In traditional astrology, Jupiter has always been considered as the Great Benefactor, the planet of luck and success such as personal fortune, social prominence, professional prestige, high political position. The Jupiterian bounty is peerless! In psychological terms, this planet has a much vaster significance.

As the biggest planet in the solar system, it does preside over the process of personal expansion, interpreted to be fitting into society better and finding an appropriate match between one’s individual ambitions and the aspirations of the group. This growth is accompanied by a feeling of self-confidence, which, in turn, buoys up an even greater externalization and expansion of the ego – hence the planet’s flattering reputation. But this snowball effect (Jupiter smiles and the world smiles with you), in which social skills magnify confidence and boldness reaps many rewards, betrays the negative side of Jupiter: extreme and excess. Although grandeur was the characteristic of the “king of the gods,” errors of judgment, poor taste, and sometimes selfishness and pride are also likely to be part of the Jupiterian package.

It is important to note that the extension of the ego may be a form of escape; it is tempting to hide behind one’s popularity and social success, which are fairly easy to obtain, rather than be really demanding with oneself. The Jupiterian has a tendency to amplify qualities out of compensation, to avoid seeing weaknesses and flaws. As a result, you must be aware of the risk of over-identifying with your social mask, which would cause you to neglect your inner self and deep nature.

Bruce Dickinson:

This planet is the quintessential symbol of individual receptivity and the fundamental reactions of the unconscious, including the collective unconscious. Opposed to Saturn, which is the principle of form, structure, and limitation, Neptune is a principle of dissolution. It concerns any effort to encompass the greatest variety of factors, any tendency to surround and blend all the narrow, individual points of view into a single, universal sea. Psychologically, the Neptunian effect is expressed as an exceptional psychic flexibility and extreme pliancy. You thus display considerable receptivity and availability. You feel a need for unity, a need to be related. You are also deeply aware of the importance of dreaming, and, negatively, may be prone to delusions. At certain times, you are overwhelmed by a feeling of subtle confusion related to a need for “something else.” When your well-being is disturbed this way, you either yield to a sort of passive, apathetic dissatisfaction, or lose yourself in the search for an imaginary world, perhaps to escape or plunge into bliss. You are sometimes captivated by a need for illusion; you would like to experience change through the intermediary of events which are vaster than consciousness and would take you far from routine and daily banality. Nevertheless, usually these fantastic dreams only make you all the more painfully aware of the realities of everyday life. Your spirit and emotions emerge confused, and your will is sometimes weakened.

Venus, the planet of love, rules two houses in the zodiac: Taurus, which symbolizes awakening to bodily lust, and Libra, the bond of marriage. As a result, Venus may take on very different aspects depending on the individual’s degree of awareness. Likewise, this ambiguity explains Aphrodite’s equivocal conduct in Greek myth and her innumerable couplings and motherhood. Depending on the legend, she may embody brutal, passionate love (with Anteros), the wisdom of the heart which rescues from passion (Harmonia); she also becomes tenderness and purity (with Adonis), pure sexuality (with Eros), a transforming energy (with Vulcan), etc. Mistress of the Arts, she represents beauty, understanding, and peace. Psychologically, individuals under the influence of Venus are struggling with their love instincts. This is why you cannot conceive of living without a personal emotional relationship to someone else and sometimes fears solitude and the encounter with yourself. You are extremely attractive to others and are a creator and artistic genius who seems to imbue all you touch with beauty and harmony. Your artistic skills are obvious to the people around you and may be applied to career endeavors. Pleasure, outings, seduction, love, and a thriving but sometimes superficial social life are the hallmarks of your life.

Bruce Dickinson writes:

The seventh house is an area of the sky which is especially important in your theme. In the following paragraph, we shall explain the general meaning of this fact.

According to traditional astrology, the seventh house is related to marriage, contracts, social life, and worldly matters. It can be read for indications about a future marriage partner (the first), and business partners, your “objective allies” as well as your enemies. Diametrically opposed to the Ascendant, the Descendant (the doorway into the seventh house) symbolizes everything that complements you or opposes you. This house thus represents the encounter with the other world, the non-ego.

When this area is especially significant, it indicates that a great deal of your energy will be invested in the domain of relationships. Bonds, contracts, partnerships, and perhaps the disputes and conflicts which may arise from them will be prominent aspects of your success. However, you will evolve fastest and learn most from friendships and partnerships. You will have to learn to be objective. Your goal will be to master the interdependency of your relationships, and go beyond a tender and dutiful reciprocity to a truly beneficial mutual exchange and sharing. By making a distinction between love (the fifth house) and marriage (the seventh house), traditional astrology shows us the difference between the projection of narcissistic self-love (simple self-expression) and the objective encounter with the other on a truly egalitarian basis.

Bruce Dickinson looks up at the first house in the night sky.