First, a little rant
Jupiter moved into retrograde late last week. I need to write about that as part of the continuing development of this blog ... and as practical information to you. But Steemit, being what it is, pretty much mandates that I have some posts to link back to in order to give explanations you may need ... since astrology isn't a subject you will have learned in school.
On Steemit, posts that are "too long" are discouraged. Multiple posts a day are discouraged. Republishing content from other places ... even if it's your own writing, even if it's helpful to know or even necessary to make your point ... is discouraged. Are you sensing a theme? For a "decentralized experience" there sure are a lot of unwritten rules around here, and many are real inconvenient, especially if you're trying to create an organized project.
Anyway, let's knock off the rant and get on with the show. This piece talks about retrograde motion. It may be handy to link back to it some day. That's why I'm doing this. Linking back to it later won't gain me one thin dime, but it will help me feel I've done a complete job with my topic. Somewhere ... even here ... that has to count for something.
A little more about retrograde planets
So consider this to be background material. If you already know what retrograde motion is all about and what it means in real life, you can even skip this piece and get on with your day. At least consider the invitation. The material in this post is not meant for the novice reader. It's geared toward students of astrology at the intermediate level (or beyond.) So, consider that if you proceed.
Meanwhile here is another post on retrograde motion. It's full of helpful background, too. It's also a little easier to understand if this subject is new to you. (I know. Astrology and Tarot are complicated enough. Then suddenly you have retrograde motion and reversed card meanings to consider ... and it makes you want to scream. Believe me, we've all been there. Yet somehow we survived.)
Ok? Here we go.
What does it mean when a planet "takes a station?"
When a planet goes into retrograde -- or comes out of retrograde, it doesn't just stop on a dime and start racing at its usual speed in the opposite direction. It seems (from the vantage point of Earth) to slow down gradually as it approaches the degree of its reversal -- the way you slow down in the car before coming to a stop -- or making a turn ... and certainly before making a U-Turn.
When a planet moves into or out of retrograde, having reached the point where it will "reverse directions," it pauses for several days -- or even several weeks at that spot. (Of course the planet doesn't really stop in its orbit, but retrograde motion is all about what a planet appears to do as we observe it in the sky.) Astrologers say a planet "takes a station" at that point when it's about to reverse directions, either going or coming.
(Think of a skateboarder rolling back and forth on the curved concrete structures where they like to ride and practice. At the very top of a curl, the skater will seem to hang there motionless for a second or more before gravity takes over and he starts rocketing back the other way. Retrograde motion is like that -- in the sky, on paper and in real life.)
What happens then?
If that degree where the planet stops forms a close major angle with a planet in your Natal Chart -- especially if that aspect is a conjunction -- the issues ruled by the transiting planet, the Natal planet, the house(s) they each occupy and the house(s) they each rule become the real life staging-grounds for the exceptionally notable events soon to follow.
A planet that takes a station close to or in close aspect with a Natal planet seems to form a "sensitive spot" in your chart that will soon do something to get your attention. Whether the event is good or bad (you know what I mean), depends, of course, on just what happens and how you feel about what arrives. Other planets as they pass over that sensitive spot may provide the trigger or catalyst for the events to arrive in consciousness. (The transiting Moon is especially notorious for performing this service.)
All transits have meaning, of course, but ones that involve transiting planets, retrograde motion and established planet points in your Natal Chart are especially portentous.
How do you read its meaning?
When a planet goes retrograde (which they do all the time. It's rare to have a stretch of even a few weeks when all the planets in the sky are direct.), make a note of any Natal planet near either the degree at which the retrograde started or the one where it will turn direct again. Planets in the same sign as the retrograding planet, of course, are obvious -- and will be strongly affected by its work.
But any Natal Planet that forms a major aspect with the retrograde planet as it travels (sextile, trine square, opposition, etc.) will be triggered, and results from its contributions will be set in motion, too. Consider the nature of the aspect the two planets make.
Is it a conjunction -- an indication that two of your powerful Inner Selves have joined forces to create something different and meaningful in your life? Is it a sextile -- an indication of new knowledge and information coming forward? Is it a square -- an indication of problems in or challenges from another area of your life?
Is it a trine -- a forecast of the chance to work with your creative talents, to develop something that is a contribution to yourself and others ... or a chance to both teach and learn something valuable that can take your life to a higher level? Is it an opposition -- which shows you'll need to take other people into account and find working partnerships or workable compromises in order to move forward yourself?
What do I look for in real life?
Watch closely the events that unfold in the house that holds the transiting planet and in the house that holds the partner planet in your Natal Chart ... and the houses ruled by both the retrograde planet and the partner planet -- the houses with the signs they rule on the cusp.
(See now why you need either an astrologer or the dedication it takes to learn the craft yourself? Right now we're talking about Jupiter in Scorpio ... and Jupiter rules Sagittarius. The houses with those two signs on the cusps in your Natal Chart are likely to be two of the places I just described. If you have a planet in aspect with retrograding Jupiter in Scorpio, there will be at least one other pair.)
The event, when it arrives, may be easily interpreted by all those energies -- or it may take some time and distance for you to really appreciate what happened here. But the events and patterns in your Natal Chart will very much describe the ultimate result of what occurs. And it's that "ultimate result" that really counts when it comes to your personal and spiritual development -- and where those results lead you next.
In closing
As the various planets retrograde again and again in the future, I will refer back to this article ... and help anyone interested in working with his (or her) Natal Chart understand what's happening and what to look for in their explicit real-life situation. Believe me, I'm good at explaining things and I don't use a lot of astro-jargon in my readings. It will be a lot easier to understand than this!
If you have read this far ... you have my profound thanks and admiration. Your fortitude is astounding. Hang around here and you'll learn a little more. And perhaps the glorious day will come with all of this stuff makes sense to you. Stranger things have happened.
Meanwhile, I'll do what I can to help. Take comfort from the fact that this article is intended to be "background," not really useful information. You're probably not as lost as you think. And again, you have me ... to help keep your shoes and britches dry. You'll learn, that's a blessing.
Thank you for stopping by!
If you've always known there was more to Astrology than Sun Sign material and the three line daily horoscope in the newspaper, climb aboard and follow this blog. You'll find a world of wisdom detailing how you were designed to work with life ... and why you are the way you are -- all in quick-to-read, easy-to-digest-and-remember, written-in-plain-English essays that offer plenty of food for thought.
Little by little, I'm doing a set of articles that talks about all the elements in your horoscope and what they have to say about you. If you "know something" about Astrology -- or know something about your chart placements, that will help you get more from this material.
If you don't ... well, this is one place you can learn. We all have to start somewhere ... because we aren't born knowing this stuff. Meanwhile, if you've never seen your horoscope ... and don't have a clue how to work with it, maybe it's time to find out. There are lots of "chart services" on the internet -- some of whom produce decent, readable charts "for free" and some are so awful and confusing that even I can't read them easily -- and I've worked with charts for decades.
One extremely user-friendly chart site is here: AstroLabe. I recommend them if you want a simple, easy-to-read chart. I think they even give a reasonable little interpretive reading of your horoscope as part of the package. You'll need to know your birth information -- day, month, year, time and geographical place. Without all that your chart will have limited accuracy.
Or, if you want to get serious and really talk about this, upvote this post and start a conversation in the comments section sometime in the next six days from the time of publication. We'll go from there depending on what you want to know.
Questions about any of this? -- Upvote this post and talk to me in comments. It's a terrific way to build value for yourself and the community ... and it will give me ideas of what to write about in future posts. Believe me there is lots to say about the way The Sun, The Moon -- and all the other elements in a horoscope, all the other components of Astrology -- work together to interpret you and your story -- and what it all means to the person you've become.
About the art in our visual essays ...
Although sometimes the background pictures in our visual essays support the topic and text, they don't always. Sometimes the connection is clear. Sometimes it's symbolic and subtle. Sometimes, there's no connection at all.
The scenes depict landscapes and natural features, buildings and wildlife. They were chosen because they show something lovely or interesting ... or simply because the photo appealed to me.
Our spectacular and remarkable planet is changing at astonishing speed. Rarely are these changes for the better. Few people seem to know ... or care ... or have the will and power to do anything about this. It may not be long before the world humans have known and lived in for centuries is forever lost. We certainly won't be able to make repairs as fast as we destroyed it.
So a few years ago I began collecting pictures of the way things were ... and still are for now, a record of the beauty we have while it is still ours to love and honor.
The photos here are part of that collection, with sincere thanks to the artists who saw these moments ... and with their cameras ... preserved them. All of us at Enchanted Spirit are profoundly grateful to them for their generosity and skill ... and for the added grace, depth and dimension their art brings to ours.
Original images used under this Creative Commons license or this Creative Commons license and modified by added text.
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