Jupiter’s Retrograde in Cancer: A Cosmic Call to Reroute, Rebuild, and Rise
As Jupiter stations retrograde in the sign of Cancer, it’s time to revisit what this monumental transit has been teaching us—and what it will continue to shape in our collective lives. At the very beginning of this pivotal year, I noted that Jupiter’s ingress into Cancer—timed almost exactly with the summer solstice in June—would mark a major cosmic shift. Nearly a year later, the significance of that transition is unmistakably clear.
Jupiter in Cancer: Expansion Meets the Matriarch
Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, has long been known for its magnifying power. It expands whatever it touches—our hopes, our visions, our beliefs, our politics. Cancer, by contrast, is the Zodiac’s most nurturing sign, embodying emotional labor, protection, domesticity, and the sacred work of holding families and communities together.
I often describe Cancer as the “Matriarch of the Zodiac.” And it feels profoundly fitting that as patriarchal systems continue to crack and crumble, Jupiter has been spending an entire year amplifying the qualities of nourishment, care, and compassion. If ever there were a time for a cosmic push toward prioritizing people over power, this is it.
A Retrograde Begins: November 12, 2025 – March 2026
On November 12th, Jupiter—the planet of abundance, excess, luck, and prosperity—stations retrograde, where it will remain through March of 2026. Retrogrades invite reflection, revision, and reassessment, and Jupiter’s retrograde is no exception. This planet connects us to our biggest dreams, our guiding principles, our worldviews, our spiritual truths, our political ideologies, and our sense of humanity.
While Mercury retrograde tends to get the most attention, every planet retrogrades. When they do, the energy they symbolize slows down, turns inward, and prompts us to pause and reroute. Jupiter’s six-month retrograde offers us a moment to step back from rapid expansion, and instead, reflect on what that expansion has revealed.
Themes of Jupiter in Cancer: Care, Community, and Collective Imagination
This year has already highlighted Jupiter-in-Cancer themes in striking, headline-worthy ways. We’ve been collectively grappling with questions about the state of social services, public care, and how families, children, women, and communities can be better supported—not as an afterthought, but as a priority.
One of the clearest examples came through the New York City mayoral election, where democratic socialist Zoran Mamdani won the race, running on a platform deeply aligned with human-first values. It was a powerful display of Cancerian priorities meeting Jupiter’s expansive influence.
The Collective Question: Who Are We Becoming?
As Jupiter retraces its steps, we are called to consider the past six months with honesty and intentionality:
How have we shown up for one another in a time where authoritarianism is on the rise?
Who do we want to become once the systems built by billionaires and oligarchs are dismantled?
What is the core value of a collective that chooses diversity, democracy, humanity, and care?
How do we give birth to a new “Sate of the Union?”
With a record number of women governors leading states as we transition to 2026, and a team of women guiding mayor-elect Mamdani’s incoming administration, the rise of the Matriarchy is not symbolic. It is active. It is political. It is present.
The Rise of the Matriarchy: What It Asks of Us
We are being asked to consider how the spirit of the matriarchy can guide the ways we protect, support, and build community. To do this, we must unlearn patriarchal systems rooted in harm, neglect, and oppression. The Great Mother archetype is rising—but she requires participants, not spectators.
Pluto’s ongoing transit through Aquarius underscores this. Aquarius demands innovation, future-thinking, reinvention. As Pluto eradicates outdated norms, we are reminded that we are the new founders. We are responsible for imagining what comes next.
Looking Ahead: What To Do During Jupiter’s Retrograde
Jupiter retrograde is a time for preparation. Between now and March 2026:
Connect with your community, especially those aligned with shared ideals of equity, compassion, and collective care.
Ground yourself and tend to your emotional foundations.
Reflect deeply on what Jupiter in Cancer has revealed about your own relationship to care—received and given.
Reorient your goals around the kind of world you want to help create.
When Jupiter stations direct, it will be time to put these ideals into motion.
