October 4th ~ 11th

Joy is not in things, it is in us, and I hold to the belief that the causes of our present unrest, of this contagious discontent spreading everywhere, are in us at least as much as in exterior conditions. ~ Charles Wagner

On October 9th (or 8th) Jupiter will station at 21º of Gemini for its retrograde phase which lasts until February 4th. It can sometimes feel as if opportunities for abundance are being withdrawn, or promises for growth, expansion or promotion are put on hold when Jupiter is in its retrograde phase. And if that does become the case, know that this is only temporary. For whenever Jupiter stations, whether that be the retrograde station or the direct station, it is accompanied by a trine to the Sun filling us with a sense of hope and possibility for the future, and reminding us where and how we are still on track. 

This is not really so much about the withdrawal of abundance, as it is a redirect. For instead of looking for the fulfillment of our happiness without, we are being asked to look for the source of our happiness and bounty within. If we think that all of our happiness is dependent on external things, then that is where we will look for it. We think: If only I get that raise, that great job, that apartment, or partner. However, for the 4 months of the year that Jupiter is in its retrograde phase, we are being asked to look within, to the very root source of joy itself. 

Jupiter is our search for truth and understanding. And during these retrograde periods we are asked to reconcile what we are seeing, hearing and learning with our own inner knowing. So once again, instead of looking for all the answers in the outer world, we are being asked to look for confirmation within. In this way, Jupiter is also our moral barometer. 

And thus these annual retrograde phases of Jupiter are very important for our spiritual, moral and philosophical growth. And anything that will further that is greatly advised. That can include embarking on a spiritual journey, or going on retreats, but with the understanding that the answers are not necessarily found on the side of a mountain, or from someone or somewhere on the other side of the world. They can inspire you to search for the answers within. But ultimately the answers are not going to be found outside of ourselves, but in the still spiritual center that lies deep within your own soul. 

And as Jupiter appears to stand still, or station, at 21º of Gemini, it simultaneously makes an enduring sextile with our wounded healer Chiron. And none too soon. Due to the station of Jupiter this sextile which was already evident in September, perfects on October 12th and again November 2nd, and continues through December. It will repeat one more time next Spring. 

This is an aspect of healing. However sextiles are not aspects of action, they are aspects of opportunity. Therefore these aspects could just come and go with little to show for them. Yet if we were to make even the slightest effort in a certain direction during the sextiles from now and thru December and again next Spring, we will receive the guidance, help and advice that is sorely missing at this time. Doors open with sextiles, but we need to make the effort to walk through them. 

Questions that can come up with the Jupiter/Chiron sextile:

• Am I living my life according to my own moral and ethical standards? 

• Am I using my skills and my talents and my resources to their fullest potential? 

• What is standing in the way of me achieving greater wholeness and healing in my life?

• What is needed in order for me to live a life that is true to myself? 

We are heading into some challenging weather over the next few weeks and months. The warrior god, Mars, has been amping up the temperature, and will continue to do so through to the Full Moon. Mars was square the Solar Eclipse on October 2nd, and will square the Full Moon on the 17th. And it won’t stop there. The heat is rising. So connecting to the Jupiter/Chiron sextile will not only be for our own sakes, but for the sake of all beings everywhere.

Ways to cultivate Jupiter and use the Jupiter/Chiron sextile:

• Healing: Look for ways and means to effect a healing. This could include accepting yourself, and/or accepting others where they are, and for who they are. It may mean that you are needing to finally lay to rest old resentments, to put some painful memories aside. To move on from what once was. 

• Making room: By doing this inner housecleaning it makes room for better things to take root in your heart and mind. Kindness. Charity. Openness to others. Compassion and Understanding can go a long way in this weather. 

• Tolerance: Jupiter is about growth and expansion, and will not be bound by limitations, borders, prejudice or intolerance. A well-honed Jupiter embraces all without exception.  

• Learning: It requires a certain amount of humility to recognize that there is always so much more to be learned and discovered. We can learn through travel, through education, thru intellectual inquiry, thru study and philosophical discourse. 

• Truth: The desire for understanding, for truth, is an intrinsic quality of Jupiter. There may be many winding roads to arrive there, but the journey to get there is as important as the destination. 

• The Good: There is relative good, where one party thinks themselves the sole possessor of the good and the true; and then there is what Plato referred to as The Good. We may not fully realize the Absolute Good in a single lifetime. But we can aspire to it. It is an evolutionary process, a gradual unfolding. And as we ever strive to be more ethical, kinder, and better versions of ourselves, then a higher and truer altruism can be achieved.

Grandfather, Look at our brokenness. We know that in all creation Only the human family Has strayed from the Sacred Way. We know that we are the ones who are divided And we are the ones Who must come back together To walk in the Sacred Way. Grandfather, Sacred One, Teach us love, compassion, and honor That we may heal the earth and heal each other. ~ Ojibway prayer (Prayers for Healing edited by Maggie Oman)

For the station of Jupiter for your sign, check out this week’s horoscopes: 

HOROSCOPES