Transits of Jupiter

Transits to Mercury

There are many ways in which Jupiter and Mercury are complementary in nature. There are also several important ways in which they are opposed. Yet these two must function together, each energy performing its proper task in the face of the other to allow life to function at the best possible level. Jupiter, as stated previously, is a planet whose energy partakes of the nature of the Hot and the Moist. Mercury is sometimes described as having a similar nature but to a much lesser degree. However, what Mercury seems to do most of the time is take on the qualities of whatever planets it is connected to. This means that when Jupiter and Mercury are favorably connected, they work very well together. Jupiter represents the overall structure of the system, and Mercury represents the way in which all the parts are related to each other. The main source of conflict between them is that Jupiter takes the large view and Mercury takes the detailed view. Although traditional textbooks of astrology seldom describe it this way, Jupiter can be regarded as representing the entire physical body as a collection of completely integrated parts. Mercury, however, represents the nervous system and all other systems of the body that allow communication among all those parts so that they can, indeed, be an integrated whole.

In terms of the classification of planets into Personal, Interpersonal, and Transcendent, Mercury works equally well at all levels, although it is, strictly speaking, a personal planet. Jupiter, of course, is an interpersonal planet, so again there is no necessary conflict between their natures, except that they apply to the system at different levels of scale: the level of the parts and the level of the whole.

Working together, these two planetary energies signify intelligence and wisdom, as well as cleverness and mental agility. On a social level, together they signify business in all its forms: trading, buying and selling, banking and finance, and so forth. They can also signify wisdom at a deep philosophical level, although Jupiter tends more toward metaphysics and Mercury toward logic.

Transits to Venus

This combination of planetary energies involves a planet conventionally called “the greater benefic,” Jupiter, with “the lesser benefic,” Venus. As such, it has traditionally been considered one of the most fortunate and positive of all planetary contacts. Indeed, the union of these two energies by any aspect is generally pleasant and happy. Jupiter is, of course, an interpersonal planet concerned with the needs of society as a whole and with the roles and functions through which individuals are integrated into the larger social order. Venus is a personal planet, but it is inherently connected to interpersonal relationships.

However, these relationships are usually one-to-one, and the resulting combination operates almost as if two persons are one. The functions that Venusian energy serves are largely personal: personal happiness, personal love, and the experience of beauty and harmony. It is easy to see that the interpersonal tendencies of Jupiter can elevate the energy of Venus to the interpersonal level, because in some respects the energy of Venus inevitably has a strong interpersonal component. Also, when it comes to evaluating the two energies in terms of the four qualities, following the Greek system as described by Ptolemy, Venus is of the nature of the Hot and the Wet. So is Jupiter. The only difference is that Jupiter is hotter and Venus is wetter. This is reflected in the fact that Jupiter is more likely to signify activity and energy — doing things, in other words — while Venus is more emotional, being in fact the planetary energy connected to one of the principal emotions, love.

So, what can go wrong? Both energies — that of Jupiter and that of Venus — can distort the other if there is no effort made to keep them in balance. In so far as Jupiter relates at all to love, it is the kind of love signified by the Greek words philia and agape. The first of these is close to what we would call friendship, which most people would agree is a form of love. The second word, agape, has no precise English translation. In Christianity, it is defined as the love that exists between God and human beings. Sometimes it is used to describe the love that eventually grows between husband and wife once the relationship has moved beyond the purely sexual. The kind of love signified by Venus is Eros, usually translated as love and desire in the sexual senses of the words. Unfortunately, as we have all seen in human relationships, Eros-love can often interfere with friendship and the quieter forms of agape-love. If the two types of love associated with Jupiter become stronger, Eros-love may be suppressed.

Then, too, there is the problem that can occur whenever the interpersonal bonding signified by Jupiter — bonds of friendship and the ways in which we integrate ourselves emotionally into our communities — is subverted to the completely personal objectives of Eros. There we get, for example, the use of sexuality by either sex to get ahead politically, resulting in people attaining positions of power for which they are not suited simply through the use of a strong personal energy.

Also, for whatever reason, Jupiter-Venus combinations can result in kinds of self-indulgence similar to those signified by badly functioning Jupiter-Moon combinations. This makes sense because, both astrologically and mythologically, there is a significant overlap between love and mother goddesses. Malfunctioning Jupiter-Venus combinations can also result in acquisitiveness in general and the search for wealth and the things that wealth can buy.

Transits to the Sun

The energy of these transits can run between two extremes. First, at the upper level, this combination represents the energy of kingship, involving the highest qualities of that role: nobility, a sense of duty and obligation toward the people, and the feeling that a king or queen should, in his or her person, be a model for and in some way epitomize the qualities of the nation he or she rules. In many languages, the words for king come from roots that have to do with regulating and directing — that is, controlling the affairs of the nation. This is demonstrated in the Latin word ‘rex’, which comes from the same root as ‘regulate’, ‘direct’ and ‘direction’. However, in the Germanic languages, words such as ‘king’ and the German ‘könig’ come from the same root as our ‘kin’, as in ‘kinship’; that is, a king stands for the kinship of the entire people of the nation. This may or may not be true in contemporary kingdoms, but it does summarize the ethos of true kingship, regardless of the linguistic root from which the word is derived. This is what makes a king or queen different from a dictator. This can be seen clearly in the British monarchy, where the active political role of the monarch has largely ceased to exist, but the symbolic role of standing in for and representing the entire people continues.

Second, and unfortunately, at the other extreme this combination represents the rampant egomaniac, an individual who feels almost pathologically entitled to anything he or she wants, regardless of how much damage it may do to others to get it. A lesser degree of this negative form of Jupiter-Sun may be found in the person who always wants to be the center of attention and have everyone’s admiration — a quality often associated with the sign Leo but much more characteristic of a negatively manifested Jupiter-Sun mixture.

In terms of the division of planets into personal, interpersonal, and transcendental, the Sun operates very well at all three levels but is most likely to operate negatively at the personal. Jupiter’s energy operates best at the interpersonal and transcendental levels but is more commonly found operating at the interpersonal level. The Sun at its highest level represents consciousness itself and, consequently, wisdom of the highest sort. Jupiter, at its highest level, also represents a kind of wisdom. So, the combination of the two can be very creative and beneficial. Both energies also inherently possess the quality of nobility and, lest that seem like a sexist statement, the Sun is not just a masculine energy. It is equally available to both sexes in all its forms. It is true that the Sun is often considered in astrology to signify males, but Mars more commonly signifies masculinity in the popular sense of the word. The Sun is a more abstract kind of masculinity, one that is not associated with physical gender.

As I have said elsewhere, Jupiter partakes of the nature of the Hot and the Wet, in moderation and balance. The Sun is of the nature of the Hot and the Dry, also in moderation and balance. So, the combination of these two balances the Wet and the Dry and is very much of the nature of the Hot. It is the wetness of Jupiter that makes this combination capable of representing the kinship ties that comprise a people. It is what ties them together. And even if the people of a country are not actually closely related, Jupiter signifies the culture of a nation, which ideally integrates all people.

Transits to Mars

Transits of Jupiter to the natal Mars are often associated with good fortune, except that “fortune” is not actually the proper word. Some schools of astrology express this combination as an indication of “fortunate activity.” Sometimes the activity is the result of a choice previously made, and sometimes it is one that has just begun. For example, one of the indications of childbirth, particularly in the mother’s chart, is the energy of a combination of Jupiter and Mars derived from one of the several predictive techniques of astrology — transits, progressions, directions, or planetary periods. This is because Jupiter is the planet that has natural signification over children. Mars, of course, has to do with physical activity, and childbirth is an intense muscular activity. Curiously enough, the same combination is also found frequently in marriages and other committed forms of intimate relationship. Here, however, Jupiter’s connection with these activities is that forming such relationships is traditionally done under fortunate auspices.

Virtually any other activity that has as its object personal growth, personal success, or any undertaking that requires effort falls under the signification of this combination. However, as with all other combinations, the presence of one of these transits by itself does not guarantee success, but it is an excellent start.

The astrological qualities characteristic of each of these planets work quite well together. Remember that Jupiter partakes of the qualities of the Hot and the Wet. Mars partakes of the qualities of the Hot and the Dry. Mars was traditionally held to be a malefic, a planet whose energies typically do not work out well. However, according to Ptolemy and his successors, the best thing that can happen to Mars is for its excessive dryness to encounter moisture — i.e., the Wet. This enables Mars’s worst fault, its lack of balance, to come into balance. So long as the energy of Jupiter has the upper hand in combinations with Mars, the Mars energy works well. A good Jupiter-Mars combination works very much like a good Jupiter-Sun combination. The energies of the two combinations are not identical, but they are similar.

When it comes to the division of the planets into Personal, Interpersonal, and Transcendent, Jupiter and Mars properly belong to the interpersonal level. Keep in mind that Mars’s true function is to place the interests of the collective — the social order — above those of the personal; when this happens, Mars is in no way malefic. Since Jupiter also pertains to the collective, this combination can be particularly fortunate. However, if somehow one manages to drag these two energies down to the personal level where they serve the interests of the individual at the expense of the collective, the results can be unfortunate — mostly for those around anyone who does this. And, unfortunately for the person who so misuses this energy, karma does not require another lifetime before one experiences the negative consequences of one’s own actions.

Transits to Jupiter

The cycle of the transiting Jupiter to the position of the natal Jupiter is the first of the long cycles signified by a transiting planet and a natal planet, both of which are outer planets — by which we mean all the planets from Jupiter out through Pluto. The cycle of Jupiter to the natal Jupiter is, of course, approximately twelve years on average. The effect of this cycle is to divide your life into twelve-year periods, each of which has its own theme and its own place in the stages of personal development. However, these cycles of Jupiter are not as observable as the cycles of Saturn to Saturn, Uranus to Uranus, and Neptune to Neptune, because the cycles of those three planets have periods that are related in such a way that important phases in one often occur close to important phases in another. The Jupiter cycles do not usually synchronize with the cycles of the next three outer planets.

However, even though the cycles are not as clearly marked as the cycles of Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, this does not make them trivial or unimportant. When important stages in the Jupiter-Jupiter cycle do occur near important phases of those other three cycles, the result is an important boundary in people’s lives. One of these, for example, is adolescence, which normally occurs between the first Jupiter-Jupiter conjunction in the twelfth year and the first Saturn opposition to natal Saturn in the fourteenth year. Also, another important coinciding of cycle phases occurs in the early twenties of one’s life. At approximately twenty-two, Saturn squares the natal Saturn and Uranus squares the natal Uranus, and then less than two years later there is a second Jupiter conjunct natal Jupiter. These three critical points serve to define one’s early twenties or early adulthood.

The energy of Jupiter partakes of the Hot and the Wet, and these qualities are balanced and temperate. This is one of the reasons why Jupiter is considered to be a benefic: the Hot and the Wet are the two benefic qualities, and when they are in balance, they are even more benefic. So, more than any other planet, Jupiter governs or signifies important stages of growth in which the individual makes progress toward self-actualization.

Of course, transits of Jupiter to the natal Jupiter can be difficult depending on how Jupiter is situated in the natal chart and how other energies in the chart inhibit or support it. For example, we are so used in contemporary writing to regarding adolescence as a difficult period of life that we tend to overlook the fact that it is the beginning of physiological adulthood. For the first time a human being is capable of being a parent, even though in our culture we prefer to postpone this until somewhere near the second Jupiter return between twenty-three and twenty-four years of age. In the Middle Ages, male children were packed off to university — not secondary school — at about that age. Male children who did not go to university often became apprentices in a trade at about this age. Female children began to take on adult responsibilities, learning the more complex activities of keeping house (something that required a great deal of skill in premodern times and still does), helping to raise younger children, and even beginning to look toward marriage, although typically that occurred later. So, each cycle of Jupiter to Jupiter marks a stage in individual maturation. What exactly constitutes “growth” during each of these periods varies according to cultural background, class, and social status, as well as because of individual variables. But the cycles exist and can be seen if one looks carefully.

Each of the conjunctions (0°) of the transiting Jupiter with the natal Jupiter (often referred to as a “Jupiter Return”) marks the ending of an old phase and the beginning of a new one. The first one at twelve years of age helps to mark the transition from childhood to adolescence. The second one at twenty-three or twenty-four indicates the end of adolescence and the beginning of early adulthood. By the third return, the individual is normally as much an adult as he or she is ever going to be and is either at or approaching the high point of adulthood, when creative powers are at their peak. His or her professional life is beginning to work quite well, and most people by this time have some sense of where they are in the social order and what they are doing. Later Jupiter conjunctions are less clearly defined in any general way, because by this time your individuality is clearly defined and distinguishes you very clearly from other people. Therefore, it is harder to make generalizations.

Transits to Saturn

In ancient and medieval astrology, the cycles of the transiting Jupiter with the transiting Saturn were the most important rhythms in the unfolding of civilization in history. In natal astrology, the cycles are quite important, but they are not quite as central in the unfolding of an individual’s life as they are in the life of the collective. Nevertheless, these cycles are important.

The simplest way to describe the relationship of these two energies to each other is to say that Jupiter represents growth, increase, expansion, and integration. Saturn represents structure, definition, restriction, and platforms upon which everything else is built. In the body, for example, Saturn signifies the teeth and bones and the skeleton, while Jupiter is concerned more with other kinds of flesh and with those parts of the body which serve to integrate the entire body and ensure communication of one sort or another among all the parts. The natal Saturn represents those parts of ourselves that are relatively solid, that give the body structure, and, overall, tend to resist change. This is not negative resistance but the kind of resistance that allows the body to persist and survive. So, the Saturn component in your life represents all those structures that support everything else. The Jupiter component represents change leading to growth and expansion and particularly serves to ensure that all parts of your life are, as much as possible, integrated with each other.

So, the combination of the transiting Jupiter energy with the natal Saturn energy represents fundamental changes in the structure of your life, the function of which is to lead to growth and progress toward your goals, but doing so in such a manner that the fundamental structures and foundations of your life are not destroyed in the process. The nature of their interaction is what causes us to be somewhat resistant to change of all kinds. Even opportunities can sometimes make one afraid, because one never knows whether they will work for the best or not. Also, there are very few opportunities that do not require letting go of old structures. To allow Jupiter’s energy to reign supreme with no balance from Saturn is to grow in such a way that the structures of your life cannot sustain the growth, leading eventually to collapse. To allow Saturn’s energy to reign over Jupiter with no balance means no change, no growth; and since all vital systems require a balance between change and growth, allowing the Saturn energy to overcome the Jupiter energy completely leads to stasis and ultimately death. Neither of these energies can do without the other. Both planets function primarily at the interpersonal level. In society, they represent all structure within the social order insofar as that structure functions properly and allows growth.

Regarding the four principal qualities, they are perfectly complementary: Jupiter is of the nature of the Hot and the Moist; Saturn is of the nature of the Cold and the Dry. These are, of course, two completely opposite pairs of qualities. Add to this the fact that while Jupiter is well balanced between the Hot and the Moist, Saturn is excessively of the nature of the Cold. This means that to at least some extent the energy of Jupiter must be somewhat stronger in its combination with Saturn, because extreme Cold is death — literally as well as figuratively. However, it is seldom the case that the imbalance between Jupiter and Saturn is so extremely tilted toward Saturn that the issue of death becomes a problem, except possibly, of course, at the moment of death. That said, this is not a combination commonly found at death.

The most common manifestation of transits of Jupiter to the natal Saturn is that change must occur in the fundamental structures of your life to permit growth and movement toward any goal. So, the energies of all these transits signify structural changes in your life that are intended to lead toward improvement, even if that is not immediately attained. Two of the most common manifestations, for example, found among these transits are changes of career or life direction, and changes of location — buying or selling homes and moving to new places. But these are just two good examples of the nature of the Jupiter-Saturn energy. Any kind of fundamental, structural, and progressive change is likely to involve the energy of the transiting Jupiter along with the natal Saturn.

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Transits to Uranus

This cycle is one between Jupiter, an interpersonal planet, and Uranus, a transcendental planet. This is generally perceived as the easiest of all such combinations. But it is not entirely easy, because it is not entirely predictable. No transit by Uranus, or transit to Uranus, is ever predictable, because unpredictability is one of the essential features of Uranian energy. Also, because these two planets are intrinsically from different levels, it means that Jupiter must be elevated to a level higher than its normal one. So, while the normal Jupiter represents the social order, culture, and the extent to which all this is an integrated whole, its combination with Uranus requires that Jupiter’s energy go beyond its usual level to signify energies and elements of society that bring about change in the social order or introduce new patterns of energy and behavior into what has previously been considered “normal.”

That quality of Uranus which manifests as “suddenness” also means that the changes brought about by Uranus-Jupiter contacts occur suddenly, without warning. In astrology since the discovery of Uranus, it has become clear that Uranus has something to do with electricity and lightning. In traditional astrology and mythology, Jupiter also signified lightning, which is still appropriate because Jupiter signifies the sky. What makes lightning of the nature of Uranus, however, is that in lightning there is a breakdown of the normal structure of atoms so that electrons flow from atom to atom, heating up and disturbing the air in the process. This is what creates both the light and the heat of lightning. And we should note that a lightning bolt can bring about a level of light in the middle of the night that is brighter than anything that can be experienced by day. All these represent the ways in which Uranus does not conform to normal order.

In the charts of individuals, the natal Uranus indicates ways in which the individual is, in the best sense of the word, a mutation. In the cell, most mutations are destructive and result in the death of the cell. In a human being, however, the differences engendered by these “mutations” simply are just that — differences. Most of them have little or no effect on a person’s behavior or abilities. But sometimes an individual comes into being in whom that mutation triggers an ability or talent that is utterly unprecedented. This is not to say that Uranus alone is a planet of genius. Many other combinations can indicate genius as well. But the very quality that makes the genius a genius is derived from the nature of Uranian energy.

Our inner “Uranus” also signifies that part of who we are that is unwilling to conform, to deny itself in favor of getting along. At the same time, this can lead to difficulty in relationships, because the quality of Uranus tends to be disruptive of the interdependency that is necessary in a relationship.

The combination of Jupiter and Uranus is a combination of the Hot and Wet of Jupiter with what I believe to be the Hot and the Dry of Uranus. The extremely high energy levels typically found in Uranian activities are clear indicators of its nature as Hot. The fact that it disrupts relationships and tends to make people into individuals who go their own way is an indication of the quality of the Dry. While the Dry and the Hot in Uranus are reasonably balanced with each other, they are more intense than those qualities are in any other planet, including the Sun. This is the reason why Uranus seems to be a malefic when expressed in terms of the four qualities.

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Transits to Neptune

This cycle is another one between an interpersonal planet, Jupiter, and Neptune, a transcendental planet. The combination between these two energies can be both beautiful and pleasant, but also difficult in a way that borders on delusional. The energies of both planets can be manifested as forms of idealism and the desire that things be better than they are. Jupiter’s energy by itself operates within the framework of consensus reality. In fact, most of what Jupiter signifies are the major constituents of consensus reality. The significations of Neptune often challenge the very definition of reality — what is real, what is not, and what is the difference between the real and the unreal.

Neptune’s energies not only cause confusion about the difference between these categories but may even cause one to question whether one can determine the difference at all. Which one of these energies is the reality and which one is the illusion? The only thing one can say for certain is that those things signified by the energies of Jupiter are usually considered to be “real” by those who live within a particular culture or social collective. It is a “reality” based on consensus and shared experience. Neptune, on the other hand, signifies a “reality” that seems personal and not readily shareable. The problem is, however, that if one penetrates deeply into the literature of mysticism and profound spiritual states of consciousness, there does seem to be consensus within that literature. While it is not a consensus that everyone can share in, the experiences that go with deep spiritual states are shared by many people from completely different cultures.

One thing that both energies have in common is that they tend to raise your awareness above its normal level. Also, both energies arouse idealism. However, the energies of Jupiter seem to turn your eyes toward ideals that are determined by the society in which one lives, whereas Neptune’s idealism is completely beyond the ideals of any one social order. The energy of Jupiter causes one to strive to integrate one’s own life — and indeed one’s ego — into a larger social order. The energy of Neptune is completely antithetical to the striving of the ego and, indeed, tends to transcend it completely.

In terms of the four primary qualities, no astrologer before modern times attempted to define the energy of Neptune. However, if one examines the energies of Neptune from the point of view of what the four primary qualities signify, then Neptune partakes of the Cold and the Wet. This means that it tends to lower energy levels (the Cold) and to blur distinctions even to the point of there being none (the Wet). The only other planet that has a combination of these two qualities, although to a different degree than Neptune, is the Moon, and in fact the Moon and Neptune have a considerable affinity — especially whenever one raises the level of the Moon’s expression above its normal personal level, even above the interpersonal, to the transcendental level. The Moon at the transcendental level is very similar to Neptune, and if one examines the older texts written before the time of Neptune’s discovery, one will find many Neptunian concepts classified under the Moon.

The challenge of all Jupiter-Neptune contacts is keeping track of what is real and what is not. Even that requires special definitions of “real.” The combination of these two energies can signify everything from the gambler’s hope that he may fill an inside straight in a poker hand (nearly impossible), to the very similar energy of those who gamble in the financial markets, to the energies of those who want to reform society in the name of the highest spiritual principles, up to those who experience the very highest level of spiritual truth and then become teachers who transmit their understanding to students. Practically speaking, all these can be regarded by the excessively “practical” mind as delusional. But from the point of view of the consciousness of Neptune, it is the practical world that is delusional. Obviously, combining these two energies in everyday life can be a high-wire balancing act. On the other hand, some of the most beautiful souls that have ever lived partake of this combination of energies.

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Transits to Pluto

This is a combination of energies with enormous positive potential. However, when used badly, it can also be quite destructive. Both the positive and negative sides of this combination derive from two fundamental facts. First, regarding Jupiter, the energy of Jupiter is that of an interpersonal planet — an energy that is very much of this world. This energy represents all the aspects of this world that serve to integrate the individual into collectives of various sorts, ranging from one’s culture and its values, to the values of one’s nation, region within a nation, one’s own city or town, and even down to one’s family. The energy of Jupiter strives to integrate the various components of these collective entities so that they begin to function, at some level, as a unified whole. In practical social experience, this goal of complete unification is seldom achieved and is often attempted by suppressing the individualities, talents, and potentialities of the persons who make up the collective in favor of a few persons who constitute a dominant class.

Second, regarding Pluto, it is a transcendental planet, and its energies typically manifest as forces of nature — especially ones that act slowly, powerfully, and irresistibly. These are the kinds of energies against which no human collective can stand if they are powerfully arranged against it. However, these energies are by no means just destructive. They can be instructive as well but, whichever they are, they are relentless. A good example that demonstrates the potency of Plutonian energy is the gradual movement of tectonic plates on the earth’s surface. The movement is imperceptible in the short term and unstoppable in the long. When they are blocked, as occasionally happens with tectonic plates, the transformation is not prevented. It is just delayed until finally it is released explosively, as in an earthquake or a volcano.

The combination of these two energies commonly manifests well. It can signify transformations for the better, therapeutic healing, and every other form of fortunate transformation. It can also signify the collision between transformative energies and social norms. These can manifest in collectives as social catastrophes that have been rendered inevitable by the failures of nations and communities to deal consciously and constructively with the forces of nature. For example, it is now widely believed that the Sahara Desert was, if not created, at least enlarged by the farming practices of the people who lived there at one time, and this process still occurs on the southern edge of the Sahara. This is not to judge these people. It is simply to note what happens when the energies of a collective collide with natural powers. A modern, global example — controversial though it may be to many people of our time — is climate change. The short-term interests of collectives are colliding with natural forces in such a way that it may cause short-term profits to be followed by long-term disaster.

On a more positive level in the individual, in healing — which is the reintegration of damaged parts of the body so that the physiological systems in which they participate can work properly again — the energy of Pluto signifies the inevitability of the healing process as one of those natural forces, combined with the integrating power of Jupiter. For this reason, one finds the energies of Jupiter and Pluto to be involved in situations where therapy is successfully applied and where a healing regimen is employed.

Unfortunately, there are also situations in which individuals may become possessed by Plutonian energies and strive to violate necessary cultural norms for personal benefit. The individual should never strive to take Plutonian energies for his or her own advancement. As a transcendental planet, Pluto’s energies are at their worst when they are dragged down to the personal level. So, for some who strive to gain advantage ruthlessly, without ethics or any reasonable standard of morality, the social order (Jupiter) strikes back, and these people fall into the hands of the Law.

In terms of the four qualities, Pluto is like Mercury in that it does not have a clear quality of its own. However, where Mercury takes on the quality of any planet with which it is involved, Pluto attempts to turn that quality into its opposite. That is the essence of the transformational process. Here is another example from geology. Tectonic plates are composed of solids. Solids exemplify the qualities of the Cold and the Dry (the definition of the element Earth). When they lock, they give rise to molten rock, which is of the nature of the Hot and the Wet. Or they give rise to violent, jolting behavior in earthquakes. Here the rock is broken up (the Wet), and there is a great deal of movement and activity (the Hot). However, the key point for understanding the nature of Pluto is to understand that it is neither benevolent nor malevolent; it is a fundamental feature of existence in the physical universe, and it is a feature that transcends all norms of society and individuals. This is what makes it a transcendental planet.

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Transits to Chiron

Jupiter and Chiron are very compatible energies. However, for this to work out for the best, both energies must work in ways of which each is capable but which each sometimes does not reveal. Jupiter was believed by the ancients to be moderately of the quality of the Hot and moderately of the Wet. Its so-called “benefic” energies are the result of these two qualities being in balance — that is, temperate. However, sometimes these qualities operate intemperately in such a way that the energy of Jupiter is subverted to egoistic ends — for example, selfishness, a sense of entitlement, and a feeling of grandiosity. Chiron has its two sides also. As stated often in this material on Chiron, when Chiron’s energy operates in a manner to bring about healing and integration, its energy partakes of the Wet, but not so much that the parts that are integrated into the whole lose their identity as parts. When Chiron signifies trauma and injury — its “wounding” side — it operates in a manner that partakes of the Dry. The operation of these two planetary energies when combined must operate in a way that partakes primarily of moderate wetness, with moderate warmth. In other words, Chiron must be assimilated to the energy of Jupiter and, in return, the energy of Jupiter must remain balanced. When this happens, these two energies are one of the best planetary indications of healing and reintegration. This is a combination that can contribute substantially to health or to regaining health when it has been lost.

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Transits to Midheaven

Transits of Jupiter to the natal Midheaven (and the natal Ascendant) involve the energy of a planet with a point in the chart that tells you more about where that energy will be directed than it does about the quality of the energy. In other words, Jupiter will always act like Jupiter whenever it is transiting the Midheaven. The only effects that the Midheaven adds to this come from the several ways in which the Midheaven describes the direction in which the energy of Jupiter will be pointed. And, of course, the Midheaven, along with its opposite point the I.C., signify your life direction as it unfolds in the future and as it has already unfolded in your past, plus other significations associated with the M.C.-I.C. axis such as career and profession, parents, early and current home life, and other tenth-house/fourth-house indications.

Normally, the combination of Jupiter with the natal Midheaven by transit is a positive energy because of Jupiter’s temperate combination of the Hot and the Wet — the two most benevolent qualities according to ancient philosophy. These are the qualities that bring growth and fruitfulness. They are also qualities that integrate and combine in such a way that whatever is integrated is still allowed to retain its character and, through that character, contribute to the functioning of the whole.

The cycle, taken as a whole, is a twelve-year cycle of career and life direction. However, just like the cycle of Saturn and the Midheaven, the cycle begins not at the conjunction with the Midheaven but at the conjunction with the I.C., which is also the opposition to the Midheaven. Then it culminates when Jupiter crosses the Midheaven.

The reason for the use of these two terms — “career” and “life direction” — is to make it clear that what is being discussed here is not career simply as a way of supporting oneself and paying bills, but as an expression of one’s overall purpose in life. The jobs that people have generally are a combination of a means to financial security and a way to express themselves. But the essential meaning of the Midheaven is life direction. If your career is not also an expression of your life direction, then your career is not so much signified by the Midheaven as it is by the sixth house from the Ascendant. That is the house of work. Everyone, however, whether they are aware of it or not, has an overall purpose in life even if it is not clear or obvious.

Transits to Ascendant

This is a twelve-year cycle of Jupiter around the birth chart starting at the ascending degree, or Ascendant as it is normally called. It is very similar in nature and significance to the transit of Jupiter through the houses, but there is a difference. These transits are only to the degree of the natal Ascendant, and their effects may be much shorter than the effects of the transit of Jupiter through each house. As such, the energies are somewhat different.

It is a cycle in which you extend yourself outward and become involved in all the various domains of your life. The Ascendant degree, as well as the entire first house, represents that part of your psyche that you put out into the world and that you use to interact with other people. The symbolism of the Ascendant, as well as the Midheaven, is closely associated with the ego or, perhaps more appropriately, the personality. The main difference between these two is that most people identify with their ego, and therefore ego awareness is an awareness that is both internal and external. The personality is a mask-like entity that governs how you present yourself to the world. It is also, through its opposite point, the Descendant, the way in which the world seems to present itself to you.

The function of Jupiter’s energy, of course, is to integrate you into the various collectives that surround you: family, neighborhood, your circle of friends, the people with whom you work, your community, and finally your nation and planet Earth itself. Most commonly, Jupiter manifests through the larger rather than smaller collectives — from your work environment through to your nation. You must always keep in mind that your integration into these larger groups means, to the greatest possible extent, that you do what you do according to who you are and make a positive contribution to the health of the group. Usually when you do this properly, you earn some advantage or reward. To take a simple example, when you do work that you enjoy and make a positive contribution to the workplace, you get paid, and the more effectively you do this, the more likely it is that you will be paid well. If you do not enjoy your work, if it is not in accord with who and what you are, it will show up in the quality of your work and your reward (earnings) will be less.

Transits to the Lunar Nodes

This is a cycle that has potentially great importance. Jupiter is an interpersonal or social planet. The Lunar Nodes, among other things, represent the formation and utilization of social networks. These are obviously closely related. How important this cycle may be in any one chart depends upon the placement of the Lunar Nodes with respect to the four angles of the chart — the Ascendant, the I.C., the Descendant, and the Midheaven — as well as how Jupiter is involved by conjunction, square, or opposition aspect to the North Lunar Node. When Jupiter transits the natal Nodes, this is a time in which there are initiatives, culminations, responses, and processes by which all this is incorporated within one’s being. This is especially so whenever Jupiter is conjunct the South Bending, the 270° square to the North Node.