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.

As one of the planets historically thought to be on the outer limits of the solar system (until the “modern” planets were discovered), Saturn has always been associated with the moon, itself a peripheral heavenly body because it belongs to Earth and not to the solar system. Therefore, both Saturn and the moon are aspects of a protection principle (the moon encompasses the earth in the same way as Saturn and its rings encompasses the solar system). Like the moon, Saturn rules a security/insecurity dialectic, but where the moon’s concerns the private, intimate aspects of the individual, Saturn influences social and collective security. Saturn can be thought of as the polar opposite of the moon (the archetype of the mother, but also of the child, and therefore related to orality). The god Saturn ate his children in order to reign and thus, represents the archetype of the mother (motherhood), the grandmother, and the sage (wisdom). The domination of Saturn thus indicates a maternal complex or, at least, an issue related either to the biological mother or to the symbolism of motherhood. This influence may result in a problem of identity and difficulties in aging which will make themselves evident in personal crises at every passage of this planet, every seven years—thus at the age of 7, at 14 or 15, and 21, 28, etc. Depending on the psychological context in which you are developing, you may overcome or overcompensate your identity complex and gradually acquire a strongly structured personality, or, conversely, remain in a state of immaturity which would probably be detrimental to your destiny.

According to Greek myth, Mercury (or Hermes, whose name derives etymologically from the piles of rocks which marked trails and guided travelers) was the messenger of the gods. He carried orders from Olympus to the mortals on Earth. The child of the illegitimate union of Zeus with Maia, Mercury was born “unknown to the immortal gods” and had to win his place among them by trickery, cleverness, and cunning. This is why he became the vagabond deity of travelers and wanderers. He is the instinctive foe of the settled who see him as an outcast roaming on the outskirts of society: a pariah, a thief, and a swindler. As ruler of the sign of Gemini, the Twins, he symbolizes the brother—the alter-ego who teaches us as much as we teach him and is associated with adolescence, a period of intense intellectual discovery. Mercury thus symbolizes lively, sparkling wit, mobility in any form, mental exchange, and interaction. As a result, a person strongly ruled by Mercury is quite likely to be clever and skillful. If Mercury is “afflicted” in one’s chart, their intellectual velocity may sometimes become mere mental hyperactivity. In any case, these skills are a great resource in the social realm. You communicate easily and effectively, orally or in writing. Your ability to unite and transmit would be a good resource in diplomatic or commercial endeavors.

Derek Theler, you should pay attention to the second house in the sky. It contains several planets that are important in your theme.

According to tradition, this area is related to the sign of Taurus and the principle of possession. It thus rules over personal resources, both in material terms (money, wages, assets, real estate, stocks and bonds, etc.) and in physical terms (the body, health, etc.), as well as in the psychological and sociocultural realm (various individual skills, talents, and gifts). When this area is important in an astral theme, it does not mean that you will be rich; however, it does indicate that you will have a certain wealth in any one of the domains mentioned above. You are likely to be puzzled about the best choice for the use and management of this wealth you possess. In other words, the management of your resources like money and personal possessions is liable to raise complex issues for you, and you will have to make a determined, active effort to resolve them. As a result, you will have to make a conscious, articulate decision about the value you place upon work. In relation to life’s material demands, you must realize that efficiency and productivity are required, regardless of your choice of career or lifestyle. Extravagant spending or impulse purchases might lead you to ask yourself how to optimize your personal budget, the amount of personal energy you invest to provide for your material needs. How can you obtain the highest yield from the energy you devote to your work, the wages you earn, and the value of the assets you can use the money to acquire? Providing for one’s own needs is insufficient. It is also important to esteem and respect oneself as a constructive worker, without identifying wholly with the work and its remunerative aspects. It is likely that at certain times in your life, you will be tempted to see money and wealth as ends in themselves; in this case, you may find the loss of money, even symbolically, painful. Generally, overly possessive, selfish, or overly materialistic behavior might be signs that you are still unable to conceive of the psychological budgetary equation described above, an equation which life demands that you resolve.

The first house is an area of the sky which is especially important in your theme.