however, is one of the lesser potentials of Jupiter working negatively, as is often indicated by Jupiter’s sect relationships. The worst behavioral qualities associated with a prominent Jupiter in a chart, or with strong emphasis on the sign Sagittarius (not so much Pisces, however), are a sense of entitlement — that the world owes one a living — and the tendency, instead of putting out positive energy to help and protect others, to use the energy of others for self-aggrandizement. I write extensively about this aspect of the natal Jupiter because it is not often discussed in astrology books, but it is real.