Jupiter's 4-Month Retrograde Is a Fast Track to Personal Growth

The world might feel more chaotic than ever right now, which is why another retrograde is probably the last thing you want to hear about. But when the planet in question is Jupiter, there's no reason to lose any sleep over potential miscommunication or delays. When the planet of abundance and fortune, which tends to have a magnifying effect on everything it comes in contact with, moves backward through our sky, you'll be presented with more opportunities than astrologically-triggered headaches.

Beginning on July 28 and wrapping up on November 23, Jupiter's backspin in Aries and Pisces presents a chance to be even more thoughtful about the big picture goals you're pursuing and find new avenues for experiencing compassion and healing.

Here, all the details on Jupiter, what its retrograde means, and what everyone — and four signs in particular — need to know to make the most of the next four and a half months.

How Jupiter Functions in Your Chart

Overseeing knowledge, wisdom, luck, and expansion, Jupiter is referred to as the "great benefic." It's the largest planet in our solar system, and that M.O. is reflected by how it functions in astrology. My mentor April Elliott Kent of Big Sky Astrology has referred to it as the planetary equivalent of the "Kool-Aid Man," given its happy-go-lucky, bigger-is-better energy. It'll demand that you hit the gas in order to grab more, more, more of anything it's coming in contact with — whether that's an area of your birth chart or another planet or luminary.

For example, if it's moving through your fifth house of romance and self-expression, your dating or love life as well as creative endeavors could be a major focal point. If you're single, you'll have your pick of matches with whom you can trade flirtatious texts with, and if you're attached, you could feel a blast of lighthearted, playful magic in your relationship. If it's moving through your tenth house of career, you could be stepping into the spotlight, taking on a more visible — perhaps even leadership-related — position, and earning recognition for your hard work.

And you can also look to where Jupiter sits in your birth chart — aka your Jupiter sign — for intel on how you make your luck. If it is in the ninth house of adventure and higher education, maybe teaching — and learning from — others or taking long-distance trips has been the key to growing your fortune. If it's in Gemini, chances are communication is integral to your greatest achievements.

You can find Jupiter in your natal chart (the symbol looks like a curvy 4) or via CafeAstrology's Jupiter sign calculator.

What It Means When Jupiter Is Retrograde

Jupiter spends about 12 to 13 months in a sign. (So it's not one of those generational planets like Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto that stick around in a sign for years, but it's not quite as fast-paced as Mercury, Venus, or Mars, which spend weeks or a couple months max in a sign.) And about once a year, for about four months, it appears to move backward from our vantage point on Earth.

Jupiter entered Aries, the cardinal fire sign symbolized by the Ram, back on May 10, but given its gradual pace, it has managed to get only 8 degrees into the sign. And on July 28, it'll begin its backspin, moving back through the early degrees of Aries before slipping back into Pisces, the mutable water sign, on October 28. And after going direct on November 23, it'll take until December 20 for it to land back in Aries.

While Jupiter has moved forward in Aries, it's spurred more fiery, impulsive, competitive, and — yes, occasionally aggressive — energy. As the first sign of the zodiac, Aries is all about vying to be declared #1 or winning at any cost. But it's also a bit innocent, playful, child-like, so on a good day, Jupiter's time in this sign has amplified our desire to shake off heavy emotions (courtesy of its time in Pisces) and prioritize fun. Cue all the revenge travel.

Whenever a planet goes retrograde, its effect is felt in a more internal versus external way. Over the next few months, you could feel more compelled to meditate on how you've been getting after the big picture goals in your life and to ask yourself if this is really the game plan you want to stick with as you move forward. Because it's the planet of philosophy, Jupiter retrograde is also a chance to pursue wisdom and soak up knowledge in a more self-reflective way versus attempting to learn by diving into a situation head first or by striking up a fiery debate with friends or colleagues.

Who Will Feel Jupiter Retrograde the Most In 2022

With Jupiter moving through Aries since May, the signs most affected by anything it does are the cardinal ones. That's not only cardinal fire sign Aries but cardinal water sign Cancer, cardinal air sign Libra, and earth sign Capricorn. So, if you were born with your sun or other major placements — meaning not just your sun, but perhaps your moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, or rising sign — around 0-8 degrees of a cardinal sign, you'll likely feel this Jupiter retrograde and be nudged to take a step back and consider how you're going after major aspirations in the area of life Jupiter's throwing its magnifying glass on.

And while it's in Pisces again — from October 28 to December 20 — mutable people will feel that impulse, too. That's mutable air sign Gemini, earth sign Virgo, and fire sign Sagittarius — especially those of you with placements around 28-29 degrees of any of these signs.

When You'll Feel Jupiter Retrograde the Most In 2022

Like other retrogrades, the day you'll feel the retrograde the most is the day on which Jupiter stations (meaning actually goes) retrograde and direct — aka July 28 and November 23. But it'll also be felt more when activated by meet-ups with other planets. A few examples:

July 31: The sun, moving through Leo, will form a harmonious trine to Jupiter, in its earliest days of retrograding through Aries. This is one of the luckiest days of the year, but because Jupiter is moving backwards, the rewards may be felt more internally than outwardly.

August 18: When Venus in Leo forms a sweet trine to Jupiter retrograde retrograde, we'll get a blast of lucky-in-love energy that could manifest as amplified self-confidence and the feeling that you're glowing from the inside out.

September 26: The vitality-bringing sun in Libra will oppose Jupiter, which could fuel growth around self-image and confidence.

November 15: Venus in Scorpio will trine Jupiter retrograde in Pisces, offering a more emotional version of what you experienced back on August 18.

How to Make the Most of This Jupiter Retrograde

Jupiterian lessons are generally thought of as the most benevolent, given how much abundance the planet seems to bring. But its amplifying, magnifying effect also spotlights anything you could stand to put more energy into and push for more of. We're so accustomed to looking for more, more, more from anything and everything that's outside of ourselves — relationships, work, experiences like that trip that's been in the works for two years. But when Jupiter's retrograde, we quickly learn that instead of looking for the outside world to deliver, it can be just as — if not more satisfying — to go inward. After all, doing so can lead to making your own luck — and cultivating inner wisdom that'll serve you for months to come.