Where’s the Party?
Jupiter in Leo
By Armand Diaz
On July 16th, the planet Jupiter—associated with optimism, faith, and expansion—will move into Leo, the sign of the child, play, drama, and creativity. Jupiter’s orbit around the sun takes 12 years, so he spends about a year in each sign (he’ll be in Leo until next August).
All else being equal—which it never is—Jupiter in Leo suggests an outgoing, upbeat, progressive energy, a kind of universal ‘can-do’ feeling that can be applied to just about anything. It is also something of a party placement, a time when we may feel that a little excess is just what is needed.
The last time Jupiter was in Leo was late summer 2002 through summer 2003, so you can look back to what was happening then to give you an idea of how it may play out this time around. Where did you grow? Where did you connect with fun, play, and creativity during that year?
Of course, a lot has changed since 2002/2003. At that time, we were deep in the shadow of 9/11 (perhaps we are actually deeper in that shadow now, but that’s another story). As the pace of change accelerates, the twelve years between Jupiter’s visit to any sign becomes filled with more events and transitions than we can follow. Still, a little reflection may be possible, especially if you’re a Leo or one of the other fire signs (Aries and Sagittarius). Really, though, Jupiter is there for all of us, and we all have Leo somewhere in our charts.
This time around, Jupiter’s move into Leo will affect the two large configurations we’ve had in the sky for the past couple of years, the Cardinal Cross and the Grand Trine in Water.
Briefly, the Cardinal Cross is the peak of the Uranus-Pluto square that is exact from 2012 to 2015. This energy is about deep transformation at all levels, personal and collective. Not only do we push forward with radical change, we also see, feel, and create resistance to change which winds up strengthening the movement when it finally takes place, much the way an arrow flies further when the tension on the bow is greatest.
The Grand Trine is a very different energy. Serious Saturn in protective Scorpio has been in an easy relationship with dreamy Neptune in Pisces and regal Jupiter in Cancer. The Grand Trine has in a sense greased the gears of the Cardinal Cross, providing an escape hatch when tensions have mounted to a high level. Collectively, we’ve seen many opportunities for change fizzle, unable to gain momentum (think: Occupy Wall Street). Unlike the overt resistance to change that is part of the Cardinal Cross, the Grand Trine lets us slip back into the status quo with the illusion of security (for the astro-savvy, Saturn’s sextile to Pluto is an important conduit between these two cosmic aspects).
In our personal lives, too, we’ve seen how the urge for change and transformation in career, finances, relationship, spirituality—anything and everything—has often failed to materialize, slipping away just as we are on the brink of making the transition. Motivation for change, or even the necessity of it, can be undermined by an inability to get enough traction to make the move, or difficulty in moving forward after the move has been made.
The intersection of the collective and the personal, the desire for change and the comfort of the status quo might be illustrated by our desire to see the Plutocratic financial world upended and the wild income and wealth disparities leveled off—of course, without affecting the value of our personal retirement accounts! That’s an example of the revolutionary energy of the Cardinal Cross slipping away in comfy quicksand of the Grand Trine.
Jupiter’s move out of Cancer and into Leo will change the balance of energy between these two configurations, as will Saturn’s move out of Scorpio and into Sagittarius later this year. Rather than supporting security-oriented Saturn in Scorpio, Jupiter will quickly move into an easy relationship with revolutionary Uranus in the dynamic sign of Aries.
This will give a green light to revolutionaries of all stripes, and we can expect to see an increase (!) in rogue groups and individuals. For some, a review of the collective situation will encourage a sense of hopelessness and a desire to go off the grid or off the rails. For others, it will be time to rally for the cause and push harder for change.
While changes in the collective consciousness will be prominent, Jupiter’s move into Leo will have a similar effect on each of us personally. Retreating into the comfort of familiar ways will seem less attractive, while our courage (cour = heart = Leo) and faith in our ability to create a better future will increase. The time we have spent sitting on the fence (or on the ground just below it) will end, as we are more willing to move forward. Jupiter in Leo gives us hope, a necessary ingredient in the often-frightening stew of transformative change.
We already know what the issues are, and probably have a fair idea what needs to be done. We already have the motivation for change. What is needed is a leap of faith, and that’s what Jupiter in Leo can encourage us to take.
We won’t always make the best decisions, and having faith doesn’t necessarily mean that we have good judgment. But if you’ve been feeling that things can never or will never change, Jupiter in Leo may be just what you need.
