Mercury, the planet of communication, transportation, and technology, which turns retrograde for three weeks, three or four times a year, is the most well-known retrograde. Arguments and misunderstandings flare up, plans derail, vehicles malfunction, and computers unexpectedly breakdown during a Mercury retrograde cycle. Astrologers advise taking preventative measures, such as backing up your digital files before this period starts, delaying any deals, and preparing to repeat or explain yourself a few more times.
Every 18 months, Venus, the planet of love, goes into retrograde, which can highlight any weak points in a marriage or bring back ex-lovers. Although the headlines are regularly flooded with celebrity breakups each time Venus goes crazy, astrologers advise against proposals, weddings, and any big relationship moves during this 4-6 week period. Every two years, Mars goes into retrograde for around two months, which can lead to strife and violence.
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, together known as the “outer planets,” all go retrograde for four to five months each year. Therefore, forget about hiding under a rock because at least one planet is usually retrograde, if not more.
In This Article...
Every planet has a retrograde, right?
Bestie, I hate to break it to you, but you need to be concerned about more than simply Mercury retrograde. Okay, so that was a tad theatrical, but every planet does go retrograde once in a while. Additionally, each planet’s retrograde period might have real-world repercussions, just like the infamous Mercury retrograde. This isn’t an excuse to go crazy and spend the rest of your life in your flat. Instead, knowing which planets are retrograde can help you make sense of possible events in your life.
It’s natural if, instance, during Mercury retrograde, it seems like everything in your life is stumbling along and coming to a grinding halt. The illusion generated by planets during their retrograde periods, when the planet starts moving so slowly that it appears to be going backward, is what is actually meant by the name “retrograde.” According to which planet is retrograde and what that planet rules in astrology, retrogrades are simply periods during which your life may slow down dramatically and cause you to revisit particular themes or challenges. For instance, it is claimed that Mercury has an impact on communication and logic, two important aspects of daily living. You might run into problems in these areas since Mercury isn’t moving forward as effectively when it travels retrograde. Venus, the planet of love, money, and pleasure, is presently going through its 2022 retrograde period until January 29. This may help to clarify any current issues you may be having with money or relationships.
Keeping track of all the planets on your own might be difficult because they have distinct retrograde phases that last for different amounts of time. Here is a list of each planet’s retrograde durations so you can see which planets are always in retrograde and when to give yourself a break.
Do Mercury’s retrograde periods last 88 days?
The night sky’s objects appear to “travel from east to west through the night sky” due to the Earth’s daily rotation. The other planets in our Solar System all orbit the Sun at different rates, whereas the stars’ positions in relation to the Earth are fixed, at least from our vantage point.
The wider orbits of the outer planetsMars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptuneallow them to orbit the Sun more slowly than Earth does. As a result, throughout its orbit around the Sun, the Earth frequently passes in front of these planets.
An outer planet that the Earth passes over temporarily appears to be moving backward in relation to the stars.
Imagine two vehicles traveling in separate lanes along a highway in the same direction. Even if the slower automobile is still moving rather quickly in the same direction, if one car is moving faster than the other, it will appear to the person in the faster car that the slower car is moving backward.
The same mechanism that causes Mercury and Venus to become retrograde also causes them to move backwards. When they lap us, Mercury and Venus seem to go into retrograde.
Mercury’s 88-day orbit around the Sun causes the Swift Planet to turn retrograde three or four times a year, for a total of around three weeks at a time. Retrograde motion is less frequent but lasts longer for outer planets.
How frequently does Mercury go retrograde each year?
Mercury appears to move backward across the sky three times a year. These intervals are referred to as Mercury retrograde or simply Mercury retrograde periods. These times in particular were traditionally regarded by astrologers as being marked by uncertainty, lag, and frustration. Think of unfinished love letters, careless emails, and hurried travel arrangements! However, it is thought that intuition is strong at this time, making it a great time to think back on the past. Exceptional coincidences can occur.
What Is Retrograde Motion?
Comprehending that the planets in our solar system orbit the Sun at various distances and velocities is the first step in understanding the astronomical reason for retrograde motion. We can see the other planets traveling across our sky along their own courses while we ourselves round the Sun.
From our vantage point, a planet may occasionally seem to have abruptly reversed course and begun to move backward across the sky. The fact that Earth is positioned so close to the planet creates this illusion since a planet in orbit cannot suddenly change its course and always moves in the same direction. Because it merely appears that the planet is traveling backward (“retrograde motion”), this phenomenon is known as apparent retrograde motion.
When Is Mercury in Retrograde in 2022?
Mercury will appear to be moving backwards in 2022 between the dates listed below.
- 13 January to 3 February
- October 1 to September 9
- 28 December to 18 January (2023)
What You Should Do When Mercury is Retrograde
Mercury is the planet that governs all forms of communication, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening, as well as activities that are closely tied to communication, such as contracts and negotiations. It also governs transportation, motor vehicles, shipping, and mail.
As a result, when Mercury is in retrograde, strive to maintain your flexibility, patience, and understanding. Also, give yourself extra time to travel. Before you take that vacation, double verify your email responses and contact the bookings.
Review projects and plans during these times, but don’t make any decisions that are definitive until Mercury is direct once more. You can’t stop life, but you can prepare for it by planning ahead, having backup plans, and being understanding of other people’s shorter attention spans.
Take a Moment to Reflect
Some people attribute all the upheaval in their life to Mercury being in retrograde. But now is a good moment to take a step back and consider what you focused your efforts on.
If your faith and family are essential to you, for instance, are you investing enough time and effort in them, or have you become overcommitted to other activities like your job or a hobby? Being conscious of the links between different aspects of your lifeespecially during Mercury retrogrademay help you keep that equilibrium or at the very least, better understand how it functions. Losing that balance can have an adverse effect on all of them.
Think about that for a moment. When Mercury is in retrograde, it can be a great time to sit back and reevaluate who you are and what you are doing, but wait to make any significant changes until after the retrograde is over.
Mercury and the Zodiac
The zodiac sign Earth is in when Mercury turns retrograde affects the kind of effect you experience as well. There are 12 zodiac signs.
Check out our monthly horoscopes and learn more about the characteristics of the various zodiac signs. By consulting your zodiac profile for gardening, you can make sure that nothing goes wrong with your gardening during Mercury’s retrograde.
What retrograde is the rarest?
It’s crucial to understand that retrograde motion is an optical illusion brought on by the different orbital speeds of earth and other solar system celestial entities. Although no planet ever actually stops or reverses its motion, symbolism is crucial in astrology.
Astrologers frequently refer to a planet as being stationary direct, stationary retrograde, or simply stationing when discussing retrograde planets.
A planet that is moving normally, or that is traveling along its regular orbit as seen from Earth, is referred to be stationary direct. We refer to stationing as the apparent stop that occurs during it. We refer to something that has changed direction and appears to be travelling backwards as being immobile retrograde. The planet will temporarily station once more at the conclusion of its retrograde motion before restarting its stationing direct forward motion.
Therefore, throughout a retrograde cycle, a planet travels through the same area of the zodiac three times: once forward, once backward, and once again forward. The shadow is the area of the zodiac that is unique for each planet during each retrograde.
Each planet expresses its energies in a more introverted, solitary way than usual during its retrograde phase.
Events, conditions, and circumstances will signpost toward the problems you’ll need to internalize throughout the next retrograde motion phase when a planet initially begins its retrograde shadow while still moving forward in direct motion at that time.
You will revisit, rethink, rework, rebalance, and redo things, acts, and thoughts that have been brought to your attention during the first phase of the retrograde motion, which is the second phase.
Finally, you should be able to put what you’ve learned from this retrograde period to use as the planet turns direct once more and moves ahead to its original starting point. This is how growth occurs, even though your psychology plays a large part in the process described above.
Your birth chart, also known as your natal chart, will be indicated as retrograde if you were born during a time when one or more planets were in retrograde motion. Natal retrograde planets differ slightly from the planet’s typical energy in how they present themselves in your birth chart.
When a natal retrograde planet has a large effect in the birth chart, it usually has a covert quality; you may express this energy covertly, with guilt, or in some other way that is hidden from others, or you may find it difficult to express it at all.
For these individuals, insecurities regarding intelligence and learning might have a negative impact on schooling, but they are typically able to return to school later, making up for lost time and frequently emerge quite successful. When Mercury is in retrograde at birth, you should work on developing self-confidence.
The natal Venus retrograde is the least common of all the retrogrades, occurring in about 7% of persons.
Early social difficulty and timidity can cause natal Venus retrograde people to fall in love slowly or become overly dependent on a partner. Some people may unintentionally ruin their relationships by questioning their own self-worth, while others may find it difficult to positively communicate their emotions.
A person who struggles to preserve their sense of self or who is too easily pushed around by others may have Mars retrograde in their natal chart. Although this person most likely struggles under pressure and under stress, when given the freedom to pursue their goals in their own way, they possess immense inner resources and determination.
It’s vital not to overinterpret this since nearly 40% of people are born with a natal Jupiter retrograde.
However, natal Jupiter retrograde can cause a great deal of stress and anxiety when it occupies a powerful position in the astrological chart, making it difficult to maximize one’s prospects in life. Jupiter retrograde people occasionally don’t think they deserve luck or fortune, which can unintentionally hurt their chances.
People with Saturn retrograde in their birth chart may struggle with issues of responsibility. Fear of falling short of standards or disappointing others causes people to feel put upon, which ultimately causes them to become resentful. When Saturn is in retrograde at birth, it’s crucial to establish boundaries and learn how to say no.
It is a common feature in a natal chart because 40 percent of people are born with a natal Uranus retrograde.
However, natal Uranus retrograde can cause a lot of wilfulness and sudden bursts of unpredictable behavior when it is unusually strong in the astrology chart, which is not always in the best interests of the person in question. Rebellion and a lack of respect for authority are likely to be lifetime issues.
You are almost as likely to have a natal Pluto retrograde as not, since it affects about 45 percent of people at birth.
Pluto’s retrograde period may cause you to keep more information to yourself than you should and perhaps become paranoid if Pluto is a significant planet in your birth chart. There is a focus on secrecy and frequently a great deal of mistrust.
In which retrograde are we currently in 2021?
Again, Mercury is in retrograde. In astrology, Mercury is the planet that primarily governs communication. Mercury entered retrograde motion on September 27, 2021, and it will remain in that state through October 18, 2021. Mercury looks to be moving backward from west to east while it is in retrograde.
Is there now a retrograde in 2022?
January 14February 3, 2022, is the first retrograde period. May 10June 3, 2022, is the second retrograde period. September 9October 2, 2022, is the third retrograde period. December 29 until January 18, 2023, is the fourth retrograde.
What affects humans does retrograde have?
What effect it’s having on your energy levels Expect to have either more or less energy than usual, especially worried energy. will either drain you of your typical vigor, leaving you feeling tired, or fill you with chaotic, scattered energy, possibly leaving you feeling restless, distracted, and agitated.
What zodiac signs will be impacted by the 2021 Mercury retrograde?
The other cardinal signs in the other elements will feel this particular backward turn the most because it is occurring in cardinal Libra. Aries (cardinal fire), Cancer (cardinal water), and Capricorn are included in this (cardinal earth). Aries, it will manifest in your fourth house of domestic life, Cancer, your seventh house of partnerships, and Cap, your tenth house of careers.
What zodiac signs will be impacted by the 2022 Mercury retrograde?
When you believe you have everything under control and your troubles solved, Mercury retrograde seems to mix things up. There’s always a problem lurking around the corner when it comes to astrology, and nothing illustrates this more than when Mercury, the planet of thought and communication, starts to move backward through the zodiac rather than ahead. Taurus, Gemini, Scorpio, and Sagittarius are the zodiac signs that will be most impacted by Mercury retrograde in spring 2022, so you *might* want to get ready for some technical issues soon.
Mercury usually stirs up temporary turbulence and commotion when it stations retrograde. This retrograde, which occurs three to four times a year, is nothing new to you because you’ve already encountered it numerous times. In other words, there is no need to be concerned; the world will not end, and you will survive it unharmed. Although miscommunications and misunderstandings frequently occur when Mercury is retrograde, it is also a lovely time to reflect on your life, look back on previous endeavors, and take care of any unfinished business.
Mercury retrograde this spring starts on May 10 at 4 degrees Gemini, going backwards. Mercury rules this mutable air sign, so this will be a typical retrograde experience marked by confusion and diversion. Think carefully before you speak, especially if you’re twisting the truth. On May 22, Mercury will reenter Taurus, slowing down the intensity of this retrograde and making it more frustrating for Mercury, who already finds it difficult to move through this rigid fixed earth sign. Fortunately, everything will finish on June 3 just as swiftly as it began.
What the astrological signs listed below should be aware of is: