Retrograde

Definition

Retrograde is the apparent phenomenon by which a planet seems to move backward through the zodiac when seen from Earth. The movement is not real: the planet keeps its normal orbit, but the difference of speed between Earth and that planet produces an optical illusion of backward motion across a defined period. Astrology assigns to the retrograde a symbolic sense of review, interiorization, and reconsideration.

In context

Mercury goes retrograde three or four times a year for roughly three weeks; Venus does so about every year and a half; outer planets such as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto spend large stretches of the year retrograde. Where a chart holds a retrograde natal planet, its symbolic function tends to express inward before turning outward. Retrograde describes an orientation, not a failure: it invites the planet to revisit what it already touched on another leg of the path.

To go deeper

The retrograde is understood inside the apparent planetary motion:

• Direct: the usual forward motion through the zodiac.
• Stationary: stillness before and after retrograde.
• Shadow: leg of zodiac traveled around the retrograde.