Category Archives: Jupiter retrograde

Spotlight: An Earth Grand Trine–And What About Ceres?

14 Thursday Dec 2023

Posted by in astrology, Ceres, current events in the sky, Grand Trine, Jupiter retrograde, Mercury retrograde, Retrogrades + Directions

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‘Venus, Cupid and Ceres’ By Cornelis van Haarlem 1604 {{PD}} It’s such a drag to have to wear a shirt, isn’t it, ladies? Ceres is the one with wheat in her hair.

Freshly retro Merc in Capricorn connects with retro Jupiter in Taurus and the Black Moon Lilith point to form an Earth Grand Trine. One, BML, is just a mathematical point, you may argue–and yet by its very contact with these other two we see this point in Virgo bring a little intellectual heft, a little airiness via ruler Mercury, to what might otherwise be a formidably dense formula–and that’s only exaggerated by the way both bodies are in apparent retrograde motion. Have you ever seen a child who doesn’t yet grasp the concepts around concealing their entire body play hide-and-seek? Invariably, they will scrunch into a corner or behind something and cover their eyes–with so much of the rest of them visible to all! That’s what we’ve got here: Jupiter and Mercury behaving as if they aren’t really noticeable, and Black Moon Lilith mustering constructive criticism in order to make both planets deal with their current energy states head on.

Jupiter in Taurus retrograde would tell you money and things aren’t important, that what you know or believe doesn’t really affect what surrounds you or what comes to you, and Mercury in Capricorn retrograde may have warring assumptions all at once: thoughts that embrace the status quo and current power structure as if they’re solid and will last forever, and at the same time thinking repeatedly of the ways the present framework and rules can be skirted, undermined, or exploited through a loophole.

Then along comes the Black Moon Lilith point–which critiques and creates lists for the other two, asking: what about the social sphere and the place it offers you is unsatisfactory? Is what you have and the environment you create nurture and comfort you, or is it designed to impress others? Does your thinking support the power elites, or your own interests? And are you confused about what really benefits you, and what works against you?

Black Moon Lilith insists you face/ deal with what you have been ignoring, denying, or with things that enrage you but are suppressed; in the case of Jupiter, this hinges on social roles and interaction, and with Mercury this is about the mentality you exercise. With both bodies retrograde, the examination of these areas can seem that much more difficult, as the energies feel less accessible, more hidden, and somehow contrary, even when you come at them as consciously as possible. So, right now we have an ongoing examination of social roles, thinking, and the material reality they create for each one of us. Tips to handle this? At present letting things flow around you, with less insistence on control and less deliberate expression of the Will, is probably a good idea; if you can keep things low key, watch the symbolism inherent in every day life, and practice acceptance, you’ll get to the end of the Merc retro period (early AM PST of January 2nd) and Jupiter retro period (early AM PST of December 31st) with a much more fact-based and realistic understanding of both your material situation and the social sphere and your role in it. After both are direct, you can move forward both more confidently and more effectively.

And what about Ceres? It’s at 8 degrees Sagittarius, same degree as Merc and BML–and it’s square BML, and so semi-sextile Mercury. This suggests that much of what we find out at this time will be seated in Nature, both in our place within it, and in our relationship to it. We’re going to find out things, learn facts, experience the validity (or ineffectiveness) of our beliefs, and this will shape our sense of personal authority, our ability to genuinely nurture, our health, and again, our command of our environment, going forward. The retros offer us chances to reconsider–and the other related bodies help us discover what it is we need to know.

New Moon in Leo 28 July 2022 Take It Personally

27 Wednesday Jul 2022

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Jupiter retrograde, New Moon, Sabian Symbols

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‘Sun and Moon Flowers’ By George Dunlop Leslie 1890 {{PD}}

Public domain

Sun and Moon Flowers 1890

So the upcoming New Moon perfects at 10:54 AM PDT of the 28th at 5 Leo 38 and all I want to say is, Take. It. Personally. We can’t help but focus on ourselves with a New Moon in Leo; it’s the glory of the individual, the way each of us uniquely ‘shine’, and that may mean our own light gets in our eyes, obscures the view of what’s happening, just now. Traditional agent of confusion and hidden matters, Neptune, is in his own sign and below the chart horizon (for the West coast location), and is semi-sextile Eris in Aries–the suggestion is that there are things, particularly tensions, between us and other individuals that we just can’t see–we’re too busy shining our own light–so that others ‘offended’ by our light (think ‘jealous’ or ‘judgy’ or ‘envious’ or even ‘garden-variety hater’–note Venus conjoined Black Moon Lilith in Cancer) are likely to present as caring when what they want is to deny something about who we are or how we play the game.

Both Moon and Sun have very recently conjoined Ceres at 2 Leo, prompting us all to examine our own power situation and autonomy (or lack of it), as well as bring to the fore of consciousness our relationship with Nature–whether that’s via our bodies or our environment. No matter what, we’re measuring what affects us and the impact that has–and it’s the wellspring from which our New Moon new starts spring.

Three aspects made by the New Moon warrant a look: a quincunx to Vesta, a trine to a stationary retro Jupiter, which will enter retro status within a day, and a sesquiquadrate from Juno. How we see the ‘Big Picture’ is going to change, and the change will be easy, a slipping from one viewpoint to another, without us really thinking about it. What will cause minor discomfort, however, is something about our commitments, our highest values, likely losing some of their sheen or worthiness as that Big Picture realigns or withdraws current conditions or circumstances, particularly on some action front or around some choice we’ve made. We’ll have to adjust, if we want to go forward. And then there’s the matter of empowerment: we may have to own and then use our own power much more actively than we’re used to–and some of us will reach for an arrow and find our quiver empty–the worth of the episode in this instance being: now you know, you’re not equipped as you thought you were.

There’s also a square to Hygeia, effectively drawing a T-square with the Sun-Moon/ Earth axis, implying we may have to face the unhealthiness of something–whether that’s Mother Nature in the form of Ceres, our own diet, also Ceres, or of a caretaking relationship, one where we feel responsible for someone else, or where someone else, appropriately or not, tries to exert control over you, just as Mama Ceres did with daughter Proserpina (also known as Persephone–I maintain it was as likely an elopement as a kidnapping, but that’s an argument for another day).

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘A Conservative, Old-Fashioned Lady Is Confronted By A “Hippie” Girl’. It’s a study in contrasts, and echoes my point about someone cloaking their critical attitude or contempt in caring, ‘for your own good’, ‘you’re doing it all wrong’ corrective sensibilities. The conservative woman thinks she’s right, and the hippie thinks she’s right (and by right I mean they think they’re seeing the world clearly and have ‘it’ all worked out), but what they’re both missing is they can only know what’s right for themselves, not for someone else. It’s about boundaries, whether those are violated only by intrusive thought-judgments or in outright, blatant ‘correction’ of another. Recognize and honor the autonomy of another, and your own right to be and choose is that much more secure, energetically speaking.

Lead Up to the New Moon: Jupiter in Retreat

01 Thursday Jul 2021

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Grand Trine, Jupiter retrograde

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‘A Cool Retreat’ By John William Godward 1910 {{PD}}

Does it feel as if some promised bounty, some dream that appeared to be in reach, some knowledge or luck you were counting on, has been, rather stealthily, withdrawn? That may be the subtle (early Pisces) backtracking of Jupiter. Those pull-backs from retrogrades are temporary, yes, but sometimes what was removed wasn’t really there–and in this case, because Jupiter was in at retrograde point the sign of Pisces, what you thought was right there was most likely an illusion, in terms of proximity, at least. This retro period will take you into territory that offers a new, ‘modern’ take on that dream, telling you where it was outdated, and through ‘Higher Learning’ and/ or accident and serendipity, re-shape what you wanted (or wanted to know about) into a more appropriate form for who you are now. That’s the beauty of a retrograde, it can often save us from ourselves by forcing a hiatus–and that may be the benefit here.

Now if you haven’t had something whisked away, then you might be someone who sports a natal retro Jupiter, for whom this is Jupiter’s more characteristic dynamic, making whatever dreams you were inspired to pursue take a pause for inventory as it shifts signs–and that’s a good thing, allowing you to align things and orient yourself in the desired direction–and making your most characteristic approach to opportunity the right approach, for right now. If you’re someone who’s had good things come out of the woodwork, particularly long-delayed benefits or long-ago invested-in dreams, then Jupiter’s retro period is taking you back into territory where the dream of Pisces becomes the intellectual or group demands of Aquarius. You’ll be called to find (or perhaps shape) your individual role within a larger context: as member (or leader) of a group, within a specific intellectual sphere, within the avant garde in your field, within an experimental effort, or as a disruptor for the ‘old’ system. In every case, it’s energy that will change your thinking (Jupiter in Air) before it goes direct and returns to the creative or inspired Piscean path you were on when the retro started.

There’s also a loose Earth Grand Trine of Vesta-Pluto-Ceres, putting Mother Nature, dietary matters, the weather, and those things we take very seriously (what we find sacred, what or whom we’re committed to, matters of life and death, reform, serious change, transformation, responsibility) in focus, and by drawing our attention, allowing us to achieve a kind of balance. It’s do-your-best, steady-as-she-goes with all these areas, and we’re required to show reverence for the larger, natural world and for elemental forces that are beyond us–and if our efforts or responses involve alterations, as long as they are undertaken with an awareness of the importance they carry and the repercussions that could come, things will work out fine. That is, seeing our own choices as making a deep impact on the Collective well-being and the world at large means we’ll make the best choices on both a large and small, personal scale.

Too, South Node and Juno are tightly conjoined right now, with Venus trine both roughly July 3rd-7th. The power dynamics of the past in relationships and in financial arrangements might seem currently cemented in place, but they’re not as unchangeable as we might think. When Venus makes contact we might find that at least one party in any matter wants to make change, to update the power dynamic–and the other may stubbornly hold tight. The need to adjust, to ‘modernize’ the balance, will become obvious during this period, and the Moon’s contact to the North Node on the 6th will make not just the need, but the way to implement change, very clear.

See more about the period up to the New Moon here–

A Good Day To . . . 14 May 2020 Jupiter Retrogrades

13 Wednesday May 2020

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Jupiter retrograde

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Horses, and the riding lifestyle, are quintessentially Jupiterian. ‘Visiting the Horses’ By Adolf Heinrich-Hansen, created by 1925 {{PD}}

What happens when Jupiter retrogrades? Usually, we feel it, as something we saw with hope, optimism, and faith is turned on its head, revealed to conflict with the facts, or withdrawn and offered to someone else! De-flation is the typical reaction to the turnaround point, and even if there’s no specific loss, we are likely to feel a little less buoyant; we may have the sense that something that was a resource no longer is, although we may not be able to put our finger on just what is missing right away.

That’s no fun, right? What we need to remember is that later in Jupiter’s retro cycle we’ll find out why what has disappeared went away, and nine times out of ten, part of our discovery is that we never really had a chance at it in the first place. Jupiter direct had pumped up our expectations, all out of proportion to our actual odds of ‘winning’. Don’t be disgruntled–it’s part of the happy behemoth’s job to endow us with optimism and a willingness to reach out for more; it’s not Jupiter’s fault if we find our return to reality a little rough.

This time the retreat comes as Jupiter is late in Capricorn, post his renowned meeting with Pluto, and so setting up a second pass during the retro period at the planet of change, this one scheduled for late June-early July. What’s withdrawn may have seemed solid, something we could rely on, or something we thought would be ours because we’d worked hard or followed the rules–so doubly depressing, when something that seemed like such a sure thing just isn’t.

Jupiter turns around just before completing a trine to Sedna. That suggests at least some of what we’ll experience during the retro period will involve questioning or not feeling we can rely on our own instincts and the still, small voice within–and also that we come close to seeing what’s in our blind spot, but aren’t quite able to accurately identify it. That comes at another point, so that what comes forward in this portion of the Jupiter cycle likely doesn’t tell us much about what everyone else can see but that we’re missing.

It’s also likely that, with time, we’ll see that what Jupiter has handed us was, certainly, denial of something, and yet, it also brings an opportunity to go in another direction. With hindsight and the passage of time we usually see that life would’ve been quite different if we’d gotten what we were expecting–and yet, we have to see that we wouldn’t have learned what we’ve learned, discovered what we’ve discovered, or gained the faith and confidence that we have if we’d not been turned in a new direction upon the disappointment Jupiter delivered. The benefits are always there–we just need practice seeing them.

The atmosphere overall for today, aside from Jupiter’s shift, involves feeling smart, empowered, and powerful–so may make what Jupiter hands us even harder to take–but denial of what we want has the benefit of helping us avoid some power struggle we almost certainly would’ve lost. So, apply efforts to what’s under our control (and for which we need no assistance or permission), and know that we could’ve wasted our energy in a tussle, if not for awareness of where our attention is best expended today.

New Moon in Pisces March 2018 A Goldilocks Moon

14 Wednesday Mar 2018

Posted by in astrology, forecast, Horoscope, Jupiter retrograde, Mercury retrograde, New Moon, Retrogrades + Directions, Sabian Symbols

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Jessie Willcox Smith – ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ 1915 Illustration for a soap company {{PD}}

The New Moon occurs at 6:11 AM Pacific Daylight time at 26 Pisces 53. Both bodies (Sun, Moon) are applying conjoined Chiron, sextile Sedna and catching Uranus at the rough midpoint, square Vesta, and widely square Mars, the latter two together in Sagittarius, with Mars at the stressful 29 degree mark. The New Moon is also headed toward a sesquiquadrate with the North Node, and is in wide separating trine to Jupiter, which suggests what was recently promised by Jupiter is now in the rear-view mirror, not exactly gone, but at least temporarily losing relevance and certainly making connecting with that Jupiterian potential impossible right now (and we might ask ourselves, what ‘new’ do we need to learn, related to that Jupiter possibility, that will make actually obtaining what we want possible? Look to matters of the House where the New Moon and retro Jupiter fall in the natal chart. The NM Mars could make us feel as if we must act on it–but the time’s not right, yet)–the sesquiquadrate to the North Node only adds to this, making the road ahead appear particularly bumpy from our current vantage point.

Forming so close to Chiron suggests the New Moon brings potentials for hurt or healing–but which? We get a clue in the sextile to Sedna, which finds Uranus at the midpoint; this promises that something prompted either by the instincts or the ‘blind spot’ (that is, that we stumble into, rather than deliberately choose) will bring something unexpected or shocking, will garner the input of the group, or will foster understanding, not just intellectually, but emotionally, even intuitively. We must also consider that the knowledge, opportunity, or belief ‘withdrawal’ suggested by Jupiter may be the source of the wounding or healing. Whatever it is, it challenges our commitments, our priorities, or our highest values, with responsibility one way or another falling back on us and our own (possibly) poor decisions or potentially arising from aggression or conflicts sparked by others. This New Moon gives us the opportunity to reckon with our own and others’ ego urges and assertiveness, and to do so via our capacity for creative thinking, or through applying ideals to the imagination (Pisces); like Goldilocks, we’ll need to ask: Are we too aggressive and Self-involved, or are we giving our own needs too little attention or regard, or are we just right? The NM lays the emotional groundwork to successfully deal with this question, and when Mercury retrogrades in Aries on the 22nd, it will be prime time for reviewing and changing our actions (retro in Fire), particularly the way we act out or express the ego and action urges (Aries); we’ll have this New Moon to thank for a least a portion of our insights.

With Mars at its current position (29 Sagittarius) we may feel we’ll have to act in order to learn, but that would be premature–wait for Merc’s turnaround, as more will then be revealed–at this New Moon point, it’s all about feeling, intuiting, and communing, to discover our precise relationship to the Universe–modifications come later. One thing we may have to face at this time is that there is no difference between our woundedness and our ability to heal–and that in response to that awareness, action need not and often should not automatically be our answer to what’s revealed. Hints as to what follows are found here–

Utagawa Hiroshige – ‘Cuckoo Flying Under a Full Moon’ 19th century {{PD}}

The Sabian symbol for the New Moon in Pisces is, ‘The Harvest Moon Illumines A Clear Autumnal Sky’. This suggests opposites, through the imagery of a Full Moon, and autumn rather than the spring that’s soon to come (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere–for those in the Southern Hemisphere, the message may be simple: in the beginning is the end, and it is now). This could imply for Northerners that New Moon events play out through the summer and come to some sort of peak in the fall, or that what is born with the New Moon has the seeds of its completion, its ending, built in. That suggests not only that if we look carefully we will see the outcome to events already implied in their beginnings, promising a ‘harvest’ proportional to our efforts now, but that what happens now may also bring endings–that is, that the New Moon beginning has arisen from the completion of other cycles, that it’s time for other efforts to naturally terminate, conclude, or die. The imagery may also suggest we note Virgo at this point, in any or all of its guises within the personal life. That means subjects, qualities, and even people we associate with the sign may hold one or more keys to the meaning of events. Earth sits in Virgo, and that means those symbols will be literal, or at least tangible; check also the subjects of the House in the natal chart that holds Virgo for clues as to what may inform the New Moon event. ‘Discernment’ may be a key concept–also ‘criticism’, ‘accountability’, ‘results’. The ‘Circle of Life’ may be extraordinarily apparent right now–embrace this as a natural part of things, and appreciate what you have, in the present.