Interview with Jupiter, Part 7

Jupiter: So go ahead…ask me about the other signs. Anyone who has read this series knows what will happen next!

John: Very true. So what signs cause you difficulty? 

Jupiter: Capricorn is a tough one for me, I don’t mind telling you. 

John: Well, why would you say that is? 

Jupiter: Capricorn is ruled by Saturn and it’s tremendously limiting. As you have pointed out earlier, I don’t do well with limits. Anything dealing with the Old Man is a pain in the ass. 

John: No, you’re a planet who sees every option and yet wants the freedom to take them all. 

Jupiter: Just like the Old Man. Why see limits when you can see possibilities? I’ve never really understood that. 

John: He’s next on my list of interview subjects, so I’ll have to ask him that. [writes note on iPad] What else makes Capricorn a challenging sign for you to inhabit? 

Jupiter: Capricorn is a very strategic sign and I’m definitely more of a “you only live once so why the fuck not?” kind of planet. I know I’m going to make mistakes and they’ll get me toward my eventual destination. Saturn’s influence over a sign confers a…wariness, and as such I struggle with these two competing influences. 

John: That makes sense to me. So Capricorn is your “Fall” sign, but where are you in detriment? 

Jupiter: Gemini. I mean, EW. I am NOT a fan. 

John: Because of Mercury’s influence, no doubt? 

Jupiter: Yes, absolutely. Too many details for me. I get pulled in too many different directions when I have to pay attention to that many balls in the air. Frankly, I have no idea how that brainiac keeps all that information straight in his brain, because I sure can’t. 

John: So Gemini is not a preferred sign for you. 

Jupiter: Not at all! John: What would you say about Virgo? Do you struggle there, too? 

Jupiter: Yes, I do, because in the ancient world I used to rule Pisces, and the opposite sign is Virgo. Basically, Mercury do two different jobs and when his influence enters the mix, my job tends to get harder. 

John: I understand now, and I think my readers will have a better idea of your role in the astrological planetary system. 

Jupiter: I certainly hope so! I’m a pretty important planet overall. 

John: There are only ten of you, so as far as I’m concerned, you're all pretty influential. 

Jupiter: I can get behind that idea.

Interview with Jupiter, Part 6

 

John: Well, let’s move on to another topic. Could you tell me about what signs you work best in? 

Jupiter: Absolutely. Sagittarius is my favorite sign of the zodiac! Send those arrows flight straight and sharp toward whatever truth I need to expose. You know it because you have it yourself. You live it! 

 John: Absolutely. I’m passionate about teaching, and there’s nothing that doesn’t deserve a good parody. Though I do try not to be too thoughtless…you can’t take one of those arrows back once you shoot it, right? 

Jupiter: I agree, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have sent it out in the first place. I mean, if they can’t take a joke… 

John: Remember how we were discussing the idea that everything is relative? Well, “joke” is one of those things. If you’re the target of one of the Sagittarius arrows, you might not find it so humorous. 

Jupiter: You’re going into downer territory again, man. I don’t do it to be deliberately malicious. Who do you think I am? Mars or Pluto? And I’m not responsible for the emotions. Only the arrows. I don’t tread on Lady Moon’s territory. 

John: Right, I remember. As I recall you had two signs, right? 

Jupiter: Yeah. Pisces used to be mine back in the day. They gave it over to Neptune, which definitely pissed me off when it first happened, but I came to the conclusion that it’s all about how you look at things. 

John: Very true. [consults iPad] So we already mentioned your ability to teach and learn, especially those areas that develop the higher mind. When you’re in Sagittarius those abilities are highlighted, but also you tend to be opinionated. 

 Jupiter: Fair. And other planets in Sagittarius do tend to have that “opinionation”, to quote famous astrologer Noel Tyl. 

John: So your next best sign is when you’re sitting in Cancer, right? 

Jupiter: Yes, that’s right. It’s more understated than when I’m in Sagittarius but I tend to bring the messages across a little more…smoothly. 

John: Could you explain that for me, please? 

Jupiter: Sagittarius is a sign that thrives on activity. So when I’m there I want to be talking, learning, teaching, listening and generally staying very active and engaged. By contrast, in Cancer, I can deliver messages in a more calm, understated way; there’s less running around and more background stability. Cancer also has an emotional overtone that Sagittarius lacks. No doubt, that’s the influence of Lady Moon. But make no mistake: I love the sign of Cancer, and I’m extremely comfortable and powerful there, too. 

John: In short, Cancer it takes out some of the more annoying parts of your overall influence. 

Jupiter: [scoffs] There you go again, Negative Ned! 

John: Jupiter, this blog is my truth. And you’re the one who said everyone’s is different, right? So suck it up…please. [smiles] 

Jupiter: I did tell you that I told the Sun I questioned the entire philosophy of doing these interviews, right? 

John: He agreed it was a good idea but heard your dissenting opinion regardless, one of the hallmarks of a great leader. So what I feel or don’t feel about your conversation with him is irrelevant. 

Jupiter: But if you think about it… 

John: I did not request your opinion, Jupiter. Thank you.

Interview with Jupiter, Part 5

John: [checks iPad] Would you say that spirituality and religion are foreign? Is that way you’re involved in them? 

Jupiter: No…that’s a different concept entirely. I deal with abstract concepts and the “higher mind”. 

John: Could you explain what you mean by that term, “higher mind”? 

Jupiter: Absolutely. I’m the guy who helps you grow to understand things in life that are not particularly obvious. Let’s use an example. If I ask you what an apple is, you can put an image in your head of an apple, right? 

John: [pause] Yeah, I can do that pretty simply. 

Jupiter: Now, put an image in your head of truth. 

John: Hmmmmmmmm. [thinks] That one is tougher. 

Jupiter: Right. Here’s another question. Do you think your image of truth will be the same as other people? 

John: I don’t see how it could be. 

Jupiter: Right on. My job is to help you understand those more abstract concepts. Truth means something different to you than other people. And a part of what I do involves you seeking the truth—what you believe to be the truth, at any rate. 

John: If you do that with truth, what do you with right and wrong? 

Jupiter: You’re joking, right? [laughs] We’d be here all day with those two terms. That totally depends on who you ask. 

John: So to you just about anything is relative? 

Jupiter: In a manner of speaking, yes. You remember one of the most important conversations of our times? Between Luke and Obi-Wan? 

John: Which one? 

Jupiter: Luke accused Obi-Wan of lying to him. “You said Vader betrayed and murdered my father!” And Obi-Wan had a long statement that ended with “So what I told you is true…from a certain point of view.” Greetings. I am that certain point of view! It can come in very handy! 

John: Right…we all have different perspectives. But what do you do with facts? 

Jupiter: Not my department. That’s Merc again. He’s too exact for me. What’s the point anyway? 

John: Precision does have its advantages. 

Jupiter: Honestly, the problem these days is that everyone thinks that their point of view or opinion is a fact. And even I, the King of Personal Opinion, know they are not one and the same. There are some things that are facts, but as I said, I’m not the guy to ask about it. That would be Mercury.

John: So what is your relationship to facts, if Mercury is the one who provides the information?

Jupiter: Well, if you haven't figured that out yet, I'll state it plainly: I take them and give my interpretation. 

John: Almost like someone telling you what was said in a foreign language that you don't understand?

Jupiter: Yes! Exactly like that. My interpretation of the facts can change, but the facts themselves do not!

John: So you are the guy who helps people determine the message that others were trying to convey, even it was written hundreds or thousands of years ago?

Jupiter: Whoa...that's a "gotcha" question if I ever heard it! You're not going to make me comment on any ancient texts today, right? That could get us BOTH into trouble. 

John: [hands up] No way! And no one needs to hear my personal interpretation of anything like that! But it does beg the question...

Jupiter: Come on...out with it!

John: Given what you just told us, wouldn’t that make you the zodiac’s propaganda minister? 

Jupiter: [hands on hips] COME THE FUCK ON! You REALLY went there? 

John: Dude, I like you, but you should know by now I’m not playing. 

Jupiter: Well, if you want to get technical about it, I guess I could see that. But that word makes me sound way too negative. 

John: If everything is an opinion, no one knows what’s real. And in an environment like that, people can lose their way. We can create cults of personality and we can each sit in our own little bubble, right, not caring about what is real and what isn’t? 

Jupiter: Dude, you're starting to scare me a little! I don’t know if you realize it, but people actually LIKE me. You’re not doing my image any favors, you know!

Interview with Jupiter, Part 4

John: I’d like to dive into that a little deeper. You said that once something foreign becomes normal, you lose your influence over it. 

Jupiter: Yes, absolutely. 

John: Why is that? 

Jupiter: I rule things that are foreign—cultures, people, customs, languages, et cetera—and once you are comfortable with them, that’s where my job stops. 

John: I understand the words, but I’m not sure what that means. 

Jupiter: You said earlier my job is expansion, and you’re right. People with strong Jupiter influences often are good at expansion. 

John: Yes, and I need you to stop expanding my waistline. Could you do that? 

Jupiter: Who doesn’t like a good meal? 

John: I am NOT one of those people, sadly. I like a good meal too often. 

Jupiter: Good for you! This is not a problem! 

John: Until I go to the doctor’s office, right? 

Jupiter: I avoid them like the plague. 

John: Speaking of doctors, perhaps that's not the best expression to use right now?

Jupiter: Oh shit...I guess you guys are NOT as good at avoiding the plague as one might hope!

John: [frowns] Moving on...

Jupiter: Yes, of course...doctors! They always tell people to stop doing this, stop doing that. What’s the point? I don’t think you need that kind of negativity in your life! 

John: [pause] Well, let’s agree to disagree about medical professionals, who have been working for nearly a year nonstop. But you were saying…? 

Jupiter: Ah yes. I’m good at expansion. When you are learning new principles, cultures, languages and the like, you are expanding. Once you learn them, they are no longer “new and different” because you have assimilated them. So then they just become ordinary, routine things you’ve learned. That’s where Mercury takes over; it’s no longer exciting, but ordinary. 

John: Would it be safe to say, then, that Mercury deals with local and repeated trips, and you deal with longer journeys away from home to new places? 

Jupiter: Yes! If it’s exciting and adventurous, that’s all me. Boring? That’s someone else!

John: So if I could summarize, even if a country is not your own--a "foreign" nation--it may not be in your purview after all if you're from there or have extensive experience with its people or culture. Is that fair?

Jupiter: [nods] Indeed.