A lot of people have been reporting feeling dizzy or disoriented this week, like their spatial sense is distorted. I wanted to offer a potential reason for this.

I know that many people have issues with astrology. They feel it's some backwater occult thing that somehow involves evil forces. Or their understanding of astrology is limited to the horoscopes they see in the paper each day. I write horoscopes for many clients, and it's a toughie. These clients don't WANT me to go into the in depth, "real" stuff about how the energies of a particular week stir up certain responses in our bodies' electromagnetic fields and how this will impact different people, different ways. They only have space for one column inch in their publications. So they prefer me to keep my writing snappy and simple. "Leo: romantic energy is kicking up for you. Flirtation and fun are on the menu!"

I write in a variety of styles. My biggest weekly column is my Lipstick Mystic™ Stars syndicated horoscopes that poke fun at pop culture and make humorous analogies between your love life and, say, what Britney Spears is up to at the moment. (God save us from that greasy Kevin Federline.)

I also feature in depth astrology updates here at my website which include suggestions about how to maneuver through the psychic soup that the planets are creating every week, hairdo and high spirits intact. This weekly piece will be available in subscription form soon.

But even these pieces can only scratch the surface. Because as with anything involving the energy body, there are many, many layers to explore.

I want to talk about something very simple here. This is something that is affecting all of us this week.

Jupiter is a hugely important planet, astrologically and energetically. As the largest planet in our solar system and a source of tremendous spiritual power, its movements carry a gigantic gravitational wake.

Jupiter is the planet whose energy helps guide us with a sense of forward direction, of future vision. When Jupiter is in retrograde, as it has been since early February this year, it's hard to see ahead. We can find it difficult to see the forest for the trees. We can get caught up in polarization and in-fighting instead of striving for common ground. On a global level, Jupiter retrograde tends to create trends where nations are more caught up in satisfying selfish desires for short-term gain instead of looking at the "Big Picture" and focusing on what is good for the whole of society.

In our own lives, Jupiter in retrograde often inspires us to look backward, to reexamine past career goals, old relationships, and aspects of our former selves. We look behind us to see where we've come from. We can feel displaced from the future because we're temporarily caught up in old patterns, the ghosts of past relationships and earlier identities. It's a reflective, somewhat selfish influence, but we need to "go within" during Jupiter retrograde to take stock of our lives.

Jupiter is preparing to go direct this coming Sunday, June 5th, so we'll be breaking out of these patterns shortly. But right now it's slowing down and coming out of retrograde. I have no doubt that this is one factor in why so many people are reporting feeling woozy, sleepy, ungrounded, and disoriented this week.

Let's call this "take a nap" week. Until Jupiter moves forward again, it's not the best time to be overly pushy or aggressive. It's not a terribly definitive time. Finding solutions to problems may be elusive. Sometimes, even if you feel tension in some part of your life, you need to step away from it for a while. Surrender your need for instant resolution and give yourself time to meditate, reflect, and reorient.

After Jupiter goes direct on Sunday, our collective psychic energy should feel calmer, less chaotic, and more focused. Jupiter will be marching ahead in the Air sign of Libra, which is a peacemaker, an ambassador, and a sign of harmonization. Jupiter moving forward in this healing sign should help us to find just the right elements, strategies, and behaviors that will be ideal for our growth over the next few weeks.

That wisdom, though, is a bit elusive just now since Jupiter is still preparing to come out of retrograde.

So - if you're woozy or wacky this week, take heart.

It's not just YOU. It's energy that the entire collective psyche of humanity is experiencing right now.

And, this will soon pass, bringing about some exciting and creative energies for the coming summer.

And there IS some scientific evidence that supports that lying down (and perhaps taking a nap!) is good for you - see today's blog post.