What makes a planet retrograde? Which planets can be retrograde? Why is it worth noting? What does this means for us personally? Which planets will be retrograde this end of 2022 and how can we use those periods constructively?

A planet is said to be retrograde when it appears to go backwards in the sky against the background of the fixed stars. Of course, this does not actually happen. It is an optical illusion caused by the relative velocity of the planets slower than the Earth's revolution around the Sun. The slow planets Jupiter and Saturn, as well as the slower ones Uranus, Neptune, Pluto are retrograde for several months every year. Mercury which is a little faster is retrograde about 5 times a year, each for shorter periods of about 3 weeks, Venus and Mars are more rarely retrograde and the luminaries: the Sun and the Moon are never retrograde since the Sun’s apparent motion is caused by the movement of the Earth around the SUN, and the Moon's orbit (about 28 days) around the Earth is faster than our own movement.

When a planet is retrograde, the principles it represents start working inwardly rather than outwardly. And then, there is what is called a “shadow period” which is the period after the retrograde planet has been stationary and goes direct again, when it reaches the exact same degree it became retrograde on. During that period of time, we may still feel some lingering effects of the retrogradation. Not as severe, but fleeting.

The most famous is Mercury retrograde which is never much liked and even blamed for everything that goes wrong. Mercury is the planet of communication and small trips. When Mercury is retrograde this messes up communications. There are lost e-mails, missed phone calls, misunderstandings, people change their minds... Usually technology breaks down. It is not a good time to install new software or buy a computer. We may miss our flight. Schedules get mixed up. There are train and bus delays. We forget appointments…

Contrarily to many, I personally love Mercury retrograde periods because they always bring the unexpected. These are times when an abandoned project that had been collecting dust on the shelf comes back to the forefront, when people we hadn’t heard from forever, re-emerge, when we return to a place we hadn’t been to in a long time reawakening many old memories … While the pace of life becomes more chaotic because of the many uninvited distractions, it is also more peaceful, inviting us to reflect and tap into our inner intellectual resources and remember what we had forgotten. The next time Mercury will be retrograde from September 9 to October 2, 2022 between 9º Libra and 24º Virgo.

Mars will also turn retrograde on October 30th till January 12, 2023, from 26º to 8º Gemini.

I shall write a special article for those 2 particular retrogradation closer to their respective dates.

Now, the other retrograde planets we have this end of year 2022: Pluto , Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, and Uranus.

PLUTO retrograde is the longest retrogradation, it became retrograde on April 29, 2022 at 28º36' Capricorn

and will remain retrograde until October 7, 2022 at 26º07' Capricorn, so a little over 5 months. This is a time of profound transformation. On a collective level, far reaching corruptions are emerging. The inner working of satanic societies, ritual murders, child trafficking, everything having to do with pornography, sex slavery, domestic violence... is being revealed. On a personal level, we are being asked to face our darkest emotions. Traumatic past experiences could be brought back. Relationship issues could resurface. We need to question everything, reassess our power, our relationship to people in positions of authority, our communications with others, the information we receive from all sources. It is essential that we face our dark shadow, discern between good habits and those that no longer serve us (and maybe never did). It is important that we release a toxic relationship, an obsessive compulsion, prejudices, a hunger for power, addictions to alcohol, drugs, violence, or sex. This is a good time for a physical cleanse and letting go. Breaking those old ways down, understanding fully how they negatively affect us, helps us move forward and reach spiritual mastery. Pluto's shadow period will last until January 30, 2023.

SATURN became retrograde on June 4, 2022 at 25º15' Aquarius and will remain that way until October 22 at 18º35' Aquarius..These 5 months are extremely karmic. Either we have done our inner work and receive many rewards, or we haven't, and it is an excessively difficult period requiring much self-analysis, rigor and patience. We may find that we have more work, fears, restrictions, responsibilities and obligations. Projects may be delayed. Obstacles could arise. We could become distrustful of relationships.

We are likely to need to make major choices that will affect our future for many years to come. It is important that we decide where and what we wish to invest work and energy in. Once we are clear on our goals, we need to stay super focused and structured, be quite demanding of ourselves, and act with maturity and responsibility.

Saturn's shadow period extends until January 27, 2023.

JUPITER turned retrograde on July 28, 2022 at 8º45' Aries and will remain so until November 22nd at 28º48' Pisces, so a little less than 4 months.

Issues regarding the church and education are coming into sharp focus. Our integrity is being questioned. How honest are we with ourselves? How much do we walk our talk? What, whom do we place our faith in? What do we trust? How optimistic are we? How have our life lessons made us a better person?

As much of the world around us is unraveling, this is our chance to not just dream, but manifest the the world we want into being. We are required to rethink our objectives, our choices, reexamine our motivations, our values, and our beliefs. We need to question everything and find our truth. This may mean experiencing some frustrations or even anger, and may necessitate a clean break. At this juncture, we are required to find the deeper meaning of our lives in order to start anew on a sounder basis. The shadow period of Jupiter continues until February 14, 2023.

NEPTUNE became retrograde on June 28, 2022 at 25º27' Pisces and will remain retrograde until December 3rd at 22º39' Pisces, so a little more than 5 months.

We have already witnessed the amount of confusion that is reigning in the world. It is difficult to differentiate what is true from the lies and the fabricated stories. Instability, doubts and smokescreens seem to be permeating everything. Basically what is true is said to be false while the lies are made to look as truth. Concerns over water, its pollution, its scarcity or excesses are emerging all over the planet. On a personal level, we are overly sensitive to crowds, noise, anger... and could feel quite fragile emotionally. This retrogradation reveals all the pains we have been trying to drown in drugs, alcohol, daydreaming, and various escapism mechanisms. The gradual dissolution of our fantasy world whether it is in our love life, our career prospects, or our attitude towards money, is forcing us to face betrayals, phobias, fears, anxieties, humiliations, and the places where we have sunk into victimhood.

It is essential that we realize that true clarity can only come from within, by focusing on true dreams, hopes and aspirations. It is when we trust in our deeper spiritual power, follow our intuition, and are grounded enough in physical reality to do the hard work, that we can concretely manifest our visions. Neptune's shadow period remains until March 28, 2023.

URANUS turns retrograde on August 24, 2022 at 18º55' Taurus until January 22, 2023 at 14º57' Taurus.

Uranus is normally always very unpredictable. Even more so during its retrogradation. On a global level, there are major shifts regarding how we make money (see all the social media influencers sprouting left and right), breakdowns in the financial system (banks and paper money disappearing for example while digital currencies are on the rise), and the beginning of food scarcity. Surprising upheavals are happening almost overnight, conflicts are escalating at record speed within talks of a New Order worldwide threatening our very security and our freedom. People are standing together to fight for the respect of human rights. As we are realizing how much we have used and abused Nature, the way we are viewing earth and her resources is also shifting dramatically (many for example are starting to find ways of being self-sufficient by growing their own vegetable garden or planting fruit trees). On a personal level, we need to look at our lives differently. We are not returning to the reality we had a few years ago. We need to make changes in our lives, sometimes quite drastic, but liberating in both our relationships and career. An unexpected break-up or a sudden coming together, losing a job, moving... are quite common occurrences when Uranus is retrograde. A higher consciousness of where we may not be following our own path makes us need to rebel. As we embrace our individuality, are more authentic, we are able to create a free-er, newer reality.

The shadow period of Uranus remains until the 9th of May 2023.

Enjoy!

Much love and light.

Michelle Karén, M.A., D.F.Astrol.S.