Jupiter - The bridge to the soul

At the most general level, Jupiter represents a principle of expansion, while Saturn represents a principle of contraction.

Expansion can be expressed by multiplication, extension or elevation.

Jupiter and Saturn are the last two visible planets of the solar system. They are located between the last personal planet, Mars, and the outer or trans-personal planets, starting with Uranus which is usually invisible from Earth without a telescope. Jupiter and Saturn are called collective planets and represent the two polar forces by which we evolve in the world.

The glyph of Jupiter consists of a crescent Moon at the top left connected to a cross at the bottom by the left side of the horizontal bar. I can't help but see in the crescent Moon the sail of a boat, the horizontal bar representing the deck and the vertical bar used to steer the boat.

In comparison, in the Saturn glyph, the cross is located above a crescent Moon, connected to the cross by the bottom of the vertical bar. The crescent Moon can be seen as the anchor of a ship.

The crescent Moon represents the unfolding of life through the light of the Sun. In the Jupiter glyph, the crescent Moon is above the cross, freeing it to fill the sails of the ship before connecting to the embodied world represented by the cross. In the Saturn glyph, the crescent Moon is below the cross, connected by the vertical bar. The verticality of the bar and the upper position of the cross suggest control over the flow of life, reduction to essentials and fixation.

Jupiter occupies a central position in the solar system, between the personal planets and Saturn with the transpersonal planets. It is also the largest celestial body after the Sun. This dominant position is confirmed by Greek mythology where Zeus is considered the King of the Gods, who govern them from the top of Mount Olympus. He is the Master of the Heavens and his most famous attribute is lightning. He is also the guardian of the law and the protector of justice.

Jupiter is the ruler of Sagittarius. The image associated with the sign is a centaur brandishing a bow with an arrow aimed at the sky. It suggests the mastery of instincts and a tension towards the highest spheres. The exaltation of Jupiter in Cancer also represents the sublimation of instincts symbolized by the Moon, ruler of Cancer.

Principle of expansion

Multiplication

There is a basic Jupiterian tendency to multiplication that can lead to seeking ever more wealth, success and conquests without real meaning. Jupiterian expansion is in this case fueled by the dissatisfaction felt at the level of the Moon. To avoid the feeling of lack in our lives, the usual tendency is to consume, possess and accumulate endlessly. This incessant quest for "Always more" is one of the main drivers that generates the limitless consumption, so destructive for the planet today.

Unlike Mercury which is strongly influenced by the other planets to which it is aspected, Jupiter imposes its influence on the other planets. When Jupiter is associated with Mercury, it can manifest itself by an excess of thoughts and words, with Venus, by exacerbated feelings and with Mars, by endless conquests. On the physical level, the tendency is simply to gain weight and expand one's body, perhaps in an attempt to achieve fullness.

Extension

Like Zeus who reigned from the top of Olympus, the Jupiterian archetype allows us to extend our vision by a movement of broadening and opening towards ever larger spaces, from which it becomes possible to develop a synthetic understanding of reality based on intuition. From this new perspective, the direction to follow imposes itself, thus illuminating the actions to be undertaken.

Jupiter is symbolically the manager acting from his global vision, assigning roles to employees and supervising the functioning of the company or entity for which he is responsible. Dane Rudhyar described Jupiter as the organizer of functions. The organizer ensures that each person's function will contribute to achieving the common goal. He/she trusts his/her intuition to maintain the direction in which the global entity evolves.

The Jupiterian organization is based on trust rather than control. From a clear objective and a benevolent attitude, regulation can operate with fluidity in an organic functioning. Jupiter makes us feel that the living has its own capacity to adjust to circumstances and that interference with natural processes can be reduced to a minimum. Jupiter is generally associated with the law, but it is the law as a principle of cohesion and unity while Saturn represents control, limits and prohibitions that are imposed on all.

Jupiter also enlightens us on the role of each person in the totality of the entity of which she/he is a part. The fluidity of the organization requires that each person be aware, not only of his role, but also of the direction and the "Raison d'être" of the global entity.

But by playing a role in the entities of which we are a part, we can identify with this role. Jupiter represents in this sense the Persona. There is a positive Persona, which makes us harmonize with what others expect and can accept in the exchange with them. When this Persona becomes a self-image, it disconnects us from our true being and contributes to developing a false self.

Elevation

Jupiter is associated with philosophy and religion, suggesting the ability to elevate ourselves and connect us to a reality greater than ourselves. However, despite the powerful aspirations that religions have aroused, their transcendent perspective has often been reduced to dogmas and doctrines, thus crushing the life-giving flame of the spirit under the weight of Saturnian rigidities. Western philosophy has also largely failed to give meaning to our lives.

How can the flame of the spirit be rekindled after it has been snuffed out? Rudhyar wrote: “Through Jupiter the most distant planets (beyond Saturn) operate in answer to the will that reaches them directly from the 'Heart of the Sun'.Jupiter thus becomes the pathway of liberation : the spiritual guru-the mediator between the solar will and the blind Saturn, now seen as 'devourer of his own children' as was shown in the Greek myth.”

This means that new visions can suddenly appear, like lightning, to those who are able to receive them, thus threatening the forms that have been crystallized by Saturn. As we are carried by our beliefs, it is our way of looking at reality that is deeply questioned. It becomes necessary to review why we believe what we believe and to take up the challenge of identifying the origin of these beliefs.

Isira (A spiritual teacher living in Australia) invites us in her book "Awakening you" to list all the beliefs we have about life in order to evaluate the impact they have on us. From this list, we can identify the beliefs that we wish to preserve and those that it is better to abandon.

The vision that underlies our beliefs cannot remain alive without being connected to our Soul. As Rudhyar writes: “Jupiter is the point of emanation of the Soul. It fills the limitations of Saturn until, at the time of its fulfillment, the restraining power of Saturn is no longer necessary, because the flow of the soul has formed and consolidated.”

Ramana Maharshi, the Indian master, while walking one day in nature, saw an old tree within which a new tree was growing. He told his disciples that the new tree was the Self, taking possession of the old structure, until it replaced it, inexorably. This description echoes the way Rudhyar spoke of Jupiter and the transformation inspired by the outer planets in accordance with the will of the Sun.

Pierre Mevel