Jupiter Retrograde 2019: Find the Silver Linings

On April 10th, Jupiter stations retrograde in the sign of Sagittarius for four months, until August 11th. This does not mean Jupiter will actually be traveling backward in our sky. It’ll just appear that way as part of an optical illusion created by the orbital lengths of the Earth and Jupiter. You are most likely familiar with Mercury Retrograde, an often frustrating time when communication and technology breaks. Jupiter Retrograde is very different from Mercury retrograde and is certainly nothing to fear. Jupiter Retrograde is, in reality, a positive time of inward and spiritual expansion, which can renew our faith in our lives and our path.

Jupiter is the largest planet of our solar system. Jupiter is so massive that it almost became a second sun. Jupiter’s energy field is just as large and reaches throughout our solar system. If we humans respond to a planet’s energy, Jupiter will affect us more than any other cosmic body besides the Moon (which is the closest) and the Sun (which is the largest). Understanding Jupiter’s energy and its effects on our life can help us in many ways and can explain even more phenomena than Mercury Retrograde.

Jupiter is the planet of expansion, luck, abundance, and finances. Normally Jupiter’s energy moves outwardly. Jupiter’s place in your natal chart shows the area of life you have the most opportunities and what kind of expansion you can expect in your lifetime. Jupiter inspires us to make big leaps in our life and not sell ourselves short of our true potential. Jupiter wants us to push the boundaries of our comfort zones and climb to new heights where we can expand our horizons. Jupiter also gives us faith. Faith that things will work out, faith that there are no wrong turns and faith that no matter what, we are always on the path we were meant to walk.

Jupiter governs the zodiac sign Sagittarius. Jupiter is responsible for the archer’s wanderlust ways and constant desire for expanded consciousness. Jupiter is currently at home in Sagittarius, raining down even greater expansive energy to us on Earth. When a planet returns home, their power strengthens, and their effects amplify. Jupiter will remain in Sagittarius for its retrograde period. Retrogrades spin the energy of the planet inward. With Jupiter retrograde, we have a lot of normally out flowing energy spiraling inward, causing some deep contemplation and reformulation of our very consciousness. 

This period, lasting until August 11th, gives us time to process our evolution. It gives us space and time to catch up mentally to our energy. Jupiter retrograde does not mean we’ll have bad luck for four months, or our finances will dry up. It merely means that our path will be refined and tuned in to our priorities, including the things that bring us the most joy. Some of this refinement does come at a cost. Similar to Mercury Retrograde, we may experience things not working out the way we thought we wanted them to, only to find them taking an unexpected turn, and in the end, they work out far better than we could ever imagine. Retrograde periods remind us that sometimes we don’t consciously know what’s best because we don’t “know" all the details, but subconsciously we actually have the answers.

Our subconscious is connected to the universal knowledge and calls in the energy we need, even if we don’t “know” we need it. For instance, say you’re applying for a job, the perfect job, the one that will make your parents happy and will show the world you are a success. You think this is absolutely what you want, only to find you don’t get it. Heartbroken, you decide to take a month off and learn to paint as a form of therapy for your disappointment. Months later, you are an accomplished painter and far more successful than you would have been at the 9-5 job. You’re the happiest you’ve ever been, and it no longer matters what anyone else thinks of you. This experience is Jupiter Retrograde at its finest. Heartbreak leading to a coincidence, predetermined by your subconscious that will lead you to heart expansion.

Jupiter retrograde reminds us that everything happens for a reason, even if we don’t understand it yet. It inspires us to look back over our lives to find the silver linings and appreciate them. Jupiter Retrograde teaches us to take nothing for granted and be appreciative of every lesson, pitfall, and obstacle. This retrograde is a period to develop unwavering faith in your journey and understand what that adventure truly means. It means being grateful for everything.

Our job during Jupiter Retrograde is to keep returning to ourselves and appreciating every bit of our life. It is a spiritual journey of the soul with the deep understanding that happiness is an inside job. Abundance, as well as luck, coincidences, and expansion, are all inside jobs. Take this time to look at the details of your life, and enjoy the present moment, without looking five steps ahead. Relish in all the growth you’ve accomplished this year and last.

With Jupiter in Sagittarius, this period becomes a time to look at how you respond to expansion, and if you are blocking your growth in any way. Are you attached to your comfort zones? Are you attached to your fear? What old patterns are blocking your expansion and your abundance?  Perhaps you’re secretly afraid of success (which many of us are) and you’ve been preventing yourself from following serendipitous events that would lead you there. These are the types of questions to think about during this retrograde period.

Take the next four months to pause and reevaluate your energy. Think about your energetic evolution and how you can shift it from the inside out. Journal every day and spend time assessing your internal world. Notice how you respond to expansion, and how you react to setbacks. Often, our response to blocks sets the tone for what the universe will bring us next. Remember everything has a place in your unique journey. Gratitude for each piece with help you keep this perspective. Every day ask yourself “What am I grateful for?”, “What do I love?”, and “What do I need?” Allow these questions to purify your spirit so you are ready to outwardly expand and call in even more serendipity come August.

Our next four Full Moons and our next four New Moons will be affected by the energy of Jupiter Retrograde. Each Full and New Moon Workbook provides insights on how Jupiter will affect that corresponding Moon’s energy. Read all about it in the Workbooks. 

Cover Art via Rebecca Reitz