6 Retrograde planets: how are you dealing with yours?

Kali

Well-known member
I have 5. And that's a great article, btw. Good luck finding lots of other reliable info, as I think it is one of those subjects that is little understood in astrology.

I find in myself and the few others I see with lots of retrogrades is an internalizing of the energy and pulling inward. But like anything else in astrology, it depends on how the whole chart flows. My Pluto touches everything, every planet and luminary and major angle. I feel that retrograde intensely. Some of the other retrograde planets, not as much. (Or not as much on a conscious level?)

Do you have other weirdnesses in your chart? What I don't have retrograde, I have out of bounds, and Mars is both. Nothing in my chart behaves as it "ought." But that's okay, the world needs retrograde/oob individuals....
 

JUPITERASC

Well-known member
Re: Retrograde planets + house' cusp

Hello,

All my planets are retrograde except for Mars and Venus so a total of 6.

I found a very interesting article on this by Gregory Rozek http://gregoryrozek.com/en/retrogradeplanets/
I really feel the "matrix" experience he speaks about :).

Also, 7/10 planets sit near house cusps (+/-3° maximum). What is the combine effect of retrogradation + house cusp conjunction, if any? Do these planets still strongly influence both houses despite being retrograde?

Any personal or professionnal experiences on that? Guess? Thoughts? Adivce on dealing with this?

:)
Many natal charts have outers retrograde because the outers may retrograde for a year or more
however
It is rare to find Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn all simultaneously retrograde
:smile:
 

CapAquaPis

Well-known member
I have 4 planets in retrograde (Jupiter, Mars and Saturn in Virgo-3rd house, and Pluto in Libra-4th) on my chart. I'm still learning about planets in retrograde in astrology, both in natal charts and horary (horoscopes). Someone should describe each planet in retrograde meaning in this thread.
 

chappygirl

Well-known member
I do feel that inward energy you refer to.

Despite being very sociable and having people around me, I feel very different in my way of thinking, so lonely in a way. But the good side of it is that it really gives me, as for my experience, a wide view on a situation. Maybe the "ability" is due to something else in my chart, I dont know.

I have a few questions for retrograde people/those who know retrograde people:

How do you see the world around you?
How are you seen by others?
How do you relate to this impression others have of you (is their impression the opposite of who you truly are or think)?
How do you "view/understand" a given situation or the world in general as compared to people around you?

@CapAqua:
This article gives some understanding of retrograde planets.
http://www.cafeastrology.com/natal/retrogradesinthenatalchart.html

Would be nice though to have some insight from experienced astrologers on the cumulative effect of retrograde planets in a natal chart

:)
 
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Kali

Well-known member
I understand what you mean about getting a 360 of situations. I am an empath. I can read a room full of people in minutes and tell you all sorts of things about them--that they would never realize are visible. I can sometimes see people's trauma--who caused it, how it affects them. I don't often share that though, unless someone makes it obvious that they are ready to deal with it as I firmly believe that unsolicited help is not help.

I take on roles and be what is needed then, and then lay the role aside when it is finished. It's very much a reaction to those I'm with and based on their needs. I work with youth, and for that reason, I find myself pulled to the misfit kids. I am the tough adult, the silly adult, the soft adult, per their needs, but often the only one who understands them.

I think because it is easy to me get lost in others, I need physical reassurance of myself. When I have some particularly difficult mergings or I've been too long in public places, I find that I need sensation to bring me back and separate me. I get in the car and drive too fast because I need to feel the cornering. The radio is blasting so I feel the music in my chest and the windows are down so I feel the sharp cold of the wind. People see that and see happy-go-lucky. In truth, it is refuge from others and solitude.

I am very private in my personal life and let very few people into my interior world, past my public personas. Even those that are "in" just get glimpses. I don't wish to lock out those close to me, I just find myself editing my words and actions perhaps too much.
 

chappygirl

Well-known member
that perfectly fits with how I feel...
I understand what you mean about getting a 360 of situations. I am an empath. I can read a room full of people in minutes and tell you all sorts of things about them--that they would never realize are visible. I can sometimes see people's trauma--who caused it, how it affects them
Same. of past situations AND of future situations based on the information i am given. This is not due to intuition because this view is only based on tangible facts: a smile, a look, a behaviour, a word, a behaviour, allure etc.
same with paintings, pictures, movies: I can analyse a painting like an art critic and just be spot on when I know nothing about arts or the painter loool

I take on roles and be what is needed then, and then lay the role aside when it is finished. It's very much a reaction to those I'm with and based on their needs. I work with youth, and for that reason, I find myself pulled to the misfit kids. I am the tough adult, the silly adult, the soft adult, per their needs, but often the only one who understands them.
same...
I am pulled to people in suffering.

I think because it is easy to me get lost in others, I need physical reassurance of myself. When I have some particularly difficult mergings or I've been too long in public places, I find that I need sensation to bring me back and separate me.
same. but I find my solitude in my trips where I like to travel alone (although I always meet people along the way).
But I like to go alone, ie, without someone I know because nobody will follow me in my trips and also because I'm done with the superficial vacationing so I dont want to go with them (being locked up in a bunker with other tourists is just not my thing).

I am very private in my personal life and let very few people into my interior world, past my public personas. Even those that are "in" just get glimpses. I don't wish to lock out those close to me, I just find myself editing my words and actions perhaps too much.
same again...

sometimes i feel its like looking at a house from the outside: its there, you see the shape, the architecture, the garden, the cwalls'colors etc...

People would stop guessing there, assuming they had seen all the outside details I saw; yet I cant help but go deeper and further like guessing, most of the time spot on, how is the interior designed, where are the rooms, the type of decorating and furniture used in the house... and all this based on some "clues" i saw previously from the outside (the same thing happens when i look at people or situation and i see "clues" that allow me to take a grasp of a situation or of a person). .. There are always clues out there.

So are retrograde people really "out of this world" when they seem to be "deeper" into that same world...?

I feel having retrograde planets is actually a chance to see the world as it REALLY is (and sometimes its painful) rather than how it appears to be. Maybe this is the gift that retrograde people have...
 
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I have 6 planets in retrogade, and I feel very different from everyone else. I feel that I see things prism like while most see things more narrow minded. I feel very humanistic and that the world is stacked against me. I've experienced major blows in my life. Loss of husband, miscarriage, a daughter that was premature. I feel like I don't belong or am from this planet. I feel it is hard for me to make friends although I care for humans as a whole greatly..
 

chappygirl

Well-known member
@Celeste777
I am sorry for your losses and pain.
I myself have had my share them.
Maybe this is where my retrograde planets have helped me a lot: ponder, reflect, analyze, accept and acknowledge..and finally get that wider picture...

But I also know that such events are also "opportunities" in life to really go deeper into the meaning of things and of ourselves. When do we really take the time to stop and ponder on ourselves or on life?... Would I be wrong if I said ONLY when life force us through painful life experiences?....

maybe those retrograde planets are a precious tool for you to assimilate these events and widen that knowlege you have of life and of yourself; and that will be priceless when you will, with time, come to help others as you seem to wish?
 
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@Celeste777
I am sorry for your losses and pain.
I myself have had my share of this (death of parent, brother, sister etc..).
Maybe this is where my retrograde planets have helped me a lot: ponder, reflect, analyze, accept and acknowledge..and finally get that wider picture...

But I also know that such events are also "opportunities" in life to really go deeper into the meaning of things and of ourselves. When do we really take the time to stop and ponder on ourselves or on life?... Would I be wrong if I said ONLY when life force us through painful life experiences?....

maybe those retrograde planets are a precious tool for you to assimilate these events and widen that knowlege you have of life and of yourself; and that will be priceless when you will, with time, come to help others as you seem to wish?

I definitely feel you are right, and I think my experiences in life are meant to be shared so we can be a beacon of light for others..
 

chappygirl

Well-known member
exactly!

thinking about it, 3 out of 4 who have shared retrograde experiences have spontaneously mentionned helping others. But also how in order to do so, we need to retreat sometimes, as to recharge our batteries...

Is it giving/helping that explain the isolation and vice versa?

Kali, you spend a lot of time helping kids (outward) and need to ressource yourself driving fast, feeling the Wind and the music (Inward)
celeste777, you want to help others (outward) when it seems you have you share of fate (Inward)
I didnt get to help others full time but when I travel alone (Inward), I always also do humanitarian projects (outward).
It seems that helping others or wanting to help others is very strong in us. Could that be due to retrograde planets?..

I dont know but i guess that, when one feels other so strongly, he also feels the pain and wants to relieve the one who suffers of whatever pain/problem he has. so maybe yes?
 
exactly!

thinking about it, 3 out of 4 who have shared retrograde experiences have spontaneously mentionned helping others. But also how in order to do so, we need to retreat sometimes, as to recharge our batteries...

Is it giving/helping that explain the isolation and vice versa?

Kali, you spend a lot of time helping kids (outward) and need to ressource yourself driving fast, feeling the Wind and the music (Inward)
celeste777, you want to help others (outward) when it seems you have you share of fate (Inward)
I didnt get to help others full time but when I travel alone (Inward), I always also do humanitarian projects (outward).
It seems that helping others or wanting to help others is very strong in us. Could that be due to retrograde planets?..

I dont know but i guess that, when one feels other so strongly, he also feels the pain and wants to relieve the one who suffers of whatever pain/problem he has. so maybe yes?

I think you may be on to something... I taught 7th graders for 1 year and have worked quite a bit with children in general. I feel like my 7th graders opened me up tremendously, but that I also changed their lives. I got so many letters, drawings and gifts from just 1 year of teaching. I often used to wonder why they gave me so many hugs, then realized that may have been the only hug they received that day.. For some of those kids it was rare for them to be a kid because at home they were the parent. I think I am very empathic and having 75+ kids overwhelmed me. I think work so much better one on one with people in general. I have also tried applying to work with elderly although did not receive this position. And in highschool, I worked with elderly as part of class assignment and it gave me pleasure to give them company and see them smile..
 
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Kali

Well-known member
This article breaks it down by planet and house. It does not discuss the synergy of multiple retrogrades though, which I think is the real issue.
http://www.lynnkoiner.com/astrology-articles/retrograde-planets-lecture-notes

I'm probably older than the two of you, I'm 45. As I've matured, I feel like I've embraced that part of me and had to actually grow into using the retrograde energy effectively. it sounds like the two of you have a handle on it, but just so you know, it gets easier.
 

JUPITERASC

Well-known member
I came across this thread :
http://www.astrologyweekly.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80222

Vedic astrology views retrograde as a planet at its brightest; and Robert Hand as a planet acting "differently".
Some also speak about "old souls" when there are many retrograde in a chart.

I agree with all. Thanks to that inward energy, one can think and ponder over his experiences and emotions. This is how it allows to "understand" others easily or assess a past experience.
For example, its the same mechanism than adults and children (remember when, as a child, you would do something forbidden and your parents always seem to know and find out when you really thought you planned it so well nobody would see it or find out about it? :) )
Well, parents were kids before the kids obviously.. and this is how they got to live that same above experience when they wondered exactly the same thing (how did the parents find out when my plan was so perfect?). Adults know because they have lived it before.

And as adult, they now react "differently", they see what they missed when they were younger living that same experience. They "see" differently the same given situation (and all the obvious clues kids miss). And that make them brighter: they have both views now... when they only had one before.

Same, I feel retrograde people, understand without necessarily having to personally experience a situation. And thanks to that, they "know" and have that 360 vision of a situation.

This is what could explain why they are thought of as "older souls", why Vedic sees such planets as being at their brightest and why Hand says they act "differently". Maybe they are all right.

what do you think?
Traditionally
HELLENISTIC astrologers vividly described any retrograde planet as 'walking backwards'
and therefore
unable to adequately act


UNLESS
the planet is making a station


in that case HELLENISTIC astrologers considered the planet to be particularly strong in the chart
:smile:
 

chappygirl

Well-known member
I agree but...does
walking backwards'
necessarily mean that a planet is
unable to adequately act?
and that the only way for it to adequately act should be when
the planet is making a station?
The purpose of this thread is to understand what acting "differently" could mean. And real experiences of retrograde people can be a starting point to make different conjectures.

Retrograde motion has been so difficult to understand astronomically speaking. It is no wonder why the retrograde effect is also lesser known in astrology.
Indeed, it couldnt be explained because earth was first thought to be the center of the universe (geocentrism). Such scientific principle had a huge impact on religion and science at that time. It was just unthinkable that it could be otherwise: earth could only be the center of things because most planets backed that observation...

How about retrograde motion of the planets that were unable to adequatly orbit around the earth..? oh well, they act just "strangely" they said. That was a comfortable thought that didnt jeopardize what was perceived as truth. Man really does have an ego problem lol
thus, retrogradation used to be perceived as strange because it seemed to act differently than the standards.
but..... this observation of planets was only true...if seen from earth. Not from elsewhere...But I understand that it wasnt possible for them to know that at that time...

Thus, Man didnt think it was necessary to test other options than what was perceived to be the truth at that time..not even an experience to confirm that indeed, earth really was the center of universe.

heliocentrism, or the planets orbiting around the sun as opposed to geocentrism (orbiting around earth) finally offered a very simple explanation to retrograde motion backed up by geometry
. And that explanation is actually simpler and more logical than the one offered by geocentrism.
Indeed, if one look at the attached drawings, then the truth behind the illusion was actually far more simpler than the twisted assumption.

So, the retrograde motion should have been a scientific opportunity to discover/confirm around which body, the planets were really orbiting
. An opportunity to discover the truth behind the illusion.

Also, that illusion was also hiding another truth: retrograde planets actually perfectly orbit around Sun, and this is when they are at their brightest!

So if we sum this up:
From the earth point of view, retrograde planets appeared to go backwards and in acting so, were not acting the way they should: the direct way.
Astrologically speaking, this retrograde could only be thought as being "unable to adequatly act". Thus, such assumption is based on the illusion of an astronomical reality.


From the sun point of view, retrograde planets are not going backwards and are brighter. this is reality. A reality that can physically be seen in astronomy and surpass another phenomenon: optical illusion.

So depending on the perspective we take, we either see:
from the prism of what we think is reality(earth view)
or go beyond the matrix, outside of the prism to get a brighter view that is just right there and far more simpler than the twisted earth view.

Consequently astrologically speaking, retrograde planets should have a meaning close to their real astronomical characteristics. I feel "the sun point of view is similar to what a retrograde experience feels like: one sees thing beyond what they appear to be for most of us.
Isnt it what retrograde people speak about? they see and experience what the mainstream doesnt seem to see or perceive. Then, are we wrong to suppose that they see/experience what truly is (a direct motion around the Sun, the true center of the solar system) instead of what appears to be (a backward motion around the earth)?

Thus, being RETROGRADE could be an opportunity to get that brighter view on reality and acknowledge that there is another reality beyond this one.

As people around them say, they get the essence of feelings, emotions...the people's true identity. Dont we symbolize our identity and our face to the world by Sun in astrology? The more light, the closer to the truth...

Thus I do agree with Gregory Rozek when he says:

Retrogrades act by blocking the external influence of planet. These blockages make the native “retrograde holder” to focus on developing his internal strengths associated with the retrograde planet through a strong inner knowledge.

Such "knowledge" is necessarily overwhelming. I wouldnt be surprised if it was the result of traumas and fated events in one's life. Yet, the more one widen his horizon and experiences, the stronger the knowledge, the understanding of one's self and of others.

then, why not consider that a retrograde planet has both the ability to act differently/contrary to the "norm" AND in accordance with the norm and as such, when "handled", be stronger than a direct one?

Sorry for this long post... This is my interpretation that I would like to share with you and hope to enrich it with your feedbacks.. :)
http://gregoryrozek.com/en/retrogradeplanets/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copernican_Revolution

 

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thanks Kali for the link! do the descriptions fit with what and how you feel?

I have mercury retrograde and do need time to digest and process information.. At work once during a confrontation I said these exact words and they were upset I didn't have anything to say right on the spot. I often let phone calls go straight to voicemail. Unless it's my mom or sisters. I don't like surprise conversations...

My Venus retrograde doesn't prevent me from giving love and affection. I am very loving toward my two children, but I do feel unworthy of love a lot. I feel like I have to prove to people I'm worth loving, so I give more than I should. Sex, gifts, etc and often get very little in return. I also stayed in an abusive marriage/ relay for ten years.

Saturn rx- I do have issues with boundaries. I have issues telling people "no"/ not interested.. I also grew up w/ a lax belief background.. No spiritual or religion was placed on me and I'm happier for it. I feel free and very spiritual now.. I have my own belief system..

Neptune rx- I do consider myself very psychic and pick up on a lot. O am pretty cynical as well.

Pluto rx- I do feel like I pick up more at the psychological level. Also very paranoid of ppl..

I have the hardest time with Venus retrograde. My relationship with men and sense of value is totally skewed. I try meditation to alleviate this and talk to my angels about this profusely because it really bothers me.. I attract mean men and also feel astonishingly attached to them as well. I hate it.

Also when I read this article a lot of my retrograde planets are in the 9th house and these specific descriptions are missing and idk why. I immensely enjoyed reading the post going into detail Bout retrograde planets and how their interaction with earth/ other people can easily be misconstrued as acting strangely when we may be in fact be the very few on course.. Interesting.
 

Kali

Well-known member
Yes, they are very accurate.

I can understand Celeste777 in saying that Venus is the tough one. For me, it's Mars. My others: Jupiter, Neptune. Uranus and Pluto, these describe how I am, my interests, my psychology, how I relate to the world. Okay, I'm weird--what of it? Yet, Mars--that's different. It's how I interact with others. Thus, I think the inherent challenge of retrogrades when they affect our personal planets versus the social and transperson ones.

Yes, I grew up in a house that did not do conflict. My mother was calm, up until the point where she sprung with a steak knife at my father, there was no intermediate, "hey, we need to talk" moment. So, I had to learn how to have conflict as an adult. As a young adult I was passive aggressive--some of my sideways attacks were quite brilliant--but how much nicer it would have been to address issues honestly and openly. Anyway, I did finally learn how to initiate conflict in a constructive way, allowing me to protect my interests, while not running roughshod over others. It took years and many painful lessons. In that way, I feel I have learned how to deal with Mars Rx. However, one still cannot make a planet do what a planet refuses to do. I still have what I think of as conflict paralysis. If a conflict becomes heated, I shut down. I cannot think. I cannot process. I am overcome and I have to check out. At that point, I tell the other person that I need to think about it and I'll come back to it. So...over the course of a day or three, I overanalyze every aspect of the conflict. I take it apart, throughly sift through everything and contemplate...and contemplate...and contemplate. Then I go back to the person and ask if we can sit down and discuss it again. I'll either apologize profusely or I'll outline why the situation is untenable, but either way, I've given everything great thought and I'm not merely reacting. Some people take my "time out" as an insult, that I don't care enough to talk it out. They do not see that it's because I care, that I have to sort it out, so that I get it right. It makes relationships tough, and there are situations where a time out is not feasible.

And then I've wondered if that wasn't a blessing. I have Mars tightly conjunct my moon and both square Pluto. I should be an emotional, impulsive mess. But my Rx locks Mars down and says, "Nope. You're going to think about that before continuing," and keeps me out of trouble.
 

chappygirl

Well-known member
If a conflict becomes heated, I shut down. I cannot think. I cannot process. I am overcome and I have to check out. At that point, I tell the other person that I need to think about it and I'll come back to it. So...over the course of a day or three, I overanalyze every aspect of the conflict. I take it apart, throughly sift through everything and contemplate...and contemplate...and contemplate. Then I go back to the person and ask if we can sit down and discuss it again. I'll either apologize profusely or I'll outline why the situation is untenable, but either way, I've given everything great thought and I'm not merely reacting.

I would say thats a pretty good thing. If you look up to psychology and relationship management, that is exactly what it is advised to do: not discuss a sensitive subject when we are heated. but instead, go through it and come back to it when we have a clearer view and a clearer state of mind.

Some people take my "time out" as an insult, that I don't care enough to talk it out.
Psychology experts also advise on how to make the other one understand your need for retreat after a heated argument: just say what you have written here :)
because I care, I have to sort it out, so that I get it right, "so let me a few days until I can come back to discuss that with you. but i will"
try it, this works :)
 
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