Retrogrades

Picture the planets orbiting the Sun like an old-fashioned mechanical racetrack. Each planet has its own track, a different distance from the Sun, traveling at different speeds. A retrograde happens when Earth passes a planet, making that planet appear to slow down, stop and then go in reverse. This optical illusion is similar to passing a car that's going slower than you -- as you pass it, it seems to go backwards, but it's still plugging along at the same speed and in the same direction.

During a 'reversal,' the areas of life that the retrograde planet rules will feel askew until it catches up to Earth again. Each planet exerts influence over certain aspects of life. Mercury rules communication, for example, so when it's in a favorable sign, your communication abilities are stronger and more effective. When a planet goes retrograde, the effects of its influence are reversed. During a Venus retrograde, don't expect love to come easily. Interestingly, the reversal of your response to these planetary movements is across the board. So if you're usually awkward during conversations or if you hate public speaking, Mercury retrograde can actually work in your favor. You'll suddenly feel much more at ease, and the words will flow smoothly.

If a planet is retrograde in your birth chart, you may face obstacles in that area, but it doesn't necessarily cause major problems. In fact, you could find that because you spend more time with these challenges, they actually become strengths. Using Mercury and Venus as examples again, if either of these planets is retrograde in your chart, you may or may not have problems with communication or love, but you may find that the processes are slowed down. It could take you longer to write papers in school or prepare for a speech -- but the time you've spent will make your language skills stronger. You may be a late bloomer when it comes to relationships and marriage, but when you finally fall in love it's more likely to be the real thing.

When you understand how a retrograde can affect you, either in your birth chart or during normal transits, you can prepare yourself ahead of time and take these challenges in stride.

To learn more about the different planets going retrograde, check out the retrograde schedule and planets in retrograde. If you want to know how the planets in retrograde affect you personally and what planets were in retrograde at the moment of your birth, try a sample Personal Profile, free of charge, from Astrology.com.

Mercury

The Mercury retrograde is perhaps best known of all retrogrades. This celestial body requires 88 days to make a complete pass around the Sun and remains stationary for anywhere between a few hours and a few days, depending on the time of year. This planet goes into retrograde three times a year for around three weeks each time. Mercury has the highest frequency of retrograde and stays in this position for the shortest length of time of any other planet.

Communication is Mercury's main domain. Therefore, communication is greatly affected by this planet's pull. During the period Mercury is in retrograde motion, individuals may find their message is better conveyed through another less familiar medium. Messages may be misunderstood; whispers may be overheard and mail or email may be misdirected. Those who are usually constrained by public speaking may have moments of clarity, while those giving a public address may be dramatically misquoted. This is a good time to explore new outlets of communication. Choose your words carefully.

If Mercury retrograde is in your chart, your tongue is likely to get you into trouble or you may be afraid to speak your mind for fear of the consequences. There may be an issue with intellect or intelligence. You may find your self-expression is "heard" through other forms rather than verbal or written.

Venus

Venus revolves around the Sun in 225 days and remains stationary for three to four days. Every eighteen months or so, this planet slips into retrograde for approximately six weeks.

In general, Venus retrograde forces us to take an examining eye to our romantic relationships. Suppressed feelings may rise to the surface, and we may reevaluate what we want and where we seek it. The rules that structure our value system may come into question; suddenly what we valued most may seem inconsequential. We may find ourselves rethinking the meaning of beauty and aesthetics. Financial issues may step into the limelight as well.

If Venus is retrograde in your chart, you may have some relationship issues to overcome. Oftentimes you feel too inhibited to seek what you really want and you withdraw from your partner. You find it hard to get exactly what you need from the people who are close to you. Some of this influence that applies to emotional matters also applies to money matters: You never quite feel that you have enough in your pockets. Self-worth becomes a large issue for you in your lifetime.

Mars

Mars requires 687 days to travel one cycle around the Sun and, depending on the time of year, this planet is stationary for up to five days. Its retrograde period happens every two years and it stays in this state for two to two-and-a-half months.

Mars is the Planet of War, and in a retrograde period it causes anger and discord to turn internal. Passive aggression, inner angst, stress and anguish are all attributed to this planet in retrograde. Turning emotions inward rather than releasing them in a more healthy manner can cause anger and hatred to be misdirected. Like Don Quixote, you are battling demons you can't even see. Severe road rage and issues with internal wellness may be highlighted during this time. More balanced individuals aren't as affected by Mars in retrograde, but during its influence none of us are as saintly as we'd like to be.

If you have Mars in retrograde in your chart you may find that you have difficulty in asserting yourself. Timidity, lack of direction and other self-imposed emotional obstacles hold you back from realizing your dreams. Often you rely on others to fight your battles; too often you feel you are being used as someone else's doormat. You may find others around you to be particularly aggressive during the period when Mars is in retrograde.

Jupiter

It takes 12 years for Jupiter to travel around the Sun; then it pauses at its stationary position for five to eight days. Approximately once a year, for around four months or so, this planet is in retrograde.

Jupiter, like Saturn, is a social planet. Its actions affect people in a very holistic manner. The retrograde of Jupiter causes us to reevaluate our ethics as a society. Philosophies are rewritten, religious or spiritual beliefs are questioned and the very fibers of our being are scrutinized. Lessons that have become commonplace and routine are seen in a new light. The results of these changes can be either fruitful or inauspicious, depending on the individual, the culture and the situation. Working from the premise that the universe flows within us and that individuals are connected by a greater thread, we focus more on the similarities and trends that span the globe than on the individual. Jupiter in retrograde isn't a great time for travel, as plans are likely to cave in on themselves.

If Jupiter's retrograde is in your chart, you are likely to be the type of person who is always searching for ethics and values. You constantly seek truth and deeper meaning in life but rarely reach a stage of understanding. Ritual becomes a chore and you feel uneasy in your skin as you follow in blind faith. Oftentimes you jump onto the current intellectual bandwagon only to be disappointed in the end. You suffer from feeling the cold lack of spiritual fulfillment or you feel tugged at by the constant demands of your spirituality or philosophy. You strive to find the right spiritual balance.

Saturn

29-and-a-half years is the duration of Saturn's average cycle around the Sun, and once a year the planet goes into retrograde for about four-and-a-half months. The transition between the appearance of forward motion into retrograde motion is called the stationary period. During its stationary period, Saturn has the appearance of not moving at all for about eleven or twelve days.

Saturn's effect on Earth slows everything down. This planet in retrograde is a taskmaster: It can make us work with extra effort or it can make us think deeply and contemplate our actions or the world around us. There are no short cuts when Saturn's spin reverses, and one shouldn't consider rushing through long and detailed projects. Take this opportunity to breathe and to do things the right way the first time around. Issues with authority may rise to the forefront; sealing deals and finalizing contracts may be put off longer than you'd like. Deadline extensions are granted and you may find yourself hammering away again at something you thought was complete.

If Saturn is in retrograde in your chart, it's likely that you are constantly in conflict with authority. Either you feel persecuted by those who work above you or you are a person currently mismanaging your power position. Setting limitations and learning the levels to which others may be pushed are matters with which you must take issue. You are afraid of the risk needed to address the powers that be, but the rewards will be great if you can learn to gain more control in this part of your life. Patience will also be a lesson.

Uranus

Uranus is quite far from the Sun, and thus it takes a full 84 years for this planet to orbit the star at the solar system's center. A Uranian year is so long that this planet remains in each Sign of the Zodiac for about seven years. The stationary period for Uranus is two weeks, and its retrograde lasts for about five months out of every Earth year.

In general, when Uranus is in retrograde, we should expect the unexpected. Surprises pop out from every corner and this can be either marvelous or startling, depending on the situation. Uranus is the Wild Card of the Planets; it can bring drastic whims and shifts that amaze and bemuse. A Uranus retrograde could bring unexpected effects that could yield the complete opposite or even no change at all. During this time, chaos may be present either externally in the outside world or internally within the individual.

Uranus retrograde may set your wild side free or it could make a notoriously outgoing person uncharacteristically shy. Straight-laced school marms may suddenly be dancing on top of pianos and effervescent party types may suddenly feel more comfortable, calmly relaxing in a hot bath. Explosions in your personality are not uncommon; you may behave differently than other people perceive you.

Neptune

It takes 165 Earth years for Neptune to circle the Sun one time, long enough for this planet to spend fourteen years in each Sign of the Zodiac. Stationary for two weeks or so at a time, Neptune goes into retrograde five months out of every year.

With Neptune's retrograde, logic falls to the wayside in favor of esoteric interests and intuition. People begin to pay more attention to their dreams and explore more creative outlets. Neptune is the Planet of Illusion and Make Believe, and we may see shifts in film and television or entertainment media in general.

If the retrograde of Neptune is in your chart, you are likely involved in a serious escape fantasy into a dream world. No one really knows what goes on behind your eyes and though you may be sitting at a desk in an office, you're probably dancing ballet or hunting wolverines in your mind. The position of this planet can make some people more inhibited and unable to realize their dreams. Alternatively, some can be plunged into a dream world from which they can't resurface. This dream world may include drug or alcohol abuse, constant escapism, running away or absolutely shutting out reality.

Pluto

A whopping 248 years must pass here on Earth before Pluto completes a single cycle of rotation around the Sun. Pluto spends, on average, twenty-one years in each Sign and five months out of the year in retrograde. In between its regular cycle and retrograde Pluto rests stationary for up to seventeen days, depending on the season.

Fresh starts and dead ends accompany Pluto's retrograde stage. The things that we hang onto most tightly can suddenly be taken away. Pluto's retrograde is also a time of destruction and rebuilding, rejuvenation and regeneration. We may be forced to reevaluate the things we value most. Heavy forces that are outside of an individual's control are at play, including war, weapons and government upheaval.

With Pluto in retrograde in your birth chart, it's all an issue of control. Depending on the circumstances, you may find yourself in the grip of someone else's whim, feeling taken advantage of or manipulated. On the other end of the spectrum, you could be the person in the throne using your own power to destroy others and, ultimately, yourself and your world. Either way, the abuse of power is a very large issue for people born with a Pluto retrograde in their chart.