Mercury Retrograde
It’s a fact, Mercury is the planet of communication, travel, and technology. It rules writing and speaking, so it’s no surprise that during Mercury retrograde, all forms of communication become even more difficult, as if we’ve reached new heights of confusion. This can apply to your relationship with your significant other or any form of conversation with anyone else. A lot of miscommunication happens during this time as well. This leads us to a pretty obvious conclusion: When Mercury is retrograde, it’s best to take some time off from communication with others. Take advantage of this opportunity to reflect on the past year and consider whether you want to pursue certain things any longer.
On an emotional level, Mercury retrograde can be a time when you feel unsure about how things are going in your life or how much longer you want to do something anyway. It might be a good idea just not to make any important decisions for now and let things play out naturally without pressure from outside sources dictating what needs to happen next
Venus Retrograde
Venus retrograde is all about love and beauty, so it can be a time of re-evaluating our relationships. There may be questions that arise in this period, such as “Is this partner right for me?” or “Can I trust this person?” If you’ve been feeling uneasy about your long-term relationship, Venus retrograde is a good time to decide whether or not you want to continue it. Whether you stay with your current partner or break up with them will depend on the situation. If Venus retrograde isn’t affecting your relationships negatively, then there’s no need to end them.
If you’re single during Venus retrograde, use this time to get deeper in touch with what you really want in a relationship. Rather than jumping into a new one too quickly, take the chance to strengthen yourself and your own ability to love without depending on someone else. When Venus goes direct again (which it does once every year), that’s when things will start looking up again—but only if it feels right for both of you!
Mars Retrograde
Mars is the planet of action and ambition, so when it goes retrograde, it can affect your relationships.
During a Mars retrograde, you may have tension with your significant other. You might notice that disagreements between you and your partner more frequently become heated arguments where they normally would not. Or perhaps the reverse occurs – instead of starting arguments, you find yourself withdrawing from conflicts entirely because in order to maintain peace in your relationship. Your patience runs thin easily during this time, so if this sounds like what’s going on for you right now, try to avoid saying or doing anything that will make things worse or push them further away from you.
Mars retrograde can also bring about arguments with family members—especially if they are overzealous about getting involved in something that’s none of their business. Don’t take the bait; keep calm and remain non-reactive to help the situation diffuse before it gets out of hand. In fact, try getting together with friends when family gatherings start turning into screaming matches with one another (they’ll be thankful for the distraction). During these times, friends tend to be less likely to fall victim to petty quarrels and more likely to be empathetic toward one another overall due to Mars’ influence over friends being weakened as well during its retrograde period.
Jupiter Retrograde
Jupiter is the planet of growth and expansion, of luck, hope and optimism. Jupiter is about our beliefs and our philosophy. It’s about what we believe in and how we approach life. Jupiter rules religion, education, travel and foreign cultures (and long distance journeys). When Jupiter goes retrograde it’s time for us to reassess these things in our lives. So if you have been feeling demotivated a bit lately or lacking direction or purpose, this may be why!
When Jupiter goes retrograde it gives us an opportunity to look at old belief systems that we may have outgrown – or haven’t served us anymore – and see if they can be replaced by new perspectives. For example: Are there any new teachers or philosophies you could be exploring? Have you considered attending a spiritual class or study group that might broaden your perspective? Is there any aspect of yourself you wish to grow? Perhaps now would be a good time!
It is also worth noting that anything related to travel may become more difficult during this period – so make sure you don’t book any major trips during this period of time unless necessary! The energy will shift again once Jupiter moves direct again mid-August onwards 🙂
Saturn Retrograde
Saturn is the planet of discipline, responsibility, hard work and effort. When Saturn goes retrograde in your chart it will encourage you to review your ability to structure your life. During this time, you may feel like you are not accomplishing anything or that roadblocks appear out of nowhere. View this as a gift from Saturn! It is helping you face any fears or obstacles so that you can overcome them and continue on the path towards achieving your goals.
The next time Saturn goes retrograde it will be March 2018-August 2018 (precise dates TBA).
Uranus Retrograde
Uranus is the planet of freedom, independence and innovation, and it’s associated with the unexpected. Uranus retrograde can manifest as a desire for freedom, new opportunities and experiences. You might feel like you want to cut ties with things that are holding you back or limiting you in some way. Uranus retrograde encourages people to be true to themselves.
Uranus, being the planet of sudden change, is unfortunately also associated with breakups that can happen suddenly during this time period. If you’ve been meaning to make some changes in your life or end a relationship before now but didn’t have the courage or strength, then perhaps Uranus retrograde can help you do so.
You might feel like you’re bursting at the seams and desperate for something completely new during this time period. It’s important not to act rashly though; think about what it is specifically that you want from these changes before taking any actions that are irreversible.
Neptune Retrograde
Neptune is the planet of compassion, dreams, and empathy. It is a spiritual planet that makes us feel more empathy towards other people and animals. The themes of Neptune are compassion and everything that we don’t understand, such as mysteries and spirituality.
A retrograde is when a planet appears to be moving backwards in the sky. A retrograde occurs when a planet appears to be going backward as it is about to pass the Earth on its path around the Sun. From Earth, it looks like planets are moving forward through the night sky but they are actually orbiting at different speeds so from our perspective sometimes it looks like they stop or go backward.
When Neptune goes retrograde it will reveal truths about your life and ask you to re-evaluate how you see your life and how you live your life. When Neptune goes retrograde it will affect people differently depending on their sign because of where Neptune is positioned in their natal chart (birth chart). For example if you have Saturn in Capricorn, then this retrograde will not affect you as much as someone with Saturn in Scorpio because they will experience change while someone with Saturn in Capricorn will be more stable than normal during this time period.
Pluto Retrograde
Pluto is the planet of transformation, rebirth, and regeneration. It is also the ruler of death and all things taboo. You can think of Pluto as the phoenix: it doesn’t just bring life back from the ashes, it brings a new world order and purifies our old ways of living. Pluto rules power struggles and control issues as well because we tend to cling to what we know even when it’s bad for us.
The world will undergo a major transformation when Pluto goes retrograde in Capricorn every year from April 24th until October 2nd (some years it goes into November). This is a time for inner work and facing the shadows of your personality. We are all programmed from birth by society, media, our parents and classmates to be someone who fits into their idea of “normal” which ironically means repressing your true self. During this time we will face our fears, desires, hopes and shadows through dreams or synchronicities that seem like they have no explanation other than magic—because they do!
When planets go retrograde: a time of confusion and frustration
When a planet is in retrograde, it appears to turn backwards on its axis, giving the illusion of moving backward. This can create a lot of energy confusion and frustration, and it can cause things to be put on hold or not go as planned. However, some people see this as a time for self-reflection and awareness.
When one planet is in retrograde, it does not affect everyone the same way. For example, if Mars goes into retrograde, it may affect you differently than someone else because each person has that particular planet located in different signs and houses in his or her chart. The effects are usually temporary as well; when the retrograde period ends, things tend to get back to normal—and there’s no need for alarm!
There is no known reason why there is such an effect when planets go into retrograde. However, many astrology enthusiasts believe that these periods are actually an opportunity for personal growth and transformation because we are forced to slow down and take a look at our lives in ways we normally wouldn’t.