Re: Jupiter, the planetary ruler of Sagittarius
Jupiter is the planet of benevolence and expansion. It is the largest planet in our solar system, over a hundred times larger than Earth. Some of its keywords are growth, optimism, good fortune, generosity, geniality, joviality, idealism, judgment, philanthropy, sociability and respectability...
Jupiter receives its name from "Jove," who, in ancient mythology, was the king of the gods. As a matter of fact, its symbol is supposed to be an altered “Z,” the first letter of Zeus, the Greek name for Jove, meaning, “bright Heaven.” Zeus was the great Olympian deity who sat upon his throne atop his holy mountain (Olympus) with a thunderbolt in one hand and the staff of life in the other. In this posture he is - in one divine personage - the Creator (staff of life), the Preserver (the mountain), and the Destroyer (the thunderbolt)...
The name "Jupiter" evolved from the Greek “Zeus Pater,” meaning "father of the gods," and its Latin counterpart, “Diupater,” meaning "God the Father." The planet is, above all others, a benefic planet. The personality with which Jupiter is endowed is a benevolent, patriarchal father-figure. He is the judge, guardian of the helpless, and consoler. It is Jupiter who gives the ability and courage to carry on just that little further and longer when everything else seems hopeless...
When prominently placed and well-aspected in a horoscope, Jupiter portends material good fortune for the native. He/she is, in addition to being “jovial,” deeply moral, with a strong feeling for the sanctity of authority – and often very religious...
Jupiter is a male planet and is therefore a representation of the solar force. Although the Sun activates all life, it does not deal directly in the daily life of man. The various areas of terrestrial life are assigned to the governorships of the different planets according to their individual natures. As the largest planet, Jupiter is given the greatest authority. If the Sun is the Caliph or Emperor, i.e., the spiritual lord, Jupiter acts as the Grand Vizier or Shogun, i.e., the temporal lord. (To the uninitiated this distinction is difficult to understand.)
Most people desire action from God, direct intercedence, swift answers to their prayers and supplications. For this reason, Jupiter has often been integrally linked to the Sun in mythology and religion. To the ancient Egyptians, whose spiritual history has its roots in remote antiquity, Jupiter was “Amun” (Amun Re being the solar deity). The Babylonians called him “Bel” or “Baal,” or “Moloch,” and the Hindus referred to him as “Vishnu the Preserver.”
Astrologically speaking, Jupiter is, next to Saturn, the most potent planet in our solar system. He signifies all that is truly good and charitable in human life. His actions are truly noble, and a genuine son of Jupiter fills the atmosphere around him with genial warmth. His soul is brimming full of honest good nature. Utterly incapable of practicing fraud, he never suspects it in others, and often becomes the victim of others. Jupiter also signifies the higher moral nature, the humanitarian qualities, and is the author of all noble and charitable institutions and enterprises. Those dominated by its influences express the highest forms of human nature. There is something truly royal in this planet’s influences – a mixture of father, patriarch and king. Those born under its influences do much to redeem mankind from its general depravity. There is always a fine sense of discrimination, and they possess rare qualities of justice, which entitle them to be the judges of people.
As the mythological presider over the community of the gods, Jupiter also presides over the human community. In the astrological system of planetary assignments Jupiter rules the sign Sagittarius, and is exalted (most comfortable and benefic) in the sign Cancer, ruler of the home. The Greek religion also esteemed Zeus as the protector of the domicile and the hearth. He was not only the guardian of the home, but also the chief deity of the State. He was the founder of society, the symbol of justice and truth, and the Lord from whom kings and rulers derived their authority. In this respect, his heavenly staff became the earthly scepter.
Jupiter rules higher education, religion, philosophy and law, and its position in the horoscope indicates the nature and development of one’s higher mental attributes. Jupiter goes beyond the rational faculties embodied by Mercury, its polar opposite, for Mercury is basically concerned with the communication of ideas, while Jupiter seeks the basis upon which ideas are formulated. Jupiter gives the gift of prophecy, while Mercury chooses the words in which divine revelations are to be expressed. Mercury finds the proper phrases to outline a national constitution and writes its laws, while Jupiter is the ideology behind government, and provides the universal principles that serve as the reason why laws should be created in the first place. Mercury teaches man how to communicate with man, while Jupiter shows how man is to communicate with God.
In astrological lore Jupiter is called the “god of plenty.” He is the “Santa Claus” of the skies, and when prominently placed and well-aspected in a horoscope, it gives abundantly of health, wealth and happiness. People with a strong Jupiter influence are compassionate, sociable, optimistic, honest and straightforward. They are dignified, liberal, logical, confident and determined. There is a universal law that states that we receive from nature in exact proportion as we give; thus the man who radiates benevolence becomes a dynamic center through which nature pours her beneficent blessings to her multitudinous progeny...
