Retrograde Planets

Eva Li

I’m pretty sure everybody has that crazy friend who blames a planet for their issues in life. Many people

do this. You might recall that time of the year when you hear the term “retrograde” on social media, specifically, the retrograde of Mercury. Let’s dig deep and figure out what it actually means for a planet to go into retrograde and how it influences our daily life.

So, what is a retrograde phase?

Science explains this as a period of time when a planet starts to go backwards. The planet appears to orbit in the opposite direction from the sun and moon. However, the planet never actually changes its trajectory. Retrograde motion is just an optical illusion that can be seen only from Earth. Each planet in the solar system moves with a speed that is constant, but different from each other. That’s why once in a while Earth just “out runs” another planet, and we start to see it go into retrograde.

How does this affect us?

Have you ever experienced a day or week when everything seemed to go wrong? You forgot your keys, put your shirt on inside out, lost your homework, and your friends canceled plans last minute. This may have happened during the retrograde phase of Mercury. You are one of the many victims of this phase’s permanent distraction and clumsiness.

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, and it is relatively close to the Earth. It usually goes into retrog

rade three times a year for 2-3 weeks. In astrology, Mercury is the planet of learning, communication, information, and transports. This is why it is common that during the retrograde phase we lose our concentration and even objects. It may be difficult to memorize information, and you are likely to be late. Flights and trains can be delayed, and things may take longer than usual to happen or move forward.

Venus and Mars go into retrograde more rarely, but for a longer time. Retrograde of Venus causes failures in our love life; retrograde of Mars can be the reason for lack of action and apathy. The largest planets in the solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, can stay in retrograde for up to six months. However, their influence is directed towards global events and is not perceptible in our daily life.

Whenever you feel like things are oddly not going your way, see what planets are in retrograde. That way, you’ll know it’s not your fault. Blame the solar system!