Newsflash: “I thought a Jupiter transit was supposed to be good!” has been reportedly heard repeating across the heavens.  Like the Chinese parable of a farmer whose mare runs off during planting season (bad luck), later returns with two stallions (good luck), the son is bucked by the new stallion and breaks his leg (bad luck) then the army rides into town to conscript the son into service, but leaves the invalid son behind (good luck)… Luck is like that runaway horse. We have the tendency to think either something is good or bad, but no singular event ever exists in isolation. Maybe we need to widen our context about what “luck” is.

No astrological event exists in isolation, either. It’s one of the easiest mistakes to make in astrology. “Jupiter is joining my Midheaven- my boat will come in!” Then you get fired. But you hated your job and you were finally released. See, because ultimately Jupiter symbolises freedom, expansion and the desire for something better.

Then there’s Saturn. From July (thru roughly mid-August when Jupiter enters Virgo), every liberating Jupiter in Leo transit links to a workhorse Saturn in Scorpio transit. There has been no free lunch with this pair. A diabetic client who has worked for years to get a dog to help her manage her sugar levels was finally given the dog, but because of rigorous training, rules and procedures, she had to earn the privilege up to the very last minute.  I know several people with Jupiter and Saturn conjunct in their natal chart who bemoan the stringent requirements required to collect on opportunity, luck and fortune. And yet as I have observed of this a dynamic duo: When you diligently work for something, aren’t the rewards that much sweeter?

I’m no Pollayanna. Saturn in Scorpio challenges us to view Jupiter with maturity, clarity, and just because some form of Jupiterian release has been “ultimately, for the best” doesn’t mean it’s easy.  As the square has tightened over the past week, several people and beloved pets in my circle, after a long bout with illness, have finally died. For those in pain, being released into greener pastures is the ultimate good fortune.

So it goes for those leaving relationships. A client broke up with her partner when Jupiter joined her Venus. Another: “I thought this was supposed to bring good things!” Ah, I asked, but were you happy? Did you want things to keep going the way they had been? The answer was: No. She wanted to be happier, have the love she deserved. She was tired of the secrecy and lies (Saturn in Scorpio). She was ready to ask for more from love: Jupiter conjunct Venus. Jupiter transits stimulate our desires for more, bigger, better.

So. Venus is meeting Jupiter. Most of us have positive associations for the Jupiter-Venus conjunction. We can still have them! Jupiter’s nature is expansive, opportunistic, and most importantly its appearance shows us where we have been underestimating our self in key ways. Venus is also square Saturn. You may have had to work harder for opportunity. You may have outgrown a relationship. You may have had to say goodbye to claim your, or someone else’s, greater good and happiness. Sometimes the most loving thing we can do is to let go of their hand, and say goodbye. Just remember the parable about the horse, and the million and one ways fortune and grace can bless us… often sometimes a little further down the road.