This is the year in which I am experiencing my 6th Jupiter
Return. I'm really getting a handle on experience. My window
on the past is getting bigger and bigger, my brain is still
working, my eyesight and hearing are just fine, and I can
report factually on what it is like to experience six
Jupiter returns. After all, I have studied metaphysics for
40 years and astrology 36 for years, so I just might have
some unusual or not easily accessed information that could
give astrologers and students an insider's view; nothing
teaches better than a live example.
What is a Jupiter return? Each planet has an individual
cycle governed by the length of its orbit. Mars has a 2-year
orbit, Jupiter has a 12-year orbit, and Pluto has a 248-year
orbit, etc. In their natural cycles Mars can return to its
natal position in anyone's chart every two years. Saturn
returns every 29 years, and Jupiter with a 12-year orbit is
our subject return. At the time a transiting planet return
to its natal position, the person represented by that chart
experiences a sort of a cosmic rebirth as new energy is
introduced into the equation that is that human being. The
sign and degree of the natal position remains the same, but
there is an infusion of new energy with an implied new
beginning or seeding similar to the concept of a New Moon.
For this New Moon analogy the natal position takes the place
of the Sun and the transit takes the place of the much
speedier Moon in the New Moon configuration.
The New Moon is the beginning of the phase wheel, the
seeding principle for the whole cycle, from the transiting
New Moon around to the next New Moon. What begins at the New
Moon goes through eight major phases: Crescent, First
Quarter, Gibbous, Full, Disseminating, Last Quarter,
Balsamic. In English, please. The New Moon represents the
conjoining of the two lights, Sun and Moon, thought to be
the Divine Marriage between Father and Mother in which the
Divine Seed is planted. The period of the New Moon is dark
because the Sun and Moon are together in the sky and the
Moon is just not visible. Farmers poke a hole in the soil
and bury the seed to allow it to break through into growth.
This is the dark of the planting cycle, deep in the ground
reflected by the lack of visibility when the light of the
Sun darkens the Moon (the womb of life). In a few days, the
seed has broken through its shell and sends a tendril of
growth upward until it breaks the soil and becomes visible.
For the Moon cycle, that is about 3.5 days and the Crescent
Moon emerges in the lunar cycle. What was planted in the
dark can now be seen. This is the first moment of crisis for
the growing plant, 45 into the whole cycle, semi-square,
agitation. The demand on the young plant is extreme and
these first few days are an unknown requiring the "faith of
the farmer."
The cycle which began at the New Moon continues to unfold
with the First Quarter at about 7 days from the New Moon, 90
of the full circle, a square astrologically, make or break,
grow or die back. The phase continues with the Gibbous
phase, the Moon looks like a pregnant woman's belly as it
cycles to the 135 position on the wheel of life,
sesqui-quadrate or -square, literally a square and a half
(90 + 45), the emotional agitation phase about 10 to 11 days
into the cycle. Have you ever been around a pregnant woman
as she approaches the finish line. Weepy, agitated, picky
(been there, done that), anticipation very high, hormones
raging? That's the Gibbous Phase. And now we have come to
full term. All that can be seen is completely visible
because the Moon is glorious in its Full Moon shape. We've
come to fruition, whatever was seeded has come to light.
This is the birth of the baby phase. Amazing that it occurs
at opposition, about 14.5 days after the seeding at the New
Moon, the axis itself is complete. What was planted has now
been born. That moment of birth represents the culmination
of the original cycle. What was born at that moment has
started its own new and separate cycle. This is only half a
cycle.
I've just described the waxing half of the phase wheel,
where something is planted, grows, and matures. Now I will
describe the waning half of the phase wheel, similar aspects
but in reverse order, moving from fruition to a new
beginning which will take place at the next New Moon. In the
sky the period past the Full Moon shows again the seeming
belly of a pregnant woman, but the baby has been born and
started on it's own new cycle; what exists here is aftermath
of the big event. The big event has to be disseminated,
distributed, spread around. It takes time to lose that
"belly" but the building up of the waxing cycle must give
way to the letting go of the waning cycle. The first crisis
occurs at the 135 waning point of the circle (45 from the
Full Moon) about 3.5 days later. Again, emotional agitation,
but the reasoning is different. Ever heard of post-partum
depression. If you plant a seed, give birth to the result of
that seeding, and now you must let it all go, there's
nothing easy about and it can be very emotionally agitating.
Give it a few more days and at the 90 square point called
the Last Quarter, we can actually have a crisis. It is time
to let go, really let go, because whatever the seeding cycle
was about has pretty much fulfilled its purpose and there is
no point to hanging on to it... or at least that is the
idea. Another 3.5 days and the Balsamic (not the vinegar,
although that's not a bad metaphore) Phase takes place at
the waning semi-square (45). This seeding process has been
just beaten to death, it's over, let go, we can clear the
decks because the new seeding is only about 3.5 days away.
Plow under the old, let whatever it was be done, the new
cycle is about to begin. This is the death phase of the
cycle, think letting go of whatever can hold you back from
the new cycle and the progress implied.
What I have just described is the New Moon Phase Wheel,
which is the structure and pattern of all aspects. Based on
a cycle of eight primary phases, the sextiles, trines and
all other aspects fall naturally into the living cycle, both
on the waxing and the waning phase. But this article is not
supposed to be about the Phase Wheel, it is about planetary
returns, particularly the Jupiter return. This New Moon
concept and its phase cycle can be applied to any planetary
return and each return will affect the full phase cycle
until the next return. Think... a new beginning moment of a
familiar energy, in this instance, Jupiter. Jupiter is a
cultural planet that rules expansion, enlargement,
philosophy, religion, higher education, teaching, foreign
cultures, promotion and publicity and more. It deserves an
article or a book of its own, not possible in this getting
bigger every moment article.
Every planetary return (transiting planet to it's natal
position) begins a cycle related to that planet's energy
and its place in the life of the owner of the chart. It is
the equivalent of a new seeding for that planet's
expression. What would make a good example? I live in
Florida and we have citrus trees galore. If you grow a tree
from a seed, you get a wild citrus plant and the fruit will
not be edible. Instead Florida's fearless farmers must
graft a domesticated plant onto the base of the wild plant
in order for the fruit to be edible. The wild thorns must be
continually removed or the plant will return to the wild
nature of the section with the roots. Think of a natal
position of a planet as the core or root which will develop
naturally. Think of the return as the new grafting which
adds new qualities to an existing plant. That energy must be
tended and the wild thorns must be dealt with continually
through the life (more returns). What emerges is altered,
changed, and hopefully bettered. Each return will forever
change the nature of the original energy, hopefully for the
good of the owner of the chart.
To understand a return, you must start with the natal planet
and what it meant in the birth chart. I was born in 1938
with Jup 22 Aqu 38 in my 9th house. Jupiter rules my 7th
(Sag) and co-rules my midheaven (Pis). This simple
definition directs your attention to what my natal Jupiter
energy was and influenced. It also indicates where and what
to watch as each Jupiter return and activation occurs.
Jupiter returns occur naturally about every 12 years.
Jupiter's orbit is 11.88 years in length from point A
returning to point A. That oddity doesn't mean much for the
first four returns but can add up and change the year of the
return over a longer period of time such as this year for
me. For example, this year I am experiencing my 6th Jupiter
return and I was 71 on Halloween.
An article on Jupiter and its effects by Tampa astrologer
Hiroki Niizato on the Holistic Astrology Blogspot stimulated
my mental juices and I wondered what each return had meant
for me over the 71 years of my life, sort of a personal
journey of Jupiter returns. I sketched out the year of each
Jupiter return and then jogged my memory for the events or
happenings of those points in time. After I had done all
that out of personal curiosity, I then thought it could be
an example or useful for other astrologers, particularly
students, to have an accurate, specific history of anyone. I
did post my rough findings as a comment to Hiroki's article.
I've learned more since that posting. For what its worth to
you in terms of astrological education, this is my accurate
Jupiter return history. Start with the natal information to
establish a basis for the six activations. Again, I was born
in 1938 with Jup 22 Aqu 38 in my 9th house. Jupiter rules my
7th (Sag) and co-rules my midheaven (Pis).
Age 12 1950: I was on stage, singing and dancing as a 40s to
50s Hollywood child star hopeful. I was reasonably good and
won a lot of contests during this transit (10th avocation).
My mother (10th house parent) was a typical 40s stage
mother. She designed, choreographed, made costumes, arranged
training and competition, she was my boss as well as my
parent. My little sister and I sang and danced in tandem
(7th of partners). To a small town country girl this was
pretty heady stuff. I received recognition in the local
newspapers (9th), small prizes, and competed for Ted Mack
Amateur Hour (ancient predecessor to American Idol).
Age 24 1962: Wife, mother of three, major move of household.
I was very much into my 7th house at this point in my life
as all young wives were (and still are), I was too involved
with my family to get caught up in the flower power of the
60s. My third (9th house child) was born. Marital trauma
drama (7th) culminated in a major move across state lines
(9th).
Age 36 1974: Remember the marital trauma drama? Skip 12
years forward and I was a single mother of four, working a
full time job, going to trade school (9th) to better our
circumstance and our future. This was a very social period,
single in the 70s, lots of disco dancing, no tattoos. (I
just saw an email of an aging but once gorgeous hippy lady
covered in tattoos. Thank God I didn't do that.)
Age 48 1986: Head of metaphysical/astrological school,
church, teacher, national speaker, writer, professional
astrologer and reader. I don't think you get more 9th,
Aquarian, Sagittarian, Piscean, 10th than that! And as if
that was not a good enough illustration, my midheaven (10th)
co-ruler, Neptune is in my 4th and for a time I even lived
in my spiritual center (or perhaps my career lived in my
home.)
Age 60 1997-8: I was retired from the
metaphysical/astrological world but maintained private
clients, adopted my students as spiritual children, lots of
mentoring, and started assembling all that teaching material
and experience into potential books (9th). I was also the
business manager (10th) for my daughter's international
sports magazine (9th), associate editor, columnist, worked
with writers, photographers, coaches, and athletes world
wide plus international competition venues (9th). During
some of that time I also worked (10th) with and for a friend
who happened to be an international publisher (9th) of
business books and business management (10th). That's 9th,
10th, Sagittarius, Pisces, and Aquarius all mixed together.
I have now arrived at this year's Jupiter return (6th) that
began in mid-April, have just experienced the Jupiter direct
on October 13th, which will culminate on December 12, 2009.
This time Jupiter is not alone, it has company. Jupiter is
conjunct Neptune and they are performing a great cosmic
dance in the sky directly on my natal Jupiter. This year has
been a merry ride and I am really hoping for a great
conclusion and application in my life, but so far it has
been mostly confusing. You don't suppose that Neptune could
confuse anything do you?
Age 71 2009: I have just published my book as this
Jupiter/Neptune conjunction transits natal Jupiter in the
9th house. I think it is entirely appropriate that my natal
Jupiter is conjunct the USA Moon within 2 minutes (Virgo
rising chart) since my book is about the USA and its
presidents. At the moment I have four other books in some
stage of production, a second book on the presidents, a
serial killer research study, an astrological teaching
technique, and a soup cookbook (I make great soup!) I have
Gemini rising, so I never do one thing at a time.
As I finished this last section, a stray thought hit me. If
Neptune is influencing this particular return, what about
the other five returns? Time to look at my ephemeris.
1950: Jupiter made a single pass, unlike the current triple
conjunction which stretches the time of its effect. Venus
was close but not conjunct.
1962: Another single pass, with Mercury and Mars close but
not conjunct.
1974: Another single pass, transiting Uranus was trine,
could explain my disco-dancing more.
1986: Another single pass, transiting Uranus was sextile,
lots of astrology and New Age.
1998: Almost a triple pass, but not quite, single pass only,
Mars close by and conjunct; it was an active and dynamic
period of time, the height of the sports magazine
involvement mentioned previously.
2009: Triple pass...my time has come...I'm a writing
juggernaut at the moment. I'm doing the effort shown by this
Jupiter return but will it mean anything? We have to ask
Neptune and he's being coy in the way only Neptune can be,
not revealing a single thing!
My 7th Jupiter return will be in 2021. Will I care? Do I
care now? It looks like it will occur near my birthday, so I
will have a Jupiter return close to my Solar return. Oh joy!
Anyone care to speculate? Be kind, 84 is quite old!
Marilyn Muir, author of "Presidents of Hope and Change:
Bringing Hope to our Future by Reaching into our
Astrological Past." Jefferson, Lincoln, Kennedy, Obama...
The Lineage of Hope. Based on ground-breaking research by
noted astrologer Marilyn Muir, this book describes the
remarkable similarities of these four presidents in their
Aquarian connections to the USA and their commonalities of
character and motivation.
The author takes the reader on a fascinating journey through
the stars as she details the strengths and weakness in
President Obama's own sky map (astrological chart);
describing how and where it aligns to not only the birth
chart of the USA but also his connections to the specific
chart of his own inauguration. Is he the right man for the
job? Read the first 36 pages (PDF) including the charts of
all four Presidents - you'll get hooked!
http://www.presidentsofhopeandchange.com
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