Planets in retrograde (Jupiter – Pluto)
(Read my post about Retrograde planets Mercury – Mars)
It’s difficult enough to hone in on what personal planets in retrograde implies - attempting to tackle the transpersonal planets is a whole other level of difficulty. There’s much more speculation that is going to take place in the interpretation, seeing as we can’t fully wrap our heads around the “far out” planets enough – especially not Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. These three planets and the gods they’re associated with are very non-human, they’re forces of the universe, far removed from earth, often having a destructive influence on our lives from our mortal subjective viewpoints. However, these planets have long retrograde phases and are therefore quite common for people to have in retrograde. In light of this, the implications might not seem as “odd” and “rare” as having personal planets in retrograde.
Let’s start with the great benefic Jupiter, king of the gods. This planet is widening, broadening, opening, expanding and inspiring. Jupiter is governing our capacity for finding meaning and purpose, for developing faith and optimism, for trusting the journey of life. Jupiter is the planet of abundance, of excitement, of joyful anticipation. Jupiter is the promise of a better tomorrow, of good things yet to come. When Jupiter is direct in the natal chart, the person will have an outward directed vision, a natural ability for finding meaning out in the world, of finding abundance and expecting that potential can become reality. When Jupiter is retrograde however, the blessings in one’s life are not experienced and taken in, they might be felt later, when the moment has passed. The realization dawns a bit late, and so one can only appreciate that which were and draw on feelings of abundance from prior experiences. This is a person that looks back in time for hope, inspiration and joy – which might seem a bit strange to people with Jupiter direct. Jupiter also has to do with knowledge gathered from experiences and the impulse to integrate different belief systems and laws that are common in the world at large. Jupiter has to do with openness to different cultures and respect for tradition – of finding value in ancient ritual and method. For people with Jupiter Rx it would seem as if there’s little value that is felt intuitively through direct experience, but it comes back at a later time as a delayed insight. A Jupiter Rx person will not be able to ride the wave of expansion that presents itself, to catch opportunities with ease. There’s probably a tendency to expect openings to come, but a difficulty seeing the opportunity for what it is when it presets itself. The person might realize this later on and revel at the fact that it happened as proof of a benevolent universe even though one wasn’t able to reap the benefits in the way that Jupiter direct might have. To have Jupiter Rx can either be seen as a gift or a curse. On the up side, it has the ability to make a person more deep and contemplative because it forces knowledge seeking through backtracking into memories and prior experiences. Faith and trust can be more deeply understood on an inner level – instead of relying on hope to come through an external blessing or sign, one has to look for it and find it for oneself through contemplative probing.
Moving on to the old devil Saturn. This planet rules restriction, caution and lessons. He rules time, punishment, limitations, hardship, struggle and judgment. Saturn is the opposite of Jupiter, the whip rather that the carrot, the personal trainer that puts us through challenges in order to grow. He is the authority, the stern face of the disciplinarian that practices tough love. He is the bringer of disappointment, of lack and obstacles for the purpose of us building something of substance on our own rather than relying on handouts and gifts from the universe. Saturn is essentially two-faced, he is the blessing in disguise, but the blessing will only come if one works for it. When Saturn is direct in the natal chart struggle is met in the external and limits are more directly felt. One understands the work that has to be but in in order to achieve a certain goal and there’s a realistic estimation of what can be achieved within a set time line. There’s an accurate knowledge of one’s capacity and a natural apprehension around breaking rules. The need for structure and responsibility is thoroughly understood and lessons do come with rewards. Challenges are seen as opportunities. When Saturn is in retrograde, the limitations of life are not registered and understood properly. This causes doubt, not because one is accurately measuring one’s ability against the odds, but because one has poor judgment and can’t trust one’s own estimation of what is possible. Some interpretations I’ve read states that the person would likely not have had an authority figure that properly conveyed the nature of cause and effect in a straight forward way. Either the person received no guidance at all or improper and harsh discipline with no purpose of making them more responsible and capable. Consequences aren’t understood and so one might become inhibited – not because of a realistic fear of failure but because one has no grasp of how the amount of effort correlates with the final outcome. The effort that is extended toward a goal is often misplaced – as a result one’s efforts aren’t directly linked to the outcome or reward. While people with Saturn direct may have more realistic views of what they can expect to gain from a certain amount of work, Saturn Rx people have no idea what amount is appropriate. Sometimes this leads to these people being very independent and keen to make up their own “work – reward” system because it doesn’t seem to exist for them in the outer realm. The reward is derived directly from one’s effort and not from any observable, linear improvement. Being “responsible” might be very important to these people, because they have a hard time anchoring the experience in practice.
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Next we have Uranus, the original sky father. This planet rules progress, revolution, innovation, originality, novelty, collective aspirations, ideas, insight, new thought and new order. While Jupiter and Saturn exist in the grey area between personal and transpersonal planets (they’re sometimes referred to as “social planets”), Uranus fully belongs to the category of transpersonal planets. Uranus working through an individual usually manifests as sudden breaks from routine and conventionality, startling insights and declaration of radical independence. “Freedom of thought” is the hallmark of this planet – when it’s dominant in a person’s chart one is to expect to be challenging norms, promoting new ideas, being labeled “odd” or “weird”. Uranus is at work when one is struck by new insight that catapults the person into a whole other mental framework. I think of Uranus as a lightning bolt finally bringing home a new way of seeing things that brings about change. A good example of this is reading about something again and again and nothing really hits home… until it suddenly does. Uranus transports us into new layers, dimensions, timelines and blueprints of reality. When Uranus is direct in a person’s natal chart, flashes of insights or “downloads” happen spontaneously, one is “leveled up” and see things clearer than before. The person moves forward as a result of new ideas and discoveries – once Pandora’s box is opened there’s no going back. With Uranus Rx in the natal chart the strikes of lightning and the realizations happen but they’re not necessarily changing the person’s way of operating. I suppose one could think of it as a lag, a tendency to go back on one’s insights and passively state that “something has changed” but there’s no real outward indication that it has. The person is looking for change in the past, hoping that it will somehow make the present different and more clear. Uranus Rx individuals tend to attribute change to past events rather than living the change directly. While people with Uranus direct actually lives the upgrades and experience revelations in the moment, Uranus Rx people only register these in hindsight and have an inner declaration of the fact that it happened. With Uranus Rx there are no direct experience of having insights, but rather, the reflection upon moments of insight denotes a feeling of progression.
Then we have Neptune, the god of the sea. This planet rules dreams, fantasy, imagination, refinement, distortion, escapism, universal feeling, empathy, compassion, healing, dissolution, glamour and redemption. Like Uranus, Neptune certainly belongs in the category of transpersonal planets. Manifesting through an individual, Neptune usually shows up through receptiveness and sensitivity to stimuli, the need to flee into the realm of spontaneous image-making. In a sense, Neptune functions as a bridge between the void and matter – it is the planet of magic and fairytales and archetypes. It is the planet of the collective unconscious. Neptune in an individual also shows up through the mechanism of projection – of ascribing a component of one’s personal unconscious onto an external person, place or thing. Neptune is essentially a mirror, reflecting back our own psychic content. When one is “enchanted” or “seduced” Neptune is at work – but also when one is “disillusioned” and “let down” by the world. When Neptune is direct in a person’s chart the mechanism of projection and creative image-making happens spontaneously. One idealizes and dreams, one spontaneously experience life, or certain aspect of it as infiltrated by magic and movement. There’s the possibility for a direct experience with the oneness of life – the animating force. When Neptune is retrograde in the natal chart, the person would not have the experience of direct contact with the universal fluidity permeating all of life. It’s would only be upon looking back that one can feel some kind of connection and receptiveness to emotional content. It’s only in hindsight that the person can declare that one was influenced and affected by unconscious forces. Some interpretations I’ve read state that the retrograde person is someone who’s inwardly confused. Perhaps it’s accurate to conclude that people with Neptune direct experiences outward influences to delude them while Neptune Rx people are deluded internally due to lack of receptiveness. Perhaps the difference between Neptune direct/Neptune Rx can be illustrated with an example. A person with this planet direct sees a beautifully carved statue of Poseidon and is able to soak up the energy that this work of art emanates – in a sense the person is briefly “put under the spell” of archetypal imagery. A person with Neptune Rx sees the statue and is similarly “put under a spell” but of inner confusion because one can’t figure out what one is to feel in response. Neptune Rx causes confusion around what one “should experience” or be able to pick up on because the external image doesn’t strike a note within the psyche. The Neptune Rx person needs to make an inner image and apply it to the external as opposed to an external image triggering an inner experience.
Last but not least we have Pluto, the god of the underworld, another transpersonal planet. This planet rules death, transformation, emotional crisis and trauma, buried matter and, as is commonly bypassed, riches and the potential to grow something of strength and vibrancy. Pluto usually manifests in an individual as destruction and desensitization. As opposed to Neptune, which refines and heightens receptivity, Pluto fosters endurance and invulnerability. “Power” is usually associated with this planet, of being able to draw life and energy from every situation, person or thing one encounters. Most everyone has been in the presence if energy vampires that seem to have an aura of magnetism that seem to pull on one’s own energy reserves. Often these “energy vampires” are people with Pluto prominently placed in their chart, or simply someone who’s natal Pluto happens to touch off something vulnerable in one’s own chart. A person with Pluto direct has an obvious magnetism and uses this power to draw energy from the outside with which one can become stronger. Pluto direct in the natal chart makes a person more prone to take – to forcefully retract from others, even if it’s done covertly. Pluto operates underground and is not working along the same lines as Mars, the planet of aggression, which is more concerned with outwardly directed assertion than psychic strength. Pluto doesn’t declare himself; he is sensed rather than demonstrated. A person with Pluto Rx seem to be unable to energetically impose or “rape” another person’s energy field. I’ve read explanations that state that Pluto Rx people withhold their power and turn it inward, drawing energy from within to cultivate strength. This results in deep transformative experiences that stems from one’s own withheld intensity. It would seem that Pluto Rx people have the ability to feed off of their own intense emotions rather than the energy of other people. In other words, the blocked outward expression of Pluto makes the person turn inward to find riches and psychic sustenance. The power lies beneath the surface, both with Pluto direct and Pluto Rx, but with the former the magnetic center draws from the outside while the latter draws from the inside. The way Pluto direct uses power is through taking (energetically and psychically) while Pluto Rx withholds. Both methods imply violation – which is characteristic of Pluto.
