Cultivating Empathy & EQ: Jupiter in Cancer

On the 9^th of June 2025, Jupiter – the planet of expansion, wisdom and the law – will ingress into sensitive and caring Cancer, where it will remain until 30 June 2026, not even leaving this zone of the zodiac during its retrograde period, which is somewhat unusual.

Return of the Sacred Feminine?

In contrast to Saturn’s ingress into masculine and macho Aries, Cancer is a sign deeply connected to the archetypal feminine. This is the domicile of all things related to motherhood, nurturing, the tribe, family and home, as well as food, nourishment and emotional security. It also happens to be the place in the zodiac where Jupiter is exalted.

On the whole, I think it fair to say that this caring, more mature female energy certainly seems to be sorely lacking right now, especially with strong men like Trump and Putin dominating the news agenda. After all the recent focus on masculine planets like Saturn and Mars, not to mention the hyper-sexualisation of women in modern popular culture, this may come as something of a relief.

On many levels, this could signal a renewed collective focus on the sacred feminine and maternal principles, as well as ethics and socio-political norms around issues such as pregnancy, birth control, abortion, as well as family law, including things like divorce, maternal rights, inheritance and property disputes.

We must remember that although Cancer is a feminine sign, Jupiter is traditionally a masculine planet, and so another way this ingress could manifest is by seeing men exploring their more nurturing sides, whether as chefs, caregivers, doctors, girl dads, protectors or mentors.

Mother Goddesses & Women’s Reproductive Rights

Jupiter is also the planet of philosophy, belief and faith, so there is also likely to be a spiritual dimension to this transit—greater interest in goddess traditions, ancestral veneration, and lunar-based spiritual practices. Cancer is ruled by the Moon, which aligns with cycles, intuition, and the fluidity of existence, reinforcing themes of receptivity and deep emotional insight. So, EQ and empathy may also be heightened – or emphasised more culturally as an antidote to the cruelty we are seeing as a consequence of political initiatives to cut back the welfare state, punish the weak and vulnerable, deport people etc.

In the UK, I expect this to centre around topics such as the birth rate, as well as related issues such as the housing shortage, including government proposals to loosen the planning laws – something that is already causing some controversy. More on which, in the final section of this blog.

In the US, I think women’s reproductive rights, especially in the courts; and the clash over bodily autonomy epitomised by contentious social media hashtags such as #yourbodymychoice are likely to come under the spotlight again, especially around the weeks preceding and following the Jupiter-Saturn square, which is due take place in June 2025. More on that in Episode 3 of the Astro-Insights podcast.

This 12-month trend could also extend to initiatives designed to combat homelessness (including migrants and refugees) and efforts to foster a sense of belonging. Between now and next July, third sector and philanthropic organisations in this area may also receive generous donations from wealthy or influential patrons – both Jupiter-ruled – or receive assistance from big-hearted politicians who understand the importance of soft power and a less mercenary approach to solving social problems.

Another way this could manifest is via food aid programmes or healthcare initiatives – something I explore further in the more in-depth audio version of this article embedded below. Amongst other things, I compare Jupiter’s previous ingress with now, identifying some key themes that connect back to now, including public healthcare initiatives like Obamacare (which came into effect in 2013 during Jupiter’s last tour through Cancer), and US foreign policy failures in the Middle East. It was also during this timeframe that Nobel Prize Winner and Freedom Fighter, Nelson Mandela passed away (2013), and Russia annexed Crimea (2014). As you’ll see, many of the seeds sown during this period are now coming to fruition, for good or ill.

2025-6: What to expect this time around?

First of all, I should start by saying that Jupiter is the Great Benefic, and so it tends to expand or amplify whatever it touches. So, aside from the challenges that are likely arise from Jupiter’s final square to Saturn in June this year, what positive developments could we potentially expect from this transit?

Traditionally, financial astrologers often view Jupiter’s journey through Cancer as a period of economic expansion, particularly in areas such as real estate, the food/beverage sector, as well as family businesses. Job opportunities in areas such as the caring professions, higher education, travel and hospitality, as well as ‘mom and pop’ shops are usually also favoured under this transit.

Likely beneficiaries include Cancer-ruled countries like Canada and the US, with Capricorn-ruled ones such as the UK, Germany, Australia and the EU, likely to benefit least, unfortunately. 

Final Jupiter-Saturn square: June 2025

As I mentioned earlier, we are currently in the Quarter Moon stage of the Jupiter-Saturn cycle, which tends to result in tests of faith. We’ve already experienced two of these – in August and December 2024 – which bookended the US presidential elections in November 2024, and we’ve already seen the soul-searching and difficult questions this has prompted for political leaders and lawmakers/upholders, both domestically and abroad.

The last one is due to take place in cardinal signs in around mid-June, not long after Jupiter’s ingress into Cancer, which is when Trump’s 90-day reprieve on trade tariffs will end, and any remaining or renegotiated import/export duties will kick in.

As I mentioned last time, Saturn and Neptune will be traveling quite close together at this point, which means that Jupiter will square each of them within days of each other. This could make the period between 15-19 June fairly bumpy.

As a result, I think we can expect the current market chaos to continue into the summer when supply chain problems could really kick in as a result of fluctuating import prices, which could have a knock-on effect on order sizes and shipping/distribution schedules etc. A situation that is only likely to improve the following summer.

In general, this is a time to get real about the practicality, costs or efficacy of certain policies or plans, and make adjustments where necessary. There may also be some mix-ups or delays or a need to scale back plans or streamline schedules, especially with regards to things like household budgets, family holidays, or domestic projects or political agendas. One way this could manifest is a drop in retail or consumer confidence in certain brands or companies, and consumers starting to hoard certain essential products to avoid paying more for them or retail stocks running low.

Healthcare & Housing: Hampering the Birth Rate

Healthcare is another issue where the Jupiter-Saturn square could raise ethical dilemmas or ideological tensions, especially around unrealistic expectations or flawed assumptions. For example, although politicians like Bernie Sanders may argue (quite rightly in my view!) that access to basic healthcare is a human right, there remains the real issue of how to make public healthcare both affordable and effective – something that successive UK governments have been trying to grapple with, and which has now reached something of a crisis point.

Certainly, in America, the trial of Luigi Mangione has raised all sorts of questions about privatisation and the cost of healthcare. His next court appearance in New York happens to be scheduled for June 26, 2025 – just a couple of weeks after the square reaches exactitude on 15 June when this energy will still very much be in play.  So, it will be interesting to see what emerges from that series of events.

And certainly, if recent research is anything to go by, many couples, both in the UK and the US, don’t feel they can afford to have children because of the increasing cost of housing, childcare and healthcare relative to their incomes – a gap that has gradually been widening since the 1990’s and made worse by things like the property bubbles (interestingly the peak of the last one was in 2014, so during the last Jupiter in Cancer ingress) and real term wage stagnation, as well as increasingly unequal pay distribution, which have become staple features of contemporary labour markets the world over since at least 2008.

Ways to Combat Inflation

Unfortunately, expansion can also be negative – think about economic inflation, ballooning deficits or hype stocks, for instance. Given Jupiter’s upcoming square to Saturn, I therefore think that any potential for growth or expansion has to be weighed against potential market confidence killers like Trump tariffs, as well as the increasing burden of defense, welfare and pension costs on governments due to longer life expectancy and the poor performance of many pension funds. Not to mention problems caused by world currency fluctuations and black swan events like wars or COVID.

Any potential benefits are only likely to become apparent as we move past the orb of the Jup-Sat square scheduled this summer towards the autumn.

In the short term, a better bet would be to opt for safe-haven investments such as bonds, fixed-interest savings accounts, real estate and gold. Insurance is also not a bad idea, especially in such volatile times. In general, Cancer’s influence encourages financial security, leading to a focus on medium to long-term investment horizons, and savings strategies.

For anyone interested in art and spirituality, you may prefer to listen to the extended version of Episode 3 of the AstroInsights Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts (also available via YouTube) in which I discuss Jupiter’s conjunction to Saturn in Cancer in 1504 and how it influenced Renaissance art and philosophical thought; the rise of matriarchal political power in England and Europe, and how monasteries and nunneries became more community-focused during the 15th and 16th centuries.