Big ol’ Jupiter has been in the news a lot lately! It’s one of the objects that we see all the time in the night sky (usually without even knowing it, calling it just another “star” in the vast sea of the Universe above), but never really think about all that much. With the Webb telescope sending back astonishing pictures of our spectacular far-out brother planet, I thought I’d blog a little bit about this enormous benefactor, and how its movements may be influencing us right now.
Jupiter, with its bands of storms and “Big Red Spot” has fascinated us from its first days as a recognized planet. Jupiter is the third brightest natural object in the night sky. It’s one of the “gas giants” (kind of a rude description, if you ask me) in our solar system, and likely has no reliably solid surface, just a rocky core. Because it spins so rapidly, it’s not a sphere but an oblate spheroid, which means it has a bulge around its middle (I can relate). The Big Red Spot is a storm that’s been raging since at least 1831. Jupiter has at least 80 moons, the four largest of which (called “The Galilean Moons” because they were discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610) can be seen with a good set of binoculars. And, move over, Saturn and Uranus, Jupiter also has a faint ring, along with an amazingly strong magnetic pull, reaching all the way to Saturn’s orbit, which has been used as a slingshot to send craft hurtling into deep space, and may explain the multitude of moons that surround it.
But enough about science. My blogs are much more apt to delve into the more woowoo aspects of our Universe, so let’s go there. It’s astrology time!
In Roman mythology, Jupiter (known also as Jove) is the Chief God – depicted as the “Father of the Gods” – equivalent to Zeus in Greek mythology. Jupiter is the god of the skies, of thunder, lightning, and storms. He’s known for his benevolence, granting the good weather that leads to plentiful harvests, but also for exercising his power by meddling with and manipulating us humans (most notably, the women he raped and impregnated in astonishing ways – a shower of gold, a swan, a bull, etc. – to create divine/human hybrids), and for his quick and fierce temper that could cause devastating storms. It’s fitting that the largest planet of our solar system, one with atmospheric disturbances that have lasted for centuries, is named for this powerful supernatural being. Astrologically speaking, Jupiter represents all that we think of when we imagine a loving father that wants what’s best for his children. When Jupiter touches on aspects of our astrological charts, he brings with him prosperity, expansion, abundance, wish fulfillment, success and good fortune. If there’s anything good in our lives, it’s amplified and enhanced. If things haven’t been so great, our fortunes turn around and become joyful and *almost* too good to be true. We’re often at our happiest, wealthiest and most content when Jupiter smiles down upon us. But it can also be the aspect of overindulgence, causing a period of weight gain, sexual excesses, gambling and the like, depending on where it falls in your chart.
From July 28th to November 23rd of 2022, Jupiter is in retrograde. We tend to brace ourselves a little bit when planets turn retrograde (I’m looking at YOU, Mercury, Venus and Saturn), but it’s a different story with our magnanimous friend Jupiter. It’s time to take heart and have some hope for your future! Jupiter in retrograde is a time for second chances. This time around Jupiter goes back in driven Aries, then to finish his “backward” journey through dreamy Pisces before moving direct.
Because Jupiter is the planet of opportunity, when it goes retrograde (here’s my blog on thriving through retrogrades of some other planets), it’s a time to look back and see what prospects you may have missed from the past. In this case, the Aries portion of the retrograde may bring you back in touch with actions you failed to take – what plan had you made for moving ahead that kind of faded or fizzled out? What creative endeavor went to the very edge of fruition, then didn’t pan out? Did you have it all right up to the threshold, then fail to pull the trigger for one reason or another? Was it an *almost but not quite* situation that left you feeling frustrated, or maybe somewhat of a failure? Have you regretted it ever since? Well this may be your chance to try again! Jupiter visits Aries until October 28th, so keep your eyes open for that same or similar enterprise that may present itself again. This time, you’re a bit older, a bit wiser, maybe you have more of your ducks in a row, or the tweaks you have made to your idea since then have improved it to the point where it’s finally ready. Or, you may receive an even greater gift. You may be given some in-hindsight insight that will allow you to realize that what you thought would have been perfect for you “back then” would actually have been a disaster, had it happened. It’s time to let go and stop the regrets. Breathe a big sigh of relief and finally move on, knowing your “missed opportunity” was a godsend in disguise.
As for the slip back into Pisces after October 28th, with Jupiter still in retrograde, the missed opportunities will be of the emotional kind. Artsy, intuitive, flowy, compassionate, introspective, creative, receptive – all of the qualities of this watery sign may resurface in your life in ways you don’t expect right now. Sudden attacks of wistfulness, fantasies and dreams in which you’re reliving past emotional attachments to aspirations or relationships may rear up out of nowhere. This is your opportunity to resolve past relationship issues (or perhaps consider rekindling an old romance with the “one that got away”!) with the clear eyes full of wisdom from growth or from having moved on. It’s a time to forgive yourself for loving the wrong person, letting go of someone or some desire you may now see as a good match, or for chasing the wrong dream or quest for enlightenment for what you may think now was a long waste of time. Sometimes you’ll realize that the time wasn’t right then, but it’s perfect right now. Remember that past difficulties, especially those that involve deep emotions, all happen for our spiritual growth. We’re here to learn, and sometimes the most lasting and crucial lessons, although painful, are the ones from which we develop true empathy for others, and insight into how to achieve our best selves.
This month, be gentle with yourself if you seem to want to go back in time in first your mind and then your heart. Think of it not as useless nostalgia or living in the past, but as an opportunity to revisit and reassess. Ask yourself whether, if you had the chance, you would change what you did in the past and try to right that wrong, or whether you’re ever so grateful that, by Jove, you dodged a bullet that at the time you thought was something wonderful. Because Jupiter retrograde is that second chance. What will you decide to do with it..?
Jupiter photos courtesy of NASA