Every year, Jupiter, the Lord of Fortune and Good Luck moves from one sign to the next bringing a new dimension into our lives. Jupiter remains in each sign of the zodiac for approximately twelve months - taking twelve years to transit the entire zodiac. Since last January, Jupiter has been in Capricorn - the earthy sign of the Sea-Goat. On January 5, 2009 Jupiter moves into the air sign of Aquarius.

The expansive nature of Jupiter does not do very well in Aquarius, a sign ruled by Saturn. This transit will generate better chances for general success in life, but can be restless, nervous and erratic, with a lack of inclination for serious work.

Jupiter rules our potential for growth and expansion on many levels: physical, intellectual, spiritual and cultural, along with the accumulation of material assets, power and status. He rules our optimism and aspirations, including our interests in faraway places, travel, foreigners, academic and artistic types, cultural endeavors such as publishing, higher education, structured personal development, healing, government and religion. Jupiter is a risk-taker, so also rules gambling and speculation, adventure - and moving into unknown territory. Luck and well being are also primarily governed by Jupiter. When well aspected, Jupiter can bring superb opportunities for expansion and success. Poorly aspected, he generates over-confidence and foolhardy actions with little care for the consequences.

Keywords for Jupiter: faith, luck, expansion, vision, optimism.

Keywords for Aquarius: risk, awakening, originality, networks, wavelengths, far out ideas, technology, mind frontiers, detached compassion, futuristic thinking, glamour, idealism, friendship, collaboration.

The mood of 2009 will be more about coming together and sharing visions for the future, than it was in stoically persevering Capricorn. Jupiter sets the guiding principle for the year, what pulls the society as a whole toward growth and high spirits. In Aquarius, we're sure to see unusual twists and turns on that shared path. With its reputation for rebelling against the status quo, we could see some exciting and unexpected breakthroughs.

Watch for innovations that bring radical change to society, and expand the vision of how the universe works. Jupiter seeks to widen the breadth of vision, and in Aquarius, that's likely to open doors to the cosmos, with new perspectives on the nature of time. Is this the year more of us start to time travel? There could be more interest in out-of-body experiences, lucid dreaming, alternative timelines, astrology and higher beings. The current interest in ancient wisdom could expand and be integrated to fit the 21st century.

With minds open to the far-out in this air sign, we could see more cultural interest in things like life beyond Earth, new energy technology and exploring the frontiers of the mind. The stranger-than-fiction theories about the origins of humankind may start to be bandied about in the mainstream. I'm thinking of David Bowie's song Starman and the line, There's a Starman waiting in the sky. He'd like to come and meet us, but he thinks he'd blow our minds. The buzz about UFO's is growing. And this may be the year that we're ready to have our minds blown, as Jupiter expands the horizon of what we're used to seeing in the frame.

It's a great year for brainstorming en mass, since Jupiter in group-oriented Aquarius gives a boost to collective efforts, especially the kind that push for reform or revolution. The notions about being able to join up, even if we're in different locations, can lead to global kinds of actions. Since Jupiter rules faith, we could be uplifted by global meditations or prayer. These collective planes of energy may seem more real, as a way to bring hope and optimism back to humanity, and reveal new kinds of power.

How does humanity take leaps forward? Ideas get dispersed and remain concepts, until they take hold at a deeper level. Jupiter in Aquarius opens the door to surprises that have to do with the awakening of the people, and a drive to find solutions for what we're facing now. The planets in earth in 2009 will keep it real, so that these Aquarian concepts are put to practical use. We'll see the expansion of practical idealism, so that far-out ideas are brought down-to-Earth and applied to the urgent problems of today.

Because Aquarius tends to be blind to social labels, we could see great gains in human rights. Aquarius is also a champion of the underdog, and a sign of independent thought. Unexpected gains could be made in conflicts that seem like lost causes. The detached vision of the Waterbearer could bring fresh winds to journalism and politics. We could see an exaltation of ideas that serve the common good. All this is reason to be optimistic about 2009 as a year of visionary integrity.