An in depth look at Jupiter … or Jupiter in Virgo … And Jupiter conjunct the Ascendant

I have been thinking a lot about Jupiter over the six months or so. Jupiter entered Virgo in August 2015 but has been dancing over my Virgo Ascendant since around November of 2015. Lucky me, right? Jupiter is known as the bringer of luck but he is considered in detriment in the sign of Virgo. Virgo is all about the details while Jupiter is all about the big picture, so the energy of the planet Jupiter compared to the energy of the sign Virgo is quite different, so much so it is like Jupiter is wandering in a foreign land here he does not speak the language.


Let me begin by saying that my view of Jupiter is highly tinged by Saturn. My natal Jupiter is in the sign of Capricorn (Saturn is the ruler of Capricorn) and is in tight aspect to my natal Saturn (a sesquiquadrate with a tight 13 minute orb). My Ascendant is square my Midheaven-Saturn conjunction. So any experience I have with Jupiter, especially Jupiter transiting my Ascendant, is highly associated with a Saturn experience. But even so I think my personal experience is relevant since Saturn can function as a filter to help show what is at the heart of the matter.


What I have learned the most about Jupiter crossing my Ascendant is that it is asking me to focus on what is truly important. The Ascendant is how you approach life and Jupiter expands your approach, right? But Jupiter in Virgo, however, makes you look at all the little detail, it takes the microscope to everything … or should we call it a macroscope? And the truth is that you cannot do everything. You do need to narrow your focus in order to make your life more efficient. And what does Virgo desire more than efficiency? That is perhaps a rhetorical question, but to be honest I do think the efficiency is Virgo's ultimate goal.


If you try to do everything (Jupiter) you cannot really do anything. That is the first lesson of Jupiter in Virgo. So if you look at where this falls in your chart you can apply it. For example if Jupiter in Virgo is transiting your 5th house I would think a part of the lesson is that you cannot date everyone if you want to find the one. You may have a gaggle of suitors showing up at your doorstep but to get the the next level of the relationship you will need to stop and focus, set your priorities, before you can develop a true romance. Or, as another example, what if Jupiter in Virgo is transiting your 6th house? You attention may be drawn to a myriad of causes you would like to help but any cause is best served by you focusing on one thing instead of trying to spread yourself so thin that you cannot truly be of service to anyone? The causes will not benefit and your own health will suffer if you try to address every need that you see come up. Prioritize and focus on what step you can take to really, truly, make an impact.


People may ask me if I have had the “typical” Jupiter experiences of being lucky or getting to travel during this transit over my Ascendant. I usually don't come into a sum of money unexpectedly but the truth is that so far during this transit that has in fact happened, twice! The first time it was a significant amount that completely surprised me by coming in the mail out of the blue. The second time it was what I would call a large windfall, again arriving in the mail completely unexpectedly. It was more that 10 times the amount of the first and the first was enough to make me jump for joy. So yes, I have come into some money unexpectedly, you could say I got lucky, but I will say that both of these sums of money came as a result of hard, difficult situations I had gone through in the past (Saturn). So in some ways I felt like I was being rewarded for having made those hard decisions and faced those difficult circumstances with poise and grace. I did mention that these sums of money came in the mail on purpose, too, as I felt like it was a very humble way to receive money by surprise. I know that mail is usually associated with Gemini but the humility of receiving money this way seemed very much like Virgo energy to me.


As far as travel goes, I have been equally blessed to have taken two trips by plane over the past six months and another two by car. I also plan to take another road trip around the time that Jupiter makes it's third pass over my Ascendant, and am considering the possibility of foreign travel during that trip but if I go that route I have some preparation to do (I think my passport may be expired … details details). I am fortunate that I do get to travel often, I married a man with a sun-Jupiter conjunction, so he also loves to travel, so this amount of travel is not unusual for me, but it does match the planetary energy of Jupiter transiting my Ascendant.


And finally, has Jupiter over my Ascendant gotten me more attention? Some say this transit is like a spotlight and I would agree. In terms of my work as an astrologer, tarot card reader and Reiki master I will say that almost to the day that Jupiter left my 12th house and entered my 1st house I became busier and busier. And even after Jupiter went retrograde back into my 12th house it is like the curtain had been pulled back and I remained as busy in my work so I do believe that Jupiter draws positive attention … when you are doing the hard work to cultivate that sort of positive attention. Virgo wants you to work for it, take care of the details, do a good job, and you will be rewarded when Jupiter comes around.


The dark side of Jupiter: drawing attention to the negatives. Jupiter has a reputation for blowing up the things that are wrong in your life when he comes around by transit. So if things are not working, if there is some sort of problem, Jupiter magnifies that problem until you are forced to deal with it. This is the reason that Jupiter transits somehow seem less glamorous than their reputation for beneficence. But what could be a better blessing that freeing you from some ongoing and heretofore ignored problem? Maybe you don't see it that way but me, with my strong Saturn-Jupiter associations, see it quite clearly. Have I had this happen, too? Yes. Have I addressed the problems? Yes, I think so. A part of the solution, again, is found in deciding what your priorities truly are and then letting the rest go. If my priorities are my family, my home, my inner peace of mind, then I cannot stress out over having worked 6 hours in a day instead of 8. Believe me, if I let myself I can stress out about it a lot! But this transit has taught me that I do need to focus and I will only make myself unhappy if I give too much weight to those things in my life that I have given lesser priority. So is work important? Yes, of course! But is it more important than my peace of mind or my family? No way. Do what you can and leave the rest.


I would love to hear your experience of Jupiter in Virgo. We have until September 11, 2016 to continue our Jupiter in Virgo experience and then it will be another 12 years before the cycle once again repeats.  Namaste!