Jupiter's Role in Ellen DeGeneres' Life, Legacy and Assholery

In light of Ellen’s announcement that she will be ending her show, I am posting a 2020 write up I did of her chart within the context of the bullying and negativity reported to run rampant on her set.

I want to explore, astrologically, what in the hell has been imploding in Ellen's life to completely reverse this "be kind" public image and replace it with an image of a person who seems to be callous, treat people poorly, and stage traps/jokes/scares for her own shits and giggles.

To be clear, I don't think there is anything inherent about Ellen's placements that suggest an ironclad route down the mistreatment-of-others road. A potent mix of power and platform can really distort planetary energies, making them rear in gnarly ways.

Let's talk about the dark side of Jupiter energy. Ellen is a Pisces Ascendant. And it feels odd, right? The sensitive and compassionate fishy capable of wrongdoing? Its ruler, Jupiter (traditionally), can manifest in problematic ways--grandiosity, hubris, dogmatic thinking, etc.

Jupiter has the real potential to proselytize, to go overboard with belief, to crusade for conversion of thought or practice, to become a zealot, moved by the "idea" of something noble versus the actual practice of it. Jupiter is also the principle of teaching others. And placed in a position of power, teaching becomes preaching. Give Jupiter a massive audience and it can really get high on its own supply. Jupiter is the televangelist.

Yes--I know Ellen was not trying to convert in the traditional religious sense. BUT--she was rather committed to this "be kind" front, performing tolerance, giving away checks and prizes, and virtue signaling--while the actual human beings employed by her were suffering (allegedly). Jupiter and Pisces so moved by the idea of compassion and kindness, creating a platform and celebrity around it (1st house), yet failing to actually practice it intentionally. It reminds me of famous preachers who do questionable and selfish things with their millions, whilst preaching every Sunday about charity to others. Much is said of the Pisces escape into substance, romance and art--but Pisces can also escape into unreality. That is where the dissonance between what you "talk" and what you "walk" creeps in. Pisces can also tether itself to spiritual superiority, which is just a front for Jupiterian arrogance.

For what it is worth, Ellen's producers are shouldering a lot of the blame about the toxic work environment, saying that Ellen was removed from the day-to-day running of the show. And that's Jupiter too--holding up a front and neglecting details. She appeared to be surrounded by Yes-men, and that too is Jupiter--a king/queen on its throne assured that the kingdom is running well.

Ellen's Jupiter (and Neptune) also trines her Pisces ASC. That means Jupiter effortlessly steers her ship. The sneaky trine! You never notice it. Like an inborn trait, a second skeleton. While this obviously made her generous, successful, a benefactor to many, it also provided a seamless route for Jupiter and Neptune delusions to creep in. Acting without accountability. Poor humor disguised as gregariousness. Misplaced enthusiasm. Arrogance. A former employee was allegdely told never to look Ellen in the eye or to say hello first, "but don't worry, Ellen won't ever be saying hello to you." Yikes.

While her producers are taking some blame, many employees have already come forward to say that Ellen's pranks and jokes created a tremendous amount of stress. With her Jupiter in Scorpio, she can use her sense of humor to provoke people, to take it all the way to the edge of what is okay. She famously scares a lot of her celebrity guests, finding out their worst fear (i.e. spiders or clowns) and using that against them for a thrill. It pretty macabre. And while a lot of celebrities have come to her defense, the laymen behind the scenes were subject to Scorpio toxicity, an environment of racism, sexism and inappropriate harassment. While Ellen cannot be blamed for all of these occurrences, some perpetuated by producers and management, it says something about her Scorpio footing--there is a sense of drama, and crisis and complexity always prevailing. Even her coming out as gay and suffering the fallout from that back in the late 90s corroborates this Jupiter in Scorpio narrative of controversy, and transforming through it.

Jupiter also rules her Sagittarius MC, and without beating a dead centaur, this really just rounds out the strength of Jupiter in her chart, and how it is performed and perceived by the public. It has a high stake in her personality and career.

Oh wait, never mind. I have to talk about Jupiter again! It is the apex of a T-square she has. It is the outlet. Her Sun and Venus in Aquarius oppose Uranus in Leo, and both square Jupiter. First, we need to give Uranus its due shout out--having this planet in her 6th house of workplace environments says a lot about the chaos behind the scenes, it further supports her need for thrills and oddball humor and deadpan arrogance. Uranus in Leo is the rogue diva. The unsuspecting diva. It also represents how revolutionary and unconventional Ellen's show is in the culture--a gay woman with one of the longest running and successful talk shows of all time. Whodathunk? It also appears to corroborate why she was "hands off" in the running of the show, as Uranus doesn't do nuts and bolts planning or management. But it's opposition to her Sun invites in a tremendous amount of character, yes, and also irritability, being high strung, impatience, being demanding, an uncompromising attitude and ruthless adherence to one's idiosyncrasies and identity. (Aries Moon doesn't help). Put all this into the body of a celebrity with a huge platform, and we can understand why in March, a tweet calling her "one of the meanest people alive" vent viral, and attracted tales from people and former employees agreeing. It essentially snowballed into the controversy she is in now. The Sun square Jupiter person also has an unhealthy integration of Jupiter archetypes into their ego, creating "immoderate actions and attitudes, arrogance, and a lack of self-control." A wheeler and dealer.

"I made one of my employees cry like a baby on today's show. Honestly, it felt good." This is a tweet Ellen wrote in 2009 that has not aged well. While we do not know for sure whether it was a feel good cry moment or not, happy tears, it provides evidence of her Uranus and Jupiter need to stoke BIG reactions out of people--the immoderate behavior spoken about above. Even though some celebrities have come to her defense, a running list of cringe moments shows Ellen's need to put people on the spot, embarrass, shame, or otherwise invite a sense of chaotic tension under the guise of humor. Her Mars in Jupiter's Sagittarius can also do the most. Limits? I don't know her. In the 10th, this plays out for everyone to see.

FWIW, the Aquarius Sun is a people person, but not a person person. They can be very vocal about humane causes, and ideals that shape humanity for the better, yet lack an emotional involvement with the person right in front of them. So the dissonance between Ellen's humanitarian and philanthropic front and her alleged mean and distant behavior on set is further contextualized by her Sun placement in the 12th.

As far as transits, why is this happening now? Uranus in Taurus in her 3rd currently squaring her natal Uranus in Leo in the 6th. Sudden communications and changes in her work environment. People becoming vocal about mistreatment (6th house as the place of employees, slaves, open enemies), demanding a change in culture on the Ellen Show. Uranus transits are confronting, triggering, and alter your path going forward. If transit Uranus is involved in a square with her natal Uranus, that means it is affecting every planet in that T-square I mentioned. Also squaring her Sun, and loosely opposing that dang Jupiter. Ellen is being forced to consider how her actions and identity have shaped her world, and is being asked to create something new in place of it moving forward. The SN in Sagittarius is also acting as a vacuum, a drain, over her 10th house of reputation. The place she held in the world is really up for review, as tenets of her public image are being stripped away.

Can she recover? Probably. Her Jupiter signatures remain strong indications of comebacks, of future success. But she can no longer spend that Jupiter energy in callous and over the top ways. Her show is coming back to air in about a week, and she plans to address everything. So we will see..

Thanks as always for reading!

Rihanna as Modern-Day Elizabeth Taylor

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RIH!

The Barbados Music Industry page on Facebook (I know, not that salient of a source and clearly biased lmfao) made a post yesterday claiming Rihanna as modern day Elizabeth Taylor, citing her obvious beauty, her inspirational appeal, her talent and business endeavors. By the end of the article, it was clear that Rihanna's empire had surpassed that of the late Elizabeth Taylor, but I wanted to explore their connection as provocateurs of sexuality, charm, and class.

I knew Neptune had to be highly involved, and I noticed that they both have Neptune as an elevated planet, the planet closest to their Midheaven (MC). Astrologer Ray Grass describes the most elevated planet as such:

Because of its exalted position, any planetary body located here “lords over” all the other planets in the chart and can exert a powerful influence over someone’s entire life. And while that’s true, to some extent, of any planet occupying the highest point above the horizon, it becomes even more important if that body is near or conjunct the Midheaven, or MC (Medium Coeli) — the zenith point of the horoscope. Any planet aligned with this angle, some have claimed, is “accidentally dignified” in that its innate qualities are amplified in potentially constructive ways.

Neptune as the archetype of glamour, fame, and elusive je ne sais quoi certainly describes both Taylor and Rihanna, who both have Neptune as their most elevated planet, with Taylor's Scorpio Moon also in contention there (more on the Moon connection later below). Taylor's Neptune in Virgo qualifies her appeal as more service oriented, and she was involved in and awarded for her many philanthropic endeavors. She stated:

I decided that with my name, I could open certain doors, that I was a commodity in myself – and I'm not talking as an actress. I could take the fame I'd resented and tried to get away from for so many years – but you can never get away from it – and use it to do some good. I wanted to retire, but the tabloids wouldn't let me. So, I thought: If you're going to screw me over, I'll use you.

This is a lovely Virgo sentiment. Cashing in on that fact that fame has made her commodity and paying that forward to help others. Mutable Earth. Taylor also had a very involved hand in the production of her fragrances, which later became her biggest profit driver, worth over one billion dollars. Perfumery and production are both highly skilled Virgo tasks.

Rihanna's Neptune in Capricorn qualifies her appeal as more entrepreneurial in nature, breaking new ground. Her Fenty make-up (and now skin) line smashed preconceived notions about what it means to have complete skin color inclusivity. Her lingerie line was similarly inclusive, featuring bodies of all sizes, shapes and abilities. She is also the first black woman to ink a deal with the prestigious LVMH fashion group. Capricorn as cardinal Earth can both destroy and create new paradigms for society to adhere to. Rihanna has clearly done so, and continues.

Both women have their Neptune in Earth signs, making it apparent that they have/had similar approaches to their fame and status, using it to make things make sense in a world that adores them, and setting the stage for their legacies to speak for them long after they are done here. Taylor has.

(I also feel like Neptune describes both of these women's hella dreamy eyes).

Rihanna and Taylor both have Venus in Aries, conjunct. It is perhaps most apparent in Rihanna, who took the word "savage" (Fenty x Savage) and turned it into an emblem of female empowerment. Taking the raw, straight-forward, unapologetic and independent nature of Aries and making it sexy. But Taylor also used this fierce nature, not only to advocate for others (as quoted above), but in the roles she portrayed on and off-screen. She was a vixen, a siren, but also a complex and outspoken protagonist. She ran through marriages like an Olympian. And didn't care. Both women are fighters, the star of their own lives, and simply do not and did not give a fuck. Venus in Aries in an asset for any woman trying to get ahead in the male-driven world of entertainment and business.

They also both have Venus on the angles, with Rihanna's conjunct her ASC and Taylor's conjunct her IC. Any planet that is on an angle plays and important role in the life of the native. Taylor's is exactly conjunct her Uranus, explaining her multiple marriages--the need for relationship and then the need to be set free.

The Pisces connection. Both women have Sun in Pisces, conjunct. Modern rulerships aside, Pisces can rule over all that is romantic, dreamy, and beautiful. As the exaltation of Venus, Pisces can represent not only artistic endeavors made transcendent, but also a larger than life beauty, and as much as I loathe this word, and for lack of a better one: exotica. Both women appear(ed) to exist on the world and yet clearly embody something otherworldly. And it is now that I will point out that both women have become identified for their connection to diamonds, a jewel that exists in physical form but has also come to signify something ethereal beyond value : Rihanna's hit song Diamonds and Taylor's fragrance, White Diamonds.

Rihanna's DC angle is Taylor's MC angle, both Libra. Of course planets draw the strongest connections. But I couldn't overlook the symmetry in their angles. In synastry, conjunction between the angles can create a binding effect. Taylor's Libra MC was a conscious activation of justice, fairness, and balance--also, her clear beauty. Rihanna's Libra DC is more an unconscious desire to embody the same.

The “Diamonds” singer is following in the footsteps of one of her role models*, late actress and advocate Elizabeth Taylor, who co-founded amfAR, the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, and other HIV organizations. In fact, at the 2014 amfAR LA Inspiration Gala,* Rihanna bid $100,000 on a photograph of Taylor, which was signed by artist Willy Rizzo.

“Everybody loves Elizabeth Taylor!” Rihanna said. “She’s very glamorous. She’s the best that’s ever done it. But it was for a good cause. I didn’t mind spending every penny on it, because it all went to charity.”

I wanted to emphasize role model, a person who embodies all the traits you admire, someone you emulate. That is the DC/MC connection made manifest. What Rihanna saw in Taylor (MC), is what she too hopes to be (DC). To note, but not really as important as the conjunction, they both have fire ASC trine the other's fire ASC. Both women had/have extroverted/assertive/yang ways of interfacing with a world.

Luminaries in the 12th. Rihanna has her Pisces Sun in the 12th, and Taylor her Scorpio Moon in the 12th. Water signs. Both of these positions are ripe for tapping into the collective unconscious, an ability to be aware of, exploit, and deeply touch the consciousness of humanity, the world. As creative people, Rihanna and Taylor have an influence that will ripple through time, that will be embedded in the zeitgeist. And even while living, both women are/were phenomena--something extraordinary that you just can't put your finger on, a 12th house vagueness and elusiveness. I'm also inspired by the 12th house as the limbo between wakefulness and dream, the merger of fantasy and reality. As described above, both women invoke(ed) this otherworldly beauty, charm, and isness that leaves others in awe. And in water signs, it provokes an emotional reaction from the world. Taylor perhaps more embroiled in controversy (Scorpio), and Rihanna less embroiled in anything, the vastness and possibility of Pisces.

Luminaries in the 12th isn't a smooth ride. Both women have suffered greatly, and in the public eye. It is perhaps this turmoil that fuels their endless rebounds and success.

Moon as master projector. Rihanna has her Moon right on the ASC, and as alluded to before, Taylor's moon was very close to her MC, making both women ripe for the absorption of others' fantasy. Rihanna and Taylor are both women that other women aspire to be, and that men aspire to be with. Outside of heteronormativity and gender norms, both women still encourage a human authenticity. Both are north stars, pointing the way of what it means to fully cultivate a life richly lived, and never regretted.

To end, both women (omg how many times is she gonna say BOTH WOMEN in this post), have strong Mars energy in their charts, owing to the Aries, the Scorpio, and its contact with both of their Suns. Mars in the chart of a woman shows a directness, and forcefulness, a willingness to rise to the occasion, and the cultivation of courage. Rihanna's Good Girl, Gone Bad era (which let's face it, is less of an era and more of a lifelong personality) embodies this martial archetype to fight for an identity of ones own, to challenge what is expected. During this time, Rihanna cut her hair and changed her style much to the chagrin of her management team. This would be what ended up making the Rihanna of then become the Rihanna we love so much now. Playing with edges. Avoiding ego crushing deference to others.

Though perhaps unaware at the time, Taylor's film career has come to light as being "pre-feminist", with her roles introducing to a broad audience, for the first time, many feminist ideals. Some of her roles also subverted stereotypes about women and minorities. But it was mainly her celebrity and self-hood that elevated her as larger than life, a force to be reckoned with. She had a disorienting amount of moxy, sexy, and nerve that invited revolt (unfairly), yet, paved the way for the Rihanna's of today.

I believe in life and I’ll fight for it. I believe you have to put up your dukes and fight, even if you don’t know what you’re fighting against.

-Elizabeth Taylor, Sun conj. Mars

Thanks for reading!

Reframing Aquarius: How the Cool and Detached Offer Us Love

I want to disclaim, before you jump in, that Love in this write-up and in my opinion, is not a feat of romantic heroism or distilled in ambiguous twin-flame theory. It is not a Drew Barrymore rom-com or an episode of The Bachelor. The Love I speak of here transcends the human trappings of performance, expectation, and desperation. The Love I speak of here, the Aquarius Love, is dispassionate, impersonal, and vastly encompassing. It is a validation of humanity, in all its forms. It is the simple act of non-judgement and fundamental acceptance, that allows the human spirit space to breathe and be. That is my Love.

I want to disclaim, also, that this write-up is about the archetype of Aquarius, what exists in the ether independent of human form. I write from my personal brand of Mercury conjunct Neptune magic. Therefore, this is not necessarily about your Aquarius Sun mother, or your Aquarius Venus crush, or about historical figures of Aquarian nature and lore. It is about energy. What human beings do with that energy sprouts a myriad of potential. Below is one of those potentials.

Like Capricorn and Christmas, Aquarius and Valentine’s Day seem to be fundamentally at odds. Where the serious Saturn-ruled earth sign seems incongruous to merrymaking, so does the Saturn-ruled air sign seem an out-of-place home for one of the more romantic days of the year. If pop Astrology had its way, Aquarius would remain inextricably associated with stereotypes of distance and detachment. While those descriptors are certainly relevant, they are not the end of the story.  You may find Taurus or Libra more fitting for Valentine’s Day, where the planet of love and romance is home. Or Pisces, where the planet of love and romance is exalted. Perhaps even Leo, where bouquets of red and pink balloons and Leo-ruled heart-shaped boxes of candy proudly boast and roar: love!  But in removing the superficial layers that surround the misunderstood Aquarius, we can come to understand why Cupid’s foray through this cerebral sign is no accident, and rather points us towards a more fitting, yet shocking, conclusion: that the Aquarius love is deep and endless, that the Aquarian heart throbs with an alien passion. If this shocks you, good. Aquarius can enjoy a revolution, a subversion, a brain-fuck. And so may this revolution set Aquarius free from misinformation, and set ablaze a different way of thinking. If you choose to want to think it, that is—Aquarius doesn’t care!

Where Taurus makes love physical, Libra makes love delightful and Pisces makes love dreamy or transcendent—Aquarius makes love ideal. In any working definition of the word romance, “idealized love” makes a literal or alluded appearance. It could be said, then, that from Aquarius, the idea of love is born, even if not practiced. And from ideas, all things sprout. This isn’t altogether odd. Aquarius deals with intellect and logic. And ruled by Saturn, striving towards lasting standards of excellence and fairness, signposts of anything ideal, lines up with what we know about the archetype. In potentializing love to an ideal place, the Aquarius Love comes with a bigger heart and bigger mission. As a human sign, Aquarius is not particular about love— who deserves it, who is giving it, why it went away, when it’ll come, how it looks, etc. With the power of scope and objectivity, Aquarius Love transcends physical limitations and instead becomes a universal concept under which all of humankind can shelter. And what could be more loving than the unrelenting acceptance Aquarius offers? And so where things aren’t sensual or material or comfortable enough for Taurus, where things aren’t refined or classic enough for Libra, or magical and hypnotizing enough for Pisces—Aquarius asks no price of admission, for love to them remains priceless, a public good to be doled out and shared not on pretense, but on brotherhood. It is Aquarius’s diligent eye on humankind and fraternity that expands the concept of love: come one, come all, and come as you are.

Saint Valentine of Rome, whose written account has come to serve as an historical template for the inception of Valentine’s Day, acted out these Aquarian ideals. He performed weddings for those forbidden to marry and when sent to jail, healed his jailer’s daughter of blindness. Afterwards and right before he was due to be executed, he sent a letter to the jailer’s daughter, and signed it, your Valentine. Saint Valentine of Rome was also said to give out paper hearts while ministering to people about God’s love (an impersonal Aquarius resonance, equality under an all-seeing eye), and a direct line can be drawn from this action to the Valentine’s Day decorations we see today. In this brief recounting, we meet two Aquarian archetypes, the former more recognizable than the latter: rebellion and compassion. A human thing to do despite the laws of the time, Saint Valentine, though perhaps not an Aquarius himself, extolled all of the best, yet often ignored tenets of the sign—the push towards equality, that all deserve to have their love legitimized and recognized, endless openness to the human condition, and the Love with a capital L that drives one to such measures. Questionable religious ideology aside, Valentine lived and died on one principal: that love, in all its myriad of incarnated forms, in all of its ceremonials, is for all. That the Sun was travailing through Aquarius as the framework for our modern conception of Valentine’s Day was underway can be no coincidence. All of Astrology bears correspondence to human events, even if they remain obscured or misunderstood for a time.

In Ancient Greece, Aquarius season coincided with Gamelion, the month of marriage. Two festivals occurred then, roughly translated to Sacred Wedding and Divine Wedding. These festivals celebrated the union of Zeus and Hera. In Roman texts, Hera was known as Juno, the goddess of marriage. If Juno sounds familiar, it is because an asteroid was named after her and has come to represent what is looked for in marriage and commitment. Modern natal chart calculators can show where Juno is in the sky for an individual, and can points towards the characteristics of a most suitable long-term partner. So what is it about Aquarius that corresponds to this cultivation of lasting love and marriage? Look to the element and modality: fixed air. Like any fixed sign, Aquarius holds on tight and when best expressed can exalt the virtues of fidelity. Of course, any ideal marriage or partnership needs this brand of loyalty and perseverance. Though much is said about the Aquarius need for space, even the Aquarius need for isolation, it cannot be overlooked that when in intimate partnership, Aquarius is one of the more steadfast partners, seeking not for frivolous union, but for deep connection. But the elemental nature of Aquarius sets it apart from the rest of the fixed family. It can be said that inherent to Aquarius symbolism are two life-sustaining elements: air, and water, as Aquarius is the water-bearer, often mistaken by novices as a water sign. Let me poetically pontificate: no living being can do without air or water. And so the Aquarian love is life-sustaining, from which all bounty and blessings grow, from which all beings benefit. It is the grandeur of this concept that gives Aquarius its aloof quality—their Love is so universal and welcoming that to the casual observer, it appears impersonal. But it is precisely the scope of Aquarius Love that makes it so palpable, an equally matched breadth and depth. Where fixed Taurus can become materialistic, fixed Leo can become self-aggrandizing, and fixed Scorpio can brood and become paranoid, no more fixed is Aquarius than the air it represents: ubiquitous, self-sustaining, stretched over distance yet deeply intimate, as oxygen and the connectivity of breath is shared by all. Co-dependency has long reigned as a romantic model of love, clinginess and self-dissolution perversely used as measures of affection. Psychology has now caught up and identified this proclivity as self-sabotaging and maladaptive. The Aquarius model of live and let live in relationship can appear threatening to the osmosis some wish to experience, or expect to experience. But it offers us a great chance at healthy love—as when air is squelched out of the equation, breathing becomes labored, and the life of the relationship is threatened. When inserted in mutually consented amounts, air allows for space, wherein two individuals (or more, *wink*) can fully stretch out into their identity, their lived experience, always feeling supported, but never entrapped. That is what Aquarius can offer—a Love given the air to float, fly, and flex.

In a sense, and as alluded to above, Aquarius love can be cerebral. But all things start first with thought. The belief of a thing creates the experience of a thing. So for Aquarius to hold you in their minds with love and affection is to tap into a potent creative energy, one that serves as the basis for all emotion and action. And because these ideas are fixed, good luck changing the Aquarian mind. Once loved, always loved. For Aquarius, the idea of love for a person, up close or from afar, is to render that love timeless and shapeless, graduated out the physical dimensions of gift-giving, face-time and attention, and into an ethereal experience. Aquarius is associated with personal freedom and independence. Aquarius gives Love the freedom to expand, to individuate, untethered by expectation or precedent.

Aquarius is traditionally ruled by Saturn. There is, then, a resonance with Aquarius and Saturn’s sign of exaltation—Libra. They trine one another, and share a common Saturnian DNA. Libra, in some ways, is the sign of marriage, one-on-one partnership, diplomacy, and fairness. Therefore, there is an invisible but what I find a personally noteworthy through-line and resonance connecting the idea of peaceful partnership to the Aquarius archetype. With this link, Saturn, and by virtue, Aquarius, can delight when relationships become stable and enduring, planting fertile ground for love to blossom perennially, even after the cold and dry winters.

In sum, I invite you to reconsider what you’ve heard about Aquarius. Leave room for the wondrous ways in which this sign offers us love, and hold space for a history that can corroborate it symbolically. Remember that as the water bearer, Aquarius has within it wells of untapped emotional capacity. Only, unlike any other sign, Aquarius shoulders these emotional conditions with impenetrable strength and understanding, turning them into nutrient, tilling human soil, watering it with compassion. In this alchemical process, all human experience, the sordid and splendid, meet their highest resolution in the arms of Aquarius. It is this level of belonging, of feeling seen and heard, that allows unbridled love to flow. It could be that the Aquarius tendency for distance and austerity is merely erected as a means of protection. That the love they feel for others must somehow be contained behind a wall, less it completely overwhelm them, less their waters drown the world. But do not be mistaken—beyond the ideas of coldness and detachment lies a soft, loving center. A sweetness disguised, but always alive.

“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.”

-William Shakespeare

Jupiter Conjunct Pluto Through the Houses

This configuration is all about how you define personal success. Jupiter is where we expand, where we go to develop ourselves along the lines of faith, spirituality, philosophy and other facets of the high mind. Jupiter aligns us with our personal brand of luck and opportunity, and the mindsets that make it possible. Jupiter shows talents that manifest with ease. Pluto is the principle of power, of urge, of obsession. It is the energy of digging in, unraveling, of going to the edge, looking over it, and laughing. After all is said and done, the Plutonian plunge acquaints us with personal power. Not in the brute and obvious way, not like Mars. This is a silent and soulful power.

 When Jupiter and Pluto conjoin, we get breadth and depth. Sometimes in devastating ways. Like the spread of COVID-19 and the Spanish Flu (Pluto representing virus and germs—microscopic death. Jupiter representing spread, travel, and proportion). But in our charts, Jupiter conjunct Pluto can tell a personal story as well. Pluto has been grinding away in Capricorn and the house that contains Capricorn for a long while. Its changes are subtle and far reaching. But the introduction of Jupiter, known as a trans-personal planet, may have made aware to you some of underlying motivations you have for achievement. The drive for power is strong. Jupiter may have made you aware of the power you lack, want, have, etc.— and those realizations can shape your actions and tinker your compass moving forward.  It all goes back to that definition of personal success. For some, it is money, power, and fame—an obsession with worldly status that is apropos for Capricorn. Any way to get a leg up, even if it breaks others’ legs. For others, productive avenues of power—like wanting for due recognition, respect, and betterment—can take hold. Power becoming empowered. A success that maybe only you see or know. Perhaps a combination of all the above.

Jupiter came to conjunct Pluto two times this year already and will make a third conjunction tomorrow. April 5th, June 30th, November 12th. These days coincide with a beginning, middle, and end to the Jupiter-Pluto narrative. Of course, not in any tidy way. But those three dates are helpful ballparks for events that show the fingerprint of Jupiter and Pluto’s energy for you. Below are brief descriptors/themes regarding the transformation and opportunities that may have befallen you or will.  

Aside from knowing which house these conjunctions are in for you, it is also helpful to keep in mind which houses Jupiter rules for you to further contextualize internal or external events. Jupiter rules Sagittarius and Pisces.

1st house: These conjunctions brought to the forefront your very identity in the world, how your personality, affect, and interactions could use more punch, power, and flair. Scaffoldings that forced you to play small have crumbled, and it may not have felt great. You have experienced loss, death, and hardship in literal and figurative ways. You have been reborn to yourself this year, in ways that empower you to play big and take up space. To rise to the occasion of life. Your physical body, with all its pains and warts, perceived or real, have forced you to realize you are more than flesh and bone. You are the energy that animates it.

2nd house: These conjunctions had you reckon with your value systems. In the most literal way, income, material resources, the balancing of assets versus liabilities became throughways for financial power and freedom. When your security is ensured, life opens up, opportunities can be capitalized off of, and monetized. Your material life can empower you to take on life in a safe way. The imbalance of such things, the mismanagement of them, causes disempowerment. Scarcity mindset. The ravenous need to keep up with the Joneses. So, too, have intangible forms of value crept to the surface this year. Where you give too much, take too much. Where you are depleted or substantiated. You have been drained and devalued in devastating ways, with the lesson being intentional procurement of the things that truly fill you up. And the pruning of things that do not.

3rd house: These conjunctions worked hard on your mindsets, your communication, your comings and goings in the community, and the actors you share that stage with. Opportunities to share your ideas and take full advantage of your mental abilities seemed to be been co-present news, information, and perceptions that were disturbing and uncomfortable. It is only in fully cultivating every corner of your mind, even the dark and dusted places, the scary places, that you come into profound understanding of yourself and your voice. Saying the things that need to be said, adhering to ruthless honesty, and exploring complexities will galvanize life in a direction that speaks your truth to power.

4th house: These conjunctions felt like the Earth was reorganizing itself beneath your feet. The places where you root yourself—in homes, in traditions, in family—were subject to quakes and quivers. This is the midnight house, the most private, the seat of our soul. You have been reset. Psychological and soul stirrings seemed to have accompanied the changing of the guards in your life. You moved and were moved. Familial tapestries perhaps felt outgrown or were grown upon. Places and people of comfort became uncomfortable. In sorting through the structures that broke down, and also the ones left upstanding in the wreckage, you can piece together the foundations worthy of your continued growth. And can trust they can hold the weight.

5th house: These conjunctions played on your creative contributions, and how they serve your character. We create in all types of ways: through art, through children, through romance, through play. Anywhere where we create evidence of our life. Though, do these pleasures consume you or emancipate you? There have been opportunities to exercise your imagination and the personal power it gives you. In your quest to project creative confidence and authority in your offerings, resistance from others or from an outgrown need to shrink have compelled you forward. Keep in mind the difference between power and empower—is what you do uplifting or is your motive to exert importance? Your capabilities are profound and evergreen when you let them flow and let them go.

6th house: These conjunctions have retooled your service, routines and health. The need for a job well done, to perform duty and responsibility in ways that compel recognition may have eaten you up, exhausted you. To be a background player in the results you help to create may have moved you into spaces where your ethic, problem-solving and service are valued and rewarded, or into mindsets that produce movement in that direction. Offers and opportunities for upward mobility (relatively) have presented themselves, yet so has the excruciating desire to find work that…works for you. The systems you have in place that feed your body have been magnified and tested—for better or worse. A sound body, an enriching lifestyle, and a set of habits that uplift the upward movement are sources of meaning. And in turn, it creates a meaningful life.

7th house: These conjunctions have brought a surplus of movement and opportunities in your one on one relationships. Yet, the people we let in close have the power to significantly alter us, move us into pain, move us into rapture, and move us into objective understanding of ourselves, our roles. This is hard and visceral work. You desire to be on good terms with all your counterparts, romantic, platonic and professional. But you can keep bumping up against what feels like shadow work, power plays, and a reverberating examination of true motive. After all is said and done, these foils to your main character show you more about yourself, move you into alignment with the dynamic and complex offerings of others, and ultimately, harness compromise and understanding as a life tool. This peace is your power. As is the ability to stand alone where company disappoints and dissolves.

8th house: These conjunctions have turned your mind inward with a close examination of your human condition, and the human condition in general. There is a profound gift in being able to face your fears, traumas and pain, in forcing sunlight into your broken places. Flaws build character build a richly lived life. Wabi Sabi. Your dealings with others have felt karmic and moving on a soul level, most of the lessons touching a sensitive nerve you never knew was exposed. You have been given opportunities to share of yourself, to reckon with how you are indebted, to look at how you manage assets and forces that are behemoth. Resources have flowed. This energy has introduced to you your own strength and weaknesses. To be softened, to surrender, to give up, to cry out for help—these are all fast tracks to a spiritual understanding life. Your power is in the expansion of consciousness.

9th house: These conjunctions have erected plot twists into your hero’s journey. Your faith in life is outsized yet seems to constantly bump up against forces that challenge it and seek to demolish it. And perhaps demolition has occurred, forcing you to rebuild with freshened perspective, with more grit and experience. Your appetite for adventure, for experience, for education, for sampling all that life has to offer has increased. Your higher mind is the gateway for true power. In confronting the big Why’s of life, you have been met by doubt, loss, and setbacks—but so, too, have those things clarified your answer. A high concept, a quest for information that is inherently subjective and spiritual moves you into a more holistic interpretation of the story unfolding for you. You’re writing the interpretation as the narrative unfolds.

10th house: These conjunctions for you have perhaps been the most deeply felt and transformative. Power playing out in a status-defining house. Your prominence and star turn on the world stage has been met with applause, with increased visibility, and with a hunger to get more, do more, and be more. Confidence is a natural byproduct of this transit, but ambition is a double-edged sword. Increased responsibility is a signpost of success, but mismanagement of that power can be devastating. Even the small ways you have sought to exert influence or be in control could be damaging to the humanity you carry. You don’t always have to be achieving, setting goals, or winning to be important. More so than any other house, how you determine your personal success weighs heavily. Will it ring hollow but win trophies? Or can it allow for meaning, rest, and reflection as well?

11th house: These conjunctions have expanded upon your desire to stand out from the groups you belong to and use them to further a goal. Because of that, your social networks may have dwindled dramatically, or else your perception of the players that actually matter has sharpened. The people you place around you during this time have real potential to move you forward, and to do that, you may have faced the loss of longstanding friendships and other social fixtures that no longer serve. Your specific drive to move, shape, and change humanity using your gifts has come into focus, as have the unique, perplex and saddening societal structures to battle along the way. You empower yourself through the people you choose to share this dream with. They must be mission critical.

12th house: These conjunctions have sensitized you, made you tender, made you receptive to your disowned needs, and the needs of others around you. The compassion and empathy this house offers are usually through a fraternity of pain and suffering. You feel kinship with those who have felt in similarly hard ways, or else have grown into a personal fraternity of self by allowing your pain to have a seat at the table. The way you relate with and understand others is profound though probably informed by your own losses. Events that force your self-sabotaging and victimized ways to the surface have been plentiful, yet a spiritual understanding and compassion for these drives often lurked and offered transcendence. Your power is in forgetting yourself and in separating from a bruised ego by diving into subconscious and soupy states. Letting the Universe move you instead of having to control everything yourself. The information may feel vague but holds value. Alone time, literally or not, sets the stage for rebirth, like how a cold and barren winter always foretells of a brighter spring.