Expansion is an important concept that concerns everyone on the planet. From a cosmic standpoint, many astronomers believe that the universe is presently expanding, which means that it is continually increasing in size. On a more down-to-earth scale, a fruit seed sowed in the ground may grow into a ten-foot high tree. On earth, Nature is also expanding. Moreover, science and knowledge have developed considerably in the last two millennia and the standard of living of certain developed countries has risen. The quality of life has improved substantially in many countries around the world. Medical research is making constant progress. Generally speaking, we live better and longer. The media (radio, television, Internet, the press, etc.) is omnipresent. We are more informed than ever, and most people are aware of everything that goes on around the world. From an astrological perspective, the planet Jupiter is associated with expansion in our lives. Expansion also means opportunities to seize. Everyone should pay attention to every opportunity that comes their way in their lives. Refusing to consider and take advantage of such opportunities and resisting personal growth and enhancement of individual potential or assets means going against the laws of the Cosmos governing the conditions of human life on earth. Humans were born on earth to seize as many opportunities along their paths as possible to evolve and achieve happiness. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the lessons of the Zodiac concerning the concept of expansion. To do so, the influence of Jupiter on each of the twelve Zodiac signs will be analyzed. These lessons of the Zodiac apply to everyone. From this perspective, they define humanity in its essence. Jupiter in Aries To seize the opportunities that come our way, we should not hesitate to forge ahead in life in order to overcome certain obstacles, even if they may seem insurmountable at first. This is the price to pay to succeed in achieving happiness and a life fulfilled! In fact, we should take calculated risks and not hesitate to be pioneers in all the areas of our lives. Therefore, we must develop optimism, courage and positivism to rise to the challenges that await us! In fact, for trendy, open-minded and dynamic people, life on earth is full of stimulating challenges to overcome and victories and successes to achieve in every area of life. To do so, we should commit ourselves and take a stand in order to obtain expected results; otherwise, life simply becomes ordinary and empty. The sign of Aries is associated with the self. Jupiter in Aries is the symbol of “self-expansion”, among other things. In this regard, “we should develop our inner self in every possible way and in every area of life,” recommends dear friend Réjean Déziel. Whether through human contact or studies, we must strive to better know ourselves and develop our own personality as much as possible. By enhancing our knowledge, skills and inner wealth on an ongoing basis, we can achieve happiness more easily. With this attitude towards life, we can inspire ourselves and the members of our entourage, and become leaders and masters of our own lives. Preaching by example allows us to enjoy guiding others in achieving happiness. Jupiter in Taurus The planet Jupiter is the symbol of abundance and expansion. It invites us to invest energy, time and financial resources in safe areas of life that are very rewarding on the medium and long term. In this regard, the sign of Taurus corresponds to the second house of the Zodiac; this house concerns finances and investment, particularly in real estate. Everyone is encouraged to consider the opportunity to invest wisely, particularly in real estate. This is one of the important lessons we can draw from this position of Jupiter in the Zodiac. When reaching adulthood, it is important to look into investing. Investments can increase in value and generate substantial income twenty or thirty years into the future with little effort, or without any superhuman effort, to say the least. Naturally, this concerns financial security and economic expansion in a realistic, even materialistic context. However, we cannot disregard personal financial concerns if we are to achieve happiness! Investing wisely requires sound reflection. As the saying goes, “one must think things through carefully before deciding on the action to take!” Indeed, one must not invest time and savings blindly, but must do so with full knowledge of the facts. Everyone hopes to enjoy the comfort of a home in a nice setting. Investing time and savings in real estate or sound assets admittedly fosters happiness. As our profits increase, we enjoy thinking about taking advantage of them later, freely and as we please. Some think about it every day as soon as they wake up in the morning. They start their day off “on the right foot. ” One must persevere in this area of human activity. It is preferable to set aside small sums of money every week or month on a regular, ongoing basis. To do so, one must be far-sighted and develop a sound, balanced and realistic budget that affords a place for systematic savings. With a bit of patience, we can all achieve this goal: building a well-deserved small fortune for ourselves to enjoy fully in the latter part of our lives. Make the most of it! Jupiter in Gemini Jupiter is the symbol of expansion, while the sign of Gemini is associated with intellectual life. This planetary position invites us to develop our intellect, particularly by sharing and discussing with the members of our entourage. Suffice it to say that the example of Socrates is relevant: he admittedly acknowledged not knowing anything, yet constantly asked his neighbours and friends all kinds of questions. Socrates loved to talk with people; he described himself as a “bearer of ideas”, not unlike a midwife helping to bring newborns into the world. Socrates particularly loved to discover all sorts of concepts and ideas merely by conversing with the members of his entourage. Philosopher Plato encouraged people to follow Socrates’ example. Negotiation and discussion, even argumentation, helps things to evolve. In addition, it serves to discover all the richness in life, understand ourselves better and be “on top of things,” as the saying goes. From this perspective, we may see things differently and it might be easier for us to find solutions to problems and opportunities for personal development. Clearly, from the clash of ideas emerges profound truths that lead us along the path to happiness. For many, discussing, talking or conversing is the key to success in love, with friends and in business. Jupiter in Gemini invites us to put to good use the wonderful gifts of speech and writing that the Creator has bestowed upon all of us. The sign of Gemini is also associated with short-distance travel or trips. Jupiter in Gemini invites us to “come out of our shells,” reach out to others and travel to make new friends and acquaintances. In fact, it is helpful to meditate in solitude from time to time, but it is also important to maintain social contacts to confront our ideas with those of others. It is certainly useful to ponder things on our own, but not all the time! Good social skills involve the ability to communicate easily with empathy. It is one of the important values of this planetary position. People with great social skills approach others with their nicest smiles and engage in interesting discussions with them. Eventually, they acquire a better understanding of human nature and, most of the time, become very cultured. We can learn a great deal from others and their experience: understanding the visions on life of the members of our entourage is certainly a winning condition to evolve in life. Jupiter in Cancer The sign of Cancer is the symbol of home and family. Naturally, it follows that the home means a great deal to most of us. The home should be comfortable and welcoming. We should all enjoy inviting people over, whether for a good meal, to share our thoughts, ideas, views and projects, or simply to enjoy pleasant, rewarding discussions in good company. Indeed, there is nothing more enjoyable than welcoming loved ones at home! In general, we learn a lot from those we love. Home is certainly a privileged setting to foster these kinds of meetings. For instance, things can start off in the form of a nice invitation to an intimate, delicious meal. Then, things can move on to the bedroom and a very comfortable bed covered with soft, cosy blankets. Would that not be paradise on earth? Obviously, one needs only a few things to experience profound feelings of well-being and happiness! The sign of Cancer also represents family. In this regard, it is in our interest to feel good inside, at home and as part of the family. In short, this feeling involves some sustained work to find true comfort within and outside ourselves, day or night, alone or surrounded by close relatives. To host people at home with confidence, we need to think things through beforehand. Indeed, we must be in a very good frame of mind to welcome our guests properly. Our homes reflect an important part of our personality. A well-kept, clean and inviting abode is certainly a winning condition to achieving happiness. In addition, there is pleasure to experience when we invite the people we love to our home. The home is an appropriate place to showcase our most precious keepsakes for us and our loved ones to enjoy. Evocative pictures may be laid out on the shelves of a bookcase, on a desk or hung on a wall. The same goes for paintings, calendars, curios and posters that remind us of special moments in our existence. What is more, a nice picture of our partner on our night table is great! Some people even save the short messages sent by their partner on their answering machines. It is fascinating. Such souvenirs and memorable moments are indeed priceless! There is nothing like listening to short messages of love and compliments from our partner, whether in the comfort of the home or outside the home, day after day. It makes us feel great and warm inside and it encourages us to invite the loved one to our home once again. Jupiter in Leo Human beings were created in part to love their fellow man and experience everything related to love. By all accounts, human beings were made to experience love intensely, joyfully and in magnificence. Nothing is better than experiencing genuine feelings of love in order to have an enjoyable, fulfilling and rewarding existence. The feelings of the heart are undoubtedly important and invigorating for everyone. They are at the top of many people’s priority lists. Making them a priority is a winning condition for happiness on earth. Happy people are not only careful to increase the value of their assets and financial investment, but also to have their hearts quiver more intensely by investing time and energy in their relationship with their partner. Naturally, this attitude towards life requires a lot of assurance, self-confidence and self-esteem. Before thinking about helping someone else, we must make sure that we are able to. In short, we must have managed to overcome most of our own problems before helping someone else. As the saying goes, “we must be on top of things.” Indeed, we must “swim with our heads above water” to anticipate what might occur; we must feel good inside if we are to provide sound advice and help others. Loving others requires resources and time to open up to them, listen to them, understand them and show empathy. In return, this welcoming and sympathetic attitude fosters personal fulfillment, the joy of living and a great deal of pleasure. In short, we benefit from contacts with others. We learn a lot by paying attention to the life experiences of the members of our entourage. Jupiter in Leo invites us to become benefactors to humanity, give ourselves a significant social mission, and attend to the success and happiness of others by loving them. One way to assert our leadership is to be a spiritual guide for others, develop helping relationships with each member of our entourage, and affirm the kindness inside of us and our generosity in all simplicity. A popular Beatles song, All you need is love, is evocative of this purpose. When such feelings of love and generosity transpire from our entire being, we discover inner happiness at that very moment. Jupiter in Virgo To some extent, Jupiter is the planet of motivation, expansion and enthusiasm, while the sign of Virgo is the symbol of work. It naturally follows that this position of Jupiter influences human beings to show motivation and enthusiasm at work in an innate, entirely natural way with no second thoughts. Motivated people tend to invest themselves entirely in work and give it all their best, without expecting any special advantages in return. They work earnestly, with a joyful smile. People with Jupiter in the sign of Virgo behave in this way and are role models. These people are actually quite modest. They do not necessarily want to improve their lot at all costs by seeking a managerial position, such as a director. They are generally satisfied with their jobs, and they do not seek to land a high position within an organization. From a social standpoint, these people are good role models because of their modesty, kindness and discretion. They are always ready to help out freely, benevolently and empathically. Overall, they are not very talkative; however, they are always ready to take time to help others, and their listening skills are well developed. They are also very discreet. They do not seek compliments; on the contrary, they behave with devotion and simplicity. They keep their “two feet on the ground” at all times, and they appreciate concrete, real solutions with short-term benefits. They excel in their availability to help others by suggesting simple, concrete, relevant and effective solutions to their problems. In fact, they like to be of service to the members of their entourage. Their modesty combines with other qualities, such as reliability. These people are usually quite dependable and can be counted on. They keep their word and appointments and honour their commitments. They do not like trouble, hypocrites or spiteful people. They enjoy their job so much that they will not hesitate to work overtime. They are genuinely devoted to their profession and work. Life at work fills them with joy. Being in contact with people and at the service of others and their community is quite fulfilling for them. Others appreciate these people when they show such zeal and competence at work. People are also usually quite satisfied with services rendered and work done. Without calling attention to themselves, these people have an in-depth knowledge of their work and are perfectly aware of how to plan their time. In fact, they are usually very productive. They do not waste time at work. These people are likely to experience happiness, because their hearts and love of others guide their every action throughout their lives. Day after day they perform “noble actions” that enrich their souls. Jupiter in Libra Jupiter is the symbol of expansion and fulfillment, while the sign of Libra is associated with partnerships, contracts, associations and social life in general (public relations). It naturally follows that a cause-to-effect relation obviously exists between success in projects and the choice of partners to carry them out. Close complicity and a positive relation of mutual trust are required, even essential, to succeed in ventures and projects. In our modern society, we must function interdependently. In groups and working teams, we must maintain brotherly relationships with everyone with whom we rub shoulders. Good person-to-person communications are essential. In addition, great enjoyment can be derived from working happily and being in a good mood; a positive working climate is a favourable setting to develop and carry out projects. Sharing skills, experiences and knowledge is a quite worthwhile activity. We can experience genuine pleasure by helping the members of our working team, and we highly appreciate the advice and help provided by the members of our entourage. Sharing allows us to work in harmony and more efficiently with the people around us. Instead of living and functioning in a climate of competition, we should carry out work in a climate of cooperation and mutual consultation, in respect of everyone’s skills. This way, we can enhance our knowledge and efficiency at work, while maintaining or improving our reputation by aiming for excellence. This is how we can succeed in life and achieve happiness and prosperity. In this sense, our friends, associates and work colleagues can facilitate our social rise significantly. In a nutshell, good relations with our partners, whether in business or any area of life, foster success in everything we undertake. Jupiter in Scorpio Jupiter is the symbol of expansion and the sign of Scorpio is associated with sexuality. It follows that human beings try to make the most of lovemaking, with passion. In fact, sex and passion combine well. Naturally, fulfilling lovemaking starts by choosing the right partner. Like any similar situation, we must make choices and sound decisions. When relying on our intuition and inner voice, we make fewer mistakes and manage to make the right choices. Lovemaking usually starts slowly, then increases gradually in intensity. At the beginning, there are the preliminaries; then passion is aroused gradually to reach a very high level of intensity. At that point, we should listen more to ourselves, our body and our feelings. In general, a bit of daring is also quite appreciated. Vitality, energy and ardour in passion should naturally be in the air. In such instances, each partner’s personal charm reveals itself. The partner is perceived in his or her pure state of being. The partner should be seduced and re-conquered every time. Nothing should be taken for granted; on the contrary, one must be imaginative and clever to revive the flame every time. When partners make love, they meet in a way that should be reinvented each and every time as if it were for the first time. Behaving in such a way allows lovers to evolve and the quality of their lovemaking to reach heights never before experienced! One of the winning conditions for a pleasing, fulfilling sexual relationship is sensing the partner’s needs and preferences and responding appropriately to them. This involves proper two-way communication. The partner can then be brought to caress us as we wish and we can both experience Nirvana, utter joy and the thrill of living life to the maximum! In fact, we should acknowledge the partner’s needs and, ideally, the partner should “return in kind” through pleasant mutual sharing in full complicity. This is how everything intimate in a couple is shared and experienced with passion. In such moments, we can savour the present moment that goes by, minute after minute; better yet if these minutes stretch into hours! In such intimate moments, we have the opportunity as never before to perceive the other as he or she really is and reveal ourselves to the partner exactly as how we are, without inhibition. We can be ourselves in our partner’s arms, and we can communicate and cooperate in many ways. This is one of the winning conditions for happiness. And what more can be said about the kisses and caresses that are shared through such communication! To experience and enjoy lovemaking of this quality, we should, of course, feel good about ourselves, have strong self-esteem and self-confidence, and trust our partner; overall, all these things are not necessarily difficult to achieve. We wish you much happiness, passion and wonderful moments with your partner! Jupiter in Sagittarius The sign of Sagittarius is the symbol of an individual’s profound aspirations. “What kind of aspirations,” would you say? Let us take Pastor Martin Luther King as an example. He had a dream: equality between whites and blacks in the United States. In one of his memorable speeches, he said: “I have a dream!” Today, his dream may have come true with the election of Barack Obama as the first African-American President of the United States in 2008. Humanity certainly needs great visionaries and idealists who wish to see society evolve. In our personal lives, we should expand our horizons, be idealistic and self-confident, and trust our abilities and destiny. We should feel able to accomplish great things. We should “aim for the jackpot,” motivate ourselves to do so, set high goals, and invest time and effort in achieving them. These are winning conditions for expansion to take place and achieving happiness. Self-confidence develops gradually, at first through small projects easily achieved. Then, we try our hand at more ambitious and more demanding projects. We may be surprised by success, most of the time exceeding our own objectives. We can certainly be quite proud of our accomplishments! As a guideline when undertaking such projects or processes, we should consider situations or problems as a whole and avoid getting completely overwhelmed by details. We should indeed have an overall vision and a “mind for synthesis”. We should never lose sight of the goal to attain. By following these principles, we can build an interesting life for ourselves and others. In addition, we can be a model to people around us. Naturally, all this process requires sound prior reflection. Even before moving on to achieve our dreams, we should precisely identify the dreams that we want to fulfill. This requires a lot of meditation! May the dreams that you cherish most come true! Jupiter in Capricorn Jupiter is the symbol of success and the sign of Capricorn is the symbol of social rising. The following is a discussion on social success. Most of us wish to succeed in life. We often seek self-fulfillment and strive to stand apart from others. In this regard, we all have some ambition and projects to achieve. Some are eager to succeed in life and become “somebody”; others simply want to succeed in their lives by achieving the projects close to their heart. In short, we all wish to enjoy life by accumulating special honours and recognitions. Yet, a beautiful flower that blooms simply by being under the sun is an example to follow. Making the most of all the opportunities that come our way is one way to succeed in life and find happiness. In fact, happiness cannot thrive just everywhere. Happiness takes root in those who make things happen by establishing favourable, winning conditions to ensure success in life. To achieve happiness, we must “put our shoulder to the wheel” and make the necessary effort to create such winning conditions. Happiness does not come on its own. We must actually make happiness thrive in our lives. To a great extent, social success and ensuing enjoyment of life depend on the decisions we made in the past. At every moment in life, the quality of prior decisions determines social success. There are those who count on pure luck to achieve their goals. They often merely buy lottery tickets, because they enjoy doing it and it keeps their dreams alive. But the chances of obtaining a successful life this way are quite small. Others take their lives more seriously. They go through the trouble of thinking at length about the projects that they want to achieve and identifying what they really want to do. Then, they take the means to achieve their goals. Doing this entails more effort, thinking and planning than just buying a lottery ticket. However, by developing our talents, we can more surely progress on the path to happiness in much the same way as we climb the ladder of success in our careers to rise in the hierarchy of organizations with zeal, patience and tenacity. In short, everyone can achieve social success at work as well as with the family, provided that we meditate slightly on the matter and ensure that the projects close to our heart progress. This is how happiness is built one day at a time. For the most part, happiness depends on the depth of our reflection and the quality of our decisions. Jupiter in Aquarius Jupiter is the symbol of success and popularity. Located in the sign of Aquarius, Jupiter is the forebear of great success resulting mainly from friendships. In fact, we all want to achieve success in life and be popular with the members of our entourage. This being said, success does not come by itself; it requires time and effort to make friends and keep them for a long time. To be successful in life, we must count on ourselves first, but also on the people around us. Success is rarely achieved without sustained effort. Success also requires leverage and the support of competent or influential people. Accordingly, we should strive to improve our interpersonal relationships. If we are to achieve remarkable success, we must surround ourselves with outstanding people who have exceptional qualities. Without any doubt, there are some of these people in our entourage. We should strive to find them and forge lasting friendships with them. In our relationships with helping, devoted people, we should strive to establish “win-win relations”. Naturally, both you and these people should find some individual advantages through this relationship. Such an attitude strengthens good friendships. In short, the members of your entourage, whether your partner, children, work colleagues or boss are, for the most part, the key to your success. In this regard, we could cite the example of a politician such as Gérard D. Lévesque, who was elected on several occasions as member of the Legislative Assembly for the county of Bonaventure in Quebec, Canada. He was Minister of Finances for the provincial government. He was a very kind person and he had the talents of a diplomat. Once, in a televised interview, a reporter asked him about his key to success. Well-known for his straightforwardness, Mr. Lévesque replied: “I like to surround myself with competent people.” The quality of his interpersonal relations combined with the competence of the members of his entourage contributed immensely to his success in public life. Success and popularity go hand in hand and combine very well. To become popular and successful, we must surround ourselves with outstanding people, make people like us and attract their sympathy. Everyone can achieve success and popularity: among the people we know, there are always outstanding, talented people who are worthy of interest and trust. It is up to us to discover them! Jupiter in Pisces Jupiter invites us to always strive to be more benevolent and generous. Benevolence is one of the attributes of Jupiter, while the sign of Pisces is associated with charity and forgiveness. Benevolence, charity and forgiveness are integral parts of human spirituality. Forgiveness is in fact a commendable act. Reflecting on forgiveness is recommended. In everyday life, we sometimes fall victim to misunderstandings, offences, and even violence or crime. This is life, and we must deal with the consequences of such unfortunate events. Dismay, anger and feelings of revenge are among such consequences. At such moments, we become overwhelmed by a host of negative feelings that may make our lives miserable. This is why it is very important and advantageous to forgive our detractors to again find peace within ourselves, serenity and joy of life. This is not an impossible task. After acknowledging our grief and pain inside, it is first appropriate to realize the fact that we cannot change what has happened: “We cannot rewrite history.” However, our perception of what has happened can change. This is an interesting lead to follow in order to soothe our sorrow, sadness and pain. An effective means of pulling through is to revisit the facts and put ourselves in the place of our detractors. Perhaps it was a misunderstanding, an unclear situation or a failure to understand the expectations of both parties. In fact, attempting to understand our detractors might help us to heal our wounds more easily. A significant benefit of this approach is reclaiming our inner peace and serenity. With the help of such pleasant vibrations from Jupiter, our spirituality can be enriched and our inner wealth, safeguarded. Conclusion From an astrological standpoint, the planet Jupiter is associated with expansion. Expansion as such is undoubtedly a great force of the universe. Throughout the different symbols of the Zodiac signs, the influences of Jupiter on our lives and human condition have been highlighted. It is up to us to respond accordingly to these positive influences. This is one of the winning conditions for achieving happiness. Acknowledgements: * France Lévesque (author) * Rachel Elie (author) * Benedict Elie (author) benedict600@hotmail.com * Aimée LeBreton (translator) acdaimee@hotmail.com * Published by COSMIC PATTERNS SOFTWARE kepler@astrosoftware.com