Looking for luck? Your search is over. Auspicious Jupiter is the lord of luck, the guardian of good fortune, and the champion of getting an even break. Named after the lustful, flamboyant thunder god, Jupiter is the biggest, boldest planet in the solar system. Jupiter immediately blasts a spotlight on any sign’s attributes. Whatever Jupiter hits goes big: advancements speed up, possibilities expand, and self-destroying behaviours spin out of control.
ASTRONOMICAL FACTS
Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system by far. More massive than all the other planets combined, it could devour 1,330 Earths and still have room to burp. Its most famous feature, known as the Great Red Spot, is a 300-year-old cyclone that’s double the size of the Earth.
Galileo and the moons of Jupiter
About one hundred years after the birth of Christ, the astronomer Ptolemy wrote a book confidently asserting what everyone already knew: That the Earth was the centre of the universe, and that everything else — the Moon, the Sun, the stars, and the planets — revolved around it. Over a millennium later, in 1453, Copernicus showed that the Earth orbited the Sun, not the other way around. His observations were not widely accepted. Martin Luther referred to him as an “upstart astrologer” (and in fact he was an astrologer, as were most astronomers). For the most part, people continued to put their faith in Ptolemy. Few doubted that the Earth was the centre of the universe. A century and a half later, Galileo trained his telescope upon distant Jupiter and saw that it was orbited by a population of moons (he saw four). His announcement was greeted with distress, particularly by the church, because if those four moons were orbiting around Jupiter, then by definition, not everything revolved around the Earth and the Ptolemaic system had to be wrong. Galileo ended up spending the rest of his life under house arrest for his role in promoting this new view of the heavens. His ideas triumphed. Thus Jupiter and its many moons opened up a new way to see the cosmos.
Symbol: 
According to metaphysical tradition, the symbol is made up of two parts: the cross of matter and, rising above it, the curve of personality, indicating the expansive unfurling of the self.
KEYWORDS
Expansion. Good Fortune. Growth. Luck. Optimism.
JUPITER IN ASTROLOGY
Not surprisingly, Jupiter was named for the king of the gods, who was known in Greece as Zeus and in Rome as Jove or Jupiter Optimus Maximus — the biggest and the best, even if he was also punitive and promiscuous. The Greeks depicted him as bearded, dignified, and powerful — Zeus the father figure, surveying the universe from his home on snowy Mount Olympus.
Jupiter is the planet of expansion and good fortune. It symbolises abundance, luck, optimism, benefaction, generosity, and the protection we may have. Astrologers also associate Jupiter with opportunity, expansion, learning, success, and good cheer. It prepares us for the future, to be open to life and its possibilities. Whatever Jupiter touches, it expands. Of course, like every planet, it can express itself positively or negatively. At its best, it brings good luck, generosity, and the ability to seize an opportunity. When it’s tied to other planets through tension-producing aspects, such as squares and oppositions, it expresses its shadow side by indulging in gluttony, laziness, and excess of all kinds.
Jupiter, together with Saturn, refers to a social level, since it signifies our growth in the environment and the assimilation of new contents which can only be found outside of ourselves.
Jupiter symbolises everything related to the following concepts:
- All forms of Growth. It is the need to know, to experience, to understand, to grow on a personal level, to have more (“wealth”). Words such as “more”, “bigger”, “far” serve as keys to the understanding of Jupiter.
Nonetheless, this energy may be experienced both in a positive as well as a negative manner. The downside of Jupiter will always have to do with “too much of something”. In that case we have growth beyond a healthy point, growth for growth’s sake (that is, growth without any accompanying meaning). - On a personal level, Jupiter is the need to know, to experience, to understand, to expand one’s own horizons. It also shows how studious someone is, and if he is inclined in teaching. On the negative side, it is knowledge without understanding.
- Jupiter symbolises foreign countries, long duration or long distance travels.
- Law and Religion
- “Luck” as a result of growth, of deeper understanding, or in general, of a successful “expansion” of any sort.
Jupiter takes about 12 years to spin through the zodiac, spending about a year in each sign.
Jupiter rules the sign of Sagittarius and traditionally the sign of Pisces.
Jupiter’s position by sign describes the way you try to broaden your horizons and experience more of the world. It also indicates areas where you’re likely to be lucky and of opportunity. You can read more here!
Jupiter’s position by house determines the areas of life that are most bountiful for you — the places where benefits come most effortlessly and also the areas where you may become too complacent. You can read about Jupiter in the Houses here!
