Retrogrades
It occurs to me that it might be a good time to define a term that you see here often, and that term is retrograde. The term retrograde comes from the Latin, and means “to step backward.” All planets are retrograde at some point in their orbits, and it is important to remember that while they are not actually moving backward, they appear to be doing so from the point of view of the Earth. The only two “planets” that are never retrograde are the Sun and the Moon (and yes, in astrology these two are referred to as planets, or sometimes “the lights”); all others have a retrograde period. Mercury goes retrograde approximately 3 times a year, while both Mars and Venus enter this portion of their cycles about every 18 months to two years. The outer planets go retrograde every year, and the duration of the cycle is approximately half a year. That said, what does the retrograde signify? The ancients believed that this was a time of debility of expression for the planet’s energy. More modern astrologers, having gotten away from traditional practices, decided that this symbolized a time of energy turning inward. I believe that both definitions still apply. The retrograde appears to be the period of time that the energies turn inward for re-evaluation, and at that time, they are debilitated, or restricted, in their expression. The point in the Zodiac where the planet begins its retrograde (or direct) motion is referred to as its station point. The period of its transit is referred to as its shadow. For example, in its current retrograde cycle, Venus stationed at 15 degrees of the sign Aries, turned retrograde, and stationed direct at 29 degrees of Pisces. It will be in its shadow until it returns to 15 degrees of Aries, and the effects of the retrograde will be felt until then. Obviously, this stretches the time when the retrograde will be in effect, but it seems to work. To address the Venus retrograde more specifically, Venus turned retrograde March 6th, 2009, and will be in its shadow until it returns to that degree May 21 of this year. Venus symbolizes money and relationships, and in the sign Aries is looking for self-expression. Interesting that money issues are the big ones right now, isn’t it? Many of my clients are also experiencing crises in their relationships, and I would advise against making any definitive moves at this time. We are all collectively looking for a new (Aries) way of relating both to each other and to our money and/or value systems. Because Venus will enter Pisces again during this cycle, this will be a strong theme for the next few months (Venus is exalted in Pisces). Even those of us who have a relatively weak Venus placement in our birth charts will feel the pinch, so it’s really time to re-evaluate how we experience these issues. |
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