Retrograde
Damian McKinnon
2021 – Year Of The Retrograde
Retrograde – Mercury keeps doing it this year and there’s been this constant buzz about of the almost apocalyptic ramifications of this for anyone preparing to send a text or open their mouths to speak on the afflicted days. For some it’s become a convenient post to hang their personal shortcomings or transgressions on. Sorry babe for the hour of silent treatment I gave you on the subway – my Mercury is retrograde. Sorry my text was so hurtful – MMWR.
Retrograde is a phenomenon where a planet appears to be rotating backwards and it has everything to do with it’s orbital position from the Earth. So clearly the Earth and luminaries – the Sun and Moon – don’t ever go retrograde. And simply put, planets in retrograde tend so be stifled somewhat. The energy they normally express is unable to fully exert itself and in some scenarios this can actually be a blessing. A retrograde Uranus can mean less unexpected surprises in the life and a retrograde Mars on the chart might release some of the potential aggression it could cause based on an aspect or placement.
In many astrology circles, personal planets in retrograde tend to be more important – especially in natal astrology as personal planets tend to become closer to us than the Sun when in retrograde. The effect of transformational planets is more generational but even then it doesn’t mean that your transformational retrograde won’t affect you on a more personal level.
Retrograde personal planets on the natal chart can signal people with their own subjective view on the world as the way they express themselves is fundamentally different to the mainstream. Communication may seem more awkward. They may their own ideas of how love express. Their survival instincts or ego may seem weaker compared to the norm. But, as human beings, we’re hardwired to accommodate our weaknesses by creating strengths elsewhere and this can manifest as a direct aspect to the retrograde planet or the influence of another planet in the sign the retrograde planet rules.
Do you have a retrograde (RX) planet on your natal chart? Or on the chart of a child as this is often important information for a parent. A personal planet? If so, how would you say it expresses – or doesn’t express if this is the case and have you found ways to circumvent this energy elsewhere on your chart?
Damian McKinnon
Damian is the administrator for Modern Astrology and author of astrology courses hosted here and on Udemy.
