Jupiter Retrograde

Date: April 11, 2019

“The Hermit” Art by Cathy McClelland

It’s that time of year. Jupiter has an annual  4 month retrograde cycle. It begins just as the Sun is moving into a very positive aspect to Jupiter, both celestial bodies being dignified and strong, so there will be a lasting spark of optimism in the beginning of the cycle. Both Jupiter and the Sun are being challenged though. Mercury in emotional Pisces is presenting a challenge to express messy emotions while Pluto, the South Node and Saturn are challenging the Sun to take responsibility for the past and one’s own transformation. It’s a lot. As always, Jupiter retrograde is a time to go within and examine where we are ideologically. Are we living our truth? We are being asked to evaluate our personal ideas of right and wrong. Do our relationships, job, actions (depending on the house Jupiter is in your chart), reflect our moral values? It may be a time when we’re disappointing with ourselves or our circumstances, but this 4 month period is a time to make adjustments and amendments where necessary. It’s also a time to forgive ourselves and figure out how we can do better.

What I noticed as soon as Jupiter stationed (looks like it stopped moving from our perspective on earth) is my energy dropped and followed by my mood darkening. It’ll improve once Jupiter starts moving again, but I’m sure, it won’t be back to normal until the planet gets moving in the right direction again in August. I’ll use the next few months to examine what needs to change and how I can change it. The advice of the Hermit card tells us that we’re entering a time of to withdraw from the world in order to seek truth and be solitary- to re-connect with the source.

If your life doesn’t reflect what you’d hoped for yourself, how can you change that? The strong and optimistic Jupiter in Sagittarius lifted us through a very challenging year and some people have used that to power through into situations that aren’t working. Now’s the time to be honest with ourselves and let those situations go. Things we’ve been working on over the last 8 months will show their flaws now, it’s our job to assess whether it is better to fix things or just abandon them. Patience is an important part of this phase. so take a few deep breaths before making important changes.

If you feel down or disappointed  during this cycle, remember to have faith in yourself- every situation serves a purpose.

Be kind to yourselves.