Jupiter into Sagittarius, let's party!

This year the Sun moves from introspective Scorpio into outgoing Sagittarius on 22nd November. After the self-examination and emotional adjustments we’ve been coming to terms with over the past month or so, at last it’s time to let our hair down and party! Have you noticed how sociable and fun loving your Sagittarian friends are? The characteristics of this sign often give its natives a lust for life, a love of company and an ability to start a party at the drop of a hat! That’s great news for getting the festive season going with a bang. At this time of year as we move into the darkest days of winter we still honour ancient traditions started by our ancestors, who gathered in front of roaring fires in a sprit of community to keep the demons of the dark at bay. The dark nights culminate with the Winter Solstice, which marks the point of the return to light as the nights gradually become shorter and we move slowly towards spring. The solstice this year will happen in the early hours of December 22nd.

But back to the party! Sagittarians are ruled by the planet Jupiter, planet of expansion, which is probably what gives them more than their fair share of optimism and energy. Along with the Sun’s movement into this outgoing fire sign, Jupiter itself will move into the sign of the archer on November 24th. This is significant, especially for Sagittarians, as it means they’re about to be given a chance to experience new possibilities, positive energy, and healing and regeneration right through until December 2007. As Jupiter moves into the sign it rules, its energies become magnified and function at maximum strength. For the rest of us, wherever Jupiter in the sky is touching our chart, we can also experience these gifts in the corresponding areas of our lives.

Jupiter: the fact and the fable
Jupiter is usually the fourth brightest object in the sky (after the Sun, the Moon and Venus); although at times Mars appears brighter. Jupiter is 2.5 times more massive than all the other planets combined. It is 318 times more massive than Earth, with a diameter 11 times that of Earth (see picture for relative sizes), and its volume is 1300 times as great as that of Earth. Its huge gravitational influence has dominated the evolution of the solar system: some have described the solar system as consisting of the Sun, Jupiter, and assorted debris! In Roman mythology, Jupiter (Iuppiter in Latin) held the same role as Zeus in the Greek pantheon. He was called Juppiter Optimus Maximus (Jupiter Best, Greatest) as the patron deity of the Roman state, in charge of laws and social order. He was the King of the Gods, the undisputed master of the world, who was capable of both heroic deeds and indulgent excesses.

The Astrological significance of Jupiter
Heroic deeds and indulgent excesses - there lies the crux of Jupiter. No planet, sign, or combination of these things in astrology is inherently good or bad: they are symbols representing energy. This presents a challenge when you are experiencing a planet’s influence: will you rise to the challenge positively or let it’s potential slip through your fingers? Remember, we’ve said that Jupiter’s positive side can bring new possibilities, positive energy, and healing and regeneration. However if we let this gas giant lull us into a false sense of security, we can become overconfident or overindulgent in ways that do not make us grow positively. If we say to ourselves in a moment of Jupiterian over-optimism “don’t worry, everything will turn out right”, does this mean that it actually will? Usually not without some effort on our part! But this is the gift of Jupiter: if we have it strongly placed in our birth chart or when it’s making a strong contact to one of our personal planets by transit, we are given an opportunity to achieve something great, something which broadens our horizons and increases our potential for happiness tenfold. The trick is to seize the opportunity and be willing to break out of old patterns in order to make personal progress. Take a leaf out of Sagittarius’ book: believe in yourself, believe in your potential and then go and do something about it!

Jupiter and the personal planets
Where we find Jupiter in the birth chart is where we have the potential to experience joy, growth and optimism. It’s where we might uncover hidden gifts, especially later in life, as Jupiter’s cycle is a relatively slow one and unfolds in 12 year blocks. Its effects can be particularly noticeable when it is found in combination of one of the so-called “personal planets”, i.e. the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus or Mars. Here’s a taste of some of the expressions, both positive and negative, of Jupiter with the Sun and the Moon in the chart.

Sun with Jupiter
This planetary combination is usually found in the birth chart of people who think big and want to go places. Unless there are other prohibiting factors, they display self-confidence and optimism a-go-go! They’re fun to be around and love to explore life and push their personal boundaries. The exaggeration factor of Jupiter can however mean that self confidence could just tip over into arrogance, and their pursuit of the next rush might just push them to take one risk too many. One famous celeb with this combination is newly wed Tom Cruise. He has the Sun in a flowing pattern with Jupiter and Neptune: the Jupiter part has been there for all to see during his expressive outpourings and OTT public gestures where his love for Katie Holmes is concerned. Let’s hope that the Neptune factor, well exaggerated by Jupiter into tendencies towards over-romanticism, doesn’t prove that he is falling into the trap of living in a fantasy world.

Moon with Jupiter
Jupiter, as we’ve said, exaggerates anything it touches. The Moon represents our emotional and instinctual life, and when you get this area of life projected through Jupiter’s magnifying lens you could well be in for a roller coaster ride. People with this combination feel things very deeply, and when they are up they are flying sky high: but the inevitable crash and burn that follows feels like the lowest low. This is a very generous type of person, but possibly someone who tries so hard to be all things to all people that they are in danger of over-promising and under-delivering. The extreme of this tendency towards emotional ups and downs can be the depressive personality. One historical figure who was particularly afflicted by Moon/Jupiter’s more negative expressions was Vincent Van Gogh, whose extreme mood swings and ill fated love affairs provided the passion which gave birth to his art, but also eventually led to him taking his own life. The more positive characteristics of the combination such as self-belief and the desire to push personal boundaries are seen in the charts of Richard Branson, Margaret Thatcher, Jennifer Lopez and Oprah Winfrey. All have come from relatively obscure backgrounds, but have nonetheless taken the opportunities life has presented them with both hands and had faith (a very Jupiterian word) in their ability to achieve beyond the ordinary

Back to Articles Home