Get comfortable because this article is a long one. Welcome to Part 2 in our series all about retrograde planets! If you missed Part 1, you can check it out here. In this next part we are going to discuss the significance of having retrograde planets in your birth chart. This is a fairly common phenomenon, particularly concerning the outer planets. However, that does not mean these planets don’t hold special significance.
I know I said that Part 1 of this series would cover the technical stuff, and the following articles would get more into symbolism. That’s partly true, but in preparing to write this article, I realized that to truly understand natal retrogrades, we need to look at the mechanism of the retrograde cycle to better grasp how these planets impact each individual. So on the one hand, I could make a sweeping generalization and say something like, “Natal retrogrades mean these planets operate against the natural flow of society for you,” and that would technically be true. However, there is much more to this phenomenon than meets the eye. For those who are looking to truly understand themselves, I want to give you information that offers the most insight and empowerment. So we’re going to dive ever deeper in this article…
Perhaps you know someone else who has the same retrograde planet in their chart but doesn’t seem to struggle with its expression as much as you do. There’s a reason for that and we’re going to cover it. First, let’s go back to that sweeping generalization because it does offer us an at-a-glance perspective on natal retrogrades. As mentioned in Part 1, retrograde planets hold magnetic energy, which means their energy is flowing inward, rather than outward. This creates a need for introspection and self-reflection before the planet can initiate its outward movement. There are loose threads from the past that need to be tied, unfinished business that must be addressed. Otherwise, the planet runs into malfunctions when it tries to express itself.
For someone with retrograde planets in the birth chart, these planets cannot function with the normal flow of mainstream society. In order to operate within a social function (to engage with the outer world), they must first understand their unique needs in order to figure out how to operate when the rest of the world seems to have different needs. Thus, much introspection, self-reflection and investigation are required of these planets. That flow of energy is moving inward, so whenever they try to express themselves outwardly, they are met with some kind of resistance that pushes them back into themselves for reevaluation.
I also want to mention there is a difference in the experience of inner vs. outer planets in the natal chart. The inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars) are most personal to us and most connected to our conscious experience. When we have these planets retrograde in our natal chart, we feel them most acutely. While I have been sectioning planets into “inner vs. outer,” the reality is there are actually three groupings for the planets (plus Mars has a unique grouping unto itself, but we’ll cover that in our Mars retrograde article). We have the aforementioned inner planets, we have the social planets (Jupiter, Saturn) and then we have the outer planets (Uranus, Neptune, Pluto). On the one hand, when looking at the timing of retrograde cycles, as mentioned in Part 1, all the planets beyond the personal planets do spend about half their time in retrograde. However, the function of these planets differs when we are looking at Jupiter and Saturn vs. the outer three.
Jupiter and Saturn are considered social planets because they help to bridge together the functions of the inner, personal planets with the functions of the outer, collective planets. The workings of Jupiter and Saturn help us take our unique self-expression and carry it forward into the world in ways that help us contribute to and integrate within society. Jupiter is our planet of aspiration and social purpose while Saturn is our planet of social work and responsibility.
The reason I mention this is because when it comes to natal retrogrades, Jupiter and Saturn tend to have a more prominent influence (consciously perceived) than Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. This does not mean having Uranus, Neptune or Pluto retrograde in your birth chart is insignificant. It means that the personal influence of those retrogrades occurs on more subtle, unconscious levels and they have a generational impact on the evolution of society. We each have an individualized experience of these outer planets, but like instruments in an orchestra, our unique experience feeds into a collective, cohesive expression. We’ll talk more about that later.
Which brings me to my next sweeping generalization about natal retrogrades: the purpose of having retrograde planets in your birth chart is to be a facilitator of humanity’s evolution. That sounds like a lot of responsibility! No worries, this process will unfold naturally for you because it is ingrained in who you are. As mentioned in the first part of this series, retrogrades occur to force planets to slow down and go back over their experiences before moving forward again. This forces a process of reflection and analysis that is needed for those planets to learn. We cannot learn anything unless we are evaluating our experiences.
The purpose of natal retrograde planets is to be that evaluator. If you have retrograde planets in your birth chart, this means you were born during a period when that planet’s functions were under investigation. While the rest of the world was operating in the mainstream “at normal speed,” you were born into a different flow of function that goes against the norm. When the entire school of fish is swimming in one direction and you’re the one fish going against that flow, it’s going to force you to examine why you’re not moving in sync with everyone else.
Generally, natal retrograde planets do bring challenges into our life experiences. This feeling of going against the tide can make you feel lonely or like an outsider. It can lead to feeling unaccepted by your peers or misunderstood. If taken too far, this can lead to depression and isolation. The reason these negative outcomes are experienced is because you were born with the extra responsibility to investigate and analyze what your unique, personal needs are when it comes to the expression of that planet. Once you begin to recognize what makes you different and how you can fulfill those needs, you are able to reintegrate into society in ways that feel more natural and fluid. In other words, these planets require conscious focus to be fulfilled rather than just operating spontaneously the way folks with direct planets do.
On a more positive level, these planets are powerful energies in your personality. They are strong and unique. They go against the tide of the mainstream because they are not meant to fit in, they are meant to revolutionize. When society operates on a kind of socially accepted “autopilot,” its actions can be taken too far to the point that it is no longer helpful for our collective evolution. Your powerful retrograde planets help to shift the expression of society by introducing a new way of doing things. This way is more refined, more evolved, more conscious. Eventually, society learns that this is the “better” way to operate and adopts the new behaviors. So again, your retrograde planets make you special and they indicate you play an important role by helping the rest of humanity to evolve.
For example, I know someone who has Venus retrograde in Cancer. Venus is the planet that allows us to express our love to others, it’s the kind of love we seek from others, it’s how we attract resources (such as money) to survive, and it’s also the way we appreciate beauty. This person is a mother, and she grew up having some negative experiences with her own mother. She did not receive the kind of love from her mother she required, and her home environment violated her emotional boundaries and disrupted her sense of safety (Venus/Cancer). When she grew up and had children of her own, she chose to parent them very differently than how she was parented. She gave her children a very safe and stable home and honored their individuality (personal boundaries/Cancer).
This person also struggled with finances throughout her life. Recall that retrograde planets have inverted or reversed energy. While it is true that the energy flows inward in a psychological sense, I’m using this example of Venus to show that the expression of the planet itself will be reversed with retrogrades. Venus in its direct state is magnetic/attractive, so while retrograde it tends to be more electric/repulsive. The way this can be seen is through this person’s finances.
She spent most of her life giving to her children what she didn’t receive in childhood, but at the same time, because Venus is retrograde, she was unable to attract resources (money) in the same ways that work for general society. The energy just operated differently for her. She was spending/giving more than she was earning/receiving, so she needed to assess what her unique, individual needs were to satisfy Venus’ requirements for safety, security and survival.
The way she could attract financial security and emotional safety was going to be different than someone with Venus direct in Cancer. She needed to learn to operate in a different flow with Venus, balancing the magnetic/electric actions, which required more conscious attention and effort than someone with direct Venus. While this created challenges initially (through childhood and later earning money as an adult), eventually she discovered her own unique needs. Her expression of those needs actually revolutionized the way Venus is commonly expressed in Cancer when direct – which, when taken too far, can be smothering and overbearing, especially when children are involved.
This process of evolution is reflected within the retrograde cycle itself. I mentioned in Part 1 that retrogrades also include shadow periods and stationary periods. However, the phases of a planet’s retrograde cycle can be broken down even more specifically. I won’t go into too much detail on that, but if you would like to explore this information in greater depth, I highly recommend checking out Joanne Wickenburg’s book, “Your Hidden Powers.” This book is one of the most detailed I’ve ever read on retrograde planets, and she explains how the retrograde phase is actually broken into eight phases.
For the purposes of this article, we’re going to take a broader glance at this process. Here are the eight basic steps:
1) Sun conjunction – a planet begins this phase when it moves into conjunction with our Sun.
2) Pre-retrograde – the planet moves away from the conjunction and begins to cross the degrees of the zodiac that it will later backtrack through during its retrograde
3) Stationary retrograde – the planet slows down and “stops” as it prepares to shift retrograde
4) First half retrograde – the planet backtracks through the first half of its retrograde cycle
5) Sun opposition – the planet moves into opposition with the Sun (with the exception of Mercury and Venus, which never oppose the Sun because they are within Earth’s orbit – we’ll discuss that another time)
6) Second half retrograde – the planet continues to backtrack through the remainder of its retrograde trajectory
7) Stationary direct – the planet, once again, slows down and “stops” before turning direct
8) Sun conjunction – the planet continues in its normal cycle before eventually coming full circle into conjunction with the Sun again; the process then repeats.
There are two reasons why I’m elaborating on the different phases of this process. First, if you have a natal retrograde, the expression of that planet is going to behave differently depending on which phase of the retrograde it was in the moment you were born. For example, planets that are stationed retrograde behave much more intensely than planets that are in the second half of the retrograde cycle (steps 3 and 6). Second, if you were born with a planet in the pre-retrograde phase, this will not show up as an “official” retrograde planet in your birth chart, but that planet will still operate with retrograde characteristics. During the pre-retrograde phase (step 2), the planet has moved beyond its conjunction with the Sun (that is, its operating “beyond consciousness”) and has begun to trek through the degrees of the zodiac that it will later go back over during its retrograde.
So for some, you may have planets that have been operating as retrograde planets without realizing it! Planets that operate in step 2 are not going to be quite as intense as planets in steps 3-6, but you are still going to find the expression of that planet meeting resistance as you come up against the flow of the mainstream. Planets that are pre-retrograde have moved beyond the ability to integrate their needs and functions with consciousness. They are beginning to feel the pull of the retrograde cycle, yet they’re still moving forward.
It’s like standing on a beach as a wave comes up over the shore. It washes over your feet for a few moments before it returns back into the ocean, and you can feel the water pulling you as it does. At the same time, a second wave pushes up on the shore. For a moment, the wave that’s retreating is met with resistance by the wave that’s entering and there’s a collision of water. The retreating wave struggles to flow back while the cresting wave struggles to push forward. This is like the energy of the pre-retrograde phase; there is a subtle pull backward that is held in tension with a strong desire to keep pushing forward.
Through lived experience, this kind of planet can create a lot of frustration. Who wouldn’t be frustrated with that kind of push-pull energy? I have someone close to me who has their Mercury pre-retrograde. Except, I didn’t discover this until much later when I ran a series of progressed charts for them and realized Mercury was retrograde in one of them. Suddenly, my relationship with this person made more sense because we often experience challenges when communicating with each other. Sometimes we’ll have miscommunications, thinking we’re in disagreement, and then after a few minutes of debating, we suddenly realize we’re both saying the same thing, just in different ways. It’s like we talk circles around one another until we finally find our way to a mutual middle. An amusing, if not frustrating, phenomenon.
You can figure out if you have pre-retrograde planets by checking out an ephemeris for the year you were born. For those who don’t know, an ephemeris is an astrological tool which details the daily positions of each planet as they move through their monthly and yearly cycles. With an ephemeris, you can find the day you were born and what position that planet was in, and then look ahead two to three weeks to see if the planet ends up turning retrograde. If you want to get really specific about it, you can also check out what sign/degrees that planet retrogrades through and see if its position in your chart corresponds to any of those degrees.
I won’t get into the details of this because that would be a whole other article, but above, I mentioned using a progressed chart to discover a retrograde planet. Progressions are a different type of astrological chart which differs from the birth chart and transits. Briefly: the birth chart shows the “snapshot” of where planets were at the time of your birth; the transits show where planets are today (or whatever day you choose to look at); and progressions show “how the story’s going,” meaning they show how the planets have moved in your chart since you were born. Again, different topic for a different article, but I wanted to clarify in case anyone was wondering what the heck I referred to in my above example. Since progressions show how the planets have moved in your chart since you were born, if you were born right before a retrograde, those planets will eventually “progress” into a retrograde.
They will also eventually “progress” out of a retrograde. This is important because if you were born just before or during a planetary retrograde, as your planets progress throughout your life, eventually they will move beyond those retrograde characteristics as can be seen in a progressed chart. The takeaway: even if you were born with a retrograde planet, it does not mean you will experience its energy as retrograde (the tide coming in) for your entire life. This primarily pertains to the personal planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars), but it’s an important point to recognize if you do have one or more of those planets retrograde in your natal chart.
Going back to the cycle phases, again, I’m not going to discuss these in detail because that could encompass a whole book. And it has! Check out Joanne Wickenburg’s book if you want to investigate that further. I will, however, give some brief descriptors to show how the energy of a planet’s expression differs depending on its retrograde phase:
Phase 1: The planet has just started to move beyond consciousness (conjunction with the Sun). Themes pertaining to the “overextension” of this planet’s expression may begin to arise, but they will be much more subtle.
Phase 2: The planet’s expression begins to come up against the flow of the mainstream. It’s operating beyond its ability to integrate its experiences into consciousness, and it expresses itself in a push-pull kind of energy. The tide is flowing both in and out now. There is a need to reevaluate and go back over details, but the individual doesn’t recognize this and wants to keep pushing forward and doing “business as usual.”
Phase 3: The planet is coming to a halt, so its energy is very intense. This makes the planet’s expression very powerful and there can be great creativity, but also a tendency to be rash, impulsive and unrelenting. The planet is “unmoving,” so to speak, so the individual doesn’t want to compromise its expression.
Phase 4: The planet has begun to move backward. It requires a great deal of reflection and contemplation regarding its needs and expressions. If the individual tries to behave the way the mainstream does, they will run into malfunctions and resistance. They feel misunderstood and are struggling to figure out why. There’s a lot of trial and error in this phase as it takes time for the individual to realize they need to take a pause before attempting to move forward.
Phase 5: This is the most important/intense phase of the retrograde cycle. The “ah-ha” moment of it all. As the planet opposes the Sun, it is illuminated. It is still running into resistance as it tries to express itself, but now the individual understands why. They begin to piece together their unique, individual needs in regards to the retrograde planet in order to feel fulfilled. There is still frustration and tension here, but it’s a more constructive process leading to enlightenment.
Phase 6: The second half of the retrograde phase actually holds more responsibility. Now that the individual recognizes the planet’s unique needs and how those differ from the mainstream, they are challenged to put them into practice. They must exercise the same kind of caution and thoughtfulness in the planet’s expression as the previous stages, while now knowing more specifically why they must do so.
Phase 7: Once again, the planet holds incredibly intense energy as it comes to a halt. There is extra emphasis on its energetic expression, but now it holds more power as the individual knows how to behave in ways that differ from most of society. There is more confidence in this stage than the retrograde station. There’s a sense of excitement and inspiration. The planet is a powerhouse of potential.
Phase 8: These planets are what we would consider “typical behavior” or direct planets. This is how they operate when “normal,” able to move congruently with the flow of society.
There’s one more component to retrograde planets that I want to mention. This is only just a little bit technical compared to our previous discussion, so bear with me. Direct planets normally operate by fulfilling the needs of their primary ruling signs first, followed by their secondary sign. For example, Mercury rules both Gemini and Virgo. When direct in someone’s chart, Mercury must first fulfill the needs of Gemini (it’s primary rulership) before moving on to fulfill the needs of Virgo. This means Mercury needs to collect information and share it with other people to exchange and compare ideas. Once it has done this, it can then fulfill the needs of Virgo (it’s secondary rulership). It will “digest” the information, put it into a coherent order, and then find a practical application for it.
However, when Mercury is retrograde in a natal chart, it must operate in reverse. That is, it must fulfill the needs of Virgo first before it can fulfill the needs of Gemini. This means that whatever information Mercury receives, it needs to first internally digest that information, make sense or “order” of it, and put it into practice on a personal level. It can then take that information and share it with others. Hence, there is a strong need to reflect and contemplate things when planets are retrograde. We must go back over the details before bringing that expression outside of ourselves and into society.
As another example, let’s look at Venus. When direct, Venus first must meet the needs of Taurus (it’s primary rulership). It must create a sense of grounding and stability, find personal security and define what its values are for itself. Once it feels secure in itself, Venus can then satisfy the needs of Libra (it’s secondary rulership) by sharing and connecting with others. As it does so, Venus can truly appreciate how others are different from itself because it operates from a place of security and self-worth.
When retrograde, Venus must function in reverse. First, Venus must meet with others and listen to their needs, values and perspectives. It then can reflect on these perspectives and compare how they are similar or different, which teaches Venus more about itself. Once Venus is done with this comparison, it can satisfy the needs of Taurus by cultivating a sense of personal security through defining its values. It needed information from outside of itself (Libra/relationships) to be able to reevaluate and recognize its own security needs and sense of self-worth.
To paint this example more colorfully, let’s say society has told Venus that in order to be secure, one must work an 8-5 job. Once in that job, Venus can meet like-minded people and connect. So Venus jumps into this work without really thinking about it, just like the rest of mainstream society. Instead of connecting with others in her job, Venus feels misunderstood and like an outsider. She’s struggling to make ends meet, spending more money than she makes, and she also doesn’t feel very valuable or good about herself.
Venus then begins to talk to other people about what they do for a living, how they like their jobs, and how their relationships are going. As she talks to these people, she begins to reflect on her own experiences and realizes that the work she’s been doing is out of alignment with her personal values. Even though her job is fine for some people, she’s just different, and that’s okay. She decides to quit her job and start her own business. She gets to determine her own schedule and choose the types of people she associates with through her work. Her relationships blossom and she suddenly finds herself earning more money than she’s ever made. Perhaps more importantly, she feels good about herself and finally realizes her personal worth.
You may be wondering, what about the outer planets which rule signs that once had traditional rulers? That is, Aquarius was once ruled by Saturn rather than Uranus; Pisces was once ruled by Jupiter rather than Neptune; and Scorpio was once ruled by Mars rather than Pluto. If we allow each of these planets continued “co-rulership” of these signs, we can solve this puzzle. I’ll break this down to make it clearer:
· Jupiter rules Sagittarius (primary) and Pisces (secondary) — when retrograde, Jupiter first fulfills Pisces’ needs and then Sagittarius’
· Saturn rules Capricorn (primary) and Aquarius (secondary) — when retrograde, Saturn first fulfills Aquarius’ needs and then Capricorn’s
· Uranus rules Aquarius (primary) and Capricorn (secondary) — when retrograde, Uranus first fulfills Capricorn’s needs and then Aquarius’
· Neptune rules Pisces (primary) and Sagittarius (secondary) — when retrograde, Neptune first fulfills Sagittarius’s needs and then Pisces’
· Pluto rules Scorpio (primary) and Aries (secondary) — when retrograde, Pluto first fulfills Aries’ needs and then Scorpio’s
I realize this is a little unorthodox, but it’s what Wickenburg proposes in her book, and I think it makes a lot of sense when you think about it. As an example, with Uranus: when direct, this planet breaks down existing, outdated structures in order to be independent and free to express its authenticity (Aquarius). It then takes these expressions into society to revolutionize tradition (Capricorn). When retrograde, Uranus must first learn how to operate within established society (Capricorn). Once there, it uncovers the need for outdated structures to be reformed and revolutionizes society from within (Aquarius). A common characteristic of folks with Uranus retrograde in their birth chart is to be a “secret rebel.” Someone who is very unique and individualized below the surface, but most of the outer world has no idea.
Okay, so what have we learned? We now know that when you have retrograde planets in your birth chart, it means you carry a unique expression of those planets that is going to help facilitate the evolution of human consciousness by bringing special attention to those planetary functions within the mainstream. What the mainstream does, concerning these planets, doesn’t work for you. You have unique, individual needs that must be discovered and implemented if you are to feel a sense of fulfillment.
Prior to this discovery, you may experience frustration and tension; you may feel isolated, lonely or misunderstood. However, these planets are also extra unique and powerful. You are learning to use them in a whole new way. You’re the inventor, in this sense, and you’re going to revolutionize human consciousness. It can be a bit tricky navigating what your personal needs are, but with some thoughtful focus, awareness and reflection, you can discover your unique talents and find fulfillment as you implement them.
One of the ways you can make this discovery is by consciously practicing the reverse expression of your retrograde planets. Meaning, you can bring more awareness to how those planets are fulfilling the needs of the signs they rule. If you have Mercury retrograde in your chart, you can work on digesting information and ordering it more coherently before you jump in and share it with others. If you have retrograde Saturn in your chart, you can work on defining what feels authentic, what are your needs for freedom and what makes you different from others before you integrate into society and step into an authoritative role.
While natal retrograde planets offer special challenges, they also offer special gifts. They indicate that you are unique, that you have something different to offer to the world. It may take a little time and effort to figure out what you have to offer and how you can offer it, but when you do, you will teach others a whole new way of being. You will be a walking example of how to consciously live in this world and how we can all shift the trajectory of humanity’s evolution.