When Jupiter Hurts

In many ways, I consider myself a traditional astrologer. But that doesn’t mean that I will blindly adhere to ancient authority. Contrary to what the band Journey has told you, sometimes it’s important to stop believing and question what you read. One of the more problematic strictures in astrology involves the simplistic belief that the “benefic planets” – Venus and Jupiter – are indicators of beneficial outcomes. Now, to be fair to most traditional authors, they do advise examining the overall condition of planets in order to ascertain their ability to deliver their promised outcomes. But when you look at actual examples of -- let’s say aspects involving the benefics and the malefics – there is a definite slant toward interpreting the aspects involving the benefics as helpful or grantors of positive outcomes, while the aspects involving the malefics are automatically given unhelpful and negative interpretations, without ever considering any other factor in their overall condition. And after all, they are labeled "benefics", aren’t they? Perhaps these authors are as guilty of ‘cookbook’ interpretations as modern authors are. But the truth is that simplified delineations of symbols taken out of chart context, have created the impression that the benefics are rarely, if ever, extremely problematic. So we don’t usually examine them as a possible source for an unintegrated archetype.

Venus and Jupiter, just like the malefics, can not only become unhelpful planets in the chart, given certain conditions, but they can also become indicators of great suffering, and in some extreme cases, even death. There are two variables that can affect their condition negatively: corruption and sect. Today, I want to speak about the most important of these: sect. Sect is the study of Light in the chart. I’ve spoken about Light in the chart quite a bit on this site and on our Youtube channel. And I’m also not simply going to repeat the traditional view that Venus is more helpful at night, and Jupiter during the day. While this is the correct assignment of their sect preference (i.e., Venus preferring the nocturnal sect, and Jupiter preferring a diurnal one), it’s too simplistic and does not tell you WHY they have those preferences, or HOW they tend to express when they are not in their preferred light condition. Simply saying that they are not helpful and can’t produce their “beneficial outcomes” when contrary to sect explains very little. But for the sake of brevity, I’ll be focusing solely on the "greater benefic" today, because the problems he indicates can often become greater than Venus’. We’ll do Venus another time.

Why and How Jupiter Can Hurt

Firstly, Jupiter is a diurnal sect mate. That means that he prefers to be in a diurnal chart, on the Sun’s team, so to speak. Why? To answer this, we first have to understand the two approaches to Light. (I go into a longer explanation about this in my presentation on Light. I urge you to listen to it for a deeper understanding of Sect.) But basically, it comes largely down to whether the light dominating the chart is approached externally or internally. In a diurnal chart, the light that shines forces us into an external approach to life, either as a default birth tendency, or for the years in which our chart turns within the diurnal sect. In diurnal light, we look outward into manifested reality; we are more energized and active; we are more autonomous and self-oriented; more selective about our direction and path.

Jupiter is an extremely expansive planet. As ruler of Pisces, it’s the planet capable of expanding and transcending beyond any given limitations. This ability to expand is best suited to a Piscean situation of physical limitations, where Jupiter is needed. In daylight, that boundless expansion is narrowed and projected outward onto a path or direction (like the Sagittarian’s arrow glyph). It becomes selective (the solar principle) in its ability to forge a far-reaching outward path… kind of like the proverbial light at the end of a tunnel. That ability to have outward far-sightedness gives it confidence and conviction in its direction.

Now, there IS such a thing as a corrupted Jupiter in a diurnal chart. This is when Jupiter is in challenging aspects with certain planets. I don’t want to veer off-track, on the subject of corruption here. (It’s a topic we cover in our Syntax course, along with all of the other accidental variables.) But in a nutshell, when in-sect corruption happens, this is when that diurnal conviction of Jupiter becomes an annoyance from, or to, others. In such cases, one may encounter problems with family, or at work, or in relationships over issues of conviction, in the form of politics, religion, or simply the need for freedom and expansion to follow a path. Basically, the difference between corruption and sect, is that there is more choice involved with corruption than there is with sect. Corruption is the result of a narrative that we’ve adopted to deal with significant experiences in life. These narratives are learned and they can be unlearned. Sect is a change in an environmental condition that one must adapt to. We can’t really change it any more than we can change day to night. This is why a contrary-to-sect (CTS) condition tends to become more problematic and why a planet that is both corrupt and contrary-to-sect, can be the most difficult to integrate.

By contrast, in a nocturnal chart, the low, diffused lunar light that casts a soft glow over the earth demands a more intimate, internal approach to life. As has occurred for millennia, at night we turn inwards to our protective enclosures, where we process the day and our emotions; share our ideas and stories; examine ourselves through the eyes of others, which, paradoxically, makes us more socially aware of, inclusive, and sensitive to others. It’s a time of less energy, greater concern for rest and well-being; but can also be a time of increased anxiety, vigilance toward discomfort or danger.

In diffused light, the confirming (Robert Schmidt’s principle) nature of Jupiter is not appropriately directed or channeled, but rather, goes everywhere within. And since the Moon’s nature is to gather and provide inclusion, Jupiter may create instability, because too much of what is gathered by the Moon may be included and confirmed. This can express in many ways, depending upon where the Moon is located. One of the more problematic of these expressions (when a corruption is also present) is a predisposition toward addiction. The affirming nature of Jupiter creates a hijacking of the reward system and the belief that the benefits of the addictive behavior outweigh its negative consequences. In other words, a denial of the severity of the problem. This can occur also with over-consumption or an inability to control finances or live within a budget. And it’s not because Saturn is also contrary to sect in a night chart that the ability to impose restrictions is deficient. It isn’t. A nocturnal chart doesn’t “weaken” Saturn, while also enhancing Jupiter! They are both diurnal sect mates. What happens is that the exclusionary, confining nature of Saturn itself becomes enclosed in lunar light, creating a sense of enveloping restrictions, which are often present precisely because of the unfocused energy of Jupiter. In other words, both Saturn and Jupiter work more appropriately when “the light” allows them to be more targeted and selective.

Jupiter can also hurt by enabling an excessively believing and trusting predisposition that can easily lead natives into becoming naïve victims of deception or malicious intent. As an example, problems derived from nocturnal Jupiter are extremely common in the self-help and spiritual communities, where faith in Self is lacking, and false prophets and gurus abound to fill that void. It’s common for nocturnal Jupiter to outsource to others our faith in our own ability to chart a course in life. For some in this community, “Spirit” has become the diffused external father figure (not unlike the Judeo-Christian God, but with different vocabulary), who is essentially a projection of the same outsourced faith. Instead of signs from priests, we wait for “signs from the Universe” that will put us on the correct path and absolve us of our own poor, past choices. If we allow it, fear of life during the nocturnal can rob of us of our own inner responsibility (Saturn), compass (Jupiter), and agency (Sun) in the matter of navigating our lives.

But isn’t astrology itself a communication from the universe about the “correct path” we should take in life? No. Astrology is a map of the natural laws of change, communicated in a language that our ancestors designed. This map can be extremely useful to us in understanding and navigating the dynamics of change. But if we, for example, read it solely as a personal communication from the heavens about how we can avoid doing the hard work of navigating our journey, then we’re missing the point of having the map.

Let’s now look at an example of how Jupiter can hurt, in a celebrity chart.

Elvis Presley

This chart is a great example of both the great things and the not-so-great things that can be indicated by Jupiter. It happens to be a significant planet in Elvis’ chart because it’s the domicile lord of the rising sign and of the Moon, which is his dominant luminary, given that he was born at night (i.e. the Sun is below the horizon). Jupiter is also a ‘spear bearer’, that is, it’s the first planet to rise before sunrise. In antiquity, when Jupiter was a ‘spear bearer’, it was often an indication of royalty. Certainly, it’s not a coincidence that if you google “the King of Rock and Roll” today, biographies of Elvis Presley will appear. So, because of Jupiter’s highlighted role, the expressions of its nocturnal significations will be easy to spot in his life.

Since Elvis has Sagittarius rising at 12 degrees, nocturnal Jupiter will rule over the first four years of his life. Its early activation and placement in the 12^th house in Scorpio indicates the circumstances around which a narrative will develop to shape his path in life. Given what I’ve said about nocturnal Light, we know that young Elvis will be especially sensitive and attuned to external threats, as well as to his own emotions and that of others. At such a young age, the mother, or primary caregiver, is usually the one we are most attuned to in these early attachment years. And Jupiter is disposed to the Moon, which is at the lowest point in the chart. So the uplifting and confirming nature of Jupiter will be oriented toward the mother. The IC is a place of darkness and therefore perceived dangers.

When we find a planet in the house of imprisonment in Scorpio – unless it’s Saturn, who rejoices there – we should automatically assume that it doesn’t want to be there. By our grammatical subject rule (ruler of the 1^st and 4^th), Jupiter represents the father. When I first looked at this chart many years ago, I had no idea that Elvis’ father, Vernon, had been in jail when he was young. But Jupiter’s placement led me to look up this hypothesis in his bio. Indeed, his father was imprisoned in 1938 for 8 months, for forging a check (note the corruption of Jupiter via the South Node in the 8^th, of debts) when Elvis was three years old. At that time, the family lived in poverty and Vernon’s absence marked a period of significant hardship for Elvis and his mother, Gladys, who had to rely on relatives, handouts, and their local church for subsistence. Gladys became a sickly, anxiety-prone woman inclined to drinking and to fears of losing Elvis. (Elvis was her only son, after having lost his twin brother, Aaron, during their birth). From the Pierce biography, the co-dependent relationship between Elvis and his mother begins to develop during the period of Vernon’s incarceration: 

“Elvis and Gladys slept together in the same bed until Elvis was a teenager. During the thirties and forties, especially in impoverished families where one or no beds were in homes, incest was common. With her husband in prison, the only person Gladys showed any affection to was her son, Elvis. Whether or not they had an incestuous relationship is speculative, but Elvis’ undying devotion to his mother and his psychological behavior point in that direction.

From the outside, Elvis appeared moody and restrained. He did not mingle with outsiders because he was ashamed of his father’s incarceration. He also worried that someone might discover that his mother, father, and grandfather had drinking problems. Fits of rage for no noticeable reason showed Elvis was insecure and angry, although he often pretended to be polite, well-adjusted and confident. He was totally dependent upon Glady’s affection, and his only fulfillment came through pleasing her. He did anything and everything she asked of him.” (The Ultimate Elvis. p.40)

The nocturnal Jupiter does not point to the circumstantial hardships that develop because of Vernon’s imprisonment. Rather, it signals the uplifting prime directive that Elvis internalizes in order to help his mother cope with her anxieties and hardships. Let us not forget that the Moon rejoices in the 3^rd house and rules the 8^th of anxieties and debt. The 3^rd is a house of what is familiar to us, particularly through our communications and those things we tell each other. But Elvis was THREE! No child should have to carry the burden of providing joy to a depressed mother on such young shoulders. Furthermore, the Moon is corrupted by an angular Neptune, an indicator of escapism and denial, often linked to drinking and drugs. It’s quite common to find it angular and corrupting of, at least one of the luminaries, in the charts of addicted musicians. Perceiving that his mother loved singing, dancing and music, Elvis quickly learned that music (not to mention escapist substances) was the way to escape hardship and cheer her up. See what’s happening? The chart did not create these events. The chart is a map of logos (meaning). The events happen and we assign meaning to them. This meaning then shapes our life going forward.

During his youth, Elvis’ was naïve and sheltered, clinging to his dreams of being the super-hero Captain Marvel Jr., and encouraged by his mother to believe that “God would make certain that his path would be on the upswing one day,” (p.46) and he’d be famous. But a direction didn’t begin to take shape until the chart turned and the Sun climbed over the horizon between 1942-49 (ages 7-14). It’s during this period, at the age of 10, that Elvis gets his first guitar and wins second place by singing “Old Shep” at a state fair. As the Sun rose, Jupiter had entered its preferred diurnal sect and begun to selectively target a path. It’s the Mars square to the Sun, now located in the Turned 10^th, that helped Elvis to stand out as unique and innovative. But here too, it’s Gladys' constant encouragement of her son’s special destiny that provides him with the belief that insulates him against any ostracizing feelings (solar corruption from Mars) of not being liked or fitting in: Elvis is different because he’s meant for greater things.

Jupiter obviously delivered on its external beneficial promises and dreams during the diurnal phase. But it may have also killed him. Elvis never integrated or fully understood the original nocturnal Jupiter imprint and what it was about. This manifested later in his inability to trust anyone, including himself, or in his incapacity to forge his own path. Despite being frustrated and cheated by him later in life, Elvis deferred innumerable executive decisions – whether personal or career-related – to his controversial manager, Colonel Parker. It was Colonel Parker who decided when and how he should marry Priscilla. Because of his own inability to steer his external life, Elvis succumbed to depression and to the same addictive tendencies that plagued his family, ultimately dying of an overdose to prescription drugs at the age of 42. The Turned Sun and Mercury (the Turned Gemini Ascendant’s ruler) were in the 8^th place of anxieties and obsessions, and Jupiter was in the 6^th, of illness. Upon his death, Elvis was found in a bathroom at Graceland with a copy of The Search for the Face of Jesus clutched in his hand. He was still searching for faith in something greater outside of himself.