Expansion … Consolidation … Expansion … Consolidation … Jupiter retrograde is the time to consolidate any ground and gains that we've made over the past few months.
Astro Alert: Jupiter has now gone retrograde, at 24 degrees 21 minutes of Sagittarius.
Please don't fall for the, 'OMG, everyone! Jupiter, the planet of abundance and success, is Retrograde!!" click bait that you may see on the web. Jupiter goes retrograde every single year, and rarely brings doom and gloom. His retrograde cycle is a necessary part of the year. It's okay. There's no need to panic.
Yes, Jupiter is the planet associated with our growth & learning, our success, aspirations, and expansion. He is the planet of hope, faith, and optimism ... of blessings, abundance, and good fortune. 'Opportunities' is an important key word for Him.
More than this, though, Jupiter is also the planet of cohesion and integration. He is interested in sustainable growth. He wants to know that any new territory gained, is kept. Expansion ... consolidation ... expansion ... consolidation. Each expansion moves us further forward towards our ultimate goals. Each consolidation ensures a new, solid foundation to continue growing from.
It's Jupiter's retrograde cycle that offers us this annual opportunity to consolidate our growth and gains to date. This is when we'll have the chance to realise and deal with any issues or problems that need attention. And it's when we can truly integrate our progress into the greater structure of our lives. Without this opportunity to consolidate our growth, we'd eventually lose any ground we'd made.
During this period, we'll be asked to re-examine the opportunities that Jupiter bestowed upon us over the past few months (particularly around 14 January, when His retrograde cycle officially began). It's up to us to recognise these opportunities and make the most of them; to develop them into something worthwhile! Did we do that or not? If not, why not??
As Steven Forrest says, Jupiter will ask you three questions, "Where do you underestimate yourself? Where do you settle for less than you're capable of? Where do you cop out on yourself??" What great (difficult) Jupiter retrograde questions for us all to ponder!
The peak point of this phase will be Jupiter's opposition with the Sun on 11 June, 2019. The Sun will critically shine His light on our aspirations, illuminating any issues and weaknesses that He finds. This is when we'll realise that there are problems we need to solve, and obstacles we'll need to overcome, if we want to retain our new ground. We may find our faith and optimism challenged, our hope waning ... we may even lose some of what we'd earned. Perhaps we need to adjust our expectations? At the end of the day, we'll need to be willing to confront the issues highlighted by the Sun, if we are to consolidate our path. Mark your calendars to see what insights you receive, or how this shows up for you in the external world. 11 June!
Jupiter then continues on His retrograde journey until 12 August, where He will Station Direct at 14 degrees 30 minutes of Sagittarius, ready to move forward again. This is when we'll realise that things aren't as awful as we thought they were! In fact, things are going pretty well! Phew! Our sense of optimism and hope returns, as Jupiter moves forward, again. This is when we'll realise that we actually CAN achieve our goals! It's not too late! There IS still time to do what we wanted to do. There's still the chance to make good on our opportunities. (So grateful to know that, personally!)
Handled poorly, the retrograde phase may leave us realising that our recent progress was just a bit of luck ... and life then returns to how things were beforehand. Handled well, though, it ensures that we can truly own whatever gains the Jupiter cycle has brought us, internally or externally. By taking the time to address any questions or weaknesses illuminated throughout this period, and especially by the Sun on the 11th of June, we can firmly establish our growth and gains as our new jumping off point.
The retrograde phase is when this work gets done. See how important it is??