Published by the Organization for Professional Astrology July 2015
By the time your eyes read these pages, Jupiter will have already ingressed into Virgo. Here he will remain until September 9, 2016, when he’ll make a clean entrance into Libra. In the meantime, the most expansive, tolerant and jovial planet in our panoply will feel somewhat hindered in the snug work uniform now assigned to him by the folks at Virgo. Falstaff, the Shakespearean character of vast proportion, is put on a diet, so to speak. Likewise, Jupiter must make himself small while travelling through this sign. Grand gestures feel awkward; his generous nature is restrained. Jupiter is all about the big picture and the umbrella philosophy, while Virgo dissects and differentiates in rigorous detail. Not a great fit.
By moving into a Mutable sign, Jupiter is triggering the upcoming Saturn-Neptune square. Jupiter opposes Neptune only once, in September 2015 (I personally would never isolate an aspect this important to only one day). Jupiter and Neptune are the mundane indicators of faith and religion and since they are as far apart as they can be, the crisis between Islamic fundamentalists and more moderate forces will reach a crucial peak in September. The usually protective Jupiter is not able to fulfill that function as effectively as usual due to his placement in Virgo. Jupiter squares Saturn three times: in August 2015, March 2016, and again in May 2016. Saturn then squares Neptune three times between November 2015 and September 2016, so the entire event lasts a whole year. Saturn imposes rules while Neptune evades. The roles of Good Guys and Bad Guys reverses depending upon whose side you’re on. These squares will likely result in a stepped-up attempt from each side to isolate and control the other. Very likely the destruction of World Heritage sites will continue, both as a means of wonton destruction and also a way of funding rebel forces (see Jupiter trine Pluto below). I fear that the refugee crisis in Africa, the Middle East and Europe will worsen, increasing the suffering of the poor, defeated and disenfranchised refuges.
On the weather front, Jupiter-Neptune aspects bring heavy rain and the possibility of flooding. This is mixed news in the drought-stressed areas of the western US. Saturn is associated with cold (and is also dry) and its connection with Neptune could bring freezing rains or blizzards.
Jupiter will form a trine to Pluto from 13 – 17 degrees of Capricorn in October 2015, April and December of 2016. The Planet of Wealth and the Planet of Treasure in such an aspect can enrich the person wise enough to position themselves to take advantage of it. We must keep in mind however that the energy of the aspects is neutral. As my friend Terry Lamb says about Jupiter-Pluto aspects: “sometimes it means a bigger splat.” Will there be another “too big to fail” event? Time will tell!