Jupiter in Libra: September 2016 - October 2017

Jupiter enters a new sign, air sign Libra, on September 9th 2016 at 7:18AM ET. Jupiter has spent the last year in earth sign Virgo, sign of work, daily life, and health, and we go from a focus on the mundane and what needs to be done to a focus on relationships, connection, and commitment. Libra is the sign of relationships and commitment, so we can see more people coming together during Jupiter’s time in Libra, and more people taking the next step in relationships. There can be more emphasis on love and marriage, and we can benefit more from partnerships.

Libra governs partnerships in general, not just marriage and romantic relationships, so we can see more partnering up occurring between people, corporations, or governments. Coming together can benefit us, and it can help us keep the peace, another thing Libra rules. We want peace, harmony, compromise, and for everyone to get along, and the world can be better when we strive for it.

Libra is ruler of equality, fairness, and justice, so this can become something we strive for even more. Issues related to race, gender, and sexuality can be brought forth as we try to work on what blocks us from being truly open. We can open ourselves up to understanding, and try to be more willing to see the other side. Libra is represented by the scales, so we can weigh the pros and cons more, and try to give time and attention to every outcome, every opinion, every side to the story. At the same time, we may be more indecisive than usual because of this.

The last time Jupiter was in Libra was September 2004 - October 2005, so try to remember what occurred in your life during that period to get a sense of what may come now for you personally.

Unfortunately, there is some great difficulty with Jupiter in Libra - a cardinal t-square! We go from having a mutable t-square while Jupiter was in Virgo to now having a cardinal t-square with Jupiter in Libra.

A t-square occurs when at least two planets oppose one another and both square (3 signs away) a third planet, forming what looks like a T. T-squares occur in signs of the same quality, and this new t-square will be in cardinal signs - Jupiter in Libra opposite Uranus in Aries with both square Pluto in Capricorn.

We had a cardinal t-square with these 3 planets in 2013 - 2014, and this seemed to help contribute to the rise of ISIS and terror activity. This is because cardinal signs are the active signs, the first signs of their elements, and they take action.

The difference then was Jupiter was in Cancer, so Uranus in Aries was the squared planet (the squared planet gets all of the energy funneled to it), which greatly increased the hot energy, and Libra was the missing sign, the sign of peace (the missing sign is what we’re missing and need).

This time, Pluto in Capricorn will be the squared planet, and Cancer will be the missing sign. Pluto in Capricorn has impacted a lot of the changes in government and countries since Pluto entered Capricorn, so we’ll likely see more changes in governments, and governments and leaders falling around the world, more nationalism, and the anti-establishment sentiment will likely continue as well as people continue to rage against the machine.

With Cancer missing, this is the sign of emotion, of home and family, of internal foundations, and of country, so we may be missing emotional and familial connections, and focus more on the external and not enough on the internal. We need to remember that we’re all one big human family, and the Earth is our collective home.

Energy was supercharged last time though because the t-square was exact at times between Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto. That won’t be the case this time since Uranus and Pluto won’t exactly square one another.

Jupiter exactly squares Pluto November 24th 2016, March 30th 2017 in retrograde, and August 4th 2017, and exactly opposes Uranus December 26th 2016, March 2nd 2017 in retrograde, and September 28th 2017, so these dates may be when the cardinal energy is strongest.

While Jupiter has been in Virgo with a mutable t-square, we’ve also occasionally had a cardinal t-square at the same time, and when Jupiter enters Libra, we’ll also have a mutable t-square going on with Mercury retrograde (appearing to move backward) in Virgo, the sign Jupiter leaves, and the Sun in Virgo.

The start of Jupiter in Libra may kick off with a bang because of this (to early October). Every time we’ve had this overlap of energy with a cardinal t-square and a mutable t-square, we’ve seen some big attacks in the world. Mutable energy is also active, like cardinal energy, but cardinal energy tends to have a focus and is directed, while mutable energy tends to be scattered and unfocused.

So having them team up usually isn’t a good thing, and we’ll need to be extra careful during these periods. There will be another overlap with a mutable t-square April 21st - June 21st 2017 as the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Mars tour Gemini, and another July 25th to the end of Jupiter in Libra (October 10th 9:20AM ET), with the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Mars touring Virgo. Keep an eye on these periods.

Meanwhile, a grand cross will occur June 4th - August 26th 2017. A grand cross is like a t-square, except there is no missing sign, a fourth planet occupies it. With Cancer being the missing cardinal sign, the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Mars will tour Cancer during that time frame, forming a cardinal grand cross. Grand crosses actually tend to be more stable than t-squares since there’s nothing missing, but we need to direct the energy positively, otherwise we can get super frustrated.

On top of all of this, the ruler of Libra, Venus, will retrograde while Jupiter is in Libra, March 4th - April 15th 2017. We can feel super off during this time, and have a hard time with expansion, exploration, and optimism. We may be extra lazy and tactless, and need to be more considerate.

Jupiter will retrograde starting February 6th 2017, and will begin that retrograde sextile (positive aspect, two signs away) transit Saturn in Sagittarius. The two are actually sextile one another starting December 2016 in orb through the turn retrograde in February, but are never exactly sextile one another.

This can be a stabilizing period though, and we can be more responsible and calm. Jupiter is retrograde in Libra to June 9th 2017, and ends at 13 degrees Libra, which is a critical degree, a point of critical energy. That is in the middle of the double t-square/grand cross energy, so things may be on edge mid-2017.

SO the planets aren’t playing very nicely while Jupiter is in Libra, and we still have more wild energy to manage over the next year. Remember, we need an emotional connection, to come together as one family, and see this is all our home. Stop focusing outside and look within. Come together and work for peace and equality. Be fair, be just, understand both sides. Or hide under a rock!

Suggested Reading: The Transit Jupiter page for general interpretations