Jupiter is the planet of expansion, abundance, luck, the social environment, higher education and philosophy.

Jupiter’s cycle is approximately 12 years (technically 11.86) passing through each sign for about a year so can be considered a sort of annual trend, although not starting at the same time each year. Jupiter’s half-cycle is about six years which is when transiting Jupiter opposes our natal Jupiter. This is the time when most cultures send their children to school — the beginning of socialization.

The schooling experience can be a joy or nightmare as the plethora of movies and novels detail. In a Jupiter cycle (12 years), you then “graduate” from school, fully socialized and ready to meet the demands of your social environment.

Haha.

Singer Jill Sobule refers to the intensity of 7th grade – this is the grade when you’re 12-13 which, oh my, is your Jupiter return, the time when it returns to its natal position. When you graduate from college, should you choose the post-high-school-four-year route, you’ll be 22-23, a couple years shy of the second Jupiter return. Now your socialization has taken you to the next level – the “real world.”

If you loved 7th grade, you may have a nicely-aspected Jupiter. If it was the nightmare version, Jupiter is probably creating challenging aspects in the horoscope.

The planets before Jupiter – sun, moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars are called personal planets and relate to the basic personality with its likes, dislikes, actions and reactions. Jupiter is where the personal meets the social world.

Jupiter at home in Sagittarius

The planet Jupiter “rules” the sign of Sagittarius and will move into that sign in early November of this year. Jupiter has been in Scorpio, the sign of death, taxes, inheritance and regeneration, for the past year. You might have noticed it through the “Me Too” movement where we spoke about sexual violation.

There are two other transpersonal planets transiting the signs they rule – Saturn in Capricorn and Neptune in Pisces. Saturn, like Jupiter, rules the social world but in this case the social structure including institutions, government, police and organized religion.

As an example, Jupiter is religious feeling and the desire for heightened experience. Saturn is the crystallization of that feeling through the organization of religious institutions. Saturn was once the farthest known planet so was the limit of the solar system and represented the limits of the social world as well.

In 1781, the time of Enlightenment, Uranus was discovered; in 1846, Neptune and in 1930, Pluto. These three planets are transpersonal and relate to the energy of entire generations. Uranus describes the inspirations; Neptune the aspirations; and Pluto the transformations.

Neptune in its own sign of Pisces is spiritual and seeking connection without boundaries, unconditional love. Pisces is fish, ruling the feet. You’ll find lots of Pisces imagery in the Jesus imagery as he was birthed in the Age of Pisces.

Jupiter in Sagittarius

Jupiter in its own sign will bring an abundance of itself including interest those areas of life ruled by Jupiter. Sagittarius often fights for causes so planets in this sign can put these energies on a mission. Jupiter’s extreme nature can lead to philosophical extremism as we saw during the Pluto transit in Sagittarius from 1995 to 2008.

The American Christmas season is very representative of Sagittarius. Thanksgiving, when we express gratitude for the material abundance of our culture through a shared, large meal, occurs at the very beginning of Sagittarius. Then in the 1950s, the day after Thanksgiving became a day of shopping for gifts for the Christmas holiday. That day has continued to expand as retailers are trying to get the jump on each other.

During Sagittarius we eat, drink, party and shop in anticipation of Christmas. Christmas occurs right after the solstice into the sign of Capricorn. In Capricorn we pay the bills, take down the lights, make resolutions and prepare our taxes (with a one-night reprieve of drinking on December 31).

Jupiter in Sagittarius might feel like a holiday season (I’d expect US retail sales to do well this year) until the bills come due in December 2019.

This might sound harsh; I wouldn’t characterize every Jupiter-in-Sagittarius transit as such. But when Jupiter moves into Capricorn in December 2019, it will join sun, Saturn and Pluto in that sign. Times will become much more serious and probably very quickly.

Jupiter in Sagittarius will bring us some levity in a time that contains much gravity. Saturn and Pluto are in earth-sign Capricorn and Uranus just moved into earth-sign Taurus in May 2018. Jupiter is providing a sense of meaning and mission while concurrently authority is becoming stronger.

Those born with Pluto in Sagittarius (1995-2008) will in particular experience a strong sense of mission or meaning. Those affected by the events in 2001 may experience a resurgence of the feelings of those times and a desire to make meaning from those experiences if that hasn’t already occurred.

Jupiter and Sagittarius ultimately seek experience, the kind that changes your views and perceptions. “Foreign” is a word familiar and comforting to the Jupiter energy – Sagittarius is a xenophile (not a xenophobe). In this year before the US 2020 election season begins, we may see a greater acceptance of foreigners and possibly an increase in immigration.

There may also be an increase in foreign travel or exotic foreign imports. Most products in the US are foreign made but there may be some specific object (or idea) that catches interest this year.

New forms of higher education may sprout especially education that is not contained in the Saturnine structure. We may see more “schools without walls” as students seek more intense experience from education.

Eat, drink and be merry

Eat, drink and be merry this holiday season and for the entire year following as Jupiter allows the holiday cheer to expand into the winter, spring and summer.

Keep in mind, however, that Jupiter expansion can also relate to the body. Body expansion can be weight gain or organ inflammation. Too much merry can make the liver and kidneys unhappy from excess.