Jupiter is the planet of more. More luck, more growth, more room to dream. In astrology it’s the generous one, the planet that says yes before you’ve finished asking.
And on 13th December, as the world tips into full festive chaos, it stops in the sky and starts moving backwards…which might just be the best-timed bit of celestial scheduling of the whole year.
Think about what you’re up to in the middle of December. The Christmas work do. The school nativity. A Secret Santa you never agreed to. A gift list that somehow grows every year, and a present for the person who “doesn’t want anything” but would be quietly devastated if you took them at their word. Christmas has become a performance review, and most of us are marking ourselves down.
Then the planet of excess turns round and heads the other way. Perfect.
The quick facts
Jupiter reverses through firey Leo and stays that way until mid-April 2027. Neptune, the planet of fog and illusion, turns direct the same evening. It has been in Leo since the end of June, and Leo is the sign of the Sun… joy, play, romance, creativity, being seen.
So, for six months Jupiter has been the big bright “go on, shine” energy. Now it turns inward, in the darkest month, and asks a much more interesting question.
What has actually lit you up since June?
Not what looked good. Not what got the most hearts. I mean the thing that made you lose track of an afternoon, or laugh until your cheeks ached.
Astrologers read a Jupiter retrograde as a review period rather than a disaster. Nothing breaks. The expansion just pauses while you work out which bits were worth expanding. Leo makes it personal, because Leo is the sign that loves a big show, and a retrograde in Leo says: fine, but who is the show for?
Your pre-13 December edit
Before the weekend of the 12th, pick the one thing about Christmas you’d keep even if nobody ever saw it. The film. The walk on Boxing Day. Your favourite food ritual. Do that one properly. Then look at the rest of the list and be ruthless. If it makes you tired and nobody would notice it missing, it can go. You are allowed. Jupiter is literally setting the example.
The week after
The New Moon in Sagittarius lands on 9 December. Sagittarius is Jupiter’s own sign, so you’ll have had the fresh-start energy a few days earlier, and it can be your “what do I actually want” moment. Then comes a Full Moon in Cancer on Christmas Eve. Cancer is all about home, family and feeling safe, so that’s the finishing touch. Cosy over perfect.
Between the two, the darkest evenings of the year are yours. Light a candle. Ours are a natural beeswax blend, and (borrowed from) The Wild smells like a wild country garden just after rain, which is a welcome re-fresh from yet another cinnamon-and-orange moment. Sit with it for ten quiet minutes and ask yourself what you’d like more of in 2027, and what you’ve been carrying that was never yours.
Jupiter will keep going backwards until April. That gives you four whole months to practise doing less, enjoying more, and noticing the difference.
Reconnect. Realign. Rediscover your WYLDE. 🌙
