If you’re looking for guidance on what your unique gifts, purposes and lessons in this life are, your personal astrology birth chart is the place to start. Analysing the planets in retrograde in your birth chart offers up some very interesting insight, and may just help you navigate this life with more ease and grace.
We’ve all heard of Mercury Retrograde – it’s the buzzword of mainstream astrology – but all the other planets (except the Sun and the Moon, of course) also go through periods of retrograde.
Each planet in retrograde has its own lessons, which the collective feels on a broader scale.
But for an extra bit of insight into how you function and your unique life path, we can look at which planets were in retrograde when you were born.
What does it mean when a planet is in retrograde?
Planets are said to be in retrograde when they appear to be moving backwards in the sky for a period of time, from our perspective here on Earth. But the planets aren’t actually moving backwards – they’re still orbiting the sun in the same way. Retrogrades are just a fun illusion for us on Earth because we are orbiting the sun at a different speed than the other planets.
Every planet turns retrograde for different periods of time. Mercury is the most frequent retrograde; no surprises there, since it’s the one every talks about.
What does this mean from an astrological perspective?
When a planet is in retrograde, the collective feels an energy of slowing down, turning inwards, reflecting and re-evaluating in the areas of their life that planet rules over.
So let’s take Venus, who rules the areas of love, relationships & money: when she’s in retrograde, it’s an invitation to halt the dating apps for a little while, and write a list of what you want in a partner (or maybe realise that your soulmate has been living next door this whole time…)
And the same principle applies if a planet was in retrograde at the time of your birth.
What do retrograde planets in my birth chart mean?
Each planet in your birth chart represents different parts of your personality and functioning. Having retrograde planets in your birth chart adds some fun to the mix.
When a planet is retrograde in your chart, it means that area of your life feels more inwardly focused or internal, rather than externally expressed. You may feel that energy more strongly, but also keep it hidden – it can feel difficult to handle, or maybe you experience shyness or awkwardness when trying to express it.
It could also mean that energy was not allowed to be expressed outwardly in your childhood, and now in your adult life that part of you feels ‘repressed.’ Perhaps for a Venus retrograde child, they were discouraged when they tried on make-up and high heels, being denied the chance to enjoy making themselves feel beautiful, and now they find it difficult to express that side of them.
Some karmic astrologers believe that retrograde planets show links to a past life.
How do I find retrograde planets in my chart?
Run your birth chart. Looking at the table on the left, look for any planets that have an ‘r’ following the degrees sign. These are the planets that were in retrograde at your time of birth.
On average, most birth charts have two or three planets in retrograde.
- If you have zero or one retrograde planet: it’s likely you developed life skills early on, or don’t feel the need to ‘go inward’ very often. Outward expression comes naturally to you.
- If you have four+ retrograde planets: you’re probably very reflective and inwardly focused. You might feel different to everyone else, because you follow your own values. Since going inward comes naturally to you, you develop great wisdom throughout life.
Now that you’ve identified which planets are in retrograde, let’s decipher what that means for you.
Mercury Retrograde
Reflective mind, non-traditional learners.
You process information differently to others, so the school study system may have felt particularly difficult for you – this probably made you doubt your intelligence. But the truth is, your mind just prefers experimenting and absorbing from situations around you.
You may be overly self-critical, and spend a lot of time analysing, double-checking and replaying before you communicate a thought.
Your Karmic Lesson: learn to speak openly. You’re good with words, but doubt your ability to express them.
Venus Retrograde
Hopeless romantic or intimacy-phobic.
You’re a deep feeler – but you have trouble opening up. Maybe you’re uncomfortable showing others how deeply you want to love and be loved, or maybe you come across as shy or avoidant of intimacy. You were probably a shy child, but only because superficial small talk makes you awkward, and there’s a deep need for love that you tend to hide.
You may also experience deep insecurities in relationships (not feeling attractive enough, lovable enough) and these fears can lead to self-sabotaging behaviours like shutting off from intimacy or serial dating. You likely struggle with self-love.
Your Karmic Lesson: learn how to express your depth and share your big heart in a healthy way, with others and with yourself.
Mars Retrograde
Standoffish, passive, indecisive.
Standing up for yourself doesn’t come easy. Mars, the fiery planet of aggression, is watered down in your chart – meaning you tend to go after what you want in a roundabout way, you don’t enjoy competition (you’re better off setting your own pace and working on your schedule) and can approach issues with passive-aggressive tendencies rather than confront them head on.
You’re probably afraid of risks and find yourself stuck – unable to choose a side, make a decision, take the first step.
Sometimes you keep emotions or thoughts in (especially anger) for so long they build up and start to leak out, or explode.
Your Karmic Lesson: find creative ways of expressing yourself and understand that sometimes, assertive, decisive behaviour is what works best.
As we move into the outer planets, retrogrades occur more frequently – so it is more common for you to have the following planets retrograde in your chat.
Jupiter Retrograde
Quirky, non-comformist, philosophical.
You probably have different values and perspectives to the mainstream, or rejected your parent’s beliefs. You have a rich, expansive inner life and love learning from your own experiences, rather than taking on others’ beliefs.
You may have never felt ‘lucky’ – and as a result, you’re a planner. You worry about your future more than others, who naturally feel entitled to abundance, happiness and love.
Your Karmic Lesson: remind yourself that you inherently deserve goodness in your life, just like everyone else. Let go, and trust.
If you want help decoding your birth chart to understand more about yourself, book in a personalised Astrology Reading today!
Saturn Retrograde
Self-doubting, put on a brave face.
You feel guilty often, don’t you? And even though you appear stoic and put-together, on the inside you’re often wracked with anxiety and worry (but god forbid anyone see that vulnerable side of you).
You might especially fear letting others down, not being responsible or not make good choices. And authority figures, rules and social etiquette either make you nervous or rebellious.
Saturn Retrograde can also manifest as either a desire to control or micromanage things, to be the ‘responsible’ one, or feeling really uncomfortable with an overly discipline, rigid life.
Your Karmic Lesson: become more organised. Chaos stifles your growth.
Uranus Retrograde
Inner rebel, afraid of change
Relatively conventional on the outside, but got lots of eccentricities on the inside? Must be a Uranus Retrograde native. You’re not as inclined to flaunt your quirks, and this can even create a build up of rebellious energy that just has to burst out of you after years of following the rules.
You may also be someone who clings to the old ways – especially a mistrust of new technology and improvements.
Your Karmic Lesson: express your own individuality, instead of blending in. Find yourself, and express that proudly.
Neptune Retrograde
Dreamy and spiritual, but afraid to show it.
You have a vivid imagination and love to dream or escape; you’re deeply compassionate; you have a strong spiritual side. But you’re afraid to show it. You prefer to keep those parts of your private.
You’re probably susceptible to negative energy, since you’re so finely tuned, and need lots of alone time to recharge.
You can also be naturally mistrustful, of other people, of situations working out or of accomplishing your dreams. It feels as if a deep sense of faith, that others may have naturally, is missing.
Your Karmic Lesson: learn how to feel safe sharing your spiritual gifts. Cultivate a connection with the divine, to restore your faith.
Pluto Retrograde
Inner desire for power
Those with Pluto Retrograde have suppressed anger and issues around power and control. They fear being manipulated or betrayed, but they also have a deep desire to be in control.
Your Karmic Lesson: find healthy ways of moving your anger around your body. Unearth what you fear being out of control with, so you can deal in a healthy, conscious way.
I’d love to hear which planets you have retrograde in your chart, and if the Karmic Lessons resonated with you!
With love,
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