Jupiter in Cancer: 'Luck' through Caring

6.26.13


Once a year, whether we're ready or not, Jupiter changes signs.

The annual Jupiter sign-shift occurred this past Tuesday (Jun 25), as the gas-giant of our solar system left the twin-territory of Gemini (where he's been since June of last year) and headed into Cancer, the watery realm of the sensitive crab.

Because Jupiter is astrology's greater benefic—which bestows upon him a noble reputation for bringing good luck wherever he goes—many planet-watchers eagerly anticipate his arrival in whatever zodiac zone is prominent in their natal-chart makeup. Of course, Jupiter is also a symbol of hype, exaggeration and bloated self-importance… so, in that sense, his much-hailed presence in any position can often lead to unrealistic (and, consequently, dashed) expectations, particularly if we're counting on him to drop our dream job, ideal mate and perfect home into our laps in one dramatic swoop. (As much more of a Saturnian type of guy myself, I figured we might as well start off with the reality-check, then go from there.)

That said, Jupiter does help ease our way, adding a boost of expansive momentum to whatever efforts we put forth under his tutelage. He broadens our perspective, removing the blinders from our view so we can see how much else is possible. Sometimes, in delivering his brand of cosmic 'luck', Jupiter first shows up as some sort of loss—the breakup of a limiting relationship, for instance, or the ejection from a job that wasn't quite right for us. These are the sort of losses which usually appear, in hindsight, to be one of the best things that ever happened to us… a turning-point that clears our field of mediocre circumstances, to make room for experiences that reveal new dimensions, so we may continue to grow (rather than stagnate in a familiar holding-pattern).

Above all else, Jupiter's basic archetypal principle is: More!

This particular sign-shift is especially noteworthy because Jupiter is departing a sign he isn't especially comfortable in, and arriving to one where he's considered at his most honorable. Jupiter is detriment in Gemini, his home for the past year, mainly because he exacerbates the conditions of variability and variation represented by the twin-sign. While Jupiter still does his job of opening our eyes to what else is out there when in Gemini, he often reveals to us a proliferation of possibilities—perhaps even too many, without an obvious rationale for choosing one over another. This quality of excess plays out more conspicuously when Jupiter's in Gemini… with the potential to paralyze us into inaction, as we engage in the fruitless mental game of comparing the pros and cons between this or that option, when one may be just as promising as the next.

In Cancer, however, Jupiter is exalted; he operates in a manner that maximizes his innate strengths. In order for us to forge into unfamiliar territory and, in the process, learn more about what excites us in life, we must be willing to nurture faithful belief that our bold risk-taking will pay off. Because we're trying something new, there's no way we could already possess the cold hard experiential data to indubitably support such belief. When Jupiter's effectively working with us, he serves as a benevolent protector-god: looking out for us when we faithfully explore new terrain, delivering serendipitous developments at the perfect moment, welcoming broad-minded teachers (people or situations) which open our eyes to fresh outlooks just when we most need to not get stuck. Through his exaltation in Cancer, Jupiter encourages us to follow our intuition—that non-rational, embodied way of emotional knowing—toward whatever feels like the right direction for fostering continued growth and enthusiastic engagement with the big wide world we're blessed enough to live in.

Jupiter's arrival in Cancer significantly ups the water quotient in the elemental balance of our current astrological climate… and it's already been pretty watery recently. Adding his exalted beneficence to the mix, Jupiter emphasizes the water-element message that's lately recurred in our collective consciousness: Our feelings carry our truth, even when we cannot articulate them in precise prosaic terms. The giddy flutterings, the eager chills, the overtaking warmth of contentment—these report directly, without interpretive filter, on what stirs our affections and interests. And sometimes we are overcome with rising sadness, ghostly reappearances of hurt, or seemingly uncontrollable anger—these emotions are beacons too, allowing release, pointing away from old achy life-stories, spurring us toward self-determined re-identifications. More than at any time in recent memory, thanks to Jupiter, we will be rewarded (likely with unanticipated affirmations of our intuition-driven choices) for properly valuing these water element's virtues.

As June moves into July, Jupiter in Cancer will veer into grand-water-trine position with Saturn in Scorpio and Neptune in Pisces… an even grander replay of the grand trines Saturn and Neptune earlier formed with Mercury and Venus (Jun 3-7), and then with the Sun (exact today, Jun 26), to peak on July 17. This configuration is apt to distinctly heighten our emotionality overall (perhaps even more so than it did during the earlier trines)—not necessarily a comfortable experience as it's going on, particularly for those who don't have the astrological solace of understanding what's happening. We can let it wash us clean… or we can drown in it if we don't also retain some stable footing, through awareness of the water's ever-changing ebbs and flows. Firm plans or longer-view practical intents may temporarily give way to a need for simply 'being in the moment'. Everything will ultimately work in our favor, though, if we're prioritizing purposeful compassion over all other priorities.

By August, after having completed its trines to Saturn and Neptune, Jupiter lands in a tenser T-square, in opposition to Pluto and squaring Uranus… a position he will return to twice more over the months ahead (in Jan-Feb 2014 and Apr 2014). Trust me, you will hear much more about this development. The ongoing generational brawl between Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn is a rough-and-tumble affair, pitting jarring impulses to fight for liberation (Uranus) against authoritarian calculations for consolidating power (Pluto), with neither side characterized by any regard for sensitive emotional concerns. Enter Jupiter, playing his exalted role in the sign of archetypal nurturance, and maybe we will see a third consideration become more central in this Uranus-Pluto brawl: that neither a fighting spirit nor a shrewd calculation can succeed in wholly overpowering a caring-and-connected attitude. Of course, despite his benefic reputation, Jupiter's ultimate purpose is just to make things bigger… which means it's just as likely that his hard-aspect intermingling with Uranus and Pluto will instead merely exaggerate the dynamics already in play. (We have some evidence of that from the eruption of a national political debate around security vs. private-liberties which came forth when Mercury and Venus were in the same T-square spot a couple weeks ago.) We will just have to see how this manifests.

As much as I resist labeling anything astrological as either 'good' or 'bad' (because all placements and aspects have their up- and down-sides), Jupiter spending the next twelve months in Cancer is a pretty damn good thing… as long as we can tolerate a bit extra moody-sensitivity at times when it may prove inconvenient. Obviously, this is excellent news for folks with significant planetary placements in any of the water signs. And it could pose the occasional challenge to those with strong cardinal signatures (i.e., planets in Aries, Libra, and/or Capricorn), who might find their ability to act, reason, and/or strategize is somewhat befuddled by emotional fluctuations or uncannily intuitive cautions/redirections. At the end of the day, Jupiter in Cancer tells us that our greatest luck and fortune will come from simply listening to our guts. Though this may be an eternally true practice for nurturing abundance, its real potency will prove itself more noticeably under this lovely exalted-Jupiter influence for the year ahead.

Jupiter remains in Cancer through July 16, 2014.

Further reading:
'Jupiter in Cancer' by Austin Coppock (austincoppock.com)