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Saviours need not apply ... A wild card, Nibiru Jupiter, combines with Neptune in the stars of Aquarius, as it did in 1843, to produce dreams, hopes, fears and failure.
The Mirage. How a Nibiru Jupiter operates in a natal chart.
 

 

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Saviours need not apply
 Jupiter and Neptune offering a little too much 

Bernadette Brady MA

Life moves forward in waves, appearing to lurch from one news story to the next, from one crisis to the next. If these crises are large and touch the global community, then they are used as markers in history. If they are more local in their impact, then these become like the waves on a beach, each one different but all of them similar.

This month there is a new story rolling onto the beach of our lives. it may be global or it may simply be local and personal. This story joins us in a different version every 13 to 14 years and it is a Jupiter-Neptune conjunction. Later this month a running conjunction starts between the two planets as they both zodiacally occupy the late degrees of Aquarius and it will last until around the solstice in December, 2009.

Jupiter - Neptune: a contemporary approach

The pattern of Jupiter-Neptune conjunctions is that they move forward through the zodiac at the rate of just under one zodiac sign per conjunction

(28⁰ per conjunction). This steady rhythm in itself produces a larger pattern which sees the conjunction repeated in the same part of the sky every 153 or 166 years. In 2009 this conjunction occurs zodiacally in late degrees of Aquarius and in the sky it is in the right hip of Aquarius. The previous occurrences of this phenomena was in 1843/44.

Contemporary western astrology views the combination of Jupiter and Neptune in a consistent manner. In my book on predictive astrology in 1992 I described this as, "idealism, seeking the guru that has the answer to everything."[1]  British astrologer Sue Tompkins defines it as "the uncovering of fraud and stories regarding fraudsters."[2] Dutch astrologer Karen Hamaker-Zondag speaks of it as "seeing opportunities and improvements where none exists, or if they do exist, failing to recognize their drawback..."  and at the same time it "intensifies devotional feelings." [3] German astrologer Reinhold Ebertin defined a Jupiter-Neptune combination as "the pursuit of idealistic inclinationa... gaining without effort... seduction, a scandal which is caused through one's own instability, losses."[4]

St Frances Praying. Francisco de Zubaran, 1627

The above astrologers are all in agreement: a Jupiter, Neptune suggests that one seeks knowledge from a spiritual, religious or illusional source. At best this leads to a devotional personality or situation; at worst it opens one to despair and disappointment as the idealism is eventually stripped away from the reality when the conjunction passes.

Jupiter and the Babylonian view

However, within visual astrology there are additional features that we can consider, for although we cannot turn to the Assyrian astrologer/priest to help us understand the role of Neptune, we can, nevertheless, consider their thinking on planetary phases and its implications for the delineation of a planetary combination.

Apart from the all important lunar phases, planetary phases as a technique were generally abandoned by the time of Ptolemy. There are flickers of it in Ptolemy's work with his writing on the doryphory (planets rising before the sun) and a thousand years later the Jewish scholar Abraham Ibn Ezra used planetary phases in his almuten tables. Today the only planetary phase method, apart from lunar phases, that we still use is that of a planet being combust, the idea that a planet is altered in its meaning or expression in a chart due to its close relationship to the Sun. This last piece of a planetary phase methodology has probably survived in contemporary astrology because it is easy to see in a horoscope.

But to the Assyrian astrologer/priest a planet being combust, or as they would think of it as going into the underworld, was just one part of a visually based system of planetary phases. Within this system it seems as if Jupiter was particular sensitive to its phase relationship with the Sun. According to the Assyrian priest Nabu-muse'i, writing in around the year 660 B.C.E., Jupiter as the Crown Prince was given three different styles of expression depending on its phase:

The star of Marduk [Jupiter] at its appearance is
(called) Sulpa'e; when it rises 1 'double-
hour' it is (called) Sagmegar, when it stands
in the middle of the sky, it is (called) Neheni [also called Nibiru] [5]

Here three phases are being defined. Firstly Sulpa'e, when Jupiter returned to visibility after a period of being absent from the sky and rose before the sun in the dawn light. (For more information access the link under 'Archives' above). This was considered the most powerful Jupiter of all, and indeed any planet rising before the sun could gain the title of Sulpa'e, indicating not only its phase but its increased power within the unfolding sky narrative.

The second phase and name for Jupiter was Sagmegar. This was when Jupiter was visible at some time in the night, and in effect it was the "normal" Crown Prince, the position where there was no added strength applied to Jupiter through its phase.

Lastly there was the Nibiru Jupiter which does seem to have been unique to Jupiter and applied to the period when Jupiter was seen to be drawing towards culmination in the night but failing to "split the sky"[6] (seen to reach culmination) because it was extinguished by the light of the rising sun. There are no meanings given for Jupiter in this phase. However with the Nibiru Jupiter representing a time when the planet fails to complete the splitting of the sky, it is reasonable to speculate that it was seen as a weakened figure.

Figure 1 - Sunrise for the 21 June, 2009, for a latitude of 50 North. A Nibiru Jupiter: as it culminates it is extinguished by the light of the rising Sun.

Thus it can be seen as symbolic of an event which fails to be completed, or comes to nothing, or a person who fails to complete a task and/or is defeated in the final moments just when success is most expected. Indeed, taking this meaning for a Nibiru Jupiter we see how similar it is in how we define a Jupiter-Neptune conjunction today.

However, we will all have the opportunity to explore this meaning over the next few months. For the Jupiter- Neptune conjunction that occurs from 28 May, just as Neptune becomes stationary, to the 10 July, 2009, when Jupiter, also retrograde, pulls behind Neptune is, in fact, a Nibiru Jupiter. The phase of nibiru for Jupiter is "tightest" around the solstice in June 2009 (see Figure 1). The conjunction then completes its last touch on the 21 December, 2009, by which time Jupiter has shifted to a Sagmegar Jupiter, setting at a time after sunset. 

A Nibiru Jupiter in 1843 and the "Great Disappointment"

The last time we had a Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in the hip of Aquarius was in April to September 1843. Additionally, just as the case today, the Jupiter was in a  nibiru phase. Now the year 1843 may not be a date that most of us recognise as important, however it was the time when huge events were predicted. 

In the early 1840's the USA was gripped by Millerism, a belief in the work of William Miller (1782 - 1849) a religious preacher who was the founder of the Seventh-day Adventists, and Advent Christian churches. After years of intense bible studies and based on the Visions of Daniel, Miller stated that:  
 

"My principles in brief, are, that Jesus Christ will come again to this earth, cleanse, purify, and take possession of the same, with all the saints, sometime between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844."[7] His preaching received strong support in the USA and at its height of expectation there was estimated over a half a million Millerites (followers). Miller's preaching fed into, and fuelled the emerging collective sensitivity to redemption which was marked by the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction of the time. People were looking for a redeemer and Miller stepped onto the stage.

William Miller (1782-1849)

With a Nibiru Jupiter forming a conjunction with Neptune there was an amplification of the potential for idealism and disappointment - larger expectations, and thus larger disappointments. Furthermore this was emphasised by its location within the stars of Aquarius, a constellation of bountifulness as well as excesses ((For more information access the link under 'Archives' above). With Jupiter already pushed into idealism or unrealistic situations by its link with Neptune, and being further stressed by its nibiru phase, its location amongst the stars of Aquarius ballooned out of all proportion the normal tendency towards idealism and the seeking of redemption.

This over-emphasised Jupiter-Neptune of 1843 symbolised an amplification of a religious illusion. Large numbers of people were swamped with a desire for salvation through the vehicle of firstly, the works of an earthly guru, William Miller, and, secondly, through the return of the Messiah. When the end of the world failed to occur by the 21 March 1844, dates were revised firstly to April, 1844 and lastly to 22 October, 1844. The dawn of the 23 October 1844 became known as the "Great Disappointment" when the expected redemption did not occur. One Millerite stated that "Our fondest hopes and expectations were blasted, and such a spirit of weeping came over us as I never experienced before....We wept, and wept, till the day dawn." [8] But is this the implication of the forthcoming conjunction?

Climate and Money rather then the Second Coming

Generally in today's world we do not expect to see preachers and bill-boards shouting about the end of the world. These things are no longer part of the collective fears. Nowadays climate change, pandemics and the world's financial crises are of greater concern for most of us than the Second Coming of Christ. However, once again we have a Nibiru Jupiter forming a conjunction with Neptune in the hip of Aquarius.

Astrology, visual or otherwise, cannot make exact predictions. However, I do believe that the emergent patterns of the collective are moved by, or in a synchronistic relationship with the rhythm of different planetary combinations. Within this study of emergence, history provides us with what is defined within complexity science, as the "preferred pathways". This is finding the way things "like" to occur, the normal way that things emerge. The direction a preferred pathway will take is not guaranteed, but habits are strong not just for humans but for all of life, and life events. The preferred pathway or "habit" of this forthcoming Jupiter-Neptune conjunction is, according to history, for us to have great expectations which lead to great disappointments. The actual focus of this collective idealism and expectation and eventual disappointment or despair will, however, be unique for this moment in time.
 

Already we have hopes and fears. At the moment we hold out hope for the presidency of Obama and the rest of our leaders in that they will know how to restore the balance of financial chaos. We hold out hope that medicine  will remove the threat of the pandemic of the vagaries of an emerging virus. We hold out hope that somehow Gaia will deal with all the climate stress and maintain a environment that supports humanity. It would seem at the moment that the one thing we do not have are shades of grey.

The Nibiru Jupiter forming a conjunction with Neptune in the hip of Aquarius at the solstice (June) 2009.

Nevertheless, although we are currently seeking a way to save the world, if the world is offered a saviour in these next few months, I think it might be best to politely decline. At the same time people or situations that are already offering us "salvation" will also be found wanting.

We are living in a time of "great disappointment". This may be personal as one's dreams are found to be wanting, or it may be collective with the loss of a dream or the loss of a believed solution to one of the world's problems. We can do little about the collective dreams but on a personal level, over the next few months, treat your expectations and dreams with moderation and if something is too good to be true, it probably is.

Let this Nibiru Jupiter with its link to Neptune in the stars of Aquarius give us dreams, and inspiration but not expectations.

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The Mirage
A Nibiru Jupiter in a natal chart

by Darrelyn Gunzburg
 

The promise of Jupiter, the Great Benefic in the sky, is one of abundance and gain. It is the planet that expands our world and however this occurs, whether through formal education or life experience, our world increases. In the natal horoscope the sign in which Jupiter is placed will alter its ability to bestow bounty, particularly if it is in detriment or fall where what Jupiter gives may be either greatly reduced or else given in an alternative way. In Jupiter-ruled charts (Sun,Moon or Ascendant in Sagittarius or Pisces) it can also produce excesses ranging from too much of a good thing to gambling.

However, in the case of a Nibiru Jupiter, it is the phase of Jupiter that influences  Jupiter's ability to gift us with insight and amplify our world. 

To determine if a Jupiter is in a nibiru phase simply move your chart backward or forward in time until it is just before dawn, placing the Sun a good 10 -15 degrees below the Ascendant in the first house. What you are looking at is the position of the planets at dawn on the day of your birth. Now note Jupiter's position in this chart.  If Jupiter is in the 10th house of your dawn chart and is close to culminating but will not be seen to "split the sky", due to the rising Sun that will flood the sky with light, then this is a Nibiru Jupiter (See figure 1 and 2 below).

Visually it appears as if the Sun's rising stops Jupiter from culminating. The Crown Prince never gets to feel what it is life to gain fulfilment, and this is how it feels for the person with this in their chart. In such cases then the focus of the person's life becomes the journey itself and being able to help others to achieve, for the "prize" is not theirs to win.

Here are some case studies from my client files:

The chart of this 59-year old female contains a T-Square of Saturn in Virgo in the 3rd house in opposition to Jupiter in Pisces in the 9th house (same degree as 9th house cusp) and with the Sun in Gemini in the 11th house at its apex. On first appearance Jupiter looks like it is in excellent condition in rulership in Pisces, and being in the house of education and travel and expansion, it would seem that it could offer her a great deal of bountifulness in those areas.

But her Jupiter is in the phase of nibiru (see figure 1 and 2 below), for if we move the chart back to dawn we can see that Jupiter is moving towards culmination but will fail to be seen to do so. Thus with a Nibiru Jupiter what sort of success can she achieve?

Figure 1. Part of the natal chart of the 59 year old female client.	Figure 2. The dawn chart for the same client, showing Jupiter moving towards culmination but which  will fail to be "seen" to culminate - a Nibiru Jupiter.

A hearing impairment discovered in early childhood mean schooling difficulties and a year in speech therapy. Added to this, her father's work meant the family moved every few years, bringing a constant turnover of new schools, new methods of learning , and a new set of children with whom to interact. In her early twenties,  studying speech pathology at Masters level, my client encountered sexual harassment and, as she could be employed without the degree, did not complete the course.

Now in her fifties and caring for an aged mother, my client has now recognized how her study ability has let her down. She says:

"I feel my life imploding. I skip past the drill and discipline required for elementary study in an area and jump to the conclusions and graduate level. Later, I wonder why my foundations in that area are weak and my long term memory in the area is superficial. This is a crisis point for me, in that it has likely been a major disrupting point in all of my goals up to this point in my life. I feel I must start over, once again. I am grateful for receiving this understanding, albeit so late in life. I want to prepare for the future."

This is insightful as to how a Nibiru Jupiter experiences the world. In this case being in good condition in rulership in the 9th house ruling the 6th and 9th houses, my client is prepared to work hard at study and learning and in her career as a speech pathologist. However, Jupiter in the phase of nibiru, suggests that she struggles to gain fulfilment and feels the end results are damaged in some way.

Another client in her mid-thirties with Jupiter in her 8th house square her Sun, and also in a nibiru phase,  put it this way:

"I've been in a rut in terms of trying and exploring lots of different options such as a PhD but finding it hard to find an appropriate supervisor, or making films but I seem to lack the motivation to commit to directing drama, or writing articles for magazines but feel I want to extend passed this now and write a book. Part of my problem is my very high aspirations and my many interests resulting in a lack of focus. I've taken the approach to get involved in many things and see what eventuates to get clearer."

In these words there is an innate understanding that whatever she puts her energy into it will in some way evaporate before she can gain total fulfilment.

A third client in her late fifties with a strong Jupiter in Sagittarius in the 11th house in opposition to Uranus in the 5th house, and with the Jupiter being in a nibiru phase expressed, it this way:

"I taught small children and administered at a private school for twenty plus years but five years ago I left because of philosophical conflicts I had with the school. It was traumatic at the time but ultimately a good decision. After that I taught at another private school and nannied for awhile. Currently I'm not working. I truly am at a standstill."

So what is the journey for a Nibiru Jupiter?

A Nibiru Jupiter appears to offer fertile and productive riches, yet after years of focus and some gain, it becomes apparent that the honour or reward for which one has been reaching or anticipating has vanished and life seems to be imploding, in a rut, or at a standstill. So the meaning of a Nibiru Jupiter appears to be to simply enjoy the journey, enjoy what is being offered and do not seek for fame, acclaim, credit or privilege. Life is short and fragile and the prevailing winds of commerce can push us into believing we walk a linear path with success as our prize. Working with clients with a Nibiru Jupiter tell us otherwise. So have a look at see if you have a Nibiru Jupiter in your chart. If you do, what is your story, and perhaps it may ease the pressure to know that it is the journey and not the prize that is all important for a Nibiru Jupiter.

Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog (1818) Caspar David Friedrich

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