Jupiter Retrograde: It’s an Inside Job
On March 8th, Jupiters stations retrograde. This does not mean Jupiter will actually be traveling backwards in our sky, he’ll just appear that way for four months. Retrogrades are often though of as a negative time when everything around us breaks, or goes haywire. In reality, they are a period of realignment, when the universe gives us space and time to tune inward and process the changes in energy we have undergone since the last retrograde period. Retrogrades challenge our energetic alignments with the world around us and if they aren’t the right fit, they fall apart, leaving us open for the perfect match.
You are mostly likely familiar with Mercury retrograde. Mercury rules our communications, so in a Mercury retrograde period systems of communication, like your e-mail, crash if they are not fully aligned. Jupiter is the planet of expansion, luck, abundance and finances. Normally Jupiter is an outwardly moving planet of action. He is normally extroverted, cheery and urges us to expand through the world outside of us. Jupiter retrograde, however, turns our attention inward and urges us to expand from the inside out.
Jupiter is the first of the planets to retrograde this year. Since the start of 2018, all planets have been moving forward, setting the tone for our year. Additionally, we underwent a very intense Eclipse season. These factors have lead to a fast moving 2 months, where energies have been shifting at a rapid speed and the only constant is change. It’s been a time of growth, evolution and new ideas. We’ve had to run to keep up with forward momentum and ride the wave to the best of our ability. Jupiter retrograde signals a slowing down of this motion, not a complete pause, but a bit of dialing back, so to speak.
This period, lasting until July 10th, will give us time to process our evolution. It will give us space to catch up mentally to our energy. Jupiter retrograde does not mean we’ll have bad luck for 4 months, or our finances will dry up. It simply means that our path with be refined and tuned in to our priorities, 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 wanted them to, only to find them taking an unexpected turn, and in the end working 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. However, our subconscious, where our intuition lies, knows all.
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 are 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 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. We just need to keep working on our self and remember that all the things governed by Jupiter are an inside job. Abundance is an inside job, luck and coincidences are an inside job and most certainly expansion is an inside job. It’s a period to look at the details of our life, to enjoy the present moment, without looking 5 steps ahead, and to relish in all the growth we’ve accomplished this year.
With Jupiter in Scorpio, this period becomes an intense time to look at our shadow side and identify hidden patterns within that are affecting our capacity for abundance and growth. Are you looking externally for these things? Abundance only comes to us after we shift our internal energy. Are you grateful for all the things in your life? Gratitude is the most effective way to change your internal frequency to attract more of what you want. Are you blocking your growth by self -sabotaging behaviors? Perhaps you’re secretly afraid of success (which many of us are) and you’re preventing yourself from following serendipitous events that would lead you there. These are the the type of questions to think about during this retrograde period.
Take the time over the next ten days, before we hit Aries season, to pause and reevaluate your energy. Journal every day and spend time assessing your internal world. The more information we have about our subconscious workings, the more we can understand why things seem to not go our way sometimes. Each day ask yourself “What am I grateful for?”, “What do I love?”, and “What do I need?” Allow these questions are to purify your sprit and give you time to refine your energy so you are ready to expand again come June.
Image via Rebecca Reitz