Jupiter Retrograde May Test Your Faith — Are You Ready?

Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of all the planets in our solar system — how could you not love Venus? — but there's something about Jupiter. Astrologer Leslie Hale says that the planet bestows abundance and material success, luck and good fortune, joy and positivity (and that's just some of the positives). On July 28, Jupiter will station retrograde in bold Aries — the exact same day as the new moon in Leo — and its backwards dance will continue on until November 23.

While we don't feel Jupiter retrograde as intensely as other retrogrades, the start and end dates of the Lucky planet's transit are when we'll be feeling the energy the most. "These days may have us reflecting deeper on our belief system, our sense of hope, our dreams and desire for expansion, and our spiritual practices," says astrologer Stephanie Campos. "This is a powerful time to reassess your personal growth and to discern if you’re moving in alignment or if you need a course correction." Retrogrades are a time to review and reassess, so that's exactly what you'll be doing until the end of the year.

Retrogrades are often viewed as a scary time when misfortune arises and things get wacky, but that's not exactly the case when it comes to Jupiter's backwards dance — in fact, Lisa Stardust, astrologer and author of The Love Deck, even calls it a time of fortune. "It gives us a chance to slow down a little bit and understand what we want you to grow in the future," she says. "With Jupiter in Aries, we are thinking about ourselves in the world and not about the world at large — and when Jupiter is retrograde in Aries, we will begin to be a little bit less selfish and want to help others, not just ourselves."

Iva Naskova, astrologer at the Nebula app, says that one thing we may find challenging during this transit is making decisions that don't seem as straightforward. "Fiery Aries is known to make us rush into decisions, so while Jupiter goes retrograde in this fire sign, we are best to take our time and plan with caution," she says. "Not acting on impulse and rushing out is the key to succeeding in our plans and goals." You heard her — think about all of your options and outcomes before jumping into things too soon.

Because Jupiter rules learning and expansion, we review the ways we have grown and what we have learned during its retrograde, according to Narayana Montúfar, senior astrologer for Astrology.com and author of Moon Signs: Unlock Your Inner Luminary Power. She says to ask yourself, Have we grown in the correct direction? Is our growth sustainable? Have we been overly assertive in the ways we go after our goals? "In Aries’ fiery territory, Jupiter can make us quite impulsive, so this retrograde can be seen as a blessing," she says.

"Since Jupiter entered Aries back on May 10, we have been more ambitious in the pursuit of our goals," Montúfar continues. "So, in the next few months, it’s wise to review our growth strategies for the future. If there was an astrological phenomenon that teaches us that growth isn’t linear, that would be Jupiter’s retrograde!" These can be any kind of goals, both professional and personal, so if your dream was to get a promotion or buy a house or finally get back on track to finding love, take a look at what you wanted earlier this year vs. what you have now. What are you missing, and what can you do to move forward?

Jupiter will re-enter into its ruling sign Pisces on October 24, which means we'll be revisiting themes from when the transit occurred from December 28 to May 10 (it was a pretty positive astrological time, by the way). "If anything important or specific happened to us during the rare April 12 conjunction between Jupiter and Neptune, Jupiter’s dip into the sign of the fish could bring that issue back for closure," Montúfar says. Take a look back in your diary, your journal, or your calendar to find out what was up on that date and prepare yourself for a resurgence.

Jupiter will retrograde in Pisces until the very end of its backwards dance, and Naskova says that during this time our faith and strength may be put to the test. "One must not doubt the universe's plan, so it is best if you keep your faith and trust that everything happens for a reason," she says. "The reasons might not be apparent immediately, but in time all pieces will come into place."

Although the vibes may shift during this astrological happening, it's really nothing you should be stressing yourself out over. Things change, life goes on, and we all figure it out — even though the Lucky planet may be in a bit of a tizzy, it still benefits us each day.