There is an old Bulgarian folk tale called The Walnut Princess, where a prince goes on a quest to seek his true heart’s bride. Along the way, as he is hurrying through the forest, he meets an old woman, who wisely advices him, “Don’t hurry too much, dear prince, or you’ll miss your luck and destiny.”
There are a lot of misconceptions about retrograde planets in astrology, and especially Jupiter, but the root of this is a lack of depth of spiritual knowledge and understanding. Lack of knowledge creates fear and worry. There is no such thing as retrograde Jupiter being “bad”. One thing beginners may often don’t understand yet, is that it’s never just a sign or a planet, a retrograde or detriment, etc.
Astrology is relational – meaning that all depends on all else in the chart; and it’s not even the natal chart, there are other charts also, and with Jupiter, you especially need to consider the ninth divisional chart. And – a planet is never just “retrograde”, it receives aspects, and is in a relationship to other things.
Nothing exists in absolute. It’s like a body – you don’t just have an organ like the heart by itself, it moves and works and connects with everything else. We can’t stay on the shallow waters, and then go down the rabbit holes. And when it comes to astrology – aspects is what matters most, because this is what changes the energy and potential movement and manifestation, and this is what reflects your own inner relationship to whatever that planet represents in your life.
Astrology is not just relational, it is a spiritual study and meant to give you not just insight but also serves as guidance. And because it is a spiritual study, proper understanding and interpretation requires intuitive wisdom and deeper spiritual understanding. So today let’s dive into the deeper spiritual understanding of this placement.
I’ll begin with what a retrograde actually means in our sky; I’ll then dive into the spiritual interpretation, as well as guiding you through real life examples and various ways of manifestation of this aspects in the natal chart, and I’ll end today’s discussion with how you may understand and embrace you natal Jupiter retrograde with more wisdom, love and clarity.
What happens in the sky during a Jupiter retrograde
You may have heard astrologers say that a retrograde is an optical illusion – because a planet doesn’t actually “move backwards”, it’s just perceived as that through our perspective on earth. So let’s start with that.
If you think of our solar system, we have our sun in the middle and then the orbits around it. So it’s kind of like circles around the sun – imagine it like a circular race track, with each car driving in its own lane. Between our car, known as the earth, and the sun, which is in the middle, we have the cars of Venus and Mercury, and on the outer lane of ourselves are Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
Now, when we drive in our car, because we are on the inner lane from the perspective of Jupiter, at some point we’ll pass it and on the side mirror it’d look like Jupiter is moving backwards, because the distance between us and it is widening. In other words – we catch up with the car on the motorway, we level with each other, we then pass it and now it appears to be moving backwards.
In reality – it isn’t. It’s just an optical illusion.
This backwards movement, or retrograde, is an illusion created by our viewpoint here on earth. It’s created by the different speeds at which the planets orbit the Sun. When the earth’s orbit “overtakes” a planet with a slower orbit, we see that planet from a different perspective. So with Jupiter, the earth overtakes on the inside and from our viewpoint on earth, this results in Jupiter appearing to “zigzag” across the sky.
For those of you more technically or astronomically oriented, the planets move from west to east across the night sky. When a planet is going through a period of apparent retrograde motion, it appears as though it’s moving in the opposite direction, from east to west across the sky, often looping or zig-zagging as it goes. To the observer, this looks as though the planet is moving backwards.
So in a way – we as the earth are kind of moving at a different speed from Jupiter. Sometimes we hurry too much and need to reflect and go into introspection; sometimes we need to tame our inner Jupiter; sometimes our wisdom is not catching up to the collective consciousness, so we need to pace ourselves or perhaps we need to find a more accessible way of communication, simplifying complex higher knowledge into something more easily digestible.
During retrograde Jupiter transits, it is known that there are things aligning behind the scenes to make sure that the blessings promised to you by Jupiter during that specific transit will be in your hands. Currently Jupiter is in retrograde, so you may have started planting seeds during the summer, but things perhaps moved slowly; now during the retrograde soil is being nourished, things are aligning both internally and externally, and by the time Jupiter leaves the sign next June, you may see your gifts more visibly or tangibly.
For example, if Jupiter is currently transiting your natal 3rd house, it is essentially activating your 7th, 9th and 11th. So perhaps you’ve become more open to finding your right partner, perhaps things still felt stagnant, but right now things are aligning for you to find that person. For each person it will be different, depending on where they are on their unique paths in life.
Again, as a reminder, please understand that this is only general. Astrology is relational – everything is dependent on all else in the chart, nothing exists in absolute, and nothing can be interpreted as absolute. No planet is just a “retrograde or direct”, it isn’t about signs and houses neither, it’s about aspects and what else is happening in the chart, both the natal and ninth divisional. For one on one consultations with me, you are welcome to browse and book through my Offerings.
Our inner Jupiter is that which connects us to something greater than ourselves, for the purpose of expansion and deepening of knowledge. As the ruler of the 9th house of dharma, which in ancient astrology was known as the house of god, Jupiter pulls us towards higher learning, philosophy, spirituality, theology and travel also – because through travel we expand; we learn of different cultures and beliefs, we reach our hands across the lines that separate as and hold one another. Jupiter inspires us to have an open mind, open heart, and keep aligned to a moral compass and a northern star of virtue, integrity and heart centered decisions. Our natal Jupiter is also part of our greater work in this life, as this is an area through which we are here to contribute to others in some shape or form.
Retrograde Jupiter in the natal chart often shows that while your path may sometimes take a bit of zig-zagging, it is only to deepen your connection in a more authentic way, for you to find your own truth. It shows that it’s important to trust the timing of your life, because you are not meant to do things i na linear progression way or per the social conditioning or group mentalities.
Often times natives who have their natal Jupiter retrograde may hold deep spiritual wisdom, which is now to be awakened again, from the results of their work in past lives. So it is about internalized wisdom. In other words, these are often people who find that they may just “know” things. They have a deep sense of “I already know this.”
They are not people who follow gurus or priests, and they may be quite unconventional or have unique perspectives. Naturally, perhaps in the old days and in some cultures today, if you don’t do as others want or follow blindly some structures, you may be seen as not good – but in reality, you are here to keep an open mind, keep learning and embrace your unique perspectives.
Your knowledge is not just books – it is life itself. Your greatest teacher is life itself. No teachers, no course, no certificates or fancy graduate degrees will ever replace the depth of knowledge and wisdom that your experiences may gift you. It’s largely an experiential learning you are embodying and embodied through. You learn not through scriptures or gurus or social conditioning; you learn mostly through walking your path, your lived in experience and intuition development.
So you may have struggled with accepting blind faith or following traditions which you felt were restrictive or dogmatic. Your learning style may be quite unconventional, and it’t not that you shouldn’t pursue higher knowledge and learning, it’s just that once you find your spiritual teacher you seek and resonate with, it’s not just absorbing the insights, it’s about living them.
You may have been a bit of a rebel in your younger years, or interested in unique perspectives; and perhaps you did pursue higher learning in university, but perhaps subconsciously you were motivated to just find whether it’s true or not, and what, if anything, defies the books! It’s about blending both knowledge and intuitive, both scriptures and experiential learning.
It’s also about seeing expansion not necessarily through external expansion, but through developing your faith within and trusting your intuition and unique perspectives as you learn through your life experiences. You are here to embrace a more internal, personal approach to your beliefs, faith, and expansion, shaping them through your own experiences to achieve a deeper, more authentic understanding. You are building your own inner church and temple, and finding your own connection to god or higher faith.
You are also building your own value system, and shaping your wisdom as a result of your experiences in life, which will strengthen your value system and your deeper more authentic relationship to yourself and how you express your wisdom outward also. This is what leads you to having a more unique worldview, especially later on in life, which will serve to inspire others also towards questioning, self reflection and challenging their own narratives or belief systems. You are here not to stay stuck in dogmatic beliefs – you are meant to continuously shape them and refine them with each new insight that enters you through your lived experiences.
Retrograde Jupiter in a natal chart, when positively aspected, is one of the most powerful indicators of past life spiritual memory being awakened in this life. A lot of spiritual teachers may be reborn with this placement, when it is positively aspected in spiritual houses and strong Navamsa chart, because it shows that they are here again to continue on sharing their spiritual work with people.
The retrograde shows that something was left unfinished, which in some cases is because their spiritual insight and teachings wasn’t able to be properly perceived and absorbed by the collective, because of the collectives’ level of awareness. Or in other times, perhaps they weren’t able to translate their spiritual knowledge in a way it was accessible to the average person, so perhaps they need to find more easily accessible or understandable ways of communication; or in other times perhaps their spiritual work was cut short for some reason, whether because of life circumstances etc. Whatever the reason was, in this life now these natives come back to continue that work and their mission.
It may show the soul of the native walked the path of spiritual seeking or spiritual knowledge, the path of wisdom, healing, teaching and spiritual guidance for many lifetimes. So you may have a sage energy or wise man/woman energy about you, and people often seek you for guidance, or your friends even back in high school also ask for your advice or perspective.
You may find that you often just instinctively know things, or are very easily able to perceive higher wisdom and were very good in school also. You may read some ancient scripture and suddenly feel like you know it or understanding it, even if it is in some other language. You may have an inner moral compass and sense of integrity, and even as a child you felt like you had a deeper understanding of fairness and lead a good life knowing right from false, genuine from false, etc. These are all signs you indeed know it, and it’s just your spiritual wisdom and knowledge re-awakened from past life deeds and good karma.
It’s actually very easy to see someone’s karma – just see their values, virtues and how they act. Spiritually evolved people and past life good deeds will often gift you intelligence, fairness, virtue, integrity, emotional depth and compassion and generosity and charitable natures.
So a retrograde Jupiter, especially when positively aspected as I mentioned, will often make you feel like “I already know this, I don’t know how but I do,” and it’s just your soul wisdom re-activating, so that you can re-awaken this and continue your spiritual mission. It’s not just “this life knowledge and learning”, it’s lifetimes of spiritual development and learning. So the retrograde pulls you inward to re-discover this and re-awaken it, and trust yourself, so that you can complete your mission and calling, which may often times be in the shape of stepping back into your role as a guide of some sort.
You can indeed be very knowledgeable, yet don’t yet know how to properly use this knowledge in the right way. It can be quite common to give your “constructive criticism” without even being asked to do so, which essentially oversteps the boundaries of the other person. Don’t send emails or write comments to people telling them your “constructive criticism”.
Remember that a healthy Jupiter, regardless of whether it’s direct or retrograde, knows when to speak and when not to, and that wisdom is knowledge applied properly and in its right timing. A healthy Jupiter knows that universal laws of equivalent exchange of energy, the power of words and of listening, and the importance of the virtues, humility, generosity, kindness and respect.
One of the most interesting aspects of a Jupiter retrograde in the natal chart is that it often shows past life gifts and even blessings, and that’s something to be grateful for and appreciate how far you’ve come and what you have in your life, appreciate it.
What I find as the biggest obstacle for some natives with this placement is that they may have a hard time being grateful for their blessings and all they have in their life, no matter how seemingly small or ordinary or insignificant, and instead, they focus on what they don’t have or all the things going wrong in their life. Be mindful that you may have a tendency to focus on what you don’t have or having things in your own version or timeline, or comparing yourself to others, and all these can in some way make you feel discouraged or sad.
My advice would be to really think about what you have in your life, because even the fact you are alive, have a head attached to a neck, and right now the internet to read and learn, or have food and shelter – these are pretty good. Sometimes we lose perspective and it’s important to remind ourselves as human beings how precious life is, and how much we may take for granted, for which we must actually be deeply grateful for. Your gifts and blessing may not be “shaped” in the way you expect them to, but this is where Jupiter’s wisdom comes in – and it asks you to open you mind and perceive more deeply into your life. Gratitude will unlock and open many doors in your life.
Remember how from our perspective on earth Jupiter was zig-zagging in the sky. Your life is not linear, and you are not on everyone else’s timeline. Sometimes you may feel things are delayed or not happening when you wanted them to, whether it’s marriage, work, recognition, but it’s not “delayed”, you just have your own timeline. In reality, nothing is not as it should, and you need to fall into the deep trust of your unique timing and unfolding and deeply trust your natural flow also.
You are not here to live by social conditioning or compare your life with others on social media memes. You are here to enjoy the zig-zags and deepen into real life adventure and exploration, all of which will contribute towards your unique perspectives in life and deepen your authentic relationship to faith, wisdom, luck and growth.
Retrograde Jupiter may feel sometimes like your blessings or wishes are delayed, but know that nothing that belongs to you will ever be denied. It will all find its way into your hands, don’t worry about this. This placement often gives powerful blessings actually, so the seeming “delays” are just the optical illusions of our pre-judgments and conditioning that things need to happen on specific timelines.
Everything has its own time, and along the way each experience has its purpose on your path of soul evolution. Winter has its purpose, wisdom is often set in snow. We learn the cycles of the land, we learn to mature and rely on our inner guidance and what to do with the limited sources in winter when the ground is frozen; and it is time itself, the lord of wisdom, that gifts us confidence also. Time and confidence are intimately related, and it’s the path walking that serves our faith that way.
In women’s charts especially Jupiter may show the husband and children, and some women may find their husbands later in life or have children later in life. They usually marry a man who is somewhat unconventional, or comes from a different background or social status, usually a foreigner and spiritually mature. Her children too will be quite free minded and independent, perhaps have an unconventional or very innovative path of life, and will be probably very spiritually and emotionally connected to her.
Jupiter’s blessings may feel delayed but they are often very big and powerful. According to the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, Jupiter retrograde can act as a blessing and provide protection through difficulties, especially if it is well-placed. While you may have times of introspection and slow moving phases of life, the purpose of these is only to refine you and develop you and prepare you for something beautiful and meaningful. Especially when it is in the 1st, 5th, 9th, 10th and 11th houses it can bring really beautiful things for you. In the classical text Phaladeepika, Mantreshwara states that a planet in retrograde motion attains strength similar to that of an exalted planet, regardless of its sign.
You can have deep intuition, so it’s good to develop it and trust your inner moral compass. You are not here to just do as others do or as the lineage has always done, you are here to reflect and redefine, and move forward in your own unique authentic way. Some beliefs you will continue, and others you will not, and you will develop your own. You may doubt sometimes or mistrust yourself, so it’s good to keep walking forward, keep expanding and learning and developing, and time will gift you the confidence.
Over time you will develop your own understanding of what god is, what your unique relationship to faith is, and what beliefs you choose to strengthen and which ones you choose to refine or redefine or completely rewrite. A retrograde Jupiter writes its own script, based on experience, deepening of spiritual core, intuition and soul memory, all of which contribute to a wiser and more authentic belief system.
Trust your own inner wisdom and your natural flow and timing. Your unique path has forged a strong inner compass, and you need to reflect back for wisdom you’ve gathered. You may sometimes feel guilty because you may think “I should have known better” even when you are still learning.
Because some of your wisdom is internal and karmic, rather than taught by the book in this life, you may distrust it early in life, so allow your life experience to sculpt your spiritual evolution. Even though in the beginning you may feel the distrust, doubt your decisions, not listen to your inner voice, these are not mistakes – they are just spiritual sculptors, so that you can really build more confidence and develop your intuition more and strengthen your spiritual core.
There are no mistakes, and even the zig-zags are purposeful, because every step you take in your life is the path to your inner temple of god. You are sculpting your inner Jupiter – not in the way it must be by external expectations or social conditioning or because someone with a loud voice on a big stage said it – but because of you, your experiences, your inner wisdom.
This allows you to blend your own philosophy and movement in life, and see the world in a unique way. So embrace your unique perspective, because your often internalized way of seeing the world is actually a beautiful strength, leading to a more unique and authentic experience with other people and life itself.
A few examples
Now let’s go through a few real life examples, and the first one I’ll share is about a man whose retrograde Jupiter was in the 11th house – and all he ever did was complain about how he never had a lot of friends, no big gains, how his Jupiter retrograde was cursing his life, how horrible Jupiter is, and he kept writing in forums about this horrible Jupiter.
He’d actually get really defensive and reactive when someone would try to reason with him and try to explain his chart more deeply, and he just kept perpetuating false or ignorant things, making others feel badly about their own lives. He wasn’t looking for truth nor clarity nor wisdom nor Jupiter’s expansion, he was just looking to play the victim, while sitting on his entitled, self righteous and arrogant throne of “I know it all”, even though no, he didn’t. The problem wasn’t his Jupiter necessarily, it was his entitlement, ego, ingratitude, and approaching relationships from a transactional perspective.
Our natal Jupiter, regardless of whether retrograde or direct, is an area of our life where we are called to contribute in some way. In the 11th house, it is about expansion, helping people feel a sense of connection and supporting their hopes and dreams. It could literally be about charity or humanitarian involvement, or it could simply be about “Hey, what do you need help with. Oh great, I actually think I know someone I can connect you to who may be able to help you.” Wherever our Jupiter is, we already have something we can offer.
In the 11th house, Jupiter seeks to offer something to others, but the native needs to be more spiritually oriented and kinder and more open in communication. This is because this placement is about connecting to spiritual people, being charitable and understanding that true wealth is spiritual not financial. And because the 11th house is a connection and wordly house, when we help others, we essentially also help ourselves and the world we live in.
We all lose perspective sometimes, we can all take for granted what we have, so we then may lose gratitude. So it’s important to remind ourselves of all we have and to be grateful. He came from a wealthy family, and had many connections. The 11th house is about giving, not just taking, and as a retrograde Jupiter looks at its 5th aspect, it was seeking him to expand his communication skills, being kinder and more open with people, and to embrace different backgrounds and social status.
He liked food, so I offered him to perhaps consider volunteering in something like the Soup Kitchen, where they offer food to the homeless. Surprisingly he listened to me, and once he started volunteering he actually made a friend with a fellow volunteer; and this friend then introduced him to a girl who became his wife. More importantly, the experience with his volunteering made him more appreciative of what he had in his life, expanded his understanding, and helped him to be more grateful and people focused.
A healthy Jupiter continually grows and expands in philosophical and spiritual outlook. The aim is to be charitable, generous, friendly, and welcoming to everyone, regardless of their social status, religion, cultural background, or ethnicity. Sometimes we can get stuck in life because our judgment is clouded, and we can’t see clearly ahead. So a retrograde reminds us to be mindful of our “optical illusions”, clean our views, clear our eyes, and uncloud whatever clouds us.
Being in Gemini, this is all about her voice! And its aspected by a trine from her Venus and Sun in her 3rd house – they are conjunct with Sun holding the lower degree. So what this means is that the Sun king is sitting on the throne, and in his lap is Venus – so all his light is on Venus. This is a very beautiful placement! As her chart is a night chart, Venus becomes a powerful illuminary, and on the lap of the Sun king, his light empowers her. So this trine touching Jupiter is beautiful also.
And look at what she’s done – she has a very unique presence and used her voice for bringing different perspectives to the public. It doesn’t matter whether we like her or not like her, her voice is unique and she is known for this. Her whole life is her experiential wisdom, and she shares a lot about that also now in her later years. This serves as inspiration for others.
The Dalai Lama is another example of a natal retrograde Jupiter. Even though he is a leader of a religion – Buddhism – he is actually someone who has a very unique path and deep wisdom and spiritual understanding. I remember I read one of his autobiographies, and he was sharing how ever since he was a young boy he was fascinated by all different studies and philosophies and sciences, and he read and learned so much! In his book he was sharing things from all areas of life, whether science, different religions, sociology.
He is eternally curious and open minded – and no wonder, as his Jupiter retrograde is in his 5th house. This placement shows past life spiritual mastery, which is similar to the 9th house Jupiter retrograde, which shows a past life spiritual teacher reborn. And because the 5th house is playfulness and childlike curiosity – his wisdom comes precisely through that energy of embracing the unique paths and divine zig-zags that inspired ideas take us in.
Another client of mine knew she wanted to be a doctor since childhood, and she indeed she became one. Her work revolves around children struggling with unusual ailments, and her unique perspectives and deep passion and insight has helped the hospital she works in to dive into more research, and also, to find support and innovative healing methods for these ailments.
So it’s not always “spiritual” things in the way we understand them – everything is spiritual anyway. It is that our inner Jupiter and inner wisdom, with its unique perspective helps us find new paths forward and contribute to new ways of seeing things, doing things, making things.
As for children and marriage, remember how I mentioned both the husbands and children can be quite unconventional. In the first case, my client with her start-ups has her first born, a boy, very independent, very unique ideas and he is already “drawing outside the lines” with his ideas about what he wants to do in his life.
And my second client has a daughter who has been dancing ballet for many years now, ever since she was very young. No one in my client’s lineage nor her husband has any ballerinas, so their daughter is doing something unique but she is immensely talented!
And the last example I’ll share is of another one of my clients – an absolutely beautiful woman, with a retrograde Jupiter in the 9th house. I remember at the beginning she reached out saying someone had told her that her Jupiter is horrible in detriment and retrograde because it is in Tropical Capricorn. A lot of non sense obviously yet again.
Firstly, the Sabian symbol of her Tropical Capricorn Jupiter is “an angel carrying a harp”. This is literally one of the most beautiful places in the sky, because if you open up her natal skies, at the time of her birth Jupiter was at the head of the archer man in the celestial Sagittarius constellation – which is very auspicious part of the sky.
Secondly, with the Sabian symbol it is all about love, beauty, wisdom and harmony, and her 9th house Jupiter is all fully harmoniously aspected by all her planets in her chart; and moreover, in her ninth divisional chart, Jupiter sits on the ascendant, showing good past life deeds.
The “angel carrying a harp” symbol represents the keynote of attunement and the revelation of the spiritual meaning in any situation. This symbol suggests a harmony that comes from inner peace and spiritual understanding, which can be expressed through a creative, beautiful, and harmonious output.
Indeed, she has a gift of seeing beauty and meaning and truth. She actually briefly studied aesthetics, which is the branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art and taste. She studied many different fields of philosophy and mythology, and studied law briefly also.
With the music of harp of angels, she has a beautiful way of language and depths of spiritual wisdom; the ninth house position shows this past life reborn teacher or guide. She is incredibly intuitive as well, and I am so happy that after years of feeling a little uncertain on what to do in her life, she found, or rather re-found her calling and trusted her path, her unique wisdom and insight and her many spiritual gifts – now working as a spiritual guide, as she always was.
Her path wasn’t straight nor direct, but she has wells of wisdom and depth of experience, and this is what makes it all so beautiful – because she also found her own blend of techniques. Her words touch people, her insights help them, and her right partner is of foreign land also; she met him later in life, but certainly, it was worth the wait! And so is their little blessing, baby coming soon!
The first walnut he is meant to open when he feels lonely; and when he opens it a beautiful bird flies out singing him sweet songs, expanding his horizons and blue skies. He realizes he is never alone, and that wildlife is always around him; and that he is meant to connect to all those people too who may speak different languages than him or look in different ways or clothing.
The second walnut he is meant to open when he feels hungry; and when he opens it he sees the walnuts and soothes his hunger. He then chooses to plant a walnut tree, to nourish those who may need it after him, and share of his own blessing.
And the third walnut he is meant to open only when he is near water; for there is something precious within it, and he must know to nurture it, with soft hands, open palms and open heart; warm, giving and loving heart. This is when his bride appears from the wisdom of the walnut.
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Cover art by Edgar Degas, Ballerina adjusting her pointe shoes, 1896.
