Since last October, the planet of faith, truth-telling and savior complexes has been traveling through Scorpio, sign of paranoia, secrets and power trips.
Aided by Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn, Jupiter has pulled the veil off large-scale sex abuses, inspiring survivors to tell their stories. But planets don’t have political agendas. Those of us who have celebrated the #metoo movement and a newfound Jupiterian hope in sexual justice have also watched abusers get brazen and gain in power.
In our personal lives, Jupiter can bestow gifts, show us how to grow or expand existing problems and pains. As Jupiter has moved through the Scorpio-containing house(s) in your natal chart, you’ve ideally been: learning about where you keep unnecessary secrets; freeing yourself from shame, jealousy and possessiveness; and forgiving (by which I mean, letting the hurt someone did be their burden, not yours). Themes of the involved houses will also have come up.
Meanwhile, Scorpios have been encouraged to be bigger, louder, prouder and flaunt that Scorpionic mystique.
On November 8th, Jupiter enters Sagittarius, the sign it rules. It will stay there for a year and change.
Like any party animal on its home turf, Jupiter in Sag will pump up the volume, tapping the keg far past its neighbors’ bedtimes. We may see renewed faith and hope; the belief that we’re all in this together; energy to fight for what’s right; a bright and glow-y sense of meaning; a bond with human beings all around the world.
This is beautiful year for enjoying connection to a religious, cultural, academic or political community. It’s also time to get perspective, set your sights on a far horizon and draw inspiration for challenges ahead.
On the down side, Jupiter is not a great listener (<– understatement). In Sagittarius, the sign of always being right, it gets even harder to hear opposing opinions. It seems inevitable that this year will bring increasing political divisions and more violence in the name of political conviction.
Elsewhere in the sky, Saturn continues its march through Capricorn for a January 2020 meetup with Pluto.
Saturn, planet of rules and structures, is also at home–in the sign of hierarchies. Pluto signifies difficult transformation and pure, amoral power. When the two patriarchal archetypes meet, we’ll likely see a doubling down of existing power structures or deep and lasting structural changes that those in power try strongly to resist.
Planets in Capricorn aren’t especially subtle. It takes them to build momentum but their trajectory tends to be clear. Meaning, the conflicts of the moment aren’t going away. As many activists and thinkers have been pointing out, these conflicts, and the inequities that underlie them, are old. The planets are just letting us know it’s time to face them. And act.
Jupiter in Sagittarius, at its best, can help our species find its way forward.
To learn how this Jupiter transit will affect you personally, look for the sign of Sagittarius in your natal chart.
This is where Jupiter will be waking up your adventurous side, encouraging travel, education, teaching and publishing.
Jupiter also has to do with privilege and the resources we take for granted. In Sagittarius, it’s time to look around at what you have access to, whether it comes through bosses, institutions, friends, or funnels your way through society itself. What opportunities are out there? Which ones can you spread around and share with others? Which offer you the chance to learn? Which ones crack your heart open wider, letting in more world, more people, more light?
Not every Jupiter gift is worthwhile, but in Sagittarius you might be inclined to say yes anyway. Aim for what fills you and pass on what simply puffs up your ego. A reality check—is this sustainable? Do I have time? Is there decent evidence that it will pan out?—is a good idea too.
But Jupiter isn’t all sunshine, social justice and pots of gold.
The planet of MORE MORE MORE can awaken dissatisfaction and entitlement. We want to grow, but there isn’t space. We champ for our own freedom but trample others’. We expect rewards that aren’t realistic. We want a sense of purpose, so we jump on our soapbox. We want life to be a party, so we fill it with booze. 
Being disappointed sucks. But even then, Jupiter holds out hope. Consider the multicultural parables in which a broke young man leaves home to find a hidden treasure, only to learn after a lot of bummers that the treasure was a metaphor for the good stuff right under his nose.
It’s a cliche, and, in my opinion, an annoying one, to say ‘be grateful for what you have.’ There’s a lot of pain in real life. Riches, literal and metaphorical, are unequally distributed. We can’t break free from that Saturnian reality.
But no matter what shit life throws, we can always learn. Whether or not we succeed, we can always seek connection. We can dare a little more. Crack ourselves open a tiny bit wider.
Jupiter in Sagittarius reminds us that the treasure is the journey itself. This strange, difficult, interesting, sometimes scary, sometimes joyful thing of being alive. In the end, it is the most we are given. And maybe, just maybe, it is enough.
Images by the author.
You can learn what Jupiter is awakening in your chart and map out your adventures for the coming year in an Integral reading with yours truly.