the astrology of venus catching up with jupiter | what the 2026 "luckiest day of the year" thing might actually look like this year ... the farewell feast?

 

Every year when Venus catches up with Jupiter (their annual meeting) astrologers start talking about "the luckiest day of the year". 

I have done stuff like this, too. 

The "luckiest day of the year" label for a Venus/Jupiter conjunction is one of those astrological phrases that is easily repeated - it's simple, attractive, we all want to know OUR SHIP IS COMING IN!

Venus and Jupiter are the two traditional benefic planets, so when they meet, there is usually an increase in pleasure, generosity, affection, hope, resources or opportunities. But benefic does not automatically mean easy, and Jupiter especially has a reputation for overpromising. 

And, of course, conjunctions are complicated. They are fresh beginnings, but we all know beginnings come with endings and in emotional Cancer those endings can be strongly felt.

A farewell feast is still a feast. A graduation ceremony is still a celebration, although what is ending can be strongly felt and bittersweet. A retirement party is still a blessing. The fact that something is ending does not mean it lacks Jupiter!

Venus/Jupiter in Cancer is applying now/in play now and EXACT ON JUNE 9TH. It can absolutely be beautiful. 

It can bring emotional warmth, family reunions, protection, generosity, nourishment or a feeling of abundance. But Cancer is not really a sign that seeks "luck". Cancer seeks safety. So this is more likely to be something like, "I realized what actually matters, and it was already here." than "I won the lottery." Weddings, graduations, family reunions - all fit the Venus/Jupiter bill rather nicely. 

(of course someone IS going to win the lottery, maybe you, so get a ticket anyway ... one)

There is also a Mercury/Saturn square happening at the same time. It feels silly and irresponsible to say "the luckiest day of the year" with a Mercury/Saturn square. 

This is a reality check. Words/information that keep our feet on the ground. Mercury/Saturn squares are tension/frustration - sometimes we hear a "no". This advises caution if Venus/Jupiter speaks of something that feels too good to be true. The square doesn't necessarily deny the Venus/Jupiter gift, but happening at the same time, it may define its limits. That can be a good thing. Sometimes limits are exactly what allow a blessing to become real - let's keep that in mind. 

The conjunction of Venus and Jupiter occurs at 25-degrees Cancer. Both planets are uber comfy in Cancer and we are in the closing degrees but not the "desperation" closing degrees. Still we are nearing the closing out of Venus in Cancer (which happen every year) and Jupiter in Cancer (which happens once every twelve years). This won't happen again in Cancer for 12 years, so what is this GIFT Jupiter/Venus is bringing us?

Let's look ahead. After Venus meets Jupiter, well, what happens next.  

Venus quickly moves into a square with Chiron (in Aries). Squares with Chiron can be painful. We have to maneuver ourselves around a very old wound. There might be disappointment here. There could be some kind of challenge between family/home and independence. If the Venus/Jupiter offers something genuinely beneficial (and it can/will - we can know whatever is happening will be beneficial over the next twelve years) and then Chiron immediately steps into the picture, maybe this is not about a disappointment, but about us preparing more easily for a disappointment than a benefit, so Chiron asks, "why are you already preparing for the gift to disappear?" or "why do you think everyone else deserves this more than you do?" or with Venus in Cancer, "why do you keep feeding others while starving yourself?" Maybe the Chiron square is here to remind us of the price of something ... good things can hurt, too. 

Then at the end of the month Mercury stations retrograde at 26-degrees Cancer. This is pretty much right on top of the degree where Venus met Jupiter, so we know almost certainly the Venus/Jupiter is leading to re-thinking, re-considerations, re-miniscing, re-structuring. Something about the Mercury retrograde in July is likely connected to the Venus/Jupiter. 

Then hours after Mercury stations - and keep in mind this is all happening at the end of June - we have the Full Moon in Capricorn lighting up the Cancer/Cappy axis. This is some kind of Capricorn peak or culmination. Father/work/goals. The Sun is in Cancer opposing, so the Cancer/Capricorn polarity is highlighted - home vs family, inner world vs outer world, sometimes what we want to do vs what we have to do. 

Then the next day Jupiter leaves Cancer, enters Leo and quickly squares Chiron who is in Taurus by then. 

So, what does this tell us about this "luckiest day of the year" thing? That sequence of events makes the Venus/Jupiter conjunction look less like a final reward and more like a trigger point/beginning. 

Notice that Chiron is in Aries for Venus's square and in Taurus (answering to Venus!) for Jupiter's square. It looks like the Aries independence/courage wound must reach a conclusion/peak (because we know Chiron will be back here in the fall) before the Taurus wound can be seen. As an example - imagine someone trapped in a dead marriage. While they're in it, the question is, "Can I choose myself?" That's Aries. Once they leave, the question becomes, "Can I build a life that feels valuable?" "Can I pay my bills now?" That's Taurus.

This is a bigger story than "luckiest day of the year". This will be different for everyone, but it looks like the Venus/Jupiter is part of our preparation for the end of Chiron in Aries and the beginning of Chiron in Taurus. We talked about this HERE.

The Mercury station is another reason I wouldn't treat this as a straightforward lucky day. Whenever a future Mercury station degree is heavily activated, events often feel like the first chapter of a story whose meaning won't be clear until the retrograde unfolds. The conjunction may plant a seed and then over the course of the Mercury retrograde (throughout July and into early August) the retrograde will reveal what that seed actually was.

And then there is the larger mythic picture. Jupiter is finishing Cancer. Cancer is Jupiter's sign of exaltation. This is supposedly where Jupiter does his best work. But the final degrees of a sign often ask for integration rather than expansion. If Jupiter in Cancer is the king at a feast, by 25-degrees Cancer, the king is preparing to leave the feast. He is eyeing the desert table. And if he/we are, the question becomes - what did we learn about nourishment, belonging, family, home, roots, safety, and care while we were here? That feels more accurate to the astrology than "luckiest day of the year" - although again, buy a lottery ticket because well who knows ...

Popular astrology says Jupiter/Venus "Wonderful! More Venus!". But Jupiter can also mean - "Let's finally see the truth of this Venus." Sometimes that truth is joyful. Sometimes it reveals that something has reached its natural conclusion.

Venus/Jupiter in Cancer - this is what I have loved.

Venus square Chiron in Aries - this is what it cost me to love it.

Mercury retro in Cancer - what did it all mean?

Full Moon in Capricorn - what remains, and what must I carry forward?

Jupiter enters Leo - who am I now?

Jupiter square Chiron in Taurus - do I believe I deserve the life I am trying to build?

This is all something to think about as Venus applies to Jupiter now - exact on the 9th.

Find things to enjoy during these days. 

There is some kind of 'final feast' here (not that we won't have more feasts, please don't mis-read me on this). Take it in. Eat the potato salad. Have a second helping. 

xo all