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Perhaps no astrological factor has more different opinions and less agreement among astrologers than the phenomenon of retrograde motion: the fact that from the Earth’s view, all planets appear to move backward in reverse motion through the zodiac one or more times a year. Experts’ opinions range from there being no effect whatsoever when a planet is retrograde, to there being a very dramatic effect. But then, even if an effect is indicated, there is a wide range of declarations as to what it might be, and the interpretations are all over the board. In this section, we will examine the physical astronomy behind the retrograde phenomenon, and based on that, go on to discuss how this might be interpreted.

For starters, among those who do credit retrograde planets with an interpretation at all, it is generally agreed that when a planet is retrograde, its nature and effect are somehow retarded, delayed or obscured. For the most part, and with a few exceptions, it is not considered a good or helpful thing to have a planet retrograde.

The most well-known example of a retrograde planet and what it portends is that of Mercury. Most of us have heard things like, “Don’t sign that contract! Mercury is retrograde,” and there is a whole astrological subculture built up around what you should and should not do when Mercury goes retrograde. When Mercury is retrograde, so it is claimed, communications of all kinds cannot be trusted and may go haywire. The advice is usually “Wait until Mercury goes direct.” With that in mind, let’s examine the retrograde phenomenon.

If we want to understand what most astrologers agree retrograde indicates, it would be something to the effect that when a planet is moving backward in the zodiac, it is not moving forward doing its thing. As obvious as that statement is, it makes sense. If we have been progressing forward in one direction or another, and then find ourselves backtracking over the same ground, we are not going forward. That seems to be the essence of the traditional interpretation of what retrograde motion is all about.