Joy is not in things. It is in us. ~ Richard Wagner

Among the series of planets that just stationed retrograde, Jupiter was the latest of these, just stationing on Thursday, the 14th of May. Jupiter is associated with abundance, luck, expansion and growth; and when Jupiter stations retrograde it can appear as if the promise of opportunities in the outer world are being withdrawn or put on hold. This is because the focus is shifting from the outside and being directed within. This is true of all of the planets that recently stationed: Pluto, Saturn and Venus. And so we are also readdressing our inner relationship to power, to boundaries, to our priorities and our happiness. 

Often when we seek our happiness, we think if only… If only I could meet the right person, if I had enough money, enough stuff, if I could take that dream trip or get that promotion… I will be happy. But when we get that person or thing, then we worry about losing it, or that it will come to an end. Or it wasn’t as amazing as we thought it would be. We search the world over for happiness, only to come home and realize it was waiting for us all along not in these external things, but within. If we are convinced that our happiness is found in external things, then we will put all our focus on changing our outside circumstances. For the months that Jupiter is retrograde we are being asked not to focus on these outside circumstances, but within, at what would be the very heart and root and source of our happiness and joy. 

Oftentimes when Jupiter stations retrograde, we become more aware of issues concerning unethical or immoral behaviors. And we certainly have more than our share to choose from in the world. And although it is important to be aware and informed about what is going on in the world, we have much less control over the behaviors and choices of others, than we do over our own. So, at this time we are being asked to pay attention to and consider whether or not we are living up to our own standards of ethical conduct. 

For the 4 months each year that Jupiter is retrograde we are asked to do this important inner work, to try to align ourselves with our core principles, ethical standards and beliefs. And so these retrograde periods of Jupiter are really important for our own moral and inner spiritual growth. To walk the walk as well as talk the talk.

Whenever Jupiter stations, it always coincides with a trine from the Sun. And so we have the opportunity to bring ourselves into alignment with the magnificent potential that is the promise of Jupiter. And so we are asked to cultivate the positive qualities of Jupiter. In this way you guarantee that you will resonate with that divine promise and potential. 

Cultivating Jupiter:

• Tolerance: Jupiter is about growth and expansion, and will not be bound by limitations, borders, prejudice or intolerance. Multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-racial, a healthy and well-honed Jupiter embraces all without exception.  

• Learning: It requires a certain amount of humility to recognize that there is always so much more to be learned and discovered. We can learn through travel, through education, thru intellectual inquiry, thru study and philosophical discourse. 

• Truth: The desire for understanding, for truth, is an intrinsic quality of Jupiter. There may be many winding roads to arrive there, but the journey to get there is as important as the destination. 

• The Good: There is relative good, where one party thinks themselves the sole possessor of the good and the true; and then there is what Plato referred to as The Good. So long as we are subject to the behests of the material world we will not fully realize this Absolute Good. But we can aspire to it. It is an evolutionary process, a gradual unfolding. And as we ever strive to be more ethical, kinder, and better versions of ourselves, then true altruism can finally be achieved. 

As Jupiter stations retrograde, it will go back to meet Pluto 2 more times. At the end of June, and then again in November (at 23-24º of Capricorn). We will want to keep on eye on these conjunctions, not only because of the repercussions that these will have on the events in the world at large, but because these are junctures that will also have bearing on these core values we associate with Jupiter. This is when we get to the bottom of what people really care about… what their true values are. What they are really made of. And so it is our choice. And so it will be.

There are two sets of principles. They are the principles of power and privilege and the principles of truth and justice. If you pursue truth and justice it will always mean a diminution of power and privilege. If you pursue power and privilege it will always be at the expense of truth and justice. ~ Noam Chomsky

For this week’s horoscopes, click below:

HOROSCOPES

Image Info:
Queen Guinevere’s Maying by John Mayer Collier