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The apparent reversal · What it really means
— Right now
— The astronomy
The planets do not reverse direction. They orbit the Sun in the same direction they always have.
What we see from Earth is different. Mercury and Venus orbit inside Earth's orbit. Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto orbit outside it. When Earth overtakes a slower outer planet, or when an inner planet passes between Earth and the Sun, the body appears to slow down, stop against the fixed stars, and move backwards for a period, before stopping again and resuming its forward motion.
The illusion is exactly like overtaking a slower car on the motorway. For a moment the other car seems to drift backwards relative to the hedges. It has not changed direction. You have simply moved past it.
Astronomical fact: a retrograde is a real and predictable optical effect, observable with a telescope and calculable centuries in advance. Astrological claim: the appearance of retrograde motion corresponds to a shift in how that planet's energy expresses. Both can be true. They are answering different questions.
Watch Earth overtake Mars · Mars appears to reverse
— The full arc
A retrograde is not one event. It is a sequence.
First the planet slows as it approaches the degree where it will eventually station. That approach is the pre-shadow — already Mercury-flavoured, though Mercury is still technically direct. Then it stops. That is the station retrograde, the most intense moment of the cycle. Then the apparent backwards motion, typically for three weeks in Mercury's case, longer for outer planets. Then another stop: the station direct. Then the post-shadow, as the planet returns to and passes the degree where it originally stationed.
Most articles describe only the middle phase. Practitioners who work with retrogrades seriously pay attention to all five.
The shadow phases are when themes arrive and depart. The stations are when they intensify. The retrograde proper is the working-through.
— Who goes retrograde, and how often
| Planet | How often | Duration | In a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☿Mercury | Three or four times a year | About three weeks | ~9–12 weeks retrograde |
| ♀Venus | Every 18 months | About 40 days | Usually none, or one window |
| ♂Mars | Every two years | Around 10 weeks | Usually none, or one window |
| ♃Jupiter | Once a year | About four months | Always once |
| ♄Saturn | Once a year | About four and a half months | Always once |
| ♅Uranus | Once a year | About five months | Always once |
| ♆Neptune | Once a year | About five months | Always once |
| ♇Pluto | Once a year | About five months | Always once |
| ⛉Chiron | Once a year | About four to five months | Always once |
— By body
“A retrograde is not a curse. It is the sky asking you to finish what you started before you start the next thing. If you can do that, the backwards weeks work for you. If you cannot, they will show you why.”
— Practical
What retrogrades are for
What they resist
— Frequently asked
Generate your free natal chart and find out which planets were retrograde the day you were born — and what they carry in your life now.