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Retrograde, Shadow, Station and Direct Motion of the Planets
When dealing with astrology and the planets you may have heard the term retrograde, shadow, station or direct motion. Normally the planets move in a ‘direct’ or forward motion. Each planet has its own rate of speed as it moves throughout the Zodiac. As a planet moves through the zodiac, from time to time it will slow down it’s rate of speed. When a planet slows down and comes to a complete stop, this is called ‘Station’, and this happens just before a planet goes Retrograde as well as before a planet goes direct again. When a planet goes into a Retrograde phase it means that it is moving so slowly that it ‘appears’ from the perspective of earth that it is going backwards. This reflects a ‘backwards’ energy of the planet itself. Mixing up all of its energetic associations and pulling the vibration of that planet into an inward perspective. To try to give you a visual and feeling of what retrograde energy is like; picture this… You are sitting on a train that has stopped and as you look out the window, you notice that there are another set of tracks beside you. Then another train goes whizzing by in the opposite direction. As you sit there and notice the other train whizzing by, it feels like you are moving or being pulled backwards. There is a sense within you that the train you are in is actually being pulled in a backwards direction, or opposite direction. In fact you are not moving at all, it only FEELS that way. This feeling is similar to the feelings associated to the energy of a retrograde phase. The other planet is moving slowly in a backwards direction because the Earth is moving quickly in a forwards direction. When a retrograde happens, it takes the retrograde planets energy and mixes it all up. This is where you will internalize the energy of the planet that is in a retrograde motion. To understand what type of energy you are dealing with, take the key meanings or keywords of the planets and know that during a retrograde phase, the vibration of that planet will be either mixed up in your external reality or you will be feeling some associations to that planets vibration internally. To use the planets energy most effectively, do not start anything NEW in association to the planets energy. Instead this is a great time to RE it. Meaning you take the key word and RE-do, so take the planets key word and place a ‘RE’ in front of it.
One of the most common planets that cause havoc in our lives when it goes retrograde is Mercury. Mercury has the smallest orbit path around the Sun, due to the fact that it is the closest planet that circles the Sun. Mercury travels through the whole Zodiac in 88 earth days, during which, it will retrograde once within that 88-day period. Therefore Mercury goes retrograde 3 to 4 times per year. Each retrograde phase for Mercury will last approximately 3 weeks.
Venus retrogrades approximately once every eighteen months for about a 5-6 week period.
Mars Retrogrades approximately once every23-24 months or every 2 years for about a 10-11 week period.
Jupiter Retrogrades approximately once a year or once within a zodiac sign. It will be retrograde for approximately 4 months.
Saturn retrogrades approximately twice within a sign, as it’s orbit within a sign lasts just over 2 years. It’s retrograde phase lasts for approximately 4 and a half months (each).
Uranus, Neptune and Pluto retrograde quite often since they are farther away from the Sun. Even though any planet retrograding will have an energetic effect on everything within the universe, the farther the planet, the longer the retrograde phase. The Shadow period is depicted by the degree of retrograde and direct motions. It is best if I use an example to explain the shadow period. Let's take at Mercury the retrograde phase of February 2007. Mercury went retrograde February 14, 2007 at 10° of Pisces and it will go direct on March 8, 2007 at 25° of Aquarius. In order to understand the shadow period, we require an ephemeris so that we can research the dates before and after the actual Mercury retrograde. The shadow period before Mercury went retrograde started when Mercury was act 25° of Aquarius on January 30, 2007. The shadow period after Mercury's retrograde happens when Mercury reaches 10° of Pisces 13 minutes on March 28, 2007. The shadow period reflex the path of travel that has already been done. Since Mercury had already been at 25° of Aquarius in January of 2007, as it was in direct motion, and ended in a retrograde motion act 25° of Aquarius. This is the path before the retrograde phase which Mercury had already traveled. This same goes for the path traveled to retrograde after the retrograde period. Mercury started its retrograde period, Pat 10° of Pisces 13 minutes on February 14. So the secondary shadow period is not over until Mercury reaches that point again in the future which happens as stated before on March 28, 2007. While a planet is in each shadow period the energy will start to get mixed up. The effects of the retrograde will be felt slightly. And it is during the time of the shadow and retrograde that the planets in retrograde will travel the path forwards and backwards and forwards again. That means what was done in the first shadow; then gets mixed up in the retrograde, then re-done in the second shadow. After the second shadow period we all get to move forward again. For a visual take a look at the shadow period marked in Yellow, and the Retrograde periods marked in Red.
View the Mercury Retrograde dates for 2007- 2008! View other Planets Retrograde dates for 2007-2008!
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