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	Planets in Retrograde An Explanation by Rebecca Brents Real Astrology by a Real Astrologer
Astrology, Tarot, and Self Improvement for the New Age.

All the major planets used by astrologers to decode the spiritual language of the cosmos exhibit a phenomenon known as "retrograde motion." In very simple terms, there are times from the perspective of Earth when each of the planets seems to back up in its orbit, to actually reverse course for a time, before eventually going forward again. This is caused by the differing orbits and the differing speeds of the elements involved.

The mechanics are really not important, but as an extremely simplified example, let me draw this analogy. If two trains on parallel tracks are moving forward at different rates of speed, people on the faster moving train will perceive the slower moving train as moving backwards -- even though it is not. If the paths of these parallel tracks are circular -- as is the case with the orbits of the planets -- sometimes people on both trains will see the other as moving forward (which is always the case), but sometimes one or the other will appear to be moving backward.

As I said, the mechanics are really only a matter of curiosity as far as astrology is concerned, so just take my word for it, this thing called retrograde motion (abbreviated as Rx) happens -- or seems to from where we stand in the midst of all this celestial movement.

Despite being physically impossible and therefore an optical illusion, the symbolism of Rx in astrology -- in real time, as part of a Solar Return or as part of a Natal Chart -- is extremely important as human affairs and the components of each individual's life evolve. The code of planetary symbols -- which astrology represents and which uses the celestial bodies as indicators of what energies are receiving special focus -- takes on altered and more subtle meanings when one of the planets goes retrograde. (And, as I said, this also has special significance for a person who has retrograde planets in the natal horoscope -- that is, planets Rx at the time of birth.)

The Sun and the Moon do not go retrograde -- and anyway, they are not technically classified as planets.

Rx energy means that the matters represented by that particular planet become noticeably more subjective as re-thinking, re-considering, re-evaluation and re-building begin to occur. There is an internal processing of experience and information regarding these collective matters, an assimilation and creation of an altered and expanded perspective that then becomes part of your personal belief system, even your automatic responses to the things this planet and its energies represent in your life.

When a planet is Rx -- either in your natal chart or in present time in the sky -- you are integrating and re-working what its metaphorical energies mean to you personally, gaining a new take on the affected areas of your life and the experiences you encounter, or have encountered, there. In a way, this is like re-arranging furniture in a room, to accommodate new needs, to replace worn-out pieces with something more serviceable, to give the place a whole new look, to make improvements you hadn't considered or which weren't necessary -- or maybe even possible --before.

Despite the seeming delays and aggravations it causes you to work with, Rx energy smooths out your life -- eventually, gives you second chances, lets you incorporate new talents and information, makes you do things over and do them better. More than anything else, in the long run, Rx energy helps you grow.

In a very real way, Rx energy depicts the process of learning by experience -- and, as you can imagine, a great deal of its work may take place on subconscious levels, or during times of daydreaming, nostalgia, reverie and memories. The creations formed through Rx energy are more likely things you become aware of with occasional thought and the passage of time, rather than something you feel you have to work at directly in the usual sense. Rx brings different things to different people, and its messages and conclusions can be extremely personal, an important part of life's wonderful diversity, a part of what makes you uniquely and delightfully different from every other soul around.

A planet in Rx will pass three times over a particular spot in the astrological wheel -- a specific area marked off in degrees within a sign -- or signs if there is an overlap across the beginning of one sign and the end of another. This three time pass is very clear when you consider that the planet in question will pass certain degrees initially while going forward, then retrace its path across those same degrees while backing up or being Rx, and then cross the same place yet again after going forward -- going direct.

It's like writing a word, erasing it and writing in a word you like better. You've worked with, fussed over, scrubbed across and reused the same little spot on your page of paper a minimum of three times before moving ahead. But now, having fixed things more to your satisfaction, you and your attention go on to finishing whatever it is you're working on --whether it's one particular report or the whole rest of your life. And when this happens, the matters involving that specific planetary energy are different than they were in the beginning. Arguably, they are improved. But you certainly have another perspective and another way to use them. You have learned something in the process.

In this newsletter I will always tell you where a particular planet is Rx -- the sign and degrees being re-worked by this metaphorical energy. The most personally relevant information from this comes if you know specifically where this little section of the astrological wheel falls in your individual chart. Then you can see exactly what area of life you are working to re-construct and consciously move to help the process along. The articles in this newsletter, of necessity, offer generic information that everyone can use. Those of you who know the layout and dynamics of your own chart simply get more information to work with.

The planets closer to the Sun move in and out of Rx more quickly than those farther away. They also Rx more often, and cover more degrees -- and thus more territory -- while moving back and forth. Mercury will often Rx three times a year, for example, covering 18° or so in its process, each Rx episode lasting a little over three weeks, while Pluto will Rx once a year, stay that way for between five and six months, and cover about 3°.

Rx energy can seem -- and feel -- extremely frustrating while it is happening to you, but if you can pause and take a retrospective -- and objective -- look at what it accomplished when things go direct again, you may gain quite a nice respect for the meaning, significance and greater purpose behind this whole process. You may even come to appreciate the apparently two-steps-forward-and-one-step-back cycles of change that are constant, both in the sky and in our lives, accomplished while all the time ... moving forward. That itself is an interesting metaphor -- the spoonful of sugar that sometimes helps the medicine go down.

Rebecca Brents writes on a wide variety of spiritual and new age subjects, including astrology, tarot, feng shui, alternative health, metaphysics, and self-improvement. She publishes an extensive array of information on her website, Enchanted Spirit, and offers numerous new age online lectures and new age classes in these various fields.

She publishes detailed accurate astrology predictions, readings and forecasts in Ezines for Premium Members. She also provides astrology readings, tarot readings, and personal consultations through The Enchanted Spirit Metaphysical Source Shop. Stop by and subscribe to her free new age ezine, New Age-New Horizons. See her books and classes at Catweasel Ink Publishing.

The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do.
~ B. F. Skinner ~
Born March 20, 1904

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Enchanted Spirit is a non-denominational spiritual center of healing, support, self-improvement, personal guidance, education and writing. We publish multi-media works of New Age thought and information to encourage serenity and growth in individual life choices, advance the universal search for life's meaning, and promote tolerance for positive ideas from all philosophies and religious traditions, believing as we do that truth is where you find it.

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Last updated May 29th, 2001

Racing with the Moon
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