Retrogrades in Astrology
Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars ©JPL/NASA
Retrograde periods are typically a time for the prefix “re” — reflect, rethink, re-plan, review, retool, reorganize, redefine, re-examine, rewrite, reread, repair.
This period does not need to be daunting, be feared or to cause any of us to suspend living our lives in any way. Making allowances and/or taking preemptive actions to minimize the unavoidable retrograde effects will help with keeping retrograde cycles bearable. So, be especially aware of when faster moving planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars) are retrograde and plan accordingly.
Retrograde cycles, especially of faster moving planets, may pose more challenges to those with natal personal planets or house angles within the sign and degrees the retrograde planet is visiting.
To get an idea of how a planet’s retrograde motion might play out in your immediate world, consider: the planet (its function), the sign it’s transiting (its personality), and where (which astrological house) in your natal (with birth time & place) and/or solar (birth date only) charts the retrograde period (degrees visited/revisited).
Each astrological house represents a different aspect of our lives/of the self.
- 1st house ~ self, ego, potential
- 2nd house ~ possessions, income, material worth
- 3rd house ~ thought, communication, siblings, commerce, writing
- 4th house ~ private life, family, home, the past
- 5th house ~ creative projects, fun, pleasure, children, love
- 6th house ~ physical health/wellbeing, work/routine, servicing others
- 7th house ~ the shared self, partnerships, marriage
- 8th house ~ shared resources, investments, debt, regeneration, transformation, sex
- 9th house ~ higher consciousness/education, travel, experiential learning, publishing
- 10th house ~ public life, professional pursuits, goals, the future
- 11th house ~ friendships, associations, society
- 12th house ~ hidden world, spirituality, subconscious, mental health
For reference, here are the symbols associated with the zodiac signs.
Aries ♈ • Taurus ♉ • Gemini ♊ • Cancer ♋ • Leo ♌ • Virgo ♍
Libra ♎ • Scorpio ♏ • Sagittarius ♐ • Capricorn ♑ • Aquarius ♒ • Pisces ♓
If you don’t already have your birth chart, cast one at alabe.com ~ birth date, time and place required.
