A planet
is said to be retrograde when, from the perspective of earth, it begins to appear to move backwards. In astrology, the influence
of a planet is said to be weakened when in retrograde motion. When a planet is retrograde in the birth chart, it does not
express its energies as assertively and openly as when it is direct.
Jupiter
rules religious faith, sport, travel and higher education. Jupiter ruled people are normally passionate about these
areas of life and highly optimistic. They may be active in sport or avid travelers, constantly on the move. They may also
be strongly religious and an active member of their church community.
However, people with Jupiter retrograde in their natal chart, especially those with their Sun in Sagittarius, may be interested
in the subject of religion, but they are more likely to question religious beliefs. They may love the idea of travel, but
rarely leave home. They may love sport, but will enjoy watching it more than playing it. They may value education, but find
it hard to apply themselves to long term study. They may also not have as much faith in themselves and in life as the average
Jupiter ruled person.
Overall, it means that it is harder for the Jupiter ruled person to be the active, optimistic,
confident, passionate, sociable, fun loving person they feel they should be. They feel as if there is some force holding them
back. There is often a positive result of this, however, in that the individual puts far more energy and effort into developing
and expressing their Jupiter traits, frequently with highly positive results. For instance, they will be driven to study twice
as hard as the average person to achieve the academic success that is so important to them. The result of such increased effort
is that the individual with the Jupiter retrograde will often out-perform those without such an influence.
