Retrograde Planets and their impact

So there was a request to write a post about retrograde planets and their effect. It is apt to write it now as we are closing down on the year of retrogrades and going through last retrograde of the year, i.e. Mercury Retrograde. At the same time, I hope all understand that I can't cover everything about retro planets in 1 post.

Retrograde means reverting back or moving backwards. So, when a planet starts moving backwards during transit then we call it retrograde transit of a planet. Sun-Moon never go retrograde, Rahu-Ketu are always retrograde. So, rest 5 planets (Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn) go retro during transits for different duration and after different time intervals. In a way, no planet actually moves backwards but as these planets come closer to Earth while transiting and if we look at them from Earth then their speed of transit around Earth looks slower than Earth's rotation over its own axis. Hence, theory of relativity comes into picture and from Earth, it looks like planets are moving backwards.

Now, there are few ways to interpret a retro planet - 

1. 1st of all, as it is closer to Earth, its rays are reaching us with more effect. So, a retrograde transiting planet has more potential to give results it promises than a direct transiting planet. 

2. In birth chart too, if you have any retro planet then that planet can impact you more than any other planet. 

3. Also, it means that things related with planet which is retrograde will get intensified during that transit. It can get further intensified if the same planet is also retro in your birth chart or you are in dasha of that planet. 

4. Then retrograde is about reflecting back. So, we reflect back at things that planet is karaka of and also on things related to the houses it rules in your birth chart. Like, Saturn can make us reflect back on our duties and responsibilities, Jupiter can make us reflect back on our belief system, knowledge, education and teachers etc, Mercury can make us reflect on our communications, Mars can make us reflect on our actions and Venus can make us reflect on our relationship. 

5. Likewise, these planets will also make us reflect on things represented by the house they rule. 

6. Now, the most important thing is that when do we reflect back at certain things in life? It is when we commit some mistakes related with those things. So, retrograde planets transits make us reflect on some mistakes related with its things and we are supposed to learn lessons from those mistakes and not repeat the same mistakes in later life. But if someone is an immature person then he can repeat the same mistakes again and again in life. 

7. Last but not the least, the good/bad nature of the results? It depends on lots of things. For example, right now Mercury is retrograde. Mercury's position, dignity, conjunction, Houses it rules, Jaimini Karaka, aspects and dashas in birth chart lays down the foundation of results. Then see in which house and sign it is getting retrograde and what is its dignity in the sign where it is retrograde? 

8. Like, Mercury is retrograde in Scorpio right now. Hence, it is retrograde in its great enemy sign of Mars and if we go little deep then Mars is also transiting in its enemy sign Aquarius. Also, Mercury is combust in transit as it is too close to Sun. So, I don't think we can expect much of positive results during current Mercury retrograde transit, especially in matters of Jeeva Karaka, i.e. the living significances of Mercury and of the houses it rules in one's chart. 

9. At the same time, Mercury in Scorpio is with Jupiter and getting aspect of Rahu. So, this time can be excellent for intense research on any subject.

Hope this helps. Thanks,

SPB