Here is everything you need to know about retrograde planets in our natal chart and what they mean...

Keep in mind, a retrograde planet does not deny, it simply means it will delay. And that is not always a bad thing!

 

You may have heard about retrograde planets such as the most famous of them all, Mercury Retrograde. This is the time when communication tends to go haywire and technology appears to grind to a halt. But what about the other retrograde planets? How do they affect us? Is having a retrograde planet at the time of our birth good or bad?

What is a retrograde planet?

   If a planet is retrograde, it means that it looks like it is moving backward if you look at it from Earth. In reality, planets don’t move backward, it just looks like they are, but when they are in retrograde they are not in forward motion, so the way they affect us changes. 

            Retrograde planets, such as Mercury going retrograde can affect us at the time, but it is also important to note if we have any planets in our natal chart that were retrograde at the time of our birth. The reason for this is that the nature of the energy of the planet can be different if it was retrograde when you were born. After all, the nature of Mercury versus the energy during Mercury retrograde are very different, so it stands to reason that whether a planet is retrograde or in forward motion at the time of our birth makes a big difference.

            With that in mind, if you want to find out if you have any planets retrograde at the time of your birth, you need to get a full birth chart made that will show you these movements.

            Now let’s take a look at the planets and what it means when they are retrograde in your birth chart. Note however that the sun and moon are never in retrograde.

Keep in mind, a retrograde planet does not deny, it simply means it will delay. And that is not always a bad thing! Also, it takes one's natal/birth, chart as a whole, not a single planet by itself in understanding your natal promise in life!

   

Saturn Retrograde:

  Saturn retrograde in a birth chart can make people feel insecure and shake their confidence in themselves. If Saturn was retrograde at the time of your birth then this means that you can sometimes be seen as ‘acting out’, but this bad behavior is all down to feelings of not being worthy of anything good in your life. If you have this planetary set up you are stoic and don’t want to ask for help or show you are down. You are also a hard worker who will slowly and patiently work towards an end goal but often do so only if and when you want to. In other areas of your life, you can be lazy and selfish. When Saturn is retrograde, you will get the effects of its opposite planet which is Jupiter, although you will be getting the dark side of this planet, which is all about laziness and indulgence. The key for those born with Saturn retrograde is to grow in confidence and realize that no one has power over them. You hold all the power to change by yourself.

Jupiter Retrograde:

     If people are born with Jupiter, the planet of abundance, retrograde in their chart, and they are focused on attaining material assets in life once you have them you will feel dissatisfied. You find what you are seeking inside, not outside, that will give you meaning in your life. I have Jupiter retrograde in my natal chart, I have attained material success in life, but have always felt an emptiness, something missing. It was only when I went deep inside that I found it, and am still continuously working on it today. 

Mars Retrograde:

Most people know that Mars rules fire and fiery relationships. The red planet is one that is focused on anger and testosterone, but conversely, those who are born with Mars retrograde will not be adept at showing their anger. If you are born with this configuration, then you may not express your feelings well and you will repress emotions instead of talking them through with others. You may also lack motivation; of course, this is the antithesis of the planet Mars which is all about determination and drive. You may not be able to find the energy to act on things when you should and as such you can seem to have a careless attitude to life. The lesson for those born with Mars retrograde is to grow to be more assertive and determined in life. You also need to understand when to take action and not be afraid of doing so.

Venus Retrograde:

  With Venus retrograde in the mix, people will find that they have difficulties when it comes to love. This doesn’t mean that you won’t find it, but simply that it may be hard for you to express it to others. You may not be very openly affectionate with the ones you love, and this can lead to confusion and isolation. You may also set the bar very high when it comes to relationships and you may feel as if you are on an endless quest to find ‘the one’, only to find that no one lives up to your expectations. The big lesson for you here is to learn to open yourself up and share your feelings and emotions with others, especially when it comes to love.

Mercury Retrograde:

     If you are born with Mercury Retrograde in your chart then conversely, you may not be as affected when Mercury is retrograde than others around you. That said, you will also be the kind of person who finds it difficult to express their thoughts and you may feel that you are never truly understood by people who seem to misinterpret your personality. The key here for people who were born with Mercury retrograde is to learn to speak up and stand up for yourself, and if you feel that you are not being treated fairly then you need to say so! Confidence is the key here but it also means listening to others to work out why they think as they do.

Pluto Retrograde:

        People who were born when Pluto was retrograde in their chart are quiet and often don’t want to express problems outwardly. This can mean that they seem strong and stoic even when things are going badly wrong in their lives and they are under a huge amount of stress. They never want people to see that they are in distress. Those with Pluto retrograde need to allow transformation to come into their lives and open themselves up to the transformative powers of this planet. Pluto is known for shining a light in the darkness. Pluto retrograde relates to deeply investigating, healing, and transformational abilities. I have Pluto retrograde on my ascendant, I look both to the 1st house & 12th house when analyzing my natal promise as well as what it means conjunct, my ascendant. My greatest gift is helping those who are not able see to their path forward. 

Neptune Retrograde:

If people have Neptune retrograde in their birth chart, then they are often the kind of person who takes responsibility for things in their life. This can be positive but it also means that you can shoulder the blame for things that are not your fault and you can take responsibility when you don’t need to. People born with Neptune Retrograde can be sensitive and your feelings can be hurt easily, although you always try not to show this to others. If you want to use the power of Neptune retrograde in your life then you need to be creative and learn how to feel compassionate towards others around you.

Uranus Retrograde:

Those with Uranus retrograde, when they were born, tend to be quite off the wall and different. You have a tendency however to cover this up, and although you don’t want to follow a conventional path, you often pretend to do so to avoid rocking the boat. To use this retrograde effectively, you need to learn to embrace your individuality and not be afraid of living in a unique way that eschews tradition if this is what you desire. This is the only way to grow and experience positive change.

Final thoughts:

  It is really important that people with retrograde planets at the time of their birth realize that this is not a negative thing! Don’t panic if you find that this applies to you, as it is actually very rare for people to not have a single planet retrograde when they were born. In actual fact, most people will find that they usually have two or three planets that were retrograde in their chart, so know that this is completely normal and not at all a ‘bad omen’. It’s also rare to have more than six or seven planets retrograde, but whatever your planetary setup, just remember that the key here is all about using these planets positively so that you can evolve and use them to promote positivity in your life. And always, always, read your natal birth chart as a whole, one planet will not tell you the whole natal promise. 

Also, do you have a gift from the universe/God, you may be interested in reading Grand Trine in my Natal Chart 

You may also like: Crucial Moon Phases What You Need to Know 

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