If you follow astrology, you have likely read about the auspicious Jupiter/Venus conjunction in Cancer (August 12, 1:30 AM ET, 14º03’).
You can actually see the two planets with the naked eye just before dawn in the eastern sky.
This is the healing balm that can soothe the burns and inflammation that has been building through the past week of heavy fire and air energy. It’s the dip in the pool on a hot summer day; a cold drink; a moment of refreshment and renewal as Venus and Jupiter — the two benefic planets — initiate a new cycle.
Jupiter is exalted in Cancer, making it extra powerful to do its work. And Venus is also very comfortable in this nurturing sign.
A Jupiter/Venus conjunction tends to trigger a flood of articles and memes about lucky days and abundance, especially when it occurs in a sign where either planet has some “status,” as it does this year.
All of these things can be true. But the predictions of magic, luck, abundance, and “miracle grow,” can also feel like a lot of hype.
Maybe this Venus/Jupiter conjunction will bring you the lucky break you’ve been seeking. But if it doesn’t, you might wonder what you did wrong or why you don’t seem to catch the luck.
Here are some things that might be going on.
(1) “Overhyped” is On-Brand for a Venus/Jupiter Conjunction — Especially in Cancer
Let’s start with the hype.
Jupiter in Cancer is in the sign of its exaltation, which means it has a lot of resources here to do its core job. In Cancer, Jupiter is an especially good cheerleader, and “hype” person, so the proclamations that this will be the best day of the year make sense.
Overhyped is right on-brand for any major Jupiter aspect in Cancer, especially a Jupiter/Venus conjunction.
But be careful: this can set you up for inflated expectations —and the inevitable disappointment that follows when those expectations fail to materialize.
(2) Jupiter Often Gets Over-Simplified
Jupiter is often described as the planet of “abundance” and “luck,” but this is an oversimplification that misses the nuance of the Jupiter archetype.
The best keyword for Jupiter is expansion; what it really does is make things bigger.
Jupiter might expand your bank account, your friend groups, or your business, but it can also expand your waistline, a tumor, or the weed infestation in your yard.
What, exactly, it will expand depends on where it falls in your chart (more on this below).
Jupiter can magnify things to help you see what’s really happening in a situation.
Jupiter can also magnify intangibles. Jupiter in Cancer can give you an abundance of empathy, intuition, and care.
This can indeed be a great thing, with a caveat:
If you direct that care outward without first filling yourself, you can end up with martyr syndrome: over-caring, over-empathizing, and over-giving at your own expense.
(3) “Unlimited Growth” Isn’t Always a Gift
Jupiter is the planet of growth, but it’s worth considering whether “unlimited growth” is really what you want.
Whenever people talk about “unlimited growth,” I like to remind myself of a point that Wayne Muller makes in his book Sabbath: that “unlimited growth” of cells in the body is called cancer (the disease, not the zodiac sign). If you had a massive tumor growing that could be a manifestation of Jupiter; I don’t think you’d call it “lucky.”
While you might welcome Jupiter’s expansion and growth in your bank account, you might not be as happy to see its influence on the scale.
What Jupiter expands will depend on the planets it’s speaking with and where it is. When Jupiter and Venus meet, Jupiter expands Venus’ archetype.
Yes, this includes love and relationships, as you’ve likely read elsewhere. It also includes pleasure, money, food, and material delights.
A Jupiter/Venus conjunction can lead to love and success, but it can also lead to over-indulgence, greed, and materialism.
(4) Jupiter and Venus Don’t Always Align on Values
Yes, these planets are both “benefics,” but they represent different energies and approaches to life.
Venus seeks pleasure and ease, while Jupiter seeks wisdom. These values are not always aligned. In fact, sometimes we earn our most profound wisdom from situations that are decidedly not pleasurable or easy.
Jupiter takes a big-picture view of life; it is the planet of philosophy and religion, and relates to big adventure — things that can separate us from our loved ones. Venus, on the other hand, is the planet of love and connection. It wants to create unions and keep people close.
Their conjunction can create an inner conflict, leading to struggles or decisions that are not aligned with your true self.
(5) How Jupiter/Venus Will Impact You Depends on Multiple Factors
When we’re talking about two planets in the current sky meeting up in a particular sign, that’s only one part of the story.
Not every transit will impact your life in the same way. Some won’t impact you at all.
To understand how — and whether — the Venus/Jupiter conjunction will impact you, it’s important to look at multiple factors.
One of the most important of these factors is the relationship between planets in the current sky and planets in your chart.
For example, if your chart has Saturn around 14 degrees of any cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn), it will add an energy of restriction and limits to what might otherwise be an expansive moment.
Does it mean you’ll have a “bad” day? Not at all.
In fact, the presence of Saturn in the mix can help you temper your expectations and avoid the type of over-indulgence that could otherwise be a problem under this transit.
It can also help you establish strong boundaries so that you don’t over-give and expend all your care on others without also caring for yourself.
The point is that these planetary meet-ups don’t happen in isolation. We always want to take a holistic view; it’s important to consider the full landscape of the current sky and the landscape of your personal chart to see how this might play out.
Counterpoint: You Might Not See the Impact
On the other hand, just because you can’t see or feel the effects doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Jupiter and Venus may, in fact, be bringing their blessings to your life, but in a way that you can’t see.
Sometimes “luck” or “magic” shows up in a hard situation being less difficult than it would have been otherwise.
The Magic is Within You
Ultimately, the planets don’t supply the magic; that comes from within you. The planets merely show us the energetic environment we are living in.
The best way to work with any planetary transit is to understand where it lands in your chart and how it’s relevant to you.
With knowledge comes agency to act in ways that will best serve you.
Want to learn more about how this is impacting you, and how to work with it?
I help overwhelmed women attune to their rhythms and leverage their personal seasons and cycles to work in rhythm with time.
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