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It seems to me that one of astrology's ironies is that the largest planet in our solar system often seems to get ignored... at least, relative to its size. If you read up on what Jupiter rules and how it behaves in a birth chart, you'd think it would be overwhelmingly popular: it rules happiness, good times, good fortune, spiritual activities, committed relationships... all things that even people who aren't on an astrology dating site are looking for. It might be an over-simplification to call Jupiter a "cosmic Santa Claus," but that captures some of the planet's feel. Well, at least... it's a lot more "Santa" than Saturn or Pluto are ever likely to be...

Jupiter is turning retrograde on the 23rd, and stays that way until mid-November. Simply put: this is because the further a planet is from the Sun, the longer its retrograde periods. Given the fuss astrologers make during the three or four weeks a Mercury Retrograde usually lasts (Don't sign any agreements! Don't make any new plans! No one moves and no one gets hurt!), you'd think that Jupiter retrograde would be nothing but bad news for marriages and relationships and church services, and such. It doesn't have to be... and certainly won't be all the time for everyone. In fact... just as when Mercury goes retrograde... there are was to deal with this time and to gain the maximum benefit from them.

A retrograde is a time when you're better off thinking about what you want to do, rather than suddenly just doing it. Since we're talking about Jupiter, this means contemplating your committed relationships and your spiritual life in general. And if you aren't in a committed relationship, or don't particularly have a "spiritual life"... now would be a good time to ask yourself why that is, what do you really want, and how can you go about getting it.

Some highlights from the upcoming retrograde:

July and August: Jupiter backs up over Uranus, which is opposite Saturn. Normally stable relationships get challenged, and challenged relationships go haywire. Outside pressures and circumstances are at least partially to blame... but try to weed out whether your relationship(s) are really wonky... or whether your perspective on them is.

September: From the 10th onwards, Jupiter returns to Pisces before Neptune was discovered Jupiter was considered to be the "ruler" of Pisces, so this is still considered to be a strong place for Jupiter to be. That takes a lot of the edge off the retrograde. So, take heart: I'm sure nothing will go wrong.

September 16-20: Jupiter makes another exact conjunction to Uranus (also retrograde). The wheels fall off your Jupiter wagon, in much the same way they did in early June. Except this time everything is retrograde, and the Sun is quincunx Neptune, so Egos will be hurt more. Possibly yours.

October 17-24th: Mars is trine Jupiter, which will give you a lot of drive to straighten out your Jupiter issues and make them more the way you want them. Put some thought into it, though: Venus is retrograde too, and odds are good your peace gesture/fresh approach/love letter may fall on deaf ears.

November 14-17: Jupiter slows and prepares to go direct again. It's conjunct Uranus, and trine Venus... but that Venus is square Neptune. This may result in you grasping for a romantic/philosophical conclusion that might be impractical. Still, after this long a retrograde, a change can be as good as a rest. Here's hoping you thought your (potentially sudden and dramatic) actions through...

Overall, though, a Jupiter retrograde is nothing to panic about, even if the Jupiter Department(s) of your life aren't running as smoothly as you'd like. On the other hand... with Jupiter retrograde all summer long... it's going to mess with a lot of wedding ceremonies and the resulting marriages. But: should you find a loved one getting hitched this summer, it's probably best not to say anything about Jupiter. Sniffle a little, tell the bride she looks beautiful, and enjoy the reception.