Jupiter and Venus (Vedic Astrology Part III)

This post is inspired and predominantly contains excerpts from the book – The Astrology of the Seers – A comprehensive guide to Vedic Astrology from David Frawley. I fully recommend the book.

‘Everything that happens at a particular moment shares the quality of the moment. Hence, in the moment of our birth can be read the quality of our life, just as the nature of a tree can be read in the seed from which it comes.

As the lords of time, the planets are the lords of karma or destiny.

The stars form the cosmic man and we as human beings form a solar system within ourselves.

Our own soul is a star, a sun, a point of cosmic light.

The universe becomes a tapestry of thought in which we can play rather than a net of desires in which we are caught.’

Jupiter and Venus (Vedic Astrology Part III)

Jupiter – famous for being the most helpful, generous and benefic of the planets. His grace has always been sought by the votaries of astrology. In Sanskrit, he is called Gum, “the spiritual teacher” or “guide.” He signifies dharma, the law of our inner nature, which is the law of creative evolution and self-realization. He shows our principles in life, our guiding light of truth. The extent to which one has this can be measured by the disposition of Jupiter in the chart. He is the planet that indicates such domains of principle as law, religion and philosophy. He is a spiritual and ethical (Sattvic) planet which insists upon the pursuit and support of the good. He establishes our good in life and through his influence that goodness comes to us.

Jupiter is the planet of intelligence — not intellect, which depends upon information or refined discernment (indicated more by Mercury), but formless intelligence, which goes back to eternal laws and ultimately to the sense of the eternal itself. He represents our sense of the enduring and the extent to which we are aware of, live according tc, and manifest cosmic intelligence. He represents the immanent Divine spirit which establishes and upholds even the laws of nature.

Jupiter signifies outer creativity, as our children, our progeny. From Jupiter the state of our children is to be ascertained — their number, sex, health, happiness and our relationships with them. Jupiter is also creativity in the inner sense. He gives powers of expression through solid principles which can produce anything from philosophies to institutions (not so much art, however, which is under Venus). Creativity springs from our inner principles, which are determined by Jupiter. He is expansive and loves to share; hence, his constant delight is in greater unfoldment.

Jupiter indicates our inner career — where we really find our personal fulfillment and what we enjoy doing. He indicates our spiritual mission in life as Mercury represents our outer expression. With a good Jupiter, but without a good Mercury, one may be wise inside but will outwardly appear unwise. Jupiter does not give attention to detail like Mercury and so may not allow us to articulate ourselves with clarity. His concern is more with doing the work right than with explaining how it is rightly done.

Jupiter represents joy in life, joy in living, and the positive spirit. He is the great optimist who always sees the good. In him, all sorrow, depression and melancholy is overcome or turned into a learning experience.

Jupiter is the planet of luck, grace, favor and fortune. He gives wealth, abundance, prosperity and success. In the lower sense, he gives fortune on the material plane, for it is the daring optimist who succeeds in the end. He also is indicative of good karma and unexpected rewards. Those who win at races or lotteries or have great inheritances usually have a well placed Jupiter.

In the higher sense, Jupiter is the Divine grace which can fulfill all of our needs without our seeking. He gives religious merit and spiritual beneficence. When Jupiter is with us, all life, all the universe is with us, for he is that cosmic and Divine beneficence.

On a physical level, he is the planet of health. He makes us active in a healthy way and attunes us with the joy of nature. He gives vigor, vitality and a strong immune system.

On the negative side, however, when the expansive Jupiter nature is afflicted, we can become overly optimistic. We will imagine the best and not guard ourselves properly. We will be vulnerable to the deceptive schemes of others. We can over extend ourselves, go beyond our resources, be overly generous, or spend too much. Our speculations will prove faulty. We will try to do too much and succeed in nothing. We may suffer from unexpected bad luck, bad karma, trouble with authorities and institutions, or loss in litigation.

Too much of Jupiter can make us too materialistic, too enamored of wealth, and caught in conventional values and beliefs. We may become self-satisfied, too content, and caught within the status quo. Jupiter is a fun-loving and joyous planet; but when wrongly placed he can get us caught in the pursuit of pleasure and luxury, much like Venus. Though the pleasure of Venus is largely sexual, Jupiter’s is of groups and crowds.

Jupiter likes music and can indicate musical talent. He likes shows, ceremonies, parades and rituals. He can make us into a showman. On a lower level, he likes parties and can make us self-indulgent. His influence can make a good entertainer or even a rock musician, with his love of expansive energy and noise. His happiness is in sharing; even when unspiritually oriented, he will still cause us to drink with our friends and pay for the drinks.

On a higher level, he indicates the priest and is concerned with propriety, formality and hierarchy. He can make us enamored of ceremony, ritual and display. Hence, in Sanskrit he is also called Brihaspati or Brahmanaspati, the original priest or Brahmin. Jupiter is the great planet of aspiration. He shows our faith in life and can indicate the religion we follow or the form of the Divine we are naturally inclined to worship.

Jupiter shows our devotion and dedication in life. As such, for the woman, it signifies the husband. In her chart it will show his nature, health, and her relationship with him. However, this is more true of Hindu society where marriage has followed family and religious sanction. For Westerners, where marriage is more owing to choice or passion, Mars often is more indicative of the partner for the female.

Jupiter reveals the expansiveness of our spirit, just as Saturn indicates our capacity to contract or concentrate. It is no wonder that people all over the world have always sought the energy of this planet for inner as well as outer prosperity and creativity. It is the energy of grace in our chart which we can use to further our aim in life, which should be the aim of life itself for the overflowing of beneficence and love.

Jupiter’s influence functions on a higher level if tempered with that of the Sun or Saturn, which are more stem and realistic. All planets represent energies which are one-sided in themselves and require the right balancing for true harmony — even that of Jupiter.

Venus - Venus manifests the feminine spirit; she is well known as the Goddess of love and beauty. Our Venus shows our affection and sense of harmony in life. In the chart of the male, she represents the wife or lover. She is our appreciation of the beautiful and, as such, represents our aesthetic sense. Venus is the significator of art, poetry, painting, music and dance. She is our muse in life, our sense of the beloved that draws out our creative expression. She indicates our sensitivity, refinement and gentleness.

On the lower or outward level, Venus shows our seeking for pleasure, comfort and luxury. She represents the pleasure of the senses and the comforts of the body. She is sexuality and sexual attraction and serves to make either the woman or the man more appealing to the opposite sex. She brings wealth as an adornment. She is beauty, style and elegance — the refinement of wealth and not just crude accumulation. Her concern is not just with quantity, but with quality and good taste. She likes gems, antiques, and things of special value. She wants, not just for the joy of possessing but to have the adulation of others.

Thereby she is also inclined to be vain, superficial and affected — mere show. She likes not only to exhibit herself and her own beauty, but to display her adornments which serve to embellish her. She demands that we please her and that we be pleasing to her. She can become the pleasure that dissipates, exhausts and debilitates; the self-indulgence that can destroy us.

In this regard, Venus is the seductress. She is attractive and fascinating. The web of her power can catch our energy like a spider and drain away our fire — our positive will in life — pursuing her favor, which is often fickle or hard to get or impossible to attain. She is dreamy, wispy and hard to hold, and thereby controls us by our seeking of her. She may never let us attain her, for her joy is in being desired, not in being possessed.

Inwardly, Venus is the morning star, the light of inspiration which is the first spark of the Sun of truth. Venus is our aspiration to the good, the beautiful and the pure — our devotion to truth. She is our love that in its true nature is the love of truth. She is our sensitivity that becomes sensuality through its impressionability; but her basic nature is good. Such a pure Venus comes out in association with Jupiter and Mercury. Her vain side manifests in alliance with Mars, which causes an excess of passion, emotion, sexuality and sensuality.

Venus shows our natural tendency to beautify things, to make things reflect their pure or astral forms. Our Venus works on our world to help bring it into harmony with its inner meaning as a play of delight. For Venus all is play (which on a lower level means “all is show”) and it is the pathos, the drama of the play that matters to her, not any practical or objective reality. Venus gives the sentiment that would sacrifice a kingdom for one’s true love. The the astral Gods or Devas, are Venusian creatures and through them is the play of beauty in the world.

Venus represents the higher astral and is the star of our astral light. She opens us up to the kingdoms and realms of beauty of the Gods. These include not only the realms of art and myth but also many psychic abilities, powers of visualization, and creative direction of the mind force. On the highest levels, she opens us up to the heavens of devotion wherein we can commune with the Divine in the form that most appeals to us.

In Indian mythology Venus is the teacher of the demons or titans, the Asuras, since to subdue and influence them cannot be done by force but only by charm and grace. Venus also gives power. It is not only the power which fascinates but also the power to move and to motivate. A strong Venus gives sexual power, which on inner levels can be transmuted into astral or spiritual power and strength of will. A strong Venus can give charisma or power of personality. This may be a capacity to inspire, or it may just be a giving of enthusiasm. However, it can also be the power to hypnotize and thereby deceive. Venus can be the sorceress and has many forms of subtle power and allure to entrap us.

Venus was the main planetary deity of Egypt and of Mexico, where Atlantean influence persisted the longest on this planet. Their calendars were based upon the cycles of Venus. The positive and visionary side of Venus came out in these cultures with the use of gems, colors and music; but the negative side also came out when these cultures declined into black magic and idolatry. This resulted in a sumptuous occult kind of materialism that aimed at both physical and astral pleasure. The majority of humanity was turned into slaves for the selfish pleasure of a few. Occult energies were turned towards this subtle astral indulgence. This caused a revolt of the earth energies and the higher Venusian forces which destroyed Atlantis in a flood — from the ocean itself that holds the power of Venus.

Modem culture is bringing out aspects of a negative occult Venus in the mass media, with its massive sensuality and cult of sex and violence. However, we will probably avoid the destruction that Atlantis suffered, though we will experience some major difficulties from our ignorance. It is important that we use this glamour force in the right way. It can heal if used consciously or destroy if used selfishly.

A strong Venus is very helpful in any chart, as it indicates capacity to love, sense of refinement, beauty and purity. Love is the strongest power, and in this regard Venus possesses the power to overcome even Mars. Venus gives vitality, the energy of delight. She is our portion of the Ananda, the Divine Bliss in creation. An afflicted Venus, on the other hand, is one of the most difficult things to overcome, as it allows us to be taken in by appearances. This lower side of Venus is much in evidence in our culture with its emphasis on the pleasures of the senses. Even the artistic side of Venus has largely been reduced to this today, with our emphasis on loud music, bright colors and showmanship.

We must discover Venus as the love of truth to overcome Venus as the love of appearance. For that we must seek the deepest nature of our love and not accept the image of glamour for it.