Jupiter in Capricorn: Don't Dream It. Be It.

Jupiter in Capricorn: Don't Dream It, Be It

It's time to say goodbye to #Jupiter (Tzedek), leaving his home sign of #Sagittarius and entering #Capricorn territory at 10:30am Pacific time today (do the math for your own time zone).

Now as everybody either knows or should know, Jupiter is the ruling planet of Sagittarius, so an entire year of Jupiter in Sag has been like a homecoming. A big, loud, raucous, expensive, over the top homecoming party with several bands and of course nobody’s parents at home. Nobody to tell you to clean up the mess.... until now. 

Everything is about to change as Jupiter enters Capricorn, a place its expansive self finds a little too restrictive for its abundant, over-the-top extra extra supersized self. Jupiter is about going big, expanding, bringing abundance, enlarging wisdom. But there’s a reason the zodiac is ordered the way it is. Now it’s time for all the expansiveness we’ve enjoyed over the last year to learn how to actually manifest in the real world. That’s what Capricorn is all about: it’s the Cardinal (initiating) Earth (manifestation) sign – it’s the sign of Initiating Manifestation. 

Capricorn makes things happen because they’re REAL things. Jupiter in Capricorn is about taking the grand and glorious ideas of Jupiter in Sagittarius and manifesting them in real time in the real world. It’s about building the changes we want to see in ourselves and this world. As Dr. Frankenfurter says in the Rocky Horror Picture Show: “Don’t dream it, be it!” Jupiter in Capricorn takes our dreams, the ones we dreamed for ourselves during Jupiter in Sagittarius, and applies them to concrete real life. Are they viable? Can they live outside our imagination? Jupiter in Capricorn will answer these questions, tachlis, bottom line. It’s not a feel-good position: Jupiter in Capricorn will not lie to you to make you feel better. Jupiter in Capricorn isn’t about giving everyone a gold star simply for trying hard. It’s about making dreams and ideas real, viable, sustainable, practical, and material. 

In Jewish astrology, Capricorn is G’di, the mountain goat, and is associated with the Tribe of Dan who fiercely guarded the borders of ancient Israel. Saturn (Shabbtai) is the ruling planet of Capricorn, and “borders” and “boundaries” are the function of Saturn/Capricorn. This is because in the era of classical astrology, Saturn was the furthest visible planet from earth and thought to guard the boundaries / borders of our solar system (this was before the discovery of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, of course). I dare say that Jupiter, with his function of expanding everything he touches, will also be expanding the concept of “borders” and “boundaries” in our own personal, individual lives (which will depend on the placement of Capricorn in our own individual natal charts). How Jupiter in Capricorn will play out on a global scale may also see an expansion in border security and boundaries between countries. 

Jupiter will make three conjunctions with Pluto during 2020. Each of these conjunctions hovers around the sensitive point of the Zodiac (22 degrees Capricorn) where the Saturn/Pluto conjunction in January 2020 will occur These are the dates:

April 5th: Jupiter 24 Capricorn conjunct Pluto 24 Capricorn
June 30th: Jupiter 24 Capricorn conjunct Pluto 24 Capricorn
November 12th Jupiter 22 Capricorn conjunct Pluto 22 Capricorn

Jupiter = expansion, Pluto = raw power. It may be a gigantic power grab, or it may be the death or downfall of individuals or organizations which have blatantly abused power. 

This is all about Jupiter's journey to "THE GREAT CONJUNCTION" of Jupiter and Saturn at zero degrees Aquarius in December 2020. Everything Jupiter has to do on his way to that Great Conjunction will be HUGELY practical, GIGANTICALLY pragmatic, and IMMENSELY realistic. For the most inflated planet, this transit through Capricorn is all about deflating the hot air and revealing Jupiter's most tachlis gifts: growth (into maturity because Capricorn), wisdom (based on practical reality not dreams or imagination because Capricorn), and optimism (but not the wild kind: optimism based on an adult understanding of life rather than a child's untested desire for utopia). 

Jupiter in Capricorn: Don't dream it, be it!

Chodesh Kislev 5780: First Steps in the Maturation Process

CHODESH KISLEV: FIRST STEPS IN THE MATURATION PROCESS

"Mazal Keshet", the constellation / zodiac sign of Sagittarius, which is the Hebrew month of Kislev. From the Sefer Evronot, Pinchas ben Avraham Segal of Halberstadt, Germany 1716.

Chodesh Kislev (November 28 – December 27) is usually the most jovial of months, chiefly because Kislev’s ruling planet Jupiter (Tzedek) is connected to optimism, inspirational ideas, and hope. This year Kislev takes a turn towards the serious when Jupiter enters Saturn/Shabbtai-ruled Capricorn December 2, where he’ll be transiting until his conjunction to Saturn in Aquarius, the zodiac sign of the Jewish people, in December 2020. The Jupiter-Saturn “Great Conjunction” has been an important part of historic Jewish messianic speculation since the early Middle Ages. This year, Kislev 5780 marks the beginning of this significant planetary process climaxing in December 2020. Will it be “good for the Jews”? Only time will tell.

Kislev’s Tribe is Benyamin, portrayed on his flag as a ravening wolf on a rainbow background. Benyamin’s fierceness is focused on issues of unity and inclusion. His flag’s rainbow background incorporates the colors of all the Tribes, who unite as one in the Holy of Holies, located in Benyamin’s Tribal portion nestled within the larger Tribe of Yehuda, upon whose land the Holy Temple stood. The Full Moon in Gemini December 11 exposes multifaceted allegiances, the spiritual light of Chanukah which falls on the Winter Solstice December 21-22 pierces divisions, exposes sectarian biases, and illuminates the illusion of fragmentation. The Solar Eclipse/New Moon in Capricorn December 25 reveals where we may lack maturity, wisdom, patience, and endurance. These qualities must be integrated, or we will suffer the ill effects of immaturity, ignorance, and impatience, especially around issues of the resources we all share: this Earth and the environment we all have in common. 

Kislev with Jupiter in Capricorn this year inspires through introspection, the practical manifestation of abundance, the embodiment of dreams, and real-world modeling of good will, generosity, and idealism. These are Kislev’s gifts which keep on giving!

Chesvan: Empty of Holidays, Full of Promise

Pictured: Scorpio the Scorpion, from a ketubah, Padua 1732

Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan Tov!


Chodesh Cheshvan is sometimes called “empty” because there are no holidays, but the secret to this Ma’adin/Mars-ruled month is that it is full of hidden potential. Cheshvan’s Tribal ruler Menashe hid his identity while acting as an interpreter between his father Yosef, who himself was disguised as the Prime Minister of Egypt, and the brothers when they came to buy food during the famine. Scorpio (Ekrav), the zodiac sign of Cheshvan, employs secrecy and subterfuge in the service of ultimate truth and the greatest good. The energy of deep investigation and uncovering hidden truth is powerful this month!

Kochav/Mercury’s retrograde in Scorpio through November 20 probes into what is hidden, and revisits facts you thought were solid, but which now need re-checking. Looking deeply into uncomfortable or even unpleasant matters is important now and will yield long-term positive results for everyone involved. A crisis in continuity of authority and confusion around leadership roles is possible when Shabbtai/Saturn in Capricorn sextiles Rahav/Neptune in Pisces on November 8. Beautiful illusions or dangerous delusions are likely when Noga/Venus in independent-minded Sagittarius squares dreamy Neptune in imaginative Pisces November 14. The Full Taurus Moon November 12 illuminates our relationship with Mother Earth. Tzedek/Jupiter’s station at the Galactic Center November 15-20 focuses attention on humanity’s largest communal issues and demands confrontation with deniers who control valuable resources without caring for our collective future.

One of Scorpio’s symbols is the phoenix, which self-immolates and rises from its own ashes to a new life. Like Menashe who used pretense to achieve reconciliation, this is the month to use every means possible to recreate yourself anew. The only ones who will come away from Chodesh Cheshvan empty-handed are those who prefer the superficial to the deep, and those who fear letting go in order to experience truly transformative change.

5780: Moving Into The "Pey" Decade: The Power of Our Mouth!

Read Tishrei's Horoscopes in the Jerusalem Post here 



New Moon in Libra, and the New Year on the Jewish Calendar is upon us, beginning Sunday night September 29th.

We're moving on from the "Ayin" decade (the 5770's) to the "Pey" decade (Taf Shin Pey = 5780).

The energy of the "Ayin" years was located in our eyes (Ayin): judging what we see. Have we spent these years seeing ourselves and others through an "Ayin Tovah" (a good eye) or G*d forbid, through an "Ayin Harah" (an evil eye)?

Now we come upon the "Pey" decade. The "Pey" is the mouth. The power to bless, to uplift, to build up, to encourage, to support, to teach and to positively connect with others is via our mouth. So is the power to curse, to tear down, to discourage, and to negatively impact ourselves and others located in the mouth.

For the Jewish People, the mouth of the "Pey" is related to the verse in Isaiah 41:14: “Do not fear, O worm Jacob, men of Israel. I am helping you,” says HaShem, and your Redeemer, Israel’s Holy One"

“Do not fear, O worm Jacob! Why is Israel compared to a worm? Just as a worm strikes the cedars only with its mouth—though soft, it strikes the hard—so Israel possesses only prayer, for the idolatrous nations are compared to cedars” (Tanḥuma, Beshallaḥ 9).

“Come and see: All nations of the world have been rendered to certain ruling archons, as has been said, and they follow their false gods, as is written: [For all the nations] will walk each in the name of its god (Micah 4:5)—all shedding blood, waging war, stealing, robbing, fornicating, mingling with numerous evildoings. They intensify their power to harass, while Israel has no power to overcome them except through its mouth—like a worm whose only power and strength lies in its mouth, by its mouth penetrating all. So Israel is called worm” (Zohar 1:178a).

Friends, I bless you in the Name of the G*d of Israel for a good year, a sweet year, a happy year, a healthy year, a year of abundance and plenty, a year of love and connectivity. I bless your mouth to have the power and strength to speak truth to power, to bless and not to curse, to uplift and not tear down, to build and not destroy. May your mouth be like the mouth of the worm and the power of prayer your mighty weapon. Shana Tova u'Metuka and may we all be signed, sealed and delivered!

Elul 5779: Helping Hands and Humble Hearts

 Read Elul's horoscopes in the Jerusalem Post here

Virgo / Betulah, from a Hebrew medical text, Germany 1480 - 1500.

Virgo’s ruling planet Mercury (Kochav), Venus (Noga) and Mars (Ma’adin) as well as the Sun are arrayed like troops as befitting their tribal leader Gad, displaying good order and discipline during Chodesh Elul (August 31 – September 29). 

The practice of blowing the shofar every morning during Elul activates those troops like a spiritual call to arms! Betulah, the virgin, is prepared. She knows analysis and preparation is the foundation of every successful battle, and she has no intention of losing her war against the forces of disinformation and deceit.

It is during Elul which we say, “The king is in the field,” indicating the closeness and intimacy with our creator during this month traditionally dedicated to self-examination and repentance. 

Virgo’s prodigious analytic powers and insightful introspection are designed specifically to shine during this time of year. Her allies in sober sanity against the forces of chaos include Saturn (Shabbtai), stationing direct in structured, organized Capricorn on September 18. Saturn turns experience into maturity, and with maturity comes wisdom. As seasoned warriors in the war against spiritual darkness, we must pick and choose our battles and select our weapons wisely. The full moon in compassionate, empathetic Pisces on Friday, September 13, is a real-life opportunity to demonstrate humility and empathy. 

Extending a helping hand to those in need is good exercise for both heart and soul.

We journey together from ani l’dodi v’dodi li to preparing to crown “HaMelech” during the days between Tekufah Tishrei, the autumnal equinox September 23 and the new moon in Libra September 28. If we allow the shofar to blast holes in the hardened parts of our hearts, we’ll have done the heavy lifting of teshuva as we prepare to go into Rosh HaShanah 5780. May it be a year of blessings, revealed miracles and redemption!

Contradictions and Course Corrections: Chodesh Menachem Av 5779

"Leo"from the Michal Mahzor, Germany 1258.

 Chodesh Menachem Av Tov!
Av 5779
(August 2 – August 30)

Our tradition tells us that when Chodesh Av comes, we reduce our joy, yet it also informs us that Tu b’Av is one of the two most joyful holidays in the Jewish calendar! It was on Tu b’Av that the daughters of Jerusalem disregarded social status and economic disparity by each loaning the other white dresses so that all might dance beneath the moonlight in equality. It was the day the 12 Tribes were reconciled after the civil war and tribal intermarriage permitted again.

Indeed, Chodesh Av is full of contradictions and course-corrections. The new moon in Leo on erev Rosh Chodesh Av scorches hypocrisy and deceit with the white-hot heat of judgment. The (delayed) fast of Tisha b’Av August 11 is sufficiently solemn with Moon in Capricorn, yet the day’s energy wildly fluctuates, with Jupiter direct, Mercury’s ingress into Leo, and Uranus’s retrograde station in Taurus. Universal rather than particularistic love reigns at the full moon in democratic, humanitarian, egalitarian Aquarius on Tu b’Av, August 15. Course-corrections are re-calculated August 23 at the last quarter moon in Gemini with the Sun’s entrance into calm, analytic Virgo. By the Virgo new moon August 30 joined to Mercury in his own sign, clarity is restored.

May Chodesh Av’s powerful potential for extreme emotion be channeled into the passionate quest for dignity, wisdom and discernment! 

"Menachem Av" with "Ari" the lion representing the zodiac sign of Leo, detail from a Torah binder, Germany, 1748

Astrolojew in J the Jewish News of Northern California!

Read a review of Astrolojew's latest public presentation on "Astrology and Jewish Cultural History", and what happened when she did a personalized natal chart reading for one curious journalist! CLICK HERE for the article in J the Jewish News of Northern California!

 

Join "Astrolojew" Lorelai Kude for an Evening of Jewish Astrology Tuesday July 16 in Berkeley

Join "Astrolojew" Lorelai Kude 

for an evening of Jewish Astrology 

on the night of the Full Moon / Lunar Eclipse!

Tuesday July 16th, 7-9pm

St. John's Presbyterian Church, Fireside Room

2727 College Ave. Berkeley, California

$10 - $20 Suggested Donation

No One Turned Away for Lack of Funds

Fragrance Free Venue

Wheelchair Accessible

Light Refreshments will be served

Tammuz: Total Eclipse of the Heart

CHODESH TAMMUZ TOV!

"Sartan" / Cancer the Crab, from the Michael Mahzor, illuminated parchment manuscript, Germany, 1258

Chodesh Tammuz 5779: TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART 

Chodesh Tammuz (July 3 – August 1), associated with the mazal of Cancer (Sartan) the crab, is the only month of the Hebrew calendar whose ruling planet is the Moon. This year the Moon plays an even more important role as Chodesh Tammuz 5779 features two Eclipses! 

This month during “Eclipse Season” light, which is consciousness, is hidden and then re-revealed, and it’s never quite the same as it was before. It’s now upgraded awareness, a higher consciousness. These powerful cosmic events underscore themes of security, family, tradition and respect – all of which are associated with Tammuz’s Tribal ruler Reuven, the emotional and sensitive first-born son of Jacob and Leah. 

The Solar Eclipse / New Moon in Cancer on July 2 initiates “security” issues. Ideas like “food, home, mother, money” trigger powerful, primal gut reactions. The Lunar Eclipse / Full Moon in Capricorn on July 16 is a faceoff and smackdown between the Divine Feminine and old, outworn images of a punishing, patriarchal god. Venus and the North Node join the Sun in Cancer, eclipsed by the opposition of the Capricorn Full Moon with Saturn and Pluto. 

Cardinal Water sign Cancer is concerned with the honor and the memory of the mother as illustrated by Reuven’s relationship with Leah. Mother Earth is powerful this month and disrespecting her brings serious consequences. Honoring the natural creation and respecting her power and majesty honors our Creator and strengthens our own roots! 

What can’t you live without? What’s your absolute red line, your most basic, primal desire? We all need to love and be loved. This month we confront our most essential need during what may turn out to be a total eclipse of the heart. When the darkness lifts, a new light shines – may it illuminate our way during this Moon-month of Tammuz!

Click HERE for Tammuz Horoscopes in The Jerusalem Post

Sivan: The Power of Life and Death in Our Tongues

Read my horoscope for Sivan in The Jerusalem Post.

Gemini/Taumim from a mahzor, Germany 1342

Chodesh Sivan (June 4 – July 3) is associated with the constellation of Gemini the Twins (Taumim). Tradition tells us that it was during Chodesh Sivan that the Children of Israel received the Torah on Mt. Sinai: the ultimate Divine data-download symbolized by Gemini/Sivan's ruler, swift Mercury (Kochav), the planet of communication. Sivan is all about gathering and disseminating information and interfacing with the immediate environment as indicated by Sivan’s Tribal ruler, Zevulon, whose flag was decorated with ships, symbolizing his journeys along the coasts of the Mediterranean, seeking new horizons and new opportunities. 
 

This month the journey is towards upgrading our relationship to the concept of security, both personal and public. What makes you feel safe: structures or relationships? Institutions or family? Old fears compete with new alliances when Saturn, South Node with Pluto in practical, serious Capricorn opposes the Mars / North Node / Mercury conjunction in emotional, sentimental Cancer on June 13. “Trust but verify” now, as information is more likely than ever to be biased. 

The second in a rare series of three exact squares this year made by Jupiter in Sagittarius to Neptune in Pisces occurs June 16. Stretching the boundaries of dreams and testing the borders of perception, we must guard against extreme distortion of ideals and zealous fanaticism. Facts must actively fight against fear-fueled fantasy now.   

June 17’s Full Moon in truth-telling Sagittarius inspires frankness. Proverbs 18:21 tells us “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit”. The Summer Solstice (Tekufah Tammuz) and the Sun’s ingress into Cancer June 21 immediately following Neptune’s retrograde gives us a moment to evaluate whether what we’ve spoken has been life-affirming or destructive. May we be wise with our words and careful guardians of our hearts during Chodesh Sivan!