JUPITER/NEPTUNE – Grandiose Dreams

On April 12, 2022, Jupiter and Neptune will form their conjunction at 23°58′ Pisces. Such a conjunction occurs almost exactly at 13-year intervals and, with the odd exception, falls in a different zodiacal sign each time. Over the course of 166 years, a full cycle of Jupiter/Neptune conjunctions will run an entire course around every consecutive zodiac sign, and it is interesting to observe and note the effects of such cycles upon the human psyche, both on the individual and the collective culture.

First, let’s have a look at how each planet rules the different realms of human experience, both constructive and destructive:

IMPACT ON THE PSYCHE

Jupiter, along with Saturn, is a ‘social planet’, meaning its symbolism describes how one’s subjective mind consciously integrates among the wider intersubjective agreements of the universal mind. How successfully does the individual mingle among the hive? How does his/her mind contribute to fostering the growth of a collective understanding?

Jupiter describes how one’s personal social-cultural-moral inclinations are shaped by others in his/her society, and visa versa, allowing one to cultivate greater emotional well-being (happiness, harmony, balance) or materialistic worth (wealth, physical growth, career opportunities). Conjunctions to outer planets Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto describe specific cycles of growth and decline within existing cultures.

In Pisces, Jupiter supports our spiritual growth, helping us see beyond ego desires and to improve ourselves through living up to our dreams, expanding sympathy towards others, and generosity of spirit.

Compassion and sensitivity are necessary in order to cultivate faith in ourselves, although unfocused, noncritical attitudes and escapism can hinder acting on the need for self-improvement. We start to realise that there is indeed a higher power than our higher selves. We relinquish old superstitions and perfunctory beliefs and begin to understand the importance of devoting ourselves to a social ideal that fosters greater openness and transparency. We also learn to appreciate the spiritual dimensions of life. Showing compassion toward all that suffers is a typical tendency when Jupiter transits this sign.

Neptune, together with Uranus and Pluto, is a transpersonal planet, affecting the collective unconscious. These outer planets symbolise an altogether different paradigm of experience, representing a more abstract dimension of development in human consciousness, the schismatic departure between mundane and cosmic affairs; the divide between the tangible and the surreal, the discernible and the unknown, the mortal and the divine. Neptune itself relates to everything that is vast, immeasurable, indefinite, universalistic, but also loose, unfocused, misty, glamorous, unreal, escapist.

Neptune’s governance over the seas – the quantum field of infinite possibilities and parallel universes (5th dimension) – often gives rise to fantastic possibilities that leave us speechless, filled with awe, wonder and confounded delight. Through Neptune’s connection to Jupiter, our social capacity for definitively forward-thinking proclamations and virtuous pontifications about experiencing the cosmic field of universal abundance are conveyed into workable 3rd-dimensional laws. Through Jupiter, Neptune subtly channels “divine formations” into mainstream society’s established narratives, promulgating the ‘shape of things to come’ through those who possess the faculty to dream or imagine another way, especially to benefit the collective plight of humanity, often emerging as blessed visionaries or gurus of a burgeoning “new order”.

It must be said, that both Jupiter and Neptune are attributed as rulers of Pisces, the mutable-water sign.

CYCLES OF SPIRITUAL, ARTISTIC AND COMMUNITARIAN LONGING

By studying the 166-year set of Jupiter-Neptune cycles, we are able to examine how, every 13 years, in one zodiacal sign after another, each conjunction uncannily portends something of the distinct quality of the sign being energised.

For instance, the last Jupiter-Neptune cycle, which commenced at 24°17′ Aquarius in Dec 2009, introduced society to the digital social networking services of Twitter, Facebook, etc, as well as giving supreme rise to other infotech companies (Google, Microsoft, Apple) hereby changing the whole pretext of the old ‘public town-square’ way of meeting in groups and exchanging ideas, political rallying and voting and promoting liberal arts, and turning their respective gurus into new messiahs. By the end of the Aquarius Jupiter/Neptune cycle, we see a society depending almost entirely on a ubiquitous online connection for our news and commerce needs.

Neptune changes signs approximately every 14 years. It moved into Pisces back in 2012, where it will stay until 2026. It has not been in Pisces since 1848-1862 due to its 165-year orbit. It was the time of California and Australian Goldrushes, the first transcontinental railways, the opium wars between Britain and China, of slavery abolition debates and finally Abraham Lincoln.

2022 is the first time Neptune will meet Jupiter in Pisces since March 1856. At each conjunction, Neptune subtly introduces a possible ‘better’ future to Jupiter, who then spends approximately a year transiting through each of the 12 zodiac signs, sowing the seeds of dissolution to all the dreams that stood before, washing them away with the promise of a brand new hope, gradually inducting each of them to Neptune’s promise of ego redemption and spiritual refinement. It is a grandiose dream, but over the next 13 years, Jupiter will sell the vision to all 12 signs once (twice in its initial sign) before again meeting Neptune.

As the Moon does for the Sun each month, Jupiter integrates the full Neptunian vision throughout the entire zodiac community in one synodic cycle. And just as the Sun transits all 12 signs in one year, Neptune completes its ‘year’ over 166 Solar years. Cycles within cycles within cycles…

In the many ways in which he depicts society’s established way of seeing things, Jupiter brings his inimitable justice to all that is authentic and true, and triumphs over all that is not. Over their 13-year dance together, Jupiter and Neptune elevate our visions to all that is possible, helping us see how this inspired process influences our intuitive feeling, knowing, and ‘believing’ how things could be easier, more harmonious, more ‘libertarian’ and ‘woke’; and how the sharing of our heightened beliefs with others serves to enhance both socio-economic values and spiritual-ethical narratives in our culture.

Currently at 23°58′ Pisces, Neptune will spend another 3-4 years in Pisces, introducing us to the world of dissolved personal boundaries and thrusting us into a new form of spiritual activism by the time he enters Aries in 2025-26. Meeting Jupiter here will help to pave the way for the new, spiritually evolved human, spreading his grandiose dream for cosmic oneness throughout all society.

THE JUPITER/NEPTUNE EFFECT ON THE INDIVIDUAL

Although the potency of idealism around this conjunction will be strong enough to affect us all somehow, some individuals will stand to be affected more than others. Those with strong Pisces, Neptune or 12th House placements will resonate quite strongly with the compassionate vibe of this period. Similarly, those with strong Sagittarius, Jupiter and 9th house charts would be inclined to ride their moral high horse.

However, it is the natives with prominent Jupiter/Neptune aspects, Jupiter in the 12th House, Neptune in the 9th House, Jupiter in Pisces or Neptune in Sagittarius, who, if charts are significantly activated, would rise to flavour the occasion during these times. See, for instance, this recent episode of Cosmic Bus, in which I look at the charts of several individuals involved in one typical incident, which received international attention. 

There are a few things to consider here. Jupiter brings much optimism and good fortune to those who conform to prevailing trends. Those who heed the popular conventions of the social milieu, who adhere to the mainstream political agenda, observe the sacred rites of traditional religions and attend all ceremonies, follow the way of the “classical” great masters in the arts, etc. stand to do well in their communities.

All is well until Neptune intrudes.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with conforming; and society proves that there are often ample practical benefits when we learn to ‘fall into line’ with the ‘in-crowd’. But conforming is not accepting Neptune’s call for an evolutionary leap into higher spiritual consciousness. This crucial step; this willingness to leap into a unique inner transformation or “random mutation” of spiritual growth, requires taking some degree of risk in our ideology, deviating from prevailing patterns and conformities in what others commonly think.

Observe those who display an extraordinary ‘woke’ sensitivity to the world’s inequities and suffering, espousing themselves to prevalent causes and social movements to ‘save the world’ and being ‘allies’ to victims somehow. Are they becoming personally involved when offering sympathy and support, weighed down by the weight of the world on their shoulders? That type of martyrdom, turning one into a victim, is often an unnecessary sacrifice that can and should be avoided.

The Jupiter/Neptune combination is typical of the ‘high vibing hippie’ type, where archaic idealism, political naivety, and tribal consciousness integrate people into communities by spiritual rather than material ties.

Jupiter/Neptune will undoubtedly rouse tremendous compassion, and humanitarian impulses will be strong in many naturally charitable types. However, it often exposes all those whose outward acts of altruism are rooted in immense spiritual pride, arrogance, and misplaced belief in one’s own piety or sainthood. Observe the rise (and fall) of those who posture themselves on the phoney side of spiritual conformity, if only to earn gratuitous social brownie points or to prop up their political or social profile.

Whilst Jupiter inflates the Neptunian tendency to sense greater sympathy and compassion for others, there is also a risk of becoming a ‘gourmet of consciousness’, snagged into the collective mindstream of popular moral manias and hysterical group delusions. These weak or disingenuous gestures become increasingly transparent to many cynics during this time. Whilst devotion and missionary purpose to ‘heal the world’ are potentially positive qualities to possess, life experience often proves that misplacing our confidence in things that don’t concern us or we do not genuinely understand will unfor­tunately and inevitably lead to disillusionment. 

The self-deception factor in Neptune can be particularly spellbinding, especially in an unintegrated personality. A classic example is that of Elizabeth Holmes. Her idealism at 19 years old convinced many to invest in her vision to “heal the world” by supposedly bringing about a revolution in diagnosing disease. Her company, Theranos, at its height, valued at $9bn, fooled many investors and senior public officials into backing her based on the force of her conviction. Ultimately, she left everyone reeling when the company she founded, entirely on a phoney premise, finally collapsed. Her chart conceals a tight Jupiter/Neptune conjunction, squaring her Libran Ascendant and opposing her Cancer Midheaven in the early degrees of Capricorn.

A more pragmatic assessment of Holmes’ true nature and motivations would have prevented much abuse of trust. Her pretentious aphorisms, mimicry and half-baked affectations revealed a thinly concealed insecure inner child who just dreamed of being “the next Steve Jobs”. Surrounding herself with innocent dreamers who wanted this to be true beyond logic and reason, Holmes’ self-centred delusions and scheming nature fuelled her fantasies to bigger and bigger heights. Regardless of the flimsy basis of her product, she continued to take advantage of others’ gullibility, blind faith and ignorance, putting many lives at risk and billions of investor dollars in jeopardy. However well-meaning and humanitarian her intent, her whole operation eventually vanished into thin air when it was revealed, in actual fact, she had no idea what she was doing.

Much discrimination is required under Jupiter/Neptune so that we can recognise those in whom such fragile qualities will be rightly respected. Blind faith is a virtue waiting to be shattered, and many will be queuing up to take advantage of those who can not see the folly of their ways. Of course, it’s a Barnum and Bailey world, and the Jupiter/Neptune is the astrological strand of human DNA that wants to believe the unbelievable. It feeds our power to dream and wish big, and this is somewhat therapeutic.

If one is creating instances where they feign to champion philanthropic causes, publicly denouncing their ego for their spiritual ideals, yet somehow furthering their social position, we best visit them around the back door at an unannounced time. There, we might glimpse the Neptunian tendency to dis­tort one’s potential for genuine self-sacrifice. Jupiter/Neptune folks, especially those with the conjunction or hard aspects, struggle to live up to who they say they are or wish to be. Less scrupulous individuals may take unrestrained advantage of anyone who buys into their fantasy world. Such individuals pray on deluding those whose tendency for charity, sympathy, sacrifice and martyrdom are simply begging to be exploited. This is a typical projection of those with strong Jupiter/Neptune influences in their chart.

In rare extremes, when an individual has become so intoxicated by their own guru power, a fall from grace is always inevitable. Such are the laws of gravity upon the overinflated human ego. Unless one’s spiritual ‘success’ comes from humble service, it can backfire severely and can take extreme perdition and renunciation of one’s egoistic ills to recover, if ever. 

Needless to say, this can be a time where our latent mystical bent can lead us towards involvement with trippy drugs, alcohol-fueled bad decisions or some permutation of a spiritual cult. Indeed, we would be wise to avoid any addictive substances, but should we look towards the spiritual scene, this is a time to be careful of illusions related to gurus, messiahs, cults and the like. 

Ebertin describes this combination as “visionaries, dreamers, mystics, hypocrites, speculators; scandal which is caused through one’s own instability.” 

Generating an image of unqualified spiritual morality, performing pious humanitarian deeds while worrying about how others might regard us can interfere with our search for higher truth. It isn’t unlikely that those who possess this aspect are utterly delusional about their self-image at some point in their lives. Public scandals and humiliation are more often caused by a flagrant disregard for life’s ‘earthy’ consequences than true malice. 

Those who become embroiled in interminable debates over inconsequential or phoney concepts; engrossed in worldly concerns they try hard to understand but only leave them feeling gullible; who play into fraud, mischief and deceit best take a little trip, preferably to a foreign land, explore the mysteries that lie across the distant seas, get a bit of worldly perspective. Above all, they should stop lying to themselves. 

Those who deceive themselves, who believe their own fairy tales, reach a point where they can no longer distinguish truth from fantasy, either alone or in the company of others. 

SPOILER ALERT: Those who continue to live a lie, lost in a dream world, stringing others along, are due for a rude awakening. Those who genuinely have love and compassion in their heart, whose primary purpose in this life is to help others, best stay mindful not to be hurt by them.

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“Say Goodbye To Hollywood” – Cosmic Bus #2213