Jupiter in Leo

photo courtesy of @watervagabond
photo courtesy of @watervagabond

Jupiter is moving out of its exaltation in Cancer and into Leo in Vedic astrology or Jyotish.   Jupiter is the great benefic of all the nine planets in Vedic astrology.  In Sanskrit, Jupiter is the Guru, or a spiritual teacher. Jupiter is also known as Brihaspati, the teacher of the Gods.  Jupiter in Leo begins on July 13, 2015 at approximately 5:50 PM Pacific time in the US and on July 14, 2015 at approximately 6:25 AM in India.

In Vedic astrology, Jupiter is known is the planet of wisdom, spirituality, fortune, optimism, philanthropy, generosity, and philosophy.  Jupiter is also associated with  knowledge, teaching, higher education, and discernment.  Thursdays are associated with Jupiter in the Vedic calendar.

Saturn in Scorpio will be influencing Jupiter for the duration of its stay in Leo. Saturn be somewhat destabilizing to Jupiter’s optimism and discernment.  Be careful about rushing into judgments, having stiff codes of what is right and wrong, and misunderstanding situations.  How this Saturn / Jupiter dynamic will influence you depends on your individual planetary placements.

photo from wallpaperscraft.com
photo from wallpaperscraft.com

Leo is the fifth sign of the natural zodiac. It is known as Simha rashi in Sanskrit.  It is a fire sign, and associated with Pitta dosha in Ayurveda.  Leo is also a fixed sign and thus it relates to inactivity or inertia.  Leo is associated with an air of regality as well as being quite magnanimous.  Symbolized by the lion, Leo enjoys being the king of of its environment, whether at home or work.

Jupiter in Leo can bring a greater focus on children, intellectual pursuits, teaching, advising, and writing, especially if you are in Jupiter cycle or natally have Jupiter in Leo, Aries, or Sagittarius.

When Jupiter enters Leo, it is still gandanta through the end of July, 2015.  Gandanta is a juncture of a planet from a water sign to a fire sign and into a new nakshatra or constellation. The last three degrees and 20 minutes of water signs and the first three degrees and 20 minutes of fire signs are gandanta positions.  Periods of gandanta merit extra caution as they are doubly unstable.  If you are in a Jupiter planetary cycle, you may feel this more strongly than others.

With Jupiter in Leo, it will initially be in Magha nakshatra.  Magha is symbolized by the royal throne room and its deity is the Pitris or ancestors.  Thus, Magha is associated with lineages, family legacies, and patronage.  This lends to the theme of spirituality associated with Jupiter in Leo.  This can also be powerful for spiritual initiation and mantra repetition. Individuals with natal placements in Magha should take advantage of this time.

Jupiter is associated with the color yellow, fruit bearing trees, sattvic foods, ghee, honey, dates, berries, squash, pumpkin, cream, sugar canes, garbanzo beans (chick peas), and chana dahl (split yellow garbanzo lentils).  You can make offerings to your spiritual teacher with these items or offer dakshina, especially on Thursdays.

Jupiter in Leo is widely discussed in muhurta, the branch of Jyotish utilized to select auspicious timings for events. It is known in Western astrology as electional astrology. My Jyotish teacher taught us to avoid inaugural activities while Jupiter is in Leo, especially when it is also in Leo in the navamsha chart (a companion chart to the main chart).  This is less so while Jupiter is in Magha, versus the other two nakshatras in Leo.  Sidereal Sun in Aries nullifies all concerns about Jupiter in Leo.

I spoke to Vedamurti Shri Vivekshastri Godbole of Shri Krishna Yajurveda Pathashala in Maharasthra, India about Jupiter in Leo.  He said that Jupiter’s ingress into Leo during the Vedic month of Adhika masa or Purshottham masa is quite auspicious.

Chana dahl
Chana dahl

I asked Shri Vivek about what spiritual practices or rituals could be performed by individuals while Jupiter occupies Leo for 13 months. He suggested that people worship the Sun and pray to the Sun (Surya).  With Jupiter in Leo, people should worship their Guru. They can give chana dahl in charity.  They can offer yellow cloth to Brahmins.  Jupiter is associated with the sweet taste, so they may also offer sweets (dairy, chocolates, ice cream) to children, Brahmins, old people or to their ashram.  Those in India may feed cows jaggery and chana dahl. People may recite the bija mantra Goom Gurubhyo Namah either 28 times or 108 times daily, and particularly while Jupiter is making its entry into Leo.

Shri Krishna Yajurveda Pathashala will be performing a special puja for Jupiter in Leo.  Please send an email to Vishwajit Godbole at vvishwajit@gmail.com for information on how you may participate.  Include your full name, location, lunar nakshatra, and a photo of yourself.

Additionally, I asked Shri Vivek about a widely held belief that marriages should be avoided while Jupiter is in Leo. He clarified that this is not a universal principle, but only applies to certain individual and locations.  During the Kumbha Mela time in Nasik, those who reside near the Godavari River should not get married.  It is believed that nectar comes to the Godavari River during Kumbha mela time, and local residents should do sadhana at that time.

Jupiter remains in Leo until August, 2016.  Please “like” my Facebook page for more regular astrological updates.  If you are interested in knowing how to best use the time while Jupiter is in Leo, please schedule a personalized Vedic astrology reading.