Retro-what?

When a planet stations retrograde it enters a part of its orbit where it appears to be moving backwards from Earth’s perspective. Even though the planet is not actually moving backwards, astrologically, this phase translates to a period of “backwards” or unusual behavior by the planet, and a time of introspection, and review for many of us.

While most are somewhat familiar with or at least have heard about the inconveniences of Mercury retrograde, the retrograde cycles of other planets – like Venus – are less commonly talked about. Part of the reason for this may be due to the fact that Mercury stations retrograde pretty frequently: about 3 weeks, 3-4 times a year, whereas Venus only stations retrograde every 19 months for about 6 weeks. In comparison to the retrograde cycles of all the planets, Venus spends the least amount of time retrograde. Because of the infrequency of…