Jupiter Transits Scorpio: How Great Will It Be?

Jupiter crossed into Scorpio on October 10^th 2017. It will remain in that sign until November 2018—over a year!

Astrologers all over the web have been ecstatic in their praise and predictions for this Jupiter transit. Could it be over-hyped? Let’s look.

To start, Jupiter rules the sign Sagittarius and is the ancient ruler of Pisces. For the time being, let’s look at Sagittarius, a positive fire-sign. Scorpio is a negative, or yin, or receptive, water sign and makes no natural connection with Sagittarius. Further, Scorpio is the 12^th sign from Sagittarius. It has a natural 12^th House vibration to everyone with a Sagittarius Ascendant or Sun or Moon. The 12^th House is the house of secret enemies, mental illness, incarceration, and self-undoing. Twelfth House positives are the possibility to benefit from time alone, and to make spiritual progress. Think of a hermit as a 12^th House archetype. From the 12^th House standpoint, Jupiter is just as likely to empower your enemies, expand your mental problems, and encourage you to act in ways that will bring about your downfall, as it is to expand your spiritual progress. Jupiter needs Saturn, the planet of self-discipline, to avoid over-indulging and causing self-harm.

Let’s look further. Various astrology bloggers are saying great things about this Jupiter transit. We will look at some of the predictions and how we might make them happen. First, though, recall that Jupiter transited through (Tropical) Scorpio back in 2005/2006 and in 1993-1994. As well as about every 12 years before that. So, let’s first recall our experiences during those years and compare them to these predictions:

• 1.      A time to explore our deepest self.
• 2.      A time to explore our darkness or Shadow.
• 3.      A time to expand our passion, probably our Scorpionic passion, for intimate connections and sexuality. (Scorpionic passion is specified because all the fire signs are passionate. In addition, any Mars or Sun or Jupiter is passionate, but unless placements are in Scorpio or conjunct Pluto they are not specifically passionate about sex.)
• 4.      A time for greater libido, more sex, and more orgasms.
• 5.      A time to reconcile old issues, especially ones about sex, family secrets, death, mysteries, and taxes.
• 6.      A time to sacrifice something for our greater good. This is akin to amputating a leg with gangrene so that you can live—that’s the Scorpio version of “sacrifice.”
• 7.      A time to test our lovers and relationships in the absolute Scorpionic sense of life and death—you are for me or against me.

Before we delve into the seven potential aspects of Jupiter’s Scorpio above, let’s refer back to the last two Jupiter transits of Scorpio in 2005/2006 and in 1993-1994. Did any of the seven items happen in your life then? If so, most likely they will reoccur. But if they didn’t, they will not this time unless you seek them out. The real meaning of this transit is that you will the opportunity to engage in any of these possibilities. (Jupiter brings opportunities. It’s up to you to take them on.)

Look at the list and see if any of these opportunities appeal to you. To make them happen you need to put yourself into situations that will make them likely. Several speak directly to inner exploration and perhaps psychotherapy. They will require you to adopt some practice to explore your dark corners. To get the result you will need to do the work.

For the passions of sexuality you will need to connect with a partner or partners. If you live alone and have no social life, this is unlikely to happen. You will need to find a way to connect to the partner(s) that you desire.

Probably the best chances of positive outcomes for Jupiter’s transit of Scorpio is to look at your natal chart and see which House or Houses will be transited. There you will find a lot of chances to expand your life. (Let me point out that Jupiter transiting the First House, in any sign, means that you must travel in body or spirit, or you will end up expanding your body—getting fat.)

What is comforting about Jupiter’s transit of Scorpio? Not a lot. Scorpio is very intense energy that most people avoid. Having the planet of Good Fortune, Opportunity, and Growth in Scorpio means we must confront our Scorpio side in order to snatch the prize. 

I wish you the best of this transit, Lalia Wilson

Why Trump was elected President, and why it was the wrong move for America, by Lalia Wilson

The pollsters and most of the astrologers, myself included, did not predict that Trump would win the presidency of the U.S. It was a while after the election before I understood why he was elected and why it was the wrong move for the country, astrologically-speaking. 

Currently the chart for the United States of America (see note 1) has secondary progressed Mars in the sign Libra and retrograde. Libra is the least comfortable fit, of all the signs, for Mars. When you add Mars retrograde, re-learning how to use our Mars becomes much more difficult.

Secondary progressions, also known as a day for a year progressions, show how entities evolve. Our evolutionary task is always to expand and include the new facet of our being. In every chart Mars is the planet of taking action. It also symbolizes young men, warriors, police, athletes, and masculinity. When Mars changes sign by secondary progression our evolutionary task is to change our way of taking action, and changing our sense of the masculine. We can also think of this as expanding our expression of Mars. When Mars is retrograde, we are called on to step back and let someone else make the first move—to be more passive, to respond instead of initiating action.

During the history of the United States we have experienced Mars in the signs Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, and now Libra. Our nation’s natal chart has Mars in Gemini which means that our tendency is to scatter our energy and talk a lot. We take action by talking about it to our friends, neighbors and closest allies. As Mars has moved by secondary progression though the succeeding signs, we have had to learn new ways to operate. With Mars entering Libra in 1940, our Mars needs to act through peace-making, through diplomacy. Our efforts using this energy resulted in the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after the war and setting up a democratic government in Japan. We were also instrumental in founding the United Nations, which we host in New York City. In late 2006 our secondary progressed Mars turned retrograde in Libra. It will remain retrograde through early 2086—nearly 80 years total. It also will be in Libra throughout that time.

This means that the Universe is asking this nation to act in a Libra retrograde fashion. This means working with close allies. Responding, but not initiating situations. Using diplomacy. Thus, with secondary progressed Mars in Libra, success means stepping back from confrontations. Success means letting other countries set the agenda; and success means using diplomacy.

These modes of operation are characteristically feminine. They are ways that less powerful beings can work with bullies. As a nation, this new way of expressing Mars is uncomfortable for many, particularly men. This is one reason many faulted President Obama, because his style was too “laid back.” He was an exemplar of how to work with secondary progressed Mars retrograde in the sign Libra. Had Hillary Clinton been elected, she, too, would have easily worked with the same Mars retrograde in Libra energy.

Instead, Donald Trump was elected president. Why? Donald’s horoscope is strong with Fire and Air energy; these are the extroverted and masculine signs. His Ascendant, Mars and Moon, are in the Fire signs Leo and Sagittarius. These aspect each other, with Mars being conjunct the Ascendant and both trine, harmoniously related to, the Moon. When a person has a planet conjunct his Ascendant, he is the personification of that planet. Donald Trump thus represents Mars, the macho man. 

Mars in Leo lives grandly. Mars has multiple lovers, and in Trump’s case, three wives. Mars is bombastic, quick to anger, and can be a bully. Mars is the archetype of the young virile man. Thus Donald Trump represents Mars (at least one manifestation of Mars) in the national psyche. Those who voted for him, predominately men, wanted to keep the old ways of handling affairs with men in charge. With Mars this represents a certain kind of physically aggressive and take-charge man.

Choosing to elect Trump, a man who exemplifies an active Mars, is a rejection of the evolutionary thrust for our country. Since this runs counter to the evolution of our nation, it was the wrong move. If we followed our natural evolution, it would be time to express the calmer, more diplomatic, and more feminine energy of Mars in Libra retrograde.

Could Pence become president? Possibly. His chart is less martial than Trump’s, so he would be less involved with working out Mars karma for our country. Of note, though, is that Pence’s Mars is expressed as being a warrior for religious views, as his natal fiery Mars in Leo is right on the Ninth House cusp of religion.

In order to better understand Mars retrograde in Libra, study these individuals:

Frederick Winslow Taylor, father of scientific management.

Erich von Daniken, the author of books about extraterrestrial beings visiting earth.

Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas

Actor Dudley Moore

Musician Herb Alpert

Russian diplomat Sergey Lavrov

Clare Boothe Luce, Ambassador, congresswoman, journalist

A country with Mars retrograde in its natal chart, is Japan. The national chart for Japan, as reorganized after WWII, has Mars retrograde in Scorpio in the tenth house. Japan is famous for stepping back from war since WWII when they were hit by two atomic bombs, resulting in over 200,000 people dying.

Note 1: Most astrologers use a chart for July 4^th 1776 in Philadelphia for the nation’s chart. Astrologers differ as to the exact time for the chart. I use the Scorpio rising chart set for 2:21 PM Local Mean Time. Other astrologers favor the Sagittarius rising chart, the Virgo rising chart, and the Gemini rising chart. In terms of the timing of secondary progressions, the difference between the Scorpio rising chart and the Sagittarius rising chart is about 6 weeks, which is nothing when you are talking about Mars in a sign for 45 years—and more when it retrogrades as it is now doing. A few astrologers use a chart for the Reunification of the United States after the Civil War in 1865, or for the establishment of the Constitution in 1789.