Jupiter, luck and do we make our own luck?

Let me introduce you to my friend Jupiter.

When you hear astrologers talk about the planets it sounds like madness “Mars, Venus conjunction… etc. etc…”, so a thorough understanding of what each planetary energy represents will take away some of the confusion and stop it sounding so mad.

Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system, expansive, dense, and has a magnetic field 14 times stronger than that of the earth.  It takes Jupiter 12 years to complete a full orbit of the earth.  The Romans named the planet after Jupiter the God of the sky, the word JOVIAL comes from the astrological association with the energy of Jupiter.  We have Thursday (Giovedi, Jeudi; Italian and French respectively) the day that is associated and ruled by Jupiter.  Jupiter is associated with buoyancy, positivity and expansion.

So what’s all this about luck? 

Jupiter has a positive and optimistic energy… let me give you an image of how Jupiter would behave if he were a person...

Jupiter is a large, loud, laughing man (or woman!) at party.  He is optimistic and confident, generous and interested.  The Jupiter person isn’t usually there to show off, they are there to have fun, learn and meet people from all over the world.  Jupiter rules Sagittarius and Pisces so we are not talking about a Leo who just wants to be heard and is generous so that people will KNOW that his is the greatest.  We are talking about someone who wants to learn, share, bring people together and enjoy, for the sake of learning and exploring.

This is great but this person lacks self-control too, the Jupiter person is prone to excess and could easily become carried away with themselves and drink and eat far too much.  They will also SAY too much, offending some quieter souls.  The Jupiter person can be greedy, pompous and arrogant, so sure of themselves and their experience that they don’t need to know more.

However, a well-functioning Jupiter is simply optimistic, generous and a philosopher.  Our Jupiter placement shows where we are lucky and wise.  We all have a Jupiter and so identifying it's placement can help us understand our natural ability for generosity, insight and… where we are lucky.

What is interesting is that wherever you see Jupiter is where you will see luck BECAUSE this is where you are most natural, open and generous and THEREFORE you attract good fortune.

Going back to our man Jupiter, he’s at the party buying the drinks and introducing people to each other.  Therefore, people come back to him with their friends and bring him a slice of cake that has just been cut.  A certain amount of fortune and luck will be gleaned at the point where we are most generous. 

We all have Jupiter in our charts and patterns repeat throughout the reading and that’s something that needs lots of pictures and more understanding for me to explain.  However, JUPITER was in the sky where you were born and where he resides (the sign and house) is where you will be the most optimistic and generous and therefore LUCKY.

I find this interesting because there are lots of debates about making your own luck.  Does luck arrive or do we make our own luck? 

Opportunities arise based on where you are in the world.  Our charts show potential, they don’t show our destiny.  They show what we might be interested in and the people we like, they show our reactions to our environment… it doesn’t predict a lightening bolt wiping us out.

There is a hierarchy (the planets further out rule those closer to the sun) and the chart of the country can overrule our personal chart. That’s a story for another day, however something that I like to mention.  Astrology will sometimes reveal illness and can indicate an absent parent or close friends and siblings that have a hard time, however, it isn’t explicit and it most certainly is not deterministic. It INDICATES.

I will talk about my chart to explain what I mean about interpretation.  I have Jupiter in the 8th house in Capricorn.  I can talk about Jupiter in isolation to get those themes across but I have to say that my Jupiter is harmoniously connected both to my sun and mars so there are other influences.  However...

JUPITER = LUCK, FORTUNE, ABUNDANCE, NATURAL TALENT, EXCESS, FREEDOM

CAPRICORN = STRUCTURE, HARD WORK, THE ESTABLISHMENT, CRITICISM, DISCIPLINE, ACCOMPLISHMENT

8TH HOUSE = (scorpio type stuff) DEATH, TRANSFORMATION, TAXES, PSYCHOLOGY, THE OCCULT, OWNERSHIP

• Success (Jupiter) at working for an  business /organisation (Capricorn) in insurance (8th house)

• A natural talent but excessive (Jupiter) interest in astrology (8th house) and the way it is structured (Capricorn

• A natural interest and ability (Jupiter) in studying (work = Capricorn) the body (8th house is detail and death)

And so... this is JUPITER, our natural talents, dispositions, where we are ABLE to be most generous and thus, where we are LUCKY.

I wrote this a few weeks ago and have been waiting for a THURSDAY to release it.  As a Sagittarius GAL born on a Thursday I like to feel that Jupiter is my pal.  However, I've grown lots of admiration for Saturn too and will be writing about the OTHER SIDE OF SATURN very soon.

This weekend retrograde Venus will meet Jupiter in Leo... expect a beautiful storm!  BUT watch out for the TEMPTATIONS of alluring Venus.  Not all pleasure is to be pursued endlessly.  WE ARE NOT TO BE HEDONISTS, BUT LIVE THE LIFE OF EUDAIMONIA!

See my instagram @frankinsenseandmirth for more on Aristotle's understanding of happiness. Hedonimsm VS Eudaimonia.

Don't give in to EXCESS, stay BUOYANT and be happy :)

LOVE FRANK XX