Mercury-Jupiter
Mercury-Jupiter joins together the speech, learning, thinking, and communicating associated with Mercury's archetype, with the heights, larger whole, broader horizons, lofty ideals, and higher learning associated with the archetype of Jupiter.
This combination can show up in life as a tendency to see (Mercury) the big picture (Jupiter), as an ability to learn and travel (Mercury) broadly (Jupiter), and the ability to communicate (Mercury) the benevolent (Jupiter) message.
Below are examples of famous people born with this combination in their natal charts (natal chart is another word for astrological birth chart, or pictographic representation of the sky when they were born). When we witness how this combination shows up in the lives of others, we can become more self-aware of how this combination shows up in our own lives. The more we are conscious of the ways astrological alignments (otherwise known as “aspects”) show up in our lives, the more the archetypal tensions involved can become integrated in our lives, thus revealing inherent strengths to us.
Please note that the tension of this archetypal combination, as illustrated in the lives and creations of the famous people in the examples below, may be demonstrated in ways that are more integrated or less integrated.
The Mercury-Jupiter combination in the chart of John F. Kennedy combines the heights of Jupiter with the communication and learning of Mercury in the following quotes: “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” “The goal of education is the advancement of knowledge and the dissemination of truth.”
The association of the Mercury-Jupiter combination with travel, the broader horizon, and the more expansive outlook, can be seen in the following quotes from actress Shirley MacLaine, who was born with this combination in her natal chart:
“The more I traveled the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends.”
“I’d like to go to another planet, which I might live long enough to accomplish. Just get on a spaceship and go.”
The Mercury-Jupiter combination in the natal chart of actor Sean Astin can be seen in his role as Samwise Gamgee in the movie series The Lord of the Rings, in which he plays the role of communicating (Mercury) encouragement and upliftment (Jupiter) to to his friend Frodo Baggins who bears the heavy burden of transporting the “one ring” to Mount Doom. This combination is especially evident in the following scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_u9Hc0Yg1o
The Mercury-Jupiter combination in the natal chart of actor Billy Bob Thornton shows up as his ability to travel (Mercury) via flying, connoting the heights associated with Jupiter. The following quote exemplifies this, along with the communication (Mercury) of positive messages (Jupiter) associated with this combination: “Pushing Tin,' I went to air traffic control school in Toronto for that. Passed with flying colors, by the way. If I ever become an air traffic controller and I'm the guy in charge of your plane, you're in good hands.” This combination also exhibits a tendency to communicate (Mercury) in ways that are lengthy and broad ranging, demonstrating the expansivity associated with Jupiter. The following quote captures this: “I've been accused, many times, as a writer/director, of my pace being too leisurely and too long.”
The Mercury-Jupiter combination in the birth chart of French singer and actress, Francoise Hardy, can be seen in the way Hardy sang songs in a multitude (Jupiter) of languages (Mercury), such as French, English, German and Italian.
The Mercury-Jupiter combination in the natal chart of science fiction and historical fiction author Neal Stephenson can be seen in his tendency to write (Mercury) very large (Jupiter) books. Similarly, the same tendency to write (Mercury) very large (Jupiter) books can be seen in the life and work of cultural historian and astrologer Richard Tarnas, who was also born with the Mercury-Jupiter combination in his natal chart.