Your Guide to Mastering Retrogrades
“Mercury must be retrograde.”
You've probably heard this excuse when someone has a tech mishap, miscommunication, or some other similar challenge 😅 But if you’ve ever found yourself wondering, “What does it even mean when Mercury is retrograde?” 😵💫 I’m here to answer that question!
When a planet is “retrograde,” it refers to the period of time that the planet APPEARS to be spinning backwards. However, this is just an illusion caused by the position of the Earth in relation to the planet. After all, a planet in orbit always travels in one set direction and can’t suddenly just reverse course!
So, what actually happens during Mercury Retrograde? 🤔
Mercury rules intellect and communication, so when it goes retrograde, it’s time to slow your thought process, journal more, and reflect on conversations. And ignore ❌ all the fear-mongering out there! The phrase "Mercury Retrograde" has been a buzzword for some time now on social media, and it’s usually accompanied by a heaping amount of fear-mongering. Social media posts love to forewarn people not to travel, not to sign any contracts, and to simply prepare for the worst during the weeks of Mercury Retrograde.
As you can imagine, that doesn’t fly with me. I believe that Mercury Retrograde is a time to be aware, not beware!
By the way, not just Mercury goes retrograde! Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto all go retrograde at various intervals. While Mercury goes retrograde 3-4 times a year, for about 3 weeks each time, the slow-moving outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) go retrograde less frequently.
Okay, but why do retrogrades matter? Well, when a planet is retrograde, you can look at 3 things:
Which planet is retrograde
This tells you the focus of the retrograde.
What sign the retrograde planet is in
This tells you what area of life the retrograde will affect. This will be the same for everyone on Earth.
What house the retrograde planet is transiting
This tells you the secondary area of your life the retrograde will affect. This will be unique to you and your personal Natal Chart.
For example, let’s say that Saturn 🪐 (which rules life lessons, work, and purpose) is retrograde in the sign of Pisces (which rules dreams, hopes, and goals), and is transiting the 5th house (which rules creativity, joy, and self-expression) on your Natal Chart.
Here’s exactly what this retrograde would mean for you and how it would show up in your life: This is a time period of reevaluating your dreams and hopes 💭 - do they truly align with your sense of purpose? How can you make these dreams real? This is also a time to reevaluate the things that you do for fun - how can you add more joy into your daily life?
When planets go retrograde, they invite you to take a break from your external world and go within - giving you the opportunity to reconsider, adjust, and course correct within your career, relationships, projects, and more!
The bottom line: Retrogrades are such marvelous windows of opportunity! 🪟
Ready to master these time periods and finally feel like you are moving forwards (not retrograde 😉)? Then book a free connection call today, so you can turn retrogrades into the stepping stones towards your success!
For more on Mercury Retrograde, check out this blog post.
