A Marriage of Abundance: How to Work with Jupiter in Libra

o as some of you may know, yesterday Jupiter, THE planet of blessing, abundance, sovereignty, and wisdom moved into the sign of Libra after spending over a year in the sign of Virgo.

You do not need to know anything about your personal natal chart to start to appreciate and take advantage of the brilliance that is Jupiter in Libra. What you do need to understand is that Jupiter is a strongly felt cosmic presence – in fact, it is the only planet in our solar system that sends out more energy than it takes in, thus making the ancient affiliation between Jupiter and generosity absolutely on point.

Like all of the planets, over time, Jupiter makes its way through the entire zodiacal wheel. The last time it was in Libra was 2004 so one way to begin thinking about what this period might bring is to reflect on what you planted back then. Some astrologers take the approach that planets are more or less aligned with different signs – so there were some voices out there who felt that Jupiter in Virgo was not the best expression of Jupiter’s influence.

That has not been my experience. As I see it and experience it in my own life and the lives of my clients, each planet has both a gift and a teaching in each sign no matter what. That said, Jupiter in Libra is likely to be pretty fantastic and hopefully this mini-guide will help you come into maximum alignment with this most excellent transit.

As we have already established, Jupiter is the planet of greatest abundance and Libra, the 7^th sign of the zodiac is the sign associated with marriage, partnership, love, beauty, diplomacy, harmony and balance. At the very outset we can say that Jupiter is going to energize all of these areas in our world, period. For those of you who do know your personal charts, look to see what is happening in Libra and your 7^th house – that will start to give you an idea of how Jupiter will work for you.

Let’s begin with the dates:
9/9/2016 – Jupiter enters Libra 6:18am cdt

9/9 – 9/23/2016 – Venus and Jupiter are both in Libra

2/6/2017 – 6/9/2017 – Jupiter Retrograde

10/10/17 – Jupiter enters Scorpio at 8:20am cdt

These are the major dates to be aware of. There are a couple of Jupiter and Pluto squares to think about in 2017 but I will write more about those (and how to handle them) later. I specified when Jupiter and Venus are both in Libra because either planet by itself is considered highly blessed and fortunate but together the are truly a powerhouse combination – the period of their cosmic dance is a wonderful time for any work or intention setting around abundance, fertility, or romance.

As you can see from early February through early June in 2017 Jupiter will be retrograde. Typically we do not feel the retrograde motions of the outer planets as intensely as we do the inner planets like famous Mercury or even Mars or Venus. However, the retrograde motions of outer planets give us time and scope to really do a thorough review along the lines of a particular theme. Again, we will explore this in more detail closer to the actual retrograde but for now read this.

As longtime readers know, my approach to astrology is decidedly Socratic – I am not really interested in making generalized predictions, I am so much more interested in your unique understanding and relationship to the skies and stars. And the best way to get to know that relationship? Through asking and answering questions of course!

Let’s start with these

1.) What am I married to? What are the ideas, attitudes, behaviors, and yes, people, that you are in closest alliance with? Do those alliances still make sense for you? Do the alliances work or are they not fully functioning? Jupiter is poised to breathe tons of life and energy into your closest partnerships so make sure that the partnerships you have are the ones you want and need

2.) How can I be more generous in my relationships?

3.) Am I able to receive generosity? If not, why not? (Hint: think about how well and graciously you can or cannot receive a sincere compliment and that will give you the answer to the first part of this question).

4.) What do my dearest relationships need most right now?

5.) What is the role that beauty currently plays in my life?

6.) What is one thing that I can do to bring more beauty into my life starting today?

7.) Where do I most need better communication right now?

8.) Where could I benefit from more diplomacy and an ability to see a situation from many different angles?

9.) What does balance mean to me? Do I work to achieve it? If so what do I do and has it been working thus far?

10.) Remembering that harmony is actually the creative coming together of two or more tensions (as opposed to the complete absence of tension) what areas of my life could be harnessed together to create greater harmony?

11.) What does generosity in the areas of love and romance look and feel like to me?

12.) Where in my life am I seeking out deeper understanding and wisdom right now?

13.) What would Jupiter in Libra like me to focus on over the next year?

Now every transit, no matter how lovely, has its shadow side. Here is my list of DON’T’s for Jupiter in Libra and they apply to all.

Don’t get lost in toxic relationships of any kind – romantic, professional, creative and otherwise. If it feels like a constant one way street where you are either giving all of the time OR taking all of the time you know it is not good so get out.

Don’t engage in tons of vapid, empty-headed, socializing because you think you have to. It will leave you with actual and metaphorical hangovers.

Don’t be satisfied with the shallow. Go deeper, look harder, stretch.

Don’t say yes just to make everyone happy and avoid conflict. Say yes because you are truly pumped for something!

Don’t go on a shopping spree to soothe emotional turmoil.

Don’t spread yourself too thin. Prioritize.

Take the questions and the Don’t guidelines as springboards for yourself. Think about your own life and make this process your own. It is cosmic and vast but it is also highly relational so get into a relationship with it. Remember too that Jupiter is above and beyond everything else the Guru wise teacher – the opportunity to learn is so great this year (Libra loves being a student anyway) so show up fully and you will be rewarded.