We're used to reading horoscope predictions that include phrases like "according to the cosmos", "according to your planet's position", "today your planet is in orbit with..." And surely you've read on more than one occasion that this or that planet is in retrograde transit: Contrary to the beliefs of many, this is far from a handicap, actually, it's an opportunity for improvement. Magic Horoscope will reveal here what retrograde planets really are and how they affect you.
So, if you want to know everything about planets in retrograde and how they affect you, based on astrology, continue reading below.
What are retrograde planets?
In astrology personality traits and vital events are determined by the planets. These are in constant motion and according to their properties and their position, they send us energy from one sign or another that marks our daily occurrences.
However, sometimes from planet Earth, some planets seem to stop and start moving in reverse. Since human beings discovered that the Earth revolves around the Sun and not the other way around, the explanation is much simpler: This is an optical illusion! A matter of perspective...
A planet can't move backward, but when the orbital motions start to speed up, some planets move faster than others and this difference in speed changes the positions. A practical example: If Mercury finds itself in orbit with Venus, this means that the ruling planet of Gemini and Virgo, with all of its properties, is in direct contact with the Taurus's ruling planet, with all of its qualities.
But if for example, if Venus moves more quickly than Mercury, from Earth, it will make it seem like it's moving into "retrograde", in other words, the apparent reverse movement of its orbit, and then, it will enter the previous sign as it continues on: it will move towards Aries.
- Related: How do the Perseids influence us?
What effect does a planet in retrograde have?
The effect that a certain planet and its energies have on us depends on its position and movement. A stationary planet is one that, from our terrestrial perspective, seems to have stayed at a standstill for a certain period of time, when in reality it's making the change to move from retrograde to direct (forward).
When a stationary planet moves from direct to retrograde, it's emitting its energy in a slow and lethargic way, and this will influence the subject and its changes in an introspective way. Conversely, when a stationary planet moves from retrograde to direct, the subject experiences changes and events driven by the energy of this star in a very intense way.
Therefore, when a planet is in retrograde, it's hindering the perception of the experiences connected to the influence of this planet in each horoscope. So, for example, a planet that rules love and that's influencing a new romantic relationship in our sign, upon entering retrograde, this new experience will become complicated since the perception of the situation will be altered. This then obligates us to push ourselves even harder to make this change. In other words, everything seems less direct since external factors appear that make understanding the circumstances more difficult.
For a long time, it was believed that a planet in retrograde always brought failure and negative effects for a certain sign. However, now we know that really this implies challenges that help us to evolve and improve our personalities. Hardships appear as opportunities for growth.
Effects of the 8 planets in retrograde and their astrological significance
Each planet has a specific meaning and gives off energies that affect different aspects of our personalities: love, renewal, spirituality, intelligence, harmony etc. The retrograde position of each planet affects us in a specific and unique way. According to its qualities, it opens a gateway for improvement and evolution in this area. Let's take a look at what each planet is like in retrograde and how each one of them behaves:
Retrograde Mercury
The planet Mercury is in charge of ruling mental activity and logical thought, and thus, when this planet is in reverse, rationality is weakened and is exchanged for relativity and subjectivity.
During the 22 days in which Mercury is in retrograde, any decision that's made could be made without much thought with disastrous results. Because of this, signing important contracts and making risky investments is not recommended. But it is a great period for reflection, revising, and reorienting projects and decisions.
Retrograde Venus
The planet of creativity, harmony, and equilibrium goes retrograde for 42 days every year and a half, a time during which it is recommendable to revise unresolved matters or things that you've been putting off in both personal and emotional relationships.
When Venus goes into retrograde it takes advantage of lessons from the distant past to work on self-reflection, which means looking over the present situation and beginning a process of improvement and evolution. This is ideal for couples therapy, to cure wounds that haven't been healed or to make up.
Retrograde Mars
When Mars is a retrograde planet, which can last up to 2 and a half months, a battle between the Sun and Mars occurs. A representative of the initiative and energy that's put into actions, when it goes into an inverse orbit disorientation and a lack of energy can occur.
The energy becomes regressive and enters into a field of the unconscious, creating a feeling of helplessness and disorientation. But this is an excellent period to start strengthening your self-confidence and inner growth since progressively this helps us to detect our own debilities and to project strength.
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Retrograde Jupiter
The ruling star of the spiritual, religious beliefs, and philosophy, is in a retrograde position for 3 and a half months. During this period, the subject is immersed in a battle against his or her own convictions, and in the end, will come out with stronger than ever beliefs or catapulted to a process of renewal and change.
In Jupiter's retrograde process, we feel very distressed since our entire value system is put into question and the foundation of our beliefs is shook. But in the end, thanks to hard inner work, we can turn this anxiety into security, reinforce our faith, and improve our capacity to influence.
Retrograde Saturn
When Saturn goes into its retrograde phase, as a representative of responsibility, willpower, and consistency, it fills the sign that's influenced with a revisionist spirit and the desire to reconsider matters. This is a time to learn lessons from the alignment phase, prior to this one.
During these four and a half months in which this planet is in retrograde, the person isolates their fears and overcomes them from the analysis of what they've learned. This leads them to gradually evolve and improve their personality and skills. During this phase, a parallel process of individual maturing and expression of the creative-self occurs.
Retrograde Uranus
The planet of creative inspiration, originality, and revolution, liberty, independence, and rebellion, is in its retrograde position for about five months, during which, natives of the sign affected experience a desire to develop themselves as individuals in a way that shows off their brilliance or to integrate themselves in collective ideas.
In this phase, the subject becomes cold and rational when they experience feelings that overwhelm them, and at the peak of this planet's retrograde, they may feel trapped in making decisions, stuck at a crossroad with a thousand different paths to choose from.
Retrograde Neptune
The star of compassion and universal love becomes a retrograde planet for more than five months, during which the necessity to recognize the potential and putting this to use in order to serve others becomes a priority.
However, at the culminating point of this retrograde, the person starts to feel worried that they've sacrificed their ambitions to help others. Then, they start struggling to decide whether the personal sacrifice is worth it and if they should continue to act altruistically. This is also a phase during which the search for spirituality and creative expression occurs.
Retrograde Pluto
The star of death, the hidden, libido, and emotional control forces the individual to submit themselves to death and spiritual renewal for more than five months, in different areas of the affected sign. During this period, the subject experiences feelings that come to the surface that had been hidden up until this moment.
When Pluto is in the position of a retrograde planet, personal desires come into apparent contradiction with the conventional and "correct", and this person finds themselves immersed in a distressing personal battle and absolute loneliness. On the bright side, at the end of the process, things are resolved with personal satisfaction and positive evolution.