Jupiter went retrograde on March 31, 2006, and it finally went direct this morning, July 6, at 3:19 am. It's been in the Water sign of Scorpio this whole time.

As one of the outer planets, Jupiter moves more slowly than the inner planets do. So while the moon changes signs every three days and Mercury changes signs about every three and a half weeks, Jupiter only changes signs about once a year. It went into the sign of Scorpio on October 27, 2005 and will remain in Scorpio until November 25, 2006. At that point it will move into Fire sign Sagittarius and remain there for about a year.

So right now, Jupiter is travelling forward once again in Scorpio and will continue to do so until November 25.

Jupiter Has a Big Effect on Larger Trends in Our Lives

So what does all of this Jupiter activity mean?

Well, for one thing, when Jupiter goes retrograde, it can have a large effect on forward progress in our lives, affecting career improvement, cash flow, personal growth, and physical energy levels. You can really feel like anything "big" you're trying to do with your life is stalled.

It's a little different from Mercury retrograde, which hits hard for just over three weeks and then ends. Mercury retrograde is like being stuck in the house with your extended family on a summer day because thunderstorms are passing through and it's too dangerous to go outside. As you're in close proximity with everyone, all manner of neuroses, unresolved problems, and other stuff can boil to the surface. But it usually passes quickly like a summer storm. After those three and a half weeks of Mercury retrograde, Mercury goes direct again and everything returns to normal. The kids go back outside to play and may or may not remember the intense squabbles they got into with their second cousin or their weird Uncle Al. They may or may not learn a lesson from all of that.

Our memory can be short, and the issues that kick up during Mercury retrograde can be rather ephemeral. One minute, they seem awfully important. When Mercury goes direct again, it's like they never happened.

Mercury is Retrograde Until July 28, 2006

Right now we've just entered a Mercury retrograde period, which lasts until July 28th. Mercury goes direct at 8:39pm on July 25th (Eastern Time or New York time.) Right now Mercury is in the sign of Cancer.

Although we're in a Mercury retrograde period, Jupiter going direct will lighten the energies quite a bit. The rest of July won't feel as intense as a normal Mercury retrograde because we'll be filled with a lot of positive energy as we feel the optimistic and confident energies of Jupiter moving ahead again.

Sure, it may take a while to pick up momentum in certain areas of our lives due to Mercury retrograde - but overall, we'll feel more hopeful and bright about our futures and about life in general.

Jupiter Affects Esteem and Achievement

Jupiter is a planet that rules self-esteem, social skills, forward planning, and goal setting. When this is in retrograde as it was since March, you can feel really "stuck" in those areas. So if you have been looking for a new job for several months, you may be convinced that you'll never find a good position. Jupiter travelling forward again will help you shake off that pessimism and manifest more opportunities. Expect to find doors open to you that weren't open before, especially after July 28th.

Jupiter retrograde can also create low level feelings of helplessness, a sort of "What is the point?" existential dread. We'll be shaking that off throughout July, and by August, we'll be ready to kick some major butt in any area of our lives that needs tweaking.

Jupiter also affects mass consciousness, and during Jupiter retrograde it seemed like you couldn't avoid boring "reruns" in the news about how bad the Bush administration is, how evil people can be, and how the world is allegedly going to hell in a hand basket. It seemed like the volume on all of this was really turned up.

There are still negative entities that like to feed on the emotional energy of the populace, looking for a "loosh" harvest and parasitically feeding off the misery of others.

But now that Jupiter is moving forward again, this stuff will have a harder time taking hold. It will be easier to shake off negativity and existential nausea. We'll be more focused on being productive, happy, and abundant, and we'll be more in touch with how the means of creating this have always been within our grasp.

We just lost sight of those things during Jupiter retrograde.

So, reclaim your optimism, get moving with projects that you feel are important, and reinvent yourself as a more miraculous and amazing being. Don't let that stale energy from this past Jupiter retrograde linger. Kick it off and get moving.

Do keep in mind, though, that until July 28th you will still be feeling some effects of Mercury being in retrograde, so it's good to use the month of July as a time for planning, researching, revising, rethinking, and getting your thoughts together.

But Jupiter direct urges us all to think big and keep dreaming a better future, not just for ourselves, but for all of humanity and the Earth itself.