Everything in this sublunary world is governed and given form by the energies of the planets. In this series of articles we will look at how this planetary influence can be seen in the concrete environment. Astrology is not theoretical knowledge you find in books, it is alive and it is everywhere around us. In herbs, metals, precious stones and natural substances the diverse aspects of a planetary energy can often be seen very clearly and when we have recognized the planet we can use this knowledge for example for medical purposes, to strengthen weak points in the natal chart or even to enhance spirituality. The consciousness of the fact that the planets are so close to us and that our entire world, also its material side, is given form by astrological factors is very healthy. It shows the supremacy of the astrological model over the materialistic, scientific world view which has affected us moderns so deeply that we really have to make an effort to learn to think in the right way again. You cannot do astrology if you think like a scientist.

In this article we will look at the great benefic, Jupiter.

Turquoise

As several astrological authorities say, the colours by which we can recognize Jupiter's influence are blue, purple and sea-green. It will be clear that these are not the darkest tints of these colours; everything dark falls under the symbolism of Saturn. From the colours of the Great Benefic however we may expect an immediate positive effect, a bright nature which is merry-making. Jupiter is the preacher who proclaims his Glad Tidings of redemption and optimism from the pulpit, the Great Benefic will not manifest on this earth in a very sober or modest way.

There is one precious stone which has a very strong jovial energy; it has even given its name to a typical Jupiter colour, indeed greenish/bluish, a very bright and merry tint. This is turquoise and the stone's typical colour also carries that name. It is French for Turkish and it was there that the first stones of this nature were found. The colour is striking, like a blue/green beam and it is understandable that turquoise has also become the name for this tint. It is the colour of the skies and this is of course exactly where Jupiter, as the planet of the airy element, is at home.

In looking at signatures it is always important not be too simplistic however. Not everything which is blue, belongs to Jupiter, even if it is light blue. Often there are also more planets which work alongside with the main energy, especially in herbs. Different parts of herbs may even have other planets as their dominating energies. Precious stones fortunately are often clearer than herbs. There are of course no different parts in precious stones and mostly the main significator manifests quite clearly. To be sure however, we have to look at various characteristics besides colour: their effect on the human system, the metals it contains and other striking features. The overall impression it makes is also important.

If for example the colours of lapis lazuli and turquoise are compared, the lapis seems to be the night sky and the turquoise the clear sky by day. Lapis even has “stars” on its surface, little golden spots which are like small suns. Lapis certainly catches the eye, but it looks serious, not at all as merry and care-free as turquoise, with its bright blue mirroring the freedom of the unlimited space of a summer sky. Although in lapis we can see some solar influence (the golden stars) and even some jovial influence (the sky nature) it is therefore mainly a stone of Saturn. This is why the tradition says it will correct all melancholic diseases, because it will improve Saturn by sympathy, because it “knows”' how Saturn should function, it can correct this energy if it is not functioning properly.

Turquoise however really looks very different and it is interesting to check whether it has a jovial effect and nature. This is very clear indeed because it turns out to be a general merry-maker and stimulator. It is said to have a liberating effect especially if someone is depressed by the idea that he is subjected to a kind of absolute fate, it gives inner peace, a clear mind and preparedness to act. Medically it has a positive effect on the liver, it stimulates growth, it has a general detoxifying effect and it works against melancholic diseases such as gout and rheumatism. It brings success and respect, neutralizes all forms of negative energy and it protects against the evil eye. There can be little doubt left, the liver is the big Jupiter organ in the body, and the other effects can only be explained by the sanguine, optimistic and expansive nature of the Great Benefic.

It is very interesting that turquoise is the main stone in the gypsy tradition: happiness, health and prosperity are among its generous gifts. It is regarded as a friend of man and it likes being with people, illustrating the social jovial nature. In traditional Tibetan medicine old turquoises which have been worn for a long time are seen as especially valuable and are also alchemically processed for medical purposes. The stone takes up the negative energy of its wearer and returns it in a purified form, almost like the liver in the body. Also turquoises are very much “alive”, they react to the circumstances and conditions of their wearers and are even said to warn their owners of danger by changing colour.

There is also something strikingly astrological about its traditional use and this has to do with the exaltations. The stone is traditionally composed with pearls and silver to make sure it has an optimal and balanced effect. This is very interesting, as pearls and silver are very strong typical Moon substances and Jupiter is exalted in the Moon sign, Cancer. As Nicholas Culpeper and other authorities tell us there is something like “sympathy by exaltation”, which means that a planet always has a very positive connection with the ruler of its exaltation sign. As if the two together, domicile and exaltation rulers, are complementary, a principle which can also be put into practice in medical astrology. In the energy field of the Moon – Cancer, expansive fast moving water – Jupiter, the expansive fertile benefic is much at ease.

The exaltation ruler of the Jupiter sign, Pisces is also involved. Turquoise works not only on the liver but on the kidneys too, it has this greenish hue and it crystallizes out of copper solutions. This all points to Venus, the other benefic, which has its part to play in turquoise, maybe not too surprising, for such a positive stone. This means that we can even identify the turquoises in which Venus is stronger, the greener it is the more Venus – copper, the Venus metal - it contains and the more it will also work for Venus problems. So the reading of signatures is more than only classifying by main planet, there are other things which can sharpen our analysis further.

The fact that turquoise is so alive is another indicator of its Jupiter nature. The world of stones and minerals is a world of Saturn. Everything has become rigid and will stay in the same form for ages. Now this is not something the planet of the great, free spaces, of expansion and growth and the blue skies very much likes. Being put in the prison of the stony form, it will want to get out. This is why turquoise is said to be not as deep in the “mineral sleep”' as other stones. This is also why turquoise reacts so easily and why there are not many Jupiter stones compared to the huge number of Saturn minerals.

Amethyst

It will be interesting to look at a stone now which is not as clear as turquoise, the amethyst. The traditional authorities often write that the amethyst is a Jupiter stone, and they point to its purple colour to prove this, purple is after all one of the jovial colours. Traditionally the bishops, the aristocracy of the church, wear amethyst rings, which would correspond to a Jupiter symbolism, aristocracy and the clergy, the preachers of the faith, belong of course to the Great Benefic. However, we always have to look and think for ourselves, classical astrology is not the same as copying old texts literally, that does not work. Amethyst makes a totally different impression compared to the merry turquoise, so this is definitely not a stone as dominated by Jupiter energies as turquoise.

The stone's name comes from Greek and means “sober”, a-methistos, un-intoxicated. That is not very Jupiter-like, we immediately think of Saturn. The traditional authorities say that amethyst brings wisdom, inner peace and protects from evil thoughts and nightmares. The terms which tend to come back are sobriety and conscious, determined acting. Medically it works against swellings, all kinds of growths (also cancer), it is good for the skin and it stimulates the water take-up in the intestines. So in general it curbs and limits all kinds of expansions and it brings stability. On the spiritual level, it supports trust in God, respect and generosity.

This is clearly a different mixture of planetary energies than in turquoise. The influence of Jupiter can be recognized but Saturn plays a role too, in the physical and spiritual effects. Amethyst strengthens inner peacefulness and wisdom like turquoise but it is clearly much more modest and reticent, which are of course Saturnine qualities. Its healing effect on the skin, a Saturn organ, and its effectiveness against swellings and growths, point towards the curbing and limiting power of the Great Malefic.

However amethyst is not a very dark stone and it is purple, which is one the colours of Jupiter, so Saturn and Jupiter seem to work side-by-side here. The signature of colours, effects and other characteristics gives both planetary energies a place in the stone, and it could be used accordingly. This is partly in accordance with the ideas of Vedic astrology which sees amethyst as a stone mainly of Saturn, not of Jupiter as western astrology does. Western alchemy mentions both Saturn and Jupiter as composing planetary energies.

It is a general principle that in every substance all planetary energies are present, but mostly one or two dominate. It should also be realized that as the world is completely built up out of astrological building-blocks, stones are different because they differ in their astrological composition. A precious stone which is mainly Mars differs from a stone which is a Mars/Saturn mixture. In practice this is no problem because stones, herbs and other substances can be clearly categorized by planet energies, mixtures are not so complicated that the system becomes impractical.

Dandelion

The organ in the body through which the energy of Jupiter manifests very strongly is the liver. The name “liver” already points to the connection with warm and moist Air, the element which belongs to Jupiter and which is also the positive element of life, providing the heat and moisture which make the body alive. The liver is also one of the biggest organs in the body; it is the central steering and coordination post – the aristocracy in the body – which sends the humours (the elements) to the places where they are needed. Some traditional medical astrologers even base their methods therefore mainly on rebalancing the liver. However this seems a bit exaggerated. Another signature for the liver as a Jupiter organ is its moist character, Jupiter is a moist planet.

This also shows clearly how planets and signs are related. Signs, that is, the elements in three different modes, are further away from our earth and provide the rough general building-blocks. In a way signs are no more than background; their role is not unimportant but passive. It is only through the movement of the planets, which creates time, that things will happen. The planets are the active factors which bridge the distance between the passive background potential of the signs and our earth. The precise medical parallel is that the elements (signs) are the humoral body fluids but the planets express themselves in structured functions: the organs. And this is exactly what organs do: they organize humours, the kidneys structure water, the spleen structures earth, the liver blood (Air).

So the liver is a materialisation of Jupiter energy in the body and everything, every plant, stone or substance that contains sufficient Jupiter energy, may be used as a liver medication. This is not to say that such a plant or stone should automatically also be of a sanguine, hot and moist Airy elemental nature like Jupiter itself. As a matter of fact, if we look at it medically the liver may be too hot but also sometimes too cold, and we need different, hot or cold Jupiter herbs to treat these different conditions. It is interesting to look at some liver herbs to examine how they manifest their energies.

One of the most important liver herbs is a plant which is very well-known and grows everywhere (a Jupiter signature in itself): dandelion. If we look at dandelion only superficially, it is not immediately clear why this common little plant should be a liver medicine of great fame. It is the colour which may seem misleading, dandelion's yellow is something you can hardly overlook and yellow is the colour of the Sun. The flower also looks like a sun and the fact that is not really big (Jupiter = expansive) may seem to add evidence for the solar case.

But as mentioned above in examining signature all aspects of the plant should be given thorough attention and characteristics should not be taken at face-value. As an energy, Jupiter could be defined as majestic, long, dignified, multiple, sky-oriented, unrestrained. The Sun is the king, this is true, but Jupiter is the symbol of the governing higher classes, the aristocracy and so it certainly wants attention and it will show itself. So Jupiter could also be seen as a royal planet although the first place is occupied by the king. That is why the colour yellow, the royal fire of the Sun, can also be found in Jupiter plants; it is not only for the Sun.

If we see it in this way, it will be clear that dandelion shows many signs of being a jovial plant. Its colour may be yellow but it is a bit too light to be really solar, the Sun often has a deeper, more golden intensity. Also the term multiple seems to have been invented for dandelion, you will seldom find it alone, its growth pattern is expansive, a king would not like this, there is only one king. Also its fluffy seeds are of course famous, they are carried away on the wind, in the air over great distances, also a Jupiter signature. So dandelion is certainly a plant which belongs to the Great Benefic, but this is not as obvious as in turquoise for example.

Another well-known liver plant is agrimony and it is interesting to see that the Jupiter energy manifests in a different way here, nature is immensely creative. Agrimony does not have this multiplicity of dandelion, but it is striking how it grows straight up, a long stalk and a spike with yellow flowers. I once heard a Swiss herbal therapist comparing it to a church tower and that was the name under which it was also known in the local dialect. The expansive nature of Jupiter has another form here; it is reaching up instead of spreading as much as possible as dandelion does.

Agrimony and dandelion are both Jupiter and liver herbs, but they differ in other qualities. Dandelion is known as cooling and astringent, or cold and dry. It can correct for example great amounts of heat in the liver, and it is a powerful medicine. Agrimony is also cooling but much more moderate, so the two herbs can be used to heal different degrees of heat imbalance in the liver. The strong cooling effect of dandelion is suggested by its additional lunar signature, which shows in the tenderness of the seeds and the milky juice in its stalks. Agrimony does not have this additional Moon energy and it is less cooling, more neutral. So within the Jupiter main category there all kinds of variations in effects on the elemental balance in the body which can at least partly be read from their additional signatures, like the lunar influence in dandelion.

Tin

The metal that belongs to the Great Benefic is tin and this is not immediately clear. To see that the Sun rules gold, the Moon silver and Mercury quicksilver does not require much subtlety. But tin is not so outspoken, maybe the metal of Jupiter knows it has to give the Sun the first place and therefore is more discreet. Most people will know tin mainly through the toy soldiers which can be cast from it. This is a very Jupiterian signature, tin being used for toys shows it is absolutely benefic, there is no danger in handling the metal, children can do it. What a difference for example with its opposite planet/metal, mercurial Mercury which is so poisonous that it has to be handled very, very carefully.

But would we have expected another attitude of the metal of the Great Benefic? It is useful, like turquoise a “'friend of man” and it wants to be helpful. Tin is easy to work with, it has a low melting point, it is softer and more malleable that the other planetary metals. It is, most strikingly, also present in the third medal which is made of bronze. After the metals of the Lights, gold and silver, as numbers one and two, bronze is given as a kind of consolation and a sign that this was after all also a good achievement, although not royal (Sun and Moon). Bronze is an alloy of metal of the two benefics tin and copper (Venus) which still has a very positive character, an iron medal for example would be unthinkable.

Bronze is of course also the favourite metal of sculptors and this corresponds to the astrological symbolism of tin and copper. Copper belongs to Venus, obviously connected with art, but pure copper is too soft to use, this sweet Venus stuff does not have enough power to stand on its own. The addition of only 10% tin makes the mixture twice as hard as pure copper and in this form it can be used. The artist needs some ideas and visions (Jupiter) to create, only aesthetics will not do, there is not enough stamina in Venus alone.

For a long time the use of tin plates, cups and dishes was very wide-spread. This had to do with the easy-to-use and non-poisonous nature of the metal, but it was also seen as healthy. Jupiter is the Great Benefic; it will give a longer life and contribute to the vital energy being preserved until old age. In our modern time this specific use of tin may have disappeared, but the metal still is applied on a wide scale as a preserver of foods.

There are many examples of the use of tin which clearly illustrate its pure Jupiter nature. In anthroposophic medicine tin is applied in various forms against hardening illnesses (antidote to Saturn), depressions (Saturn) and joint (Saturn) and liver (sympathy with Jupiter) diseases. In the theatre a tin plate is used to imitate the sound of thunder (Zeus as the thunder god!) and tin capsules are used to close off wine bottles. An alloy with lead is the material with which organ pipes are made, a Jupiter-Saturn combination is not too bad for a church! Church bells are made of bronze (to attract the church-goers with Venus sounds, the Saturnine organ taking over when they have gone in) and for producing cans, tin plate is used, the tin layer on the steel prevents the can from rusting.

Planetary symbolism in alchemy

Now that we have discussed the signature of Saturn it is interesting to have a short look at the composition of the symbol of the planet, which also reveals a lot. The seven traditional planetary symbols are composed of three parts: the cross of matter, the lunar crescent and the solar circle. In alchemy – astrology's more earthy sister – the cross points to Salt, the lunar crescent to Mercury and the solar circle to Sulphur . The Salt is material form, Mercury is the connecting faculty (the psyche, consciousness or even the “spirit of nature”) and Sulphur is the spiritual impulse that provides the essential identity. This essential sulphuric impulse is received and passed on by Mercury and then appears as concrete form in Salt. Mercury is, as it were, a passive layer in-between, “the spirit of nature”, which is traditionally represented in many ways, one of its most famous symbols is the unicorn.

Now the planets are constructed from these three basic ingredients, so they represent phases in the cosmic building process and relationships between the three alchemical principles. The five planets – so not the Lights – are seen as specific imbalances in the relation between the three alchemical principles which can be read in the planetary symbol. For Saturn we had the lunar crescent under the cross of matter, in the Jupiter symbol consciousness has risen out of this depressed state. It has been liberated and stands on the horizontal bar of the cross. It can look up and see God; this explains the optimistic character of the Great Benefic.

Very aptly the lunar crescent stands on the horizontal bar of the cross; this is the part of the cross which points to the earthy dimension. This clearly symbolizes Jupiter's expansive nature; it will multiply and grow in the world as we can see in dandelion for example. This is at the same time the highest place the lunar crescent can have on the cross, for the lunar crescent is a symbol of solving, it definitely has a fluid nature. If it would be on top of the cross nothing would remain of the structures of matter. So this give us the Moon symbol itself, which is in a sense is an ideal energy.

Literature:

• Titus Burckhardt, Alchemy, Fons Vitae, new edition 1997
• Rudolf Hauschka, Substanzlehre, Vittorio Klostermann GmbH, Frankfurt , 1942
• Nicholas Culpeper, Complete Herbal, Foulsham & Co Ltd, Berks, England
• Nicholas Culpeper, Astrological Judgement of Diseases from the Decumbiture of the Sick (1655), Ascella, London , facsimile edition 2001
• Joseph Blagrave, Astrological Practice of Physick (1671), Ascella, London , facsimile edition 2001
• Peter Hochmeier, Die Bedeutung von Spagyrik und Alchemie in der Naturheilkunde, Bacopa Verlag, 2007.
• Wighard Strehlow, Die Edelsteinheilkunde der Hildegard von Bingen, Lüchow Verlag, Stuttgart, 2004

By Oscar Hofman - view bio.