Hey Jupiter
Charting Tori Amos’s defining era with Jupiter through transits, secondary progressions & zodiacal releasing
In the early 1990’s, somewhere between the hairspray and flannel, a red-haired Leo with Jupiter in Aries began her ascension onto the zeitgeist. Wielding her piano like an archer drawing bow and shield, Tori Amos weaved drama into music like no one before her. With confessional lyrics and a voice that whispered secrets to the stars, Tori captivated audiences with a spellbinding embrace. On November 19, 1991, with the Moon in Aries conjunct her natal Jupiter and transiting Jupiter in Virgo conjunct her MC, Tori Amos released what would become one of her signature songs, “Silent All These Years”. In the first decade of her career, arguably her defining era, Jupiter would be a central force in Amos's life.
Born Myra Ellen Amos on August 22, 1963, at 1:10 pm, in Newton, North Carolina, Tori was born with a Scorpio rising, Leo Sun and Libra Moon. Raised in Maryland, outside of Washington, DC, Tori started studying the piano at just two and a half years old.
By three, she was composing her own songs and at five, she became the youngest person ever admitted to the preparatory division of the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. There, she studied classical piano until 1974 at eleven when her scholarship was discontinued. Tori attributed this to her deep love for Rock 'n' Roll and her aversion to reading sheet music.
By 13, Tori was playing piano bars and gay clubs in downtown Washington DC chaperoned by her minister father. Despite her strict Christian upbringing, her parents encouraged her to pursue her dreams in music.
At 16, Tori won a local competition by composing a theme song for the Baltimore Orioles.
At the age of 21, she ventured to Los Angeles, where she changed her name from Myra Ellen to Tori and founded the band Y Kant Tori Read in 1986. Soon after, a record deal came and our astrological story begins.
Jupiter: The Big Picture
In Astrology, Jupiter is our faith, our ideology and our capacity to heal. Jupiter is looking out into the horizon. Jupiter is the open sky.
In mythology, Jupiter was the Roman king of the gods. He would bless the warriors before they went to battle and greet them when they returned. Zeus, Greek king of the gods, is associated with Jupiter. God of the weather, law, and order.
Jesus represents many of the Jupiterian qualities: generosity, tolerance, and grace. Frugality and humbleness, not so much. Jupiter is grand and hungry.
Zeus enjoyed his share of lustful liaisons and had many lovers, wives, and offspring. Hence Jupiter is related to fertility and expansion.
Travelers and teachers exploring the annals of knowledge. Jupiter is searching for answers and meaning.
Jupiter in Aries: The Fire-Eater’s Wife
Aries is a fire sign ruled by Mars, the planet of action, might, and drive. An individual with Jupiter in Aries can be extremely self-willed. They have big dreams and aspirations. Courageous and daring, Jupiter in Aries embodies independence. Faith in self is integral to their identity. With the scope of their self-expression’s need to expand, they may find themselves accused of being too brash.
Jupiter in Aries is in Tori’s 6th house of routine, ruled by opposing Mars, in Libra. Libra is ruled by Venus, a planet concerned with music. Here lies the tension that created her superpower.
Sagittarius: Take To The Sky
Jupiter rules the mutable fire sign Sagittarius. Greek mythology connects Sagittarius with the centaur Chiron who was the son of Zeus. Chiron was known for his knowledge and skills in music, medicine, archery, and prophecy. He met his demise after being wounded by a poison arrow in the leg. Chiron had been immortal, but the idea of eternal suffering was too much to bear so he exchanged his immortality to become the constellation, Sagittarius.
The Sagittarius image is of the centaur (half man / half horse) with his arrow pointed at the stars and it gives us the symbolic essence of Sagittarius ideology: awareness of animal nature, human nature, and divine nature.
Balancing the awareness of animal, human and divine nature is tricky. This can contribute to the stereotype of Sagittarius being a little eccentric. Someone who seems like they are living in the clouds. Someone forever living in metaphor. Someone who identifies more with the animals. Someone who seems almost feral in their approach to life.
As soon as Sagittarius season ends, we are met with the cold reality of Capricorn season. Capricorn, an earth sign, is ruled by Saturn, the planet of time, stability, control, and limitations. While Sagittarius can be about freedom, exuberance, and adventure, Capricorn is more disciplined, prudent, and concerned with longevity. All of these elements will come into play as we delve into Tori's career throughout the 1990s.
Sold A Dream At 23
Tori was born with a late degree Scorpio ascendant. At two and a half when she started playing piano, her secondary progressed ascendant moved into Sagittarius where It would journey through Jupiterian realms for the next 39 years.
Tori’s secondary progressed moon joined her ascendant, moving into Sagittarius when she was accepted at the Peabody. The next time her progressed moon would return to Sagittarius would be at the height of her career.
At the beginning of 1986, Tori Amos began a zodical releasing (ZR) level one Sagittarius era that would last until early 1998. It would color that whole time of her life, especially her career, with Sagittarius themes driven by her Jupiter in Aries.
On Aug 22nd, 1986, Tori turned 23 years old and signed a record deal with Atlantic records. The north node of the moon, related to destiny, was conjunct her natal Jupiter in Aries.
With her band, Y Kant Tori Read, Tori released her first album on January 6th, 1988. Transiting Mars was conjunct Amos’ Scorpio ascendant. Pluto, the planet of transmutation, was conjunct her natal Neptune, also in her first house. Neptune rules over our artistic vision, our self-mythology and perception.
Transiting Jupiter had just gone direct, conjunct Tori’s natal retrograde Jupiter. This would have been an intense moment in time. Tori, originally proud of the record, would later regret much of this album. The album sold poorly, and it was critically panned. Sonically, the music was soft rock with theatrical ambition, but the look was metal with a garter belt. Overall, the music was very big and very 80’s.
Tori’s magic power was barely visible on this album. The record company didn’t see pianos as cool or marketable. The image of big hair, dramatic make-up and slinky lingerie contributed to a few scratching their heads. However humiliating, Atlantic gave her another chance, but she needed a revamp. In order to connect with an audience, Tori would have to lose the persona. She dropped the band, the hairspray and put on a pair of jeans.
These Precious Things, Let Them Bleed
The new songs that came out of this time were confessional, vulnerable, funny, sad, and honest. She boldly repudiated the misogyny and hypocrisy of her Christian upbringing. The concept of “recovering Christian” would thread heavily in her work going forward.
Little Earthquakes was released during Pisces season on February 25th, 1992, while the moon was in Sagittarius and transiting Jupiter was conjunct Tori’s Virgo Midheaven. The album was an emotional adventure into the exploration of self-discovery. Strewed with fairytale imagery and nods to mythology, Little Earthquakes was an ethereal fever dream for the times. It was a great success.
Listen to Tori talk about fairies, mythology and Joseph Campbell in 1992
Tori was having her Saturn return. When Saturn returns to the sign of our birth in our late twenties, we have to grow up. It's about leaving youth behind, embracing responsibility, and often the inception of discovering our voice. These are all themes on the album but especially on her signature song, Silent All These Years:
My scream got lost in a paper cup
I think there’s a heaven where some screams have gone
I got twenty-five bucks and a cracker
do you think it’s enough to get us there?
Cause what if I’m a mermaid in these jeans of his
With her name still on it
Hey but I don’t care cause sometimes I hear my voice
And it’s been here
Silent all these years
Tori was in a ZR level two Pisces phase, the other sign ruled by Jupiter. Pisces takes after the dreamier, weepier side of Jupiter. Pisces feels the weight of the world and therefor the capacity for empathy and catharsis are heightened. With this album, Tori gained an immediate following and her fan base would find in her music exactly that - catharsis. A sea of crying teens at a Tori Amos concert in the 1990’s was a sight to behold.
Here is a German TV interview from 1992 where Tori shops for pianos, talks about her Christian upbringing and performs a Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin cover), Leather and Mother…
Little Earthquakes also dealt with themes of sexual assault and survival. Back in 1985, towards the end of Tori’s ZR level one Scorpio era, a “fan” asked for a ride after one of her gigs. He kidnapped and sexually assaulted her at knife point. All of this happened while Pluto, the planet of transmutation and upheaval, transited her 1st house. The event is re-examined on her song, Me & A Gun:
5 a.m. Friday morning
Thursday night far from sleep
I'm still up and driving
Can't go home obviously
So I'll just change direction
'Cause they'll soon know where I live
And I wanna live
Got a full tank and some chips
It was me and a gun
And a man on my back
And I sang Holy holy
As he buttoned down his pants
You can laugh, it's kind of funny
The things you think at times like these
Like I haven't seen Barbados
So I must get out of this
God With the Big G
Originally titled God with the Big G, Tori settled on the much better, Under the Pink. It was released during Aquarius season on Feb 1st, 1994, while transiting Jupiter was conjunct her natal Neptune in Scorpio.
Pluto, on it’s way out of Tori’s first house, was conjunct her ascendant. Self empowerment and deconstruction of religion were large themes.
Songs began to flow through Tori as if from a stream of consciousness. Her engineers knew to always be prepared to hit record when an idea payed her a visit. Some of her most revered songs were performed for the first time in their recorded versions. The song Bells For Her is an example of this. Transiting Jupiter was stimulating her natal Neptune into new territory.
Tori was having her lunar return in Libra conjunct her natal Mars. Libra is concerned with relationships and Mars, conflict. Her ZR level two period was in Aries as well. Female relationships were a big theme on the album. Tori explores how women can betray each other in the song Cornflake Girl. She examines the brutal end of a close friendship in Bells for Her. In the song The Waitress, Tori confesses she wants to murder her coworker.
"There is a triangle on this record: the songs 'Bells for Her,' 'Cornflake Girl,' and 'The Waitress' -- a triad about women betraying women, that's a kind of theme here. We women have to deal with the patriarchy first, but then, what's the alternative? Do you need a woman to look after you? I'm here to apply for the job. But when you say patriarchy, you don't have to be a man to be part of the patriarchy. After I read Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker, about how mothers sold their daughters to the butchers; that kind of floored me. One always feels safer when there are good guys and bad ones. But there are no good guys out there. And it's not as if one sex can make it okay." [The New Review of Records - January 1994]
Blood Can be Pretty, Like a Delicate Man
By this point, Tori Amos had become an unstoppable force. She was earning award nominations, gracing magazine covers, and captivating audiences worldwide along with her giant Bösendorfer piano.
In late 1995 during a ZR level two Gemini period, while her secondary progressed moon was in Sagittarius for the first time since two years old, Tori added producer to her resume when she self-produced her next album, Boys For Pele.
Boys For Pele was released during Aquarius season on January 23rd, 1996, while the moon was in Pisces and the south node of the moon was conjunct Tori’s natal Jupiter in Aries. When the south node touches an important planet in our chart, casting off what no longer serves us becomes vital. Tori has said the album is an exorcism.
"These songs are about the realization that you and the person you're with are talking different languages. They're about recognizing that an extreme kind of viciousness is being played out even as you exchange honeysuckle. They're about the hidden things that go on in a woman's heart - the things that are expressed and the things that have to remain hidden. They're about the breaking down of the patriarchy within relationships and the idea of women claiming their own power." [On the Street - January 29, 1996]
Recorded in the Irish countryside in an old church, Tori introduced harpsichord and a gospel choir into the mix. These new songs were raw, shocking, and primal. The beauty and whimsy of the previous albums made appearances but added was a sour twang. There is a deep southern gothic aesthetic running throughout. Some moments on this record are just feral.
The single, Hey Jupiter was released on August 20th, 1996 while the moon was in Scorpio and transiting Jupiter in Capricorn was squaring Tori’s natal moon in Libra. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, the planet of struggle, boundaries and mortality. The song explores the acknowledgment of one's role in a failed relationship:
No one’s picking up the phone
Guess it’s me and me
And this little masochist
She’s ready to confess
All the things that I never thought that she could feel
Hey Jupiter
Nothing’s been the same
So are you gay? Are you blue?
Thought we both could use a friend to run to
This song feels like a lullaby to her Jupiter in Aries.
This Is Cooling, Faster Than I Can
In late 1996 Tori entered a ZR peak level two Cancer period ruled by her Libra moon conjunct Mars which squares her north node in Cancer and her Jupiter in Aries. Cancer is related to motherhood, home and family. Remember, Jupiter is also related to fertility.
Throughout 1997, Tori suffered a series of miscarriages after dating her sound engineer, Mark Hawley, for some months. While an extremely challenging time, it deepened their relationship and they became engaged to be married. Tori and Mark built a recording studio in their new home in Cornwall, England where they began recording the next album.
The new songs dealt with her new relationship, the concept of marriage, the miscarriages, and grief. From the Choirgirl Hotel was recorded at the tail end of Tori’s Sagittarius ZR level one era and her peak level two Cancer period.
Passing the torch, Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius handed the ZR level one reins over to Saturn, ruler of Capricorn on February 19th, 1998.
Tori Amos married Mark Hawley on February 22nd, 1998. The album came out in the Spring.
The New Age
From the Choirgirl Hotel marked the beginning of a new age for Tori. Now backed by her own band, the new songs had more classic song structures. Sonically it connected more to her classic rock roots than the adventurous fairy she had been branded. The sprawling siren confronting her demons on the piano was still there. But she had grown up a bit.
While Sagittarius is a fire sign that deals in adventure and extension, Capricorn is an earth sign concerned with longevity, legacy, and conservation. Saturn rules over time, struggle, sustainability, and death. Tori’s Saturn is in Aquarius. While her independent Jupiter was in charge during her solo days, now her group conscious Saturn was running the show. Almost all of the members of her band, still record and perform with her today.
By the late 1990’s, struggles with her record label would see Tori looking for a better record deal. She felt Atlantic had abandoned promoting her properly at the height of her popularity.
On September 5th, 2000, during Tori’s nodal return in Cancer / Capricorn, she gave birth to her only child, Natashya Hawley. To this day, Tori and her sound engineer husband work together. Their daughter, Tash, has sung back-up on several records. Twenty-plus years on, they still self produce and record the albums in their home-built studio.
Gold Dust
In 2002, in the last degrees of Tori’s secondary progressed ascendant in Sagittarius, she would release what would be her truly last Jupiterian album, Scarlet’s Walk. Her secondary progressed moon was in Pisces, the final sign in the Zodiac.
While Tori was very much in her ZR level one Capricorn era, she was also in a level two Pisces period.
Written on the road in the months after 9/11, Scarlet’s Walk is concerned with corruption, American politics, and the plight of the Native Americans. Sonically, the album has feet on the ground.
"A Native American woman came to me and gave me a message saying that our relationship is not to the government, because governments change, but to the land itself. Have we given back, are we being good care takers or just takers? She inspired me to write Scarlet's Walk.”
Tori, who is a quarter Eastern Cherokee, shared a special bond with her Native American grandfather. This heritage profoundly influenced her and she has stated that it is the very reason she holds "Scarlet's Walk" as one of her top musical achievements.
During Tori’s Capricorn era, she would release 13 albums continuing to explore themes of religion, misogyny, and female empowerment but also disillusionment of war, coping with loss, aging, and suicide. On her latest release from 2021, isolation during the Covid lockdowns and the death of her mother are explored.
Tori Amos continues to captivate audiences. To this day she has toured the world 17 times. Her profound influence has inspired countless artists, and although her legacy has long been cherished by devoted fans, it is only now beginning to receive the widespread recognition and respect it truly deserves. A descendant of Tori Amos in many ways, St. Vincent aka Annie Clark was asked recently what it is about Tori’s music that has been so inspiring to her:
“She takes us to heaven, and she takes us to hell.”
As her long ZR Capricorn level one era comes to an end in September of this year, one can't help but wonder what new chapter awaits. Tori Amos’s age of Aquarius is upon us.
Extra Tori being extra
Hey Jupiter: Charting Tori Amos’ career in her Sagittarius era” playlist
Wow!
omg these childhood photos!!!