Jupiter in a horoscope
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest one in the Solar system. It has a massive body that is more than 300 times the mass of Earth and the volume that is more than 1,300 times the volume of Earth. Jupiter is a real giant in our Solar system that not only possesses a very strong magnetic field and literally holds the whole Solar system together due to its enormous gravity, but that has also captured more than 50 moons and created its own little “solar system”.
Whether the ancients knew about Jupiter’s size or not, astrological interpretation of Jupiter’s effects in a horoscope is consistent with these astronomical data: Jupiter in a horoscope represents the area and the events that have a potential to become very big, to expand, and to reach the status of a stardom.
However, despite Jupiter’s size, its density is only about one forth of the Earth density; despite its large orbit that takes about twelve times longer to travel than it takes for Earth to revolve around the Sun, its day is only ten Earth hours. Jupiter is a gas giant with a predicted small solid core that rotates with the high speed creating a fast movement of gases and forming giant storms lasting for centuries (Jupiter’s Great Red Spot that is a diameter of the Earth disk is one of these storms).
Consistent with these physical characteristics, Jupiter in a horoscope appears where there is any tendency to exaggerate, to blow something out of proportions, to become pompous or to make something appear larger than it is, i.e., to make anything that does not have enough substance (solid core) to appear larger and stronger like gaseous masses make Jupiter appear.
Jupiter shines very brightly in the night sky – only the Moon and Venus are brighter than Jupiter. Just like Venus, Jupiter is considered to be a very positive planet in astrological interpretations and is expected to bring luck and joy everywhere it appears. For example, Jupiter in a career house promises a success in business, Jupiter in a house of money suggests that the owners of the charts will not lose all their money, and someone with Jupiter in the house of family should expect to have a large and happy family. The lucky and optimistic planet signifies any expansion: the expansion of the knowledge and philosophy (it represents higher knowledge and religious and philosophical views of the area of life associated with its position in a horoscope), the expansion of the horizons due to the long-distance travel and exploration, and the exploration of moral and ethical ideas.
There is a disclaimer to the Jupiter’s powers. The name Jupiter was given after the Roman most important deity, the god of the sky who ruled over all other gods (Zeus in the Greek tradition). In addition to being a powerful, happy, and life- and fun-loving god (another name for Jupiter is Jove, the name that produced the epithet “jovial”), Jupiter was incredibly immoral and promiscuous and brought a lot of grief and tears to his wife Juno.
This mythological story is also reflected in astrological interpretations of Jupiter’s effects in a horoscope: when poorly placed of afflicted by astrological influences, Jupiter may indicate the areas of life where we could be immoral, loose, unrestrained. For example, Jupiter in the house of money, if afflicted by its position in the Zodiac or by its contacts with negative planets, may indicate someone who spends too easily or someone who is not holding up to high standards when it comes to the money.
Astrology is an art of interpreting the life events and the personality traits using the mythological archetypes as a tool, the art of seeing and perceiving the life in a light of mythology and generalized principles. It may seem naïve at the first glance, but becomes more meaningful and convincing if we think about all the wisdom and all the knowledge that was incorporated into the myths and that can be extracted and understood from the myths. The amazing depth of mythology and the direct correspondence between the myths and our contemporary life is very obviously represented in astrological interpretations of Jupiter in a horoscope: it really does not get any more literal and direct than the Jupiter’s effects on our personalities and our life events are! Jupiter is a “happy go lucky” and “supersize it” planet, “what you see is what you get” planet.
Jupiter in astrology is the ruler of two signs of the Zodiac – Sagittarius and Pisces (together with Neptune in modern astrology), and it performs the best in a horoscope when it is placed in one of these two signs or in Cancer, another preferred placement of Jupiter. Jupiter is a very important planet in the chart of United States. It rules the chart with the rising sign of Sagittarius, and it is placed in a sign where Jupiter performs the best – Cancer. It also forms close and important relationships with the Sun and with Venus in US horoscope. It is not a coincidence that anyone traveling to US from another part of the world immediately notices that everything is very large in this country – from the land to the meal size (Jupiter the “supersizer”), that the formal religious organizations are many and influential (Jupiter is the planet of organized religions), that people from all around the world live in US (Jupiter is the planet of foreign countries and long-distance travel), and that people like to have fun (“fun” is the word that does not have an equivalent in many languages).
Ask your astrologer to explain to you in what Zodiac sign and in what house of your astrological birth chart is your Jupiter and to interpret how this position may affect the way your Jupiter performs in your horoscope! Jupiter is shining in a horoscope similarly to the magnificent planet glowing in the sky, and its effects cannot be disregarded or unnoticed.