Jupiter’s outpouring of grace

In the back yard of our house are three fruit trees. There’s a big pear tree that spreads over the western corner, dropping leaves and sometimes fruit on my downstairs neighbors’ car. In the northern corner, the plum tree’s putting out little purple fruits flecked with yellow. I race the squirrels for the best specimens, though sometimes the worms beat us both to the prize. Then there’s this stumpy peach-producing thing. I have no idea if its fruits are edible, but they’re there. And I did nothing special to deserve any of this summery bounty.

That’s Jupiter for you. It’s all about abundance, and grace, and optimism: this outpouring of good things, just because. Any fruit-laden tree, any leafy, spreading vine, any oak tree relentlessly spilling forth acorns, all fall under Jupiter’s jurisdiction. It’s not about Saturnian justice and reaping what you sow. (I certainly didn’t sow these trees. They were here when we bought the place. They just do what comes naturally.) It’s mercy, it’s Jove, it’s Zeus and his endless fertility. No wonder Jupiter is exalted in Cancer: cardinal water, here comes the flood.

Last night I was gazing at big shiny Jupiter, hanging just to the left of the constellation Sagittarius in the early night sky where I live. Yes, right now it’s in its fall, and it’s retrograde: but when retrograde, it’s traveling opposite the Sun, whose full-on light makes the gas giant look grander and Jupiter-ier than ever. For visual impact and sheer I-know-what-you-are stargazing delight, it’s always been my favorite cosmic neighbor.

And from Jupiter, I was able to find the whole Sagittarius constellation. It really does look a little like a teapot. And waaaaay overhead, the summer triangle: Wega, Deneb, and Altair. More good neighbors I like to wave at, this time of year.

(I wonder why Jupiter is in its fall in Capricorn? Just as Jupiter is exalted in the flood of cardinal water Cancer, then it must feel especially restricted by the single-seed imagery of cardinal earth Capricorn. Jupiter hates putting all its eggs in one basket. More eggs, more baskets, more more more!)