In astrology, Jupiter is the ruling planet of the sign Sagittarius, both associated with the Fire element, representing innate enthusiasm, inspiration, and faith in visions of the future. Jupiter is the planet of Expansion, Abundance and so-called “Luck.” As the only Mutable Fire sign of the Zodiac, Sagittarius is always ready to get up and go, ready to take on the next adventure with gusto. 

Jupiter’s transit through Sagittarius from November 8, 2018 to December 2, 2019 bestowed us with the impetus to chase rainbows, follow the yellow brick road and bust us out of any spiritual ruts, its conflict with Neptune in Pisces was no bed of roses, placing a fog over all of us in 2019. 

The tension between Jupiter and Neptune in 2019 diluted the positive (read: concrete) potential of Jupiter in Sagittarius, making us (sometimes painfully) aware of the double-edged sword called Disappointment. “Devil May Care” attitude is taken too far leading you to lean too heavily on your beliefs rather than reality, especially if the reality appeared less pleasant than we were willing to confront.

In short, indulging in idealism made us both more naive and hard-to-read in 2019. To take interpersonal relations as an example, avoiding unpleasant realities by clinging stubbornly to the notion that we’re “right” did not serve us well, prompting us to waste precious time and energy convincing ourselves of our own “rightness” only to blame others for any less-than-ideal outcomes.

For instance, we may have thought we had a foolproof plan in place, only to find ourselves desperately searching for guidance as self-aggrandizement, deception and continuous cycling between grandiose visions of ourselves as the Superhero and depressive episodes in which our great expectations for the future felt forever thwarted by the demands of the day-to-day. But lashing out at who/whatever seemed to contradict (read: threaten) whatever singular, uncompromising visions you may’ve held a little too dear this year definitely didn’t help.

Jupiter in Sag vs. Cap: Conserving Our Pearls

When Jupiter is in Capricorn, however, it takes on a serious tone, as the ruling planet of Capricorn, Saturn, is the antithesis of Jupiter in its symbolism: Saturn encourages rules, restrictions, inhibitions and the reality principle; Jupiter desires adventure, freedom, and has an insatiable interest in All Things Exotic. Saturn is Repression; Jupiter is Expression. Saturn is Scarcity; Jupiter is Abundance.

On December 2, 2019, Jupiter moves from its home sign of Sagittarius to Capricorn, the sign of its fall, until December 19, 2020. Because it takes Jupiter approximately one year to transit each Zodiac sign, its entry into Capricorn introduces a once-in-twelve-year cycle signifying, at its most basic level, Career (Capricorn) Opportunity (Jupiter).

If we consider sign alone, Jupiter in Capricorn creates challenges tapping into and expressing warmth and generosity to others, as Capricorn is perpetually and singularly focused on meeting the goals carefully outlined in its Agenda to the point where socializing is considered a burden and, in some cases, becomes a myopic focus on goal achievement at the expense of, well, anything/everything else. Jupiter in Sagittarius is the proverbial Santa Claus of the Zodiac while Jupiter in Cap is most definitely the Scrooge.

Consequently, the Jupiter-Neptune influence of 2019 marked a year where “manifestation,” material gains and meeting benchmarks were forced to take a backseat. And though this may have felt frustrating—especially for the Emotion Bottlers and Achievement Freaks among us, as 2019 didn’t offer much in the way of productivity, or “manifestation,” in the material sense—this year did reveal what it is we truly value, or the course we want our life to take. But there’s freedom in acknowledging the gap between subjective visions of Perfection and the inevitable limits of Humanity, as the question of “Why can’t I do it all?” becomes “Why should I?”

In this way, even though Jupiter is in its Fall in Capricorn, Saturn/Capricorn eschews the energy drain of Superman in favor of adopting the slower, stepwise climb embodied by the Mountain Goat. Jupiter’s transit through Capricorn alters our approach to generosity, for as Sagittarius/Fire gives without question, Capricorn is comparatively cautious. And so Jupiter of Capricorn’s stinginess ends up being our saving grace, preventing us from casting our most valuable pearls before swine.

In 2020, though, Jupiter is finally out of the woods in this respect, forming two long-term, supportive angles to both Neptune in Pisces and Pluto in Capricorn this coming year. In fact, Capricorn can be extremely self-sacrificing, gladly committing themselves to a new career, project or relationship, should they catch a glimpse of the possibility for long-term potential. That said, the silver lining of Jupiter in Cap’s playbook is the drive to work harder, look harder, or even create Opportunity where before there was (or seemed to be) none.

Superficial Judgments vs. Subjective Truth

From December 2, 2019 until December 19, 2020, it’s crucial that we remain honest with ourselves about any materialistic motives or superficial observations (read: judgments) guiding our behavior. This is because the Saturn/Capricorn principle inhibits the natural optimism of Jupiter, which could lead us to miss, dismiss or downplay opportunities if they don’t look good enough for us on paper.

For example, say Capricorn is the sign ruling your 5th house of Dating, Love and Romance. With Jupiter in Capricorn in this house, you may find yourself rejecting potential mates based solely on petty or traditional standards of physical beauty, how much money the person makes, the fame or fortune they may have acquired, or how “viable” you perceive them to be in terms of biological procreation. 

With Jupiter in Capricorn for the next 12 months, the choice may not be simple, but it’s clear: before we get wrapped up making connections and creating detailed agendas for achieving our goals, are our plans fulfilling short-term needs or long-term objectives? Are we motivated to transform our vision of our ideal future into a practical reality, knowing that compromise will figure strongly? If you find yourself falling in love this year, is it because of the strength of your connection with someone, or is it the image of a Trophy Wife you’re after?

So, if we notice ourselves dismissing others based on superficial judgments or pursuing an opportunity for purely materialistic motives, we might want to, well, stop it. Because if we can learn to stop analyzing whether the date we’re on, job we’re doing or relationship we’re in is truly a “waste of time” or not and put aside our own selfish needs, wants or expectations for the moment, we may find not only respite but a Really Juicy Opportunity.