The majestic ruler of the skies sits in regal splendor presiding over the heaven s.

He is Lord of righteousness and justice; his lofty status symbolizes wisdom. His eminence has been noted amongst people throughout the ages. The Greeks held him father of the gods, Zeus. Egyptians called him Ammon. In Ind ian mythology he is Indra, supreme godhead, in charge of the heavens. The classi cal works call him "Raja Mastri, minister of gods. Golden planet Jupiter is more often called Deva Guru, preceptor to the gods, supreme preceptor, Brihaspati. Gu ru is the teacher of the sacred. Jupiter is the planet of expansion. It is second to the sun in size and second t o Venus in brightness. Situated 476 million miles from the Sun, its girth is wid er than the sum total of all the other planets combined; this magnificent mass a lone commands attention. Among the ancient philosophers Jupiter was recognized as a celestial father, the patriarch as well as royalty, the King. His indisputable status is evidenced by the breadth of his gaze in the expanse of his gestures. His rulership is a victory over materialism, for while wealth and good fortune f all within his domain his supreme path is the search for truth. Jupiter's interest is in the building of good character and sound ethics. He is an idealist, ever optimistic. He governs all the good and fundamental qualities necessary for the upliftment of mankind. The classical texts extol Jupiter as a wise man, successful, with sound judgment , good wisdom and knowledge to advise the younger. Saravali, the famous classical text, says the person with a strong Jupiter is le arned of the Vedas. He is the voice of the lion, prominently Sattvic and fond of virtues. He is modest, forgiving in disposition. He is a minister with a sharp mind. He is meritorious, an expert in mythology, Vedic rituals and Vedic sacrifi ces. He is also the giver of good karma, Guru Bhakti, devotion to the Guru and r epresents Mantrapasana, which means desire to have devotion to a certain Mantra representing a deity. In Brihat Parasara Hora, Jupiter is most succinctly described as Jiva (life give r), Jnana (knowledge giver) and Sukha (happiness). It causes the person to keep the company of spiritual people, it attracts spiritual connections. It supports children, ministers, Acharyas or teachers, Buddhi which is intellect, Asakta whi ch is enthusiasm, Subuddhi which is good wisdom, Bhakti which is devotion, Yagya which is fire worship, Sanmara which is honor and Daya which is kindness. He is Putrakaraka, and thus, the giver of children, Jnanakaraka, the giver of kn owledge and Dhanakaraka, the giver of wealth. In these domains his power is unpa ralleled. His Divine grace is supposed to remove the greatest obstacles which may appear i n the chart. By aspect or occupation, Guru's placement reveals the role of provi dence due to past meritorious deeds. But in practice does it really work this wa y? There are different opinions about the influence of Jupiter. Some people thin k Jupiter is the mine of benevolence, others think it is very deceptive. We will examine this further. People who are ruled by Jupiter are humanitarians and philanthropists, with a st rong desire to help mankind. They have a fine sense of discrimination and posses s rare qualities of justice. Because of high values, concern for others and opti mism, they're responsible for the noble and charitable institutions and enterpri ses.

Jupiter endeavors to develop character, thus supporting the growth of the soul a s opposed to advancement of physical gratification. Therefore whatever experienc es exalt the mind, engender desires for greater refinement and goodness, give ri se to the determination to work for the welfare of all, stir the soul to noble t houghts, and effort for that which is higher and better, are all of concern to J upiter. Jupiter s underlying purpose is to promote the evolution of the soul. He is an adv enturer, exploring all physical and mental realms as well as the physical and me ntal development of the body. Jupiter s magnetism brings a jovial nature, congeniality, sincerity, honesty, broa d mindedness and promotes a practical observance of the rules of life. Jupiter i s a very traditional planet, it is very conservative and is strongly given to mo ral and religious sentiments. Sometimes it may not be seen in that way because i t is very generous -- one doesn t see the conservatism easily. He represents that part of human nature which connects the individual with the Divine source of all life, and generally speaking, with those activities in which integrity and fait hful service are required. He also brings mental balance and hopefulness. This hope is one of the most bene volent qualities of Jupiter, because hope is the nature of Godliness. Jupiter is mild, warm and temperate. He is enormous, hot and represented by a we ll built body, yellowish eyes and reddish hair. He has a Kapha type of body whic h can accumulate fat easily. Jupiter rules over the stomach, especially the lowe r intestines, as well as the liver, fats and glycogen and the arterial system. His metal is tin and sometimes copper. It is represented by Pushyaraga (pure gem stone) in the form of yellow sapphire, pockraj, or topaz. He also favors silver, quicksilver and benzene as well as the mining of gold. He has indirect rulershi p over coal mining because it is through the permutation of coal under pressure that the gems he favors are found. Jupiter governs education, health, love and respect towards elders and teachers, good manners and good conduct, wealth, reputation and charity. It governs relig ious places, temples, religious acts and sacrifices and learned assemblies. At t he same time it governs treasure houses, banking, insurance organizations, world ly possessions and fortunes. It brings ease of life and comfort of living so the refore, to some extent, it may also bring laziness. Jupiter is one of the planets which supports business activities. It supports pr ofessional types of work rather than menial jobs. He would most likely be an adv iser, consultant, teacher, banker, benefactor, philanthropist or priest. Often w ork which alleviates human suffering. We frequently see Jupiter in the charts of lawyers and judges. Jupiter people al so do well as salespeople, either representing themselves and their abilities, o r the products of others. If Jupiter s aspects are harmonious, advantages come through good fellowship, patr onage and favors granted. They are particularly fortunate in attracting the patr onage of those with ample means. In a broader picture, whenever Jupiter is in a good aspect in transit it brings bumper crops, good rain, peacefulness in the Country, and the birth of children. Whenever it is poorly aspected in transit there will be heavy loss, drought and suffering for the people according to a country s chart.

Jupiter is friendly to the Moon, Sun and Mars. He is exalted in Cancer and debil itated in Capricorn. But when it is debilitated it does not mean it will bring b ad results. The power of Jupiter is to make a person visible, his qualities, his talents and skills are noticed and appreciated by others. When Jupiter is debil itated this does not happen easily. This person may come from a noble family, he has great wisdom and an abundance of knowledge but he is not recognized for thi s, he must work hard. Jupiter s placement in Gemini is detrimental although this placement also brings a mbition. Jupiter becomes very weak in Virgo and Capricorn. When Jupiter is influencing one's life positively, it is well placed and well as pected, it brings discrimination and wisdom and one will always air on the side of kindness. If a person makes a mistake, the Jupiterian will not be affected ne gatively or take it personally. When in good aspect with Mercury, Jupiter is sure to give intellectual pursuits. His aspect or association with the Moon is desirable. When in bad aspect to Mar s, it gives way to heterodoxy, ranging from prudence to extreme liberality, from caution to brashness, from honesty to underhanded dealings, extravagance, etc. When Jupiter and Saturn are conjunct it creates a legal mind, orientation toward s achievement and it attracts the person to doing some kind of public service. Now let us look at some of the difficulties Jupiter is capable of creating. When Jupiter is afflicted, such discord indicates some form of excess. Self-indulgen ce, extravagance, unwise expenditure, over ambition, conceit, extreme optimism o r too great generosity are some of the afflictions it brings. Too much reliance is placed upon chance or upon the opinion of others. There is usually an unwilli ngness to consider the cost, or an unwarranted business expansion or optimism. Thus we see that afflicted Jupiter, through inappropriate expansion, becomes ind ulgence. Overindulgence affects health, therefore Jupiter can cause obesity, boils, blood impurities, intoxication, acidosis, diabetes, cataracts and fatty tumors due to too rich living. Since he rules fats and glycogen stored as fuel and has influence upon the manuf acturing and secretion of insulin by the pancreas gland, when Jupiter is afflict ed, there is an inability to handle fats and sugars. Such an affliction also sho ws a lack of sulfur in the system. When Jupiter is very seriously afflicted he may become a pretender of noble qual ities for the purpose of personal glory, for selfish gain. Thus, he retards Jupi ter's main purpose, to further one's good character, but rather furthers a tende ncy toward shallowness, scheming and vanity. Such a person may contribute extens ively to charities and various institutions but with ulterior motives. It also makes one think they are better than everyone else. There is a sentiment of righteous pride and deservingness, as though the inherent superiority of the individual should bring them privilege or prestige without the effort commonly regarded as necessary. The antidote for afflicted Jupiter is intellectual questioning of one s own though t process and discipline. Self-examination, cultivation of careful analysis and appraisal by conservative methods, with time, develop a prudent and discriminati ng mind. In this way one can overcome some of the negative qualities. Additional remedies include meditation, spirituality, taking the name of God, ga ining detachment and living a simple life.

Jupiter s placement in houses Jupiter rules both the 9th and 12th houses of the zodiac, Sagittarius and Pisces . The 9th houses is the indicator for higher knowledge, growth, and expansion. T he 12th house is the house of liberation. Therefore, Jupiter has relevance to bo th expansion of the mind and the growth of spirituality which leads to liberatio n. The 1st, 5th and 9th houses are the three important houses which control creativ e activity. The first house represents self. The 5th rules imagination and the 9 th houses deals with higher mind. Jupiter gives excellent results when placed in the trine houses 1-5-9, breeding creative talent and poetic imagination to the native. Jupiter s placement in the 5th house brings opportunities for oneself to think in terms of higher levels of consciousness. It supports Mantra yoga. Generally, Jup iter does not support having children. It doesn't mean they can't have children, they simply don't want the responsibility, their ambivalent about having them. As Jupiter is the significator of the 5th and 9th houses, it is the most powerfu l planet which projects creative knowledge. Since the Sun is the ruler of the na tural zodiac of the 5th house, a well-placed Sun/Jupiter can make a person a cre ative genius. A well aspected Sun/Mercury conjunction in the 5th and 9th houses can definitely bring brilliance to the person. Additionally, since Ketu is a mys tical planet, Sun/Ketu well aspected by Jupiter brings spiritual experiences. When Jupiter conjoins Mars in Aries as the first house, it creates ambitiousness . When it joins Leo, the 5th house of the zodiac with its ruler Sun, it brings b rilliance of the native with respect to the field of arts and sciences. The 5th house is also the house of Poorva Punya, merits of the past karmas, and the hous e of creative power. A conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the 5th house indica tes good karmas of the past, because of which one would rise high. With the beneficial influence of the Sun with Jupiter, Saturn with Jupiter, or M ercury with Jupiter, one can become a highly creative person. The Pisces is a mystical sign owned by Jupiter where Venus, another benevolent p lanet, becomes exalted. But the Venus/Jupiter conjunction in Pisces unfolds high er knowledge and detachment, leading to liberation. Generally, people expect Jupiter to bestow happiness, progress and prosperity wh en Jupiter is placed in the 5th or the 9th houses, the most favorable houses. Th is expectation may sometimes not come true under certain circumstances. Parashar a says that planets do not give good or bad results according to the house posit ions alone. Many times the placement of Jupiter is not sufficiently indicative o f its nature, the determination of the effect should be made from the relationsh ip Jupiter has to other planetary placements in the chart. One must take into ac count: mutual exchange of houses, conjunction of planets, mutual aspects and one -sided aspects. In the 2nd house Guru is a benevolent planet, it makes him a teacher. The fourth house of the zodiac is Cancer, a very sensitive sign and it has conce ntrated energy of emotions when exalted Jupiter is placed there. This fourth hou se Cancer, occupied by Jupiter/Mercury or Jupiter/Moon brings higher mental powe r of discrimination and wisdom, and such a person stands out as far as his abili ty to think and act with a large heart and higher mind. When Jupiter is in the 7th house it is not supposed to bring good results in the

area of marriage because of the mythology surrounding it. Jupiter would not all ow the love marriage to take place for his daughter Deviani the marriage was obs tructed by the father. Jupiter and Saturn in the 9th house, Sagittarius, indicates a philosopher, judge or great statesman who will be outstanding in his work. A conjunction of Jupiter/Mercury or Jupiter/Venus in the 9th brings a higher and deeper intellectual mind as well as a philosophical one. Therefore, a Jupiter i nfluence in the 9th house can result in higher mind giving expression to religio n, philosophy, law, teaching, advising, publishing, educational activities and a ctivities in foreign countries. While the Jupiter of Sagittarius promotes intell ectual brilliance, the Jupiter of Pisces promotes mysticism. The 12th house gives the best and worst results. He rules over the hidden, the u nconscious and the mysterious things as well as ruling hospitals, prisons, asylu ms, monasteries and convents. The 12th house represents places of detention, ban ishment and places of exile. It is also the 12th house which brings spiritual liberation and universal consci ousness, thus indicating the cosmic storehouse expressing itself and its unfoldm ent. Jupiter, when placed in an angle house irrespective of its ownership will give b enevolent results by supporting the native in fighting and ultimately overcoming life's battles. Of course Jupiter's trinal aspects are even more powerful. Jupiter in an angle gives much hope, but fine judgment is required in understand ing its results. Suppose Jupiter is in the house of Mercury; we imagine a Virgo ascended with Jupiter in the rising, Saturn aspecting Jupiter from Cancer. The J upiter being a malefic in Virgo and being aspected by malefic Saturn brings much suffering physically and mentally. You know that angular ownership is not favorable for natural benefits. Further, angular ownership can prove fatal when a maraka dasha operates. Jupiter as the L ord of the 12th for Capricorn ascendants or Lord of the 7th and the 10th for Gem ini ascendants, or worse still as the Lord of the 4th and 7th for Virgo ascendan ts is considered malefic. Under the above-mentioned circumstances, even when placed in an angular house, J upiter's natural benefic qualities cannot be overlooked. Though due to its bad o wnership it may lose the power to give wealth, it will still try to maintain the status quo. Yogas created by Jupiter Jupiter creates many powerful yogas like Gaja Kesari yoga, Hamsa yoga and Shakat a yoga. Gaja Kesari yoga: When Jupiter is in a Kendra from the Moon the combination goes under the name Gaja Kesari. Gaja means elephant and Kesari means Lion, an eleph ant or a lion in the jungle will attract the attention of all other animals in t he jungle. They gain visibility and prominence and are natural teachers, good ad visers. They have many friends, are builders of villages or magistrate over them and will have lasting reputation even long after death. Hamsa Yoga: Jupiter occupies a Kendra which should be his own house or exaltatio n sign. Hamsa is a bird which, when given milk and water together, will only dri nk the milk and leave the water. So Jupiter has the power to give that kind of d iscrimination.

Shakata yoga: It is described as sixth and eighth house relationship between the Moon and Jupiter. It is supposed to bring ups and downs in financial matters, b ut actually it brings more worry than real loss of money. With regard to Kemadruma yoga, a yoga of poverty, where no planet is on either s ide of the Moon one of the cancellations is Gajakesari yoga. All other yogas lik e Adhi, Vashi, Veshi, Amala, Ubhayachari, are powerless to cancel the evil effec ts of this yoga. Hence the power of the Gajakesari yoga. The classical texts have laid considerable emphasis on positive results for huma nity for this planet. Dr. B.V. Raman, the greatest astrologer of the last centur y, whilst extolling the benevolence of Jupiter in enthusiastic terms, at the sam e time says that Jupiterian cycles on mundane astrology creates, many times, dev astating results. He especially referred to the history of the U.S. that Jupiter cycle transits have created wars and we are exactly seeing the same influence o f the Jupiter even these days. It can attract war and war-like situations. The J upiter transit in Gemini for the U.S. is an indicator for that. Even though warf are is a portfolio of Mars, Jupiter here does not remedy but rather increases th e aggressive situations. Jataka Chandrika has stated that when Jupiter is place in a malefic placement in a chart it can bring death. Without the support of any other planet acting as a n agent, Jupiter can cause death. Whereas, Saturn even though it is the most mal efic planet, generally it requires an agent to support the death-inflicting powe r. When Jupiter is in either regtrograde motion or direct motion but takes the form of Atichara, which means it is moving faster than normal, then the negativity o f that Jupiter increases. But despite all of this, Parashas says that Jupiter grants wealth of wisdom and not of gold. Bliss and not pleasure. Contentment within and not satisfaction of sensual desires. It lifts the native spiritually but not materially, not into po sitions of power. It places him in and around good places of knowledge, educatio n, learning and spirituality. Just as Jupiter is the messenger of nourishment to the body, ruling the arterial blood, so is even nourishment to others in the good radiating from his magnanim ous personality. So we see Guru is a man in search of truth, guided by ideals, g enerous to all, ethical, filled with hope for man. Without the influence of Jupiter life would be stern and severe and there would be little inclination to assist others and little thought of anything except the self.