Tag Archives: Jupiter

Jupiter Stations Direct in Sagittarius

By Amanda Painter

On Sunday, Jupiter will station direct in Sagittarius, the first of two signs it traditionally rules (the other being Pisces). I know a few people who’ve been feeling like some part of their lives has been less able to develop over the last several months, or like it’s been hard to home in on a goal or vision. Jupiter traveling in apparent retrograde motion since April 10 is as good an image as any for that sensation, if it’s one you’ve been experiencing.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

In these final days before Jupiter makes its switch (which happens at 9:37 am EDT / 13:37:11 UTC on Aug. 11) it might be helpful to ask yourself some questions. The answers may be slow to emerge after the station direct; I have never tried to track whether Jupiter stations tend to arrive with the same kind of ‘sudden truth’ moment that Mercury stations can signal. I suspect that the expansive nature of Jupiter may correlate to a wider window of revelation and reorientation.

Yet this may be a good time to start practicing and opening up the space via these questions. Such as: how in touch do you feel with your sense of purpose or your vision for your life? What are you noticing right now about the lessons you’ve learned and the patterns you’ve perceived that contribute to your worldview and sense of yourself in it?

Continue reading

The Day of the Double Agent: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is Aug. 7
The Day of the Double Agent | The 2019-20 Leo Astrology Studio is available for instant access | All Other Signs

Your birthday this year is highlighted by an interesting and somewhat intense first-quarter Moon. There’s a lot of energy about, though you’ll need to harness it and propel yourself forward, even if there’s a nice tailwind. One thing to be cautious of is making conclusive decisions too soon. Another is dispensing with ideas or resources you might perceive to be useless or wasteful, but could have hidden potential. One person’s weeds are another person’s sources of medicine.
— by Amy Elliott

Do you have a Leo Sun, rising sign or Moon? Your last couple years may have left you reeling trying to figure out which path forward is best. Hear Eric’s thoughts on expediting your post-eclipse process in your 2019-2020 Leo Astrology Studio reading.

Written in the Planets

Today, a trine with the Leo Sun looks like an infusion of greatly needed heart and soul — whether you’ve been struggling or have been coasting along okay. Jupiter-Sun trines usually spell good feelings, optimism, and not much motivation to trouble oneself with effort. Yet Jupiter is stationing direct in its home sign Sagittarius on Sunday. And with Jupiter currently slow, powerful, and pivoting conjunct the compelling signature of a deep-space phenomenon called the Great Attractor, you may find it worth motivating yourself to do a little more.

You can work this on the most basic, practical level by trying some new activity or area of study, or possibly a trip (Sagittarius loves a new adventure, and Leo is known for its courage, after all). Kicking things up a notch, maybe you’re reconnecting with a life-goal you’d let fall by the wayside, and can funnel some of this energy into pursuing it. If you’re picking up the pieces after a crisis — or you’re in the midst of one — you may find a way to catch a breather today.

Regardless, notice anything that seems to be showing you the larger patterns in your life. If the pattern only appears to be one of negativity, pain or loss, see if you can take another step back for a broader perspective. The whole picture is never just black or just white; and truly useful insights always shine some light on the path — even if they illuminate the need to climb over some boulders or double back a little to continue on your way.
— by Amanda Painter


COMING SOON FROM PLANET WAVES…

In These Times graphic

The Day of Resolute Composure: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is Aug. 5
The Day of Resolute Composure | The 2019-20 Leo Astrology Studio is available for instant access | All Other Signs

New ideas seem to be flowing into your mind like fresh, cool breezes. You are likely to be more in contact than usual with your intuition, and better able to understand concepts from a multitude of vantage points. Take every opportunity to feed your inspiration actively, however. Make a point of going places you’ve never visited — especially if you’ve always wanted to. Soak in experiences that nourish your love of life and of beauty. There is always more to see and do.
— by Amy Elliott

Do you have a Leo Sun, rising sign or Moon? Your last couple years may have left you reeling trying to figure out which path forward is best. Hear Eric’s thoughts on expediting your post-eclipse process in your 2019-2020 Leo Astrology Studio reading.

Written in the Planets

Jupiter has been retrograde in Sagittarius for quite a while — since April 10, to be exact. In a week, on Aug. 11, it will station direct. At the moment, it is stationary — that is, barely moving at all (well, barely moving according to our perspective here on Earth; the planet has been moving in its typical orbit the entire time, and is now). We’re approaching a turning point in all that Jupiter and Sagittarius represent: expansion, far-reaching vision, pursuit of focused intention (like the archer’s arrow), optimism and so-called luck, seeing wider patterns, belief systems and so on.

You may wish to consider areas in your life where any of those themes have felt fuzzy, under review or in some form of retreat, as well as lessons from the past that have been magnified or tested in recent months. I’ll have more about Jupiter stationing direct and some related Sagittarian activity throughout the week, but that should get you started.

Meanwhile, Mercury is about to leave the degree where it stationed direct in Cancer. Today it repeats its exact square to the asteroid Haumea in Libra. As you begin to move incrementally forward on projects you’ve had on hold the last three weeks, consider what you’ve learned about your emotional responses in that time. You may be ready to birth a new way of expressing them, even if the process arrives via unusual channels.
— by Amanda Painter


COMING SOON FROM PLANET WAVES…

In These Times graphic

The Day of Taken Opportunity: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is July 13
The Day of Taken Opportunity | Order Your 2019-20 Cancer Reading | All Other Signs

Confront your challenges and problems head on. There is no point sidestepping them, or bobbing and weaving, or pretending they’re not there. Your challenges are what build you up, even if there are moments when they seem to tear you down. In the end, this process makes you a more solid person, connected to your inner truth, and courageous enough to speak the truth to anyone. Make sure your ears are open as well. Not everything everyone says contains vital wisdom, but it just might, and it’s worth listening.
— by Eric Francis

Hear Eric describe the impressive eclipses involving your Sun sign or rising sign in your 2019-20 Cancer Astrology Studio Reading — now available for instant access.

Written in the Planets

Limitations, supposed ‘rules’, and your own past could be creating some friction with your innate sense of what really turns you on today — thanks to a square between Saturn in Capricorn and Eros in Libra. This could apply very literally to sex, especially if you still have parental voices that chime in and enforce your inhibitions whenever the potential for erotic adventure appears. (Another take: an urge to buck the ‘detachment’ rules around hookup culture.) Or, it might describe something more like The Man crowding your artistic joie de vivre, or some other authoritarian hindrance to your Life Force. Yes, we all have adult responsibilities we must fulfill, but be careful to discern those from guilt trips that aren’t really about you at all.

The Moon cruising by Jupiter in Sagittarius today describes an expanded urge to be free, play and enjoy a few of your favorite things. That should help to balance the Saturn thing to a degree — though focusing your indulgences in a few select, high-priority areas will likely carry the greatest long-term benefit.

If you’re feeling depressed, stressed or in some way stuck under someone else’s thumb, can you see where you’re empowered to make some changes that will benefit both you and everyone else involved? Chances are such an opportunity exists, though it might not become visible until after the situation breaks down in some way. Chaotic as it might feel at first, there’s no telling what unexpected corners might birth a solution if you’re willing to see what’s being revealed — and if you’re committed to not playing games.
— by Amanda Painter


Partial Lunar Eclipse: Dec. 31, 2009. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

Partial Lunar Eclipse: Dec. 31, 2009. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

New in the Special Readings Series
Magnum Opus on Eclipses, Now Through Late 2020

Eric’s new 90-minute discussion of all things related to eclipses, in any sign — with a focus on Cancer and Capricorn eclipses, from the current pair through 2020 — is available now for instant access. Part audio reading, part astrology class, it offers you a lot of help processing the solar eclipse on July 2 and the lunar eclipse on July 16, and features original music. Hear it as part of the 2019-2020 Astrology Studio for Cancer, or purchase the Eclipses Reading separately for only $33.

The Day of Emotional Stimulation: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is June 28
The Day of Emotional Stimulation | Order Your 2019-20 Cancer Reading | All Other Signs

It would appear you’re fluctuating between two states of mind. In one, you really need to rouse yourself in order to push toward your goals; and in the other, you’re barrelling ahead at such a fast pace you’re liable to break the sound barrier. Finding a happy medium may seem like a challenge; the first thing to do is catch yourself when in either mode, and figure out what’s going on. Then plan out a pace that’s healthy and works for you. You don’t need to get it perfect every day; persistence is almost always a better friend than speed.

— by Amy Elliott
Hear Eric describe the impressive eclipses involving your Sun sign or rising sign in your 2019-20 Cancer Astrology Studio Reading

Written in the Planets

With the Moon in Taurus, your TGIF feelings could have you inclined to take the day at a leisurely pace. If your job allows for that, great. If not, it’s possible the Moon’s contact with Saturn in Capricorn will offer just the disciplined work ethic you need to keep plugging away until all the items on your task list are checked off. Some Neptunian influence could filter through in the form of especially imaginative or beautiful inspirations along the way.

Speaking of Neptune in Pisces: the ongoing square it’s receiving from Jupiter in Sagittarius remains a reminder to keep checking with reality as you formulate any dreams, schemes, or far-off, grand-scale plans. There is reason to be discerning in your dealings with others, particularly when your ideals are part of the conversation. Yet at the same time, the desire to help may be strong right now. You might feel tested — even thwarted — as you try to put your loftier convictions into tangible action, but that does not mean you’re wrong in doing so. It simply could signify that anything truly worth doing is worth making an effort to accomplish.

— by Amanda Painter

Did you know that Eric Francis recorded insight-rich videos for all 12 signs, specifically investigating Mars interacting with some of astrology’s most influential planets this season? His Call the Astrologer readings are available individually or as a 12-sign set to share with your loved ones. Check out samples here and here.

The Day of Interpersonal Enchantment: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is June 23
The Day of Interpersonal Enchantment | Pre-order Your 2019-20 Cancer Reading | All Other Signs

Success in any form — whether personal, professional or in some abstract sense of the word — usually calls for a bold approach. The message of your solar chart this year is fearlessness about being different. Often concern around standing out is one of those lurking debilities that most people never overcome. Yet it’s inevitable that you will, so you may as well get over yourself sooner rather than later. You’re not like the other kids. Cash in on that fact.
— by Eric Francis Coppolino
Hear Eric describe the impressive eclipses involving your Sun sign or rising sign in your 2019-20 Cancer Astrology Studio Reading

Written in the Planets

Do you feel like getting physical, or do you just wanna flirt with someone? Is ‘the usual’ a total turnoff today, and are you in the mood for adventure, the unusual, or the unexpected? Would a part of you be perfectly content engaging in these urges from the comfort of your own home? While the Sun newly in Cancer speaks to the homebody option, a couple of other aspects are putting a spin on what you may feel like doing there.

For one thing, today’s Venus-Jupiter opposition could contribute to just hanging out, laying back, and indulging in whatever’s enjoyable (with Neptune in Pisces adding to the daydream believer / armchair traveler vibe). Yet Venus and Jupiter are in signs that are pretty mentally active and crave stimulation: Gemini and Sagittarius. This ups the conversational potential (and the likelihood of flirtation), along with the need to seek new experiences.

“New experiences” is also a theme of today’s Vesta-Uranus conjunction in Taurus. This aspect feels more intimately personal and less broadly social than Venus-Jupiter, though as Eric wrote this week, “Vesta conjunct Uranus is a revolutionary aspect. The time has come to question sexual conventions and expectations, which so often lead to dark, unloving places. In the spirit of Uranus, every person has their individual sexual orientation and ‘identity’ — which means their distinct journey.”

Even if you’re not quite up for a full-on revolution in your bedroom (much less your psyche), you may consider staying open to surprises — whether in the form of unexpectedly enjoyable physical sensations, an urge to disrupt a long-held sexual habit, or a sudden shift or question about your core values around sex, relationships or your body. Maybe this is something you feel like talking about; maybe it’s something you prefer to hold close to the vest and mull for a while. Either way, you can hold space for yourself to find out.
— by Amanda Painter

Did you know that Eric Francis recorded insight-rich videos for all 12 signs, specifically investigating Mars interacting with some of astrology’s most influential planets this season? His Call the Astrologer readings are available individually or as a 12-sign set to share with your loved ones. Check out samples here and here.

The Day of Worldly Rapture: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is June 21
The Day of Worldly Rapture | Order Your 2019-20 Gemini Reading | Pre-order Your 2019-20 Cancer Reading | All Other Signs

By now you’ve figured out that it’s essential to direct your energy in productive and creative ways rather than in aggressive ones. Yet the line between the two approaches to the use of energy can be difficult to see if you’re in a negative space. So it would be fair to say that creative and productive means positive and friendly. Let your curiosity and sense of humor lead you forward, and try new approaches — one at a time, long enough to see if they work.
— by Eric Francis Coppolino
Hear Eric speak about your year in-depth in your 2019-20 Gemini Astrology Studio Reading — or in your 2019-20 Cancer Astrology Studio Reading

Written in the Planets

Today is the solstice: the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere (shortest in the Southern Hemisphere), heralded by the Sun entering the sign Cancer. This year’s solstice chart looks potent: it combines the recent confrontational Mars astrology with the ‘personal is political’ message that comes with major activity in the early cardinal signs.

Certain minor planets bring in the question of how you relate to your familial and ancestral baggage and patterning; other factors seem to be steering us toward the need to align more precisely with what truly enlivens us. Remember that the care you offer has the potential to ripple out widely — as do your more emotionally defensive reactions. Which kind of chain reaction would you prefer to set in motion?

Meanwhile, a conjunction of the asteroid Vesta and Uranus in Taurus appears to speak of revolutionizing your approach to sexual relationships; that is, in a way that allows you to choose what is most authentic to you. Which might not look like how others do relationships, at least not from the outside.

Venus in Gemini is in aspect to Jupiter in Sagittarius and Neptune in Pisces into next week. Are you feeling compelled to seek new experiences, or just to lie back and daydream about them? If you’re feeling generous (or even just a little ‘spendy’), you’ll likely have a better experience with your giving if done through some kind of structure rather than just trying to help on your own. The idea is to keep perspective on your expectations for recognition and reciprocation; a little research about the recipient and the avenue of assistance is another safeguard.
— by Amanda Painter

Did you know that Eric Francis has recorded new videos for all 12 signs, specifically investigating Mars interacting with some of astrology’s most influential planets this season? His Call the Astrologer readings are available individually or as a 12-sign set to share with your loved ones. Check out samples here and here.

Children dance to music after lunch Wednesday at the Portland (Maine) Expo. Photo by Derek Davis / Portland Press Herald

Cancer Solstice Calling

By Amanda Painter

On Friday, at 11:54 am EDT / 15:54:07 UTC, the Sun enters Cancer for the solstice: the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s one of the year’s four major, seasonal turning points, by which ancient cultures once organized their practical lives and their understanding of the cosmos.

Children dance to music after lunch Wednesday at the Portland (Maine) Expo. Photo by Derek Davis / Portland Press Herald

Children seeking asylum dance to music after lunch Wednesday at the Portland (Maine) Expo. Photo by Derek Davis / Portland Press Herald

Most modern cultures have become rather detached from this rhythm — thanks to things like electric lights and other industrial and agricultural innovations obviating our complete dependence on seasonal shifts; along with what we’ve gained in that, there have surely also been losses. Astrologically, the Sun entering Cancer also signals us to be aware of the Aries Point: those first degrees of Aries — extended to the other cardinal signs (Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) — that describe events and issues where the political and personal weave together.

Continue reading