Effects of Jupiter Retrograde in the Natal Chart

Jupiter:  the luck bringer, the philosopher, the great benefic in the sky. Jupiter is a boon in all our charts, helping us find perspective, ambition, and our worldview. But what about the third of us who have Jupiter retrograde in our charts? What does that mean for our world?

• Iconoclasts – One of the most powerful manifestations of Jupiter retrograde is a willingness to take the dominant philosophy and turn it on its head. Because retrograde planets turn inward, Jupiter retrograde creates many groundbreaking philosophers like Rousseau, Nietzsche, Gandhi, and even Karl Marx. No matter how you feel about their philosophies, it’s undeniable that each of them changed the intellectual landscape
• Revolutionaries – But Jupiter retrograde doesn’t stop with just thinking about a new world. People with Jupiter retrograde make it happen. It’s just not possible to see a brand new world shining in front of you and not do what it takes to make it real. Just ask George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Robespierre, Ben Franklin, Andrew Jackson, and Teddy Roosevelt. Again, they may have mixed histories, but there’s no doubt that these are men who took their vision for the future and put it into action.
• Genre-busters – Jupiter rules stories, and Jupiter retrograde gives the gift of looking at stories from a brand-new angle. People with Jupiter retrograde just don’t see clear lines and boundaries separating genres, and they certainly don’t think in a linear way. It’s because of this that some of the most iconic authors of all time have Jupiter retrograde. Think Charlotte and Emile Bronte, who helped invent women-led gothic literature, Mary Shelley, who invented science fiction, Charles Dickens and Mark Twain, who perfectly captured the social conditions of their era while still creating something timeless, Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, which was the first modern novel and involved the first use of an unreliable narrator. There’s even my favorite author, Shirley Jackson, who took horror from the monstrous and gory and instead displayed the small bits of madness in everyday life. Each of these people changed the world of fiction forever, and we all have Jupiter retrograde to thank.
• Truth seekers – Jupiter is known for broadcasting information far and wide, but it is not always known for its sharp, incisive questions and deep investigation. But when Jupiter is retrograde, every answer leads to more questions. The investigation never stops. Take Upton Sinclair, whose tireless work involved going undercover and exposing the underbelly of industrialization. It was his work that helped lead to worker safety protocols being implemented for the first time. He never gave up the fight, producing no less than 5 novels. With Jupiter retrograde, there’s always another stone to turn.

Despite all these well-known names, Jupiter retrograde is not the easiest placement. It creates a powerful urge to dig deep, to find new angles, to see things differently. And once those visions exist, the drive to act is sometimes overwhelming. But Jupiter retrograde also produces some of the most important new philosophies, genres, and perspectives to humanity. Without Jupiter retrograde, it would be a boring world indeed.

Do you have Jupiter retrograde? Have you noticed its effects in your life?