I have been re-jigging the site around a bit today. So, if you look at the menu bar you will see that I now have a tab for Jupiter Transits & Saturn Transits. This is to keep all the posts I have been doing on these subjects in one spot. The Jupiter transit series has been popular, so it made sense to have the links easily accessible.

Saturn is a little lean still (rather appropriate for him), but I will add to it gradually.

Since December I have been posting (irregularly) a series of Jupiter Transit articles. Now that I am done, here are all the links to the series in one place:

Dare to Dream- Jupiter Transits

Is Bigger Better? Jupiter & 1^st House Transits

This is What I Want What I Really Really Want- Jupiter & 2^nd House Transits

Speechless? – Jupiter & 3^rd House Transits

Door handles & Homes Sweet Home- Jupiter & 4^th House Transits

Love etc- Jupiter & 5^th House Transits

In Sickness & in Health- Jupiter & 6^th House Transits

For Better & For Worse- Jupiter & 7^th House Transits

For Richer or For Poorer- Jupiter & 8^th House Transits

Flying High- Jupiter & 9^th House Transits

Jupiter & 10^th House Transits- no catchy title, what was I thinking?

Hey Now- This is What Dreams Are Made of- Jupiter & 11^th House Transits

Watch Me Come Undone- Jupiter & 12^th House Transits

As a reminder, while Jupiter is in Pisces:

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Pisces- this will be in your 1^st house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Aries- this will be in your 12^th house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Taurus- this will be in your 11^th house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Gemini- this will be in your 10^th house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Cancer- this will be in your 9^th house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Leo- this will be in your 8^th house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Virgo- this will be in your 7^th house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Libra- this will be in your 6^th house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Scorpio- this will be in your 5^th house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Sagittarius- this will be in your 4^th house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Capricorn- this will be in your 3^rd house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Aquarius- this will be in your 2^nd house

While Jupiter is in Aries:

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Aries- this will be in your 1^st house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Taurus- this will be in your 12^th house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Gemini- this will be in your 11^th house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Cancer- this will be in your 10^th house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Leo- this will be in your 9^th house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Virgo- this will be in your 8^th house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Libra- this will be in your 7^th house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Scorpio- this will be in your 6^th house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Sagittarius- this will be in your 5^th house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Capricorn- this will be in your 4^th house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Aquarius- this will be in your 3^rd house

If your Sun or Ascendant is in Pisces- this will be in your 2^nd house

 And Finally

As with all transits, check out where your natal Jupiter is and what houses he rules.

If the transit is happening in your 1^st house, look also to the 7^th, 10^th & 4^th for impacts

If the transit is happening in your 2^nd house, look also to the 8^th, 11^th & 5^th for impacts

If the transit is happening in your 3^rd house, look also to the 9^th, 12^th & 6^th for impacts

If the transit is happening in your 4^th house, look also to the 10^th, 1^st & 7^th for impacts

If the transit is happening in your 5^th house, look also to the 11^th, 2^nd & 8^th for impacts

If the transit is happening in your 6^th house, look also to the 12^th, 3^rd & 9^th for impacts

If the transit is happening in your 7^th house, look also to the 1^st, 4^th & 10^th for impacts

If the transit is happening in your 8^th house, look also to the 2^nd, 5^th & 11^th for impacts

If the transit is happening in your 9^th house, look also to the 3^rd, 6^th & 12^th for impacts

If the transit is happening in your 10^th house, look also to the 4^th, 7^th & 1^st for impacts

If the transit is happening in your 11^th house, look also to the 5^th, 8^th & 2^nd for impacts

If the transit is happening in your 12^th house, look also to the 6^th, 9^th & 3rd for impacts

my little piece of deck- ignore the unpainted toenails!

As regular readers know, I spent much of the last couple of weeks with my hubby and resident five foot nothing in the middle of the ocean on a hulking big piece of metal with over 2500 people that I didn’t know surrounded by miles and miles of a seemingly empty ocean.

Although looking forward to it, I had been deeply suspicious of the whole cruising idea. Sure I knew it would be a floating resort with a great kids club, but I’m not actually a deeply social person and there are (a lot of times) where I just want everyone to get the hell out of my head. There, I’ve said it. Crowds freak me out and tend to make me a tad claustrophobic. I avoid big concerts of bands I really want to see because of this (don’t remind me that Bon Jovi is out here this December). As much as I love love love the water and Sydney Harbour, I didn’t even enjoy those Xmas parties on Harbour Cruises that we used to have back in the days when companies had Xmas parties, simply because if the party is a dud there is no way off.

Despite the crowds on the ship I managed to spend much of the sea days alone. Endless hours were spent on a quiet part of deck- watching the sea, reading books, making pretty pictures out of cloud shapes, imagining what lay under that expanse of blue. At those moments, with the wind blowing all the fug out of my brain, it felt as though I was completely free and unrestrained- surprisingly so. At those moments, despite my initial misgivings, I was in my 12^th house- the place we escape to.

Aside from being where we escape to and where we hide, the 12^th house is also where we recuperate, where we keep the things hidden that we don’t want anyone else to know about. It is also where we come undone. This is the place we find (and hide) our addictions, our secrets, our fears, our secret enemies. It is the place of our self undoing.

And aren’t they all pretty much the same? Much of the time our secret enemies are our addictions- addictions that may have begun life as a vehicle for escape. This can be anything from booze to drugs, to food to a fully fledged illicit affair. All of these help us to come undone.

When Jupiter transits this part of your chart, this is where you go- in a big way. You may escape into yourself on a spiritual or positive basis, or you can contribute to your own self destruction. Your fears (secret enemies, another 12^th house trait) become larger and manifest themselves easier.

Do you take the edge off them with an extra layer of fat, a few more drinks every night, a misguided shag with someone you shouldn’t be with- or do you go within yourself and find the strength to face your fears head on? As easy as it may be to give in to the devil on your shoulder, this is also the perfect transit to confront those fears and behaviours and find the inner strength to kick your addictions.

Jupiter transiting this part of your chart can provide a protection of sorts against your fears or your secret enemies. The danger of this, as with all Jupiter transits, is when protection and over indulgence are confused. When this happens, what feels like protection may actually be self-undoing.

 I spent most of the last couple of years (while Jupiter was in my 12^th house) actively trying to escape in every way possible from feelings and ambitions that I was too afraid to say out loud or face head on. Although exaggerated, the nature of my natal Jupiter is one which is prone to self indulgence. The result was a few extra layers of supposedly protective fat, but all the escaping hasn’t really done anything except add a couple of new (unwanted) dress sizes to my wardrobe. Watch me come undone.

The 12^th house is also about institutions and confinement. When Jupiter transited my 12^th house in 1997/98 I was pregnant- the ultimate confinement. One thing about pregnancy though, is there is no escaping your fears- at some point you have to give birth. When I emerged it was as a different version of myself (see Jupiter- Transits of the 1^st house).

I was listening to a podcast recently of a politician who, due to an enforced hospital stay and subsequent lengthy recovery period, emerged from his confinement with a new lease on life and a clear vision of his direction. The confinement and escape from his normal life allowed him to rediscover his creativity. This absolutely supports the view that all of our leaders and policy makers should have an enforced confinement every few years in order to go within themselves and emerge as more authentic and effective leaders.

What often happens during a Jupiter 12^th house transit is a spiritual renewal of sorts…whatever that means. In stepping back, you are given the opportunity to rebuild your faith in whatever it is that you believe in or used to believe in. You may even re-build faith in yourself. In a way it is like a great long Jupiter retrograde period. (Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow for more on this concept).

You may find yourself doing more behind the scenes, privately or otherwise “unseen” yet strangely fulfilling work. You certainly won’t be actively looking for the spotlight and accolades during this transit.

During a Jupiter 12^th house transit, you will find yourself becoming more Piscean in nature (and that is not just the self destructive part). You may be drawn to meditation or physical retreats to get away from the world. You may feel more empathetic, more intuitive and dream more fantastically and in technicolour.

You may become interested in spiritual matters (in whatever way spiritual is for you) or find yourself strangely attracted into esoteric and metaphysical bookshops. Perhaps you become involved in a secretive romance.

Any of these possibilities will enrich and invigorate you, but on the flip side, excess in any of these can undo you as well. Aside from being expansionary, optimistic and inclined to excess, Jupiter is also about honesty, integrity and justice…so whatever you do during this transit, stay true to yourself and your faith and your ethics (whatever they may be). To do anything else is to come undone.

So unimpressed but so in awe
Such a saint but such a whore
So self aware so full of shit
So indecisive so adamant
I’m contemplating thinking about thinking
It’s over rated just get another drink in
Watch me come undone

Come Undone, by the brilliant and gorgeously inked Robbie Williams

While Jupiter is in Pisces, 12th house transits are being “enjoyed” by Aries.

Somewhere in the Coral Sea. Pic by me.

Jupiter is stationary and will be retrograde by tomorrow night until midway through November. Heavy sighs all round from this fishie. The bright part of this is that he will be back in Pisces by September and get another proper shot at my chart without Saturn getting in the way. (The Sun is in Leo, so I am allowed to make this all about ME). The most interesting part is that he will link up again with Uranus in the last few degrees of Pisces- giving us all another chance to take our dreams and break free. More on this aspect in September.

Jupiter is known as the Great Benefic. Often labelled as the “lucky planet”, Jupiter makes things bigger. This is great if you have really good things happening- they happen even more easily, but isn’t so good if there are problems on the horizon. This also isn’t so good if he is transiting across your Ascendant (literally speaking, your physical body often gets bigger…).  Check out Dare to Dream for more of Jupiter transits.

Jupiter is generally so optimistic, exuberant and dream/ ideal/ future driven. Nobody can keep up this pace for ever, so when he turns retrograde, he does so for a few months at a time. And when Jupiter turns retrograde, the expansion… stops. Just like that. Good if you are planning a diet but not so great if you are in the middle of a project. Things that seemed to be sure may just stop. Physical energy may just dry up. Optimism and faith may falter.

This is especially true if Jupiter is strong in your chart. Generally speaking, in my case, my wings tend to be clipped and if I am going to feel less than exuberant (in mood or in health), now is the time.

So, who is impacted? Jupiter rules Sagittarius and Pisces (as traditional ruler). You may be regarded as strongly Jupiterian if:

• you have your Ascendant, Sun or Moon Pisces or Sagittarius
• If Jupiter is in close aspect to the Sun, Moon, Ascendant or Midheaven (especially conjunction, square or opposition)
• If you have Jupiter in Cancer, the sign of his exultation
• If you have a number of planets in the 9th house or the 12^th house.

Look also at the houses which Jupiter rules in your chart- those houses with either Sagittarius or Pisces on the cusp- this area of your life will feel the Jupiter influence the most. For this particular retrograde you will also be impacted if you have planets in the 1^st few degrees of Aries, Libra, Capricorn and Cancer, or in the last 7 degrees of Pisces, Sagittarius, Gemini & Virgo.   

Jupiter rules Sagittarius and Pisces (as traditional ruler). You may be regarded as strongly Jupiterian if:

·         you have your Ascendant, Sun or Moon Pisces or Sagittarius

·         If Jupiter is in close aspect to the Sun, Moon, Ascendant or Midheaven (especially conjunction, square or opposition)

·         If you have Jupiter in Cancer, the sign of his exultation

·         If you have a number of planets in the 9th house or the 12^th house.

Look also at the houses which Jupiter rules in your chart- those houses with either Sagittarius or Pisces on the cusp- this area of your life will feel the Jupiter influence the most. For this particular retrograde you will also be impacted if you have planets in the 1^st few degrees of Aries, Libra, Capricorn and Cancer, or in the last 7 degrees of Pisces, Sagittarius, Gemini & Virgo.  

Jupiter also represents integrity and honesty, so the retrograde period is a great time to look objectively and realistically at what you are doing. Are you really investing enough of yourself in what is important? What do you do out of fear or because it is expected of you? How do these actions impinge on your real life goals and where you are meant to be? Have you stopped believing? Are you dwelling too much on coulda woulda shoulda?

Jupiter has a habit of removing those things from your life which you think you need, but actually are doing you no good at all. But with Jupiter, there is no maliciousness- anything you lose now, or anything that stops now is simply not necessary to your growth and will usually be for the best.

So, what to do? Look inward and be honest with yourself. Now is not the time to embark on any activity that requires material expansion- unless it is a new charity or spiritual retreat or something that is of a higher purpose, so to speak. Whatever you do this Jupiter retrograde- don’t stop thinking about tomorrow…it’ll soon be here and it will be better than before, so don’t you look back!

If you wake up and don’t want to smile,
If it takes just a little while,
Open your eyes and look at the day,
You’ll see things in a different way.

Don’t you look back,
Don’t you look back.

Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow, by Fleetwood Mac

Pic by me

Jupiter Transits of the 11th House

In Hong Kong there is a Taoist temple called the Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple*. As one of the busiest in Hong Kong it is like a small village of colourful roofs and pillars and amazing lattice work. The air hangs heavy with the smoke of hundreds and hundreds of sticks of burning incense.

Incense Sticks. Pic by me.

People come here for the usual prayers and devotions. Others come here to have their fortunes told using the chim**, bamboo fortune sticks. Essentially you shake the box of numbered sticks until one falls out. That stick is then taken to one of the many fortune tellers lining the outside of the Temple and its meaning told to you for free.

Behind the main temple is the Good Wish Gardens. They say they when you go to Good Wish Gardens you have to be really really sure that what you wish for is what you really want- because more often than not, wishes made here will come true. As with all of these claims there is, of course, the fine print that your wish should be made with intent and focus and not infringe on the happiness or free will of another.

I did the incense thing, I did the chim thing. A little dried up man who was wearing so many sets of beads that they clinked in time with his steps  grabbed the stick number, looked at my palm and told me I would make my fame and fortune with a pen and have my heart broken by a man. He also told me that my wish would come true- that some things we fight are inevitable. It hasn’t yet, but then again, I can’t swear that it was made with true intent and I did have so many hopes and dreams running through my head as I wished.   

When Jupiter goes through your 11^th house, your hopes and dreams for the future will gain wings.  Whether it is to fulfil a long held ambition, create a bucket list or plan to save the world- you will be dreaming, you will be idealistic, you will have hope. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your dreams will come true at this time, although they very well may. More often, it will be that you finally start to understand what you really want and begin to work towards it.

As with all things Jupiter, perspective is important and ego is secondary. Robert Hand writes in Planets in Transit:

The nature of this house is that if the improvements in your life do not affect others, the changes will not be meaningful or long-lasting.

Friends and groups have enhanced importance during a Jupiter 11^th house transit. You may find yourself interacting with many more like-minded people- this is never a time to attempt to go it alone.

Transits to the 11^th house will also form challenging aspects to the 5^th house (opposition) and the 2^nd and 8^th. During this transit friends may become lovers, your dreams may have you taking more risk or giving birth to some creative venture. In this way, and through additional social interaction, your personal resources (2^nd house) and credit cards (or other 8^th house issues) may also take a hit.  

The year Jupiter was travelling through my 11^th (2 years ago) it was as if all of my friends were leaving me. Five good friends left in the first few months of that year- 3 to move overseas, and 2 to move interstate. Two of those friendships lasted, one changed completely (for the better) and two drifted into acquaintance territory.

What this did was create a gap for more people to enter my lives and for other friendships to change in nature. I became more involved with some of the astro people I had met and made new friends in that community- something I probably wouldn’t have otherwise done. By letting go of existing ties, Jupiter had created the opportunity and room for this to occur. It sort of brings to mind that email that goes around every so often about how people are brought in and out of your life for a reason or a season.  

As I was making those wishes in the colourful hexagonal pavilion that is the Unicorn Hall in the Good Wish Garden, I did try to remember to be careful of what I wished for, that sometimes what we really want is not what we need. But then I closed my eyes and wished anyway. This is what dreams are made of.

Good Wish Gardens, pic by me.

*To get there take the MTR to Wong Tai Sin in Kowloon

** I bought myself a really posh set of chim from Shanghai Tang in the Pedder Building in Central