Retrogrades call upon us to revisit, review, and sometimes re-do what we thought we were committed to or in some cases, stuck with. Retrograde periods tend to be rather introspective times in regard to whichever planet is moving in retrograde, though not always.
After denouncing Mercury Retrograde’s effects for the longest time, I’ve had to retract some of my indifference to it since I purchased a car during Mercury Retrograde, and had all sorts of problems with the car out of the gate only to end up having to do the paperwork all over again a month later because the finance guy forgot to call me to get a piece of information they needed to process the car loan. We actually had to re-do the deal!
And on Friday, I finally left the ‘day job’ I’ve been in for the last 9 months, and starting different ‘day job’ tomorrow. However, the retrograde element here is that I was supposed to have left a month ago (approximately July 8th) during a direct cycle. Though I will be starting a new job in a retrograde period (and I’m wondering how that’s going to turn out), I can’t help but chuckle at the idea that it feels like a “do over”.
Those are a couple of my personal examples of the effects of retrograde.
However, for all of us, this is a VERY unique time.
Currently, there are five – that’s right! Count ‘em! – FIVE planets moving in retrograde right now! That’s a whole lot of revisiting, reviewing, and re-doing.
– Mercury started its retrograde on July 28th, currently moving through the sign of Virgo and going back into Leo on the 8th. This affects our communications and the quality and frequency of the information being communicated. Mercury will be moving in retrograde until August 26th.
– Pluto is currently in Capricorn on its planetary backstroke. This affects our perspectives about life and death, about right and wrong, good and bad. With Pluto in retrograde, there is a LOT of gray area right now. Since its retrograde began on April 9th, things have not been as cut and dried as they’ve seemed…or maybe as we may have liked them to be. The events of this time period are forcing us to stand in that gray area in which neither extreme is a good place to stand. Pluto will be moving in retrograde until September 16th.
– Neptune just moved back into Aquarius after visiting Pisces briefly. It’ll be back in its native Pisces in February 2012. Until then, this affects our visionary spirit and our creative and inspired expression. Is what we are envisioning really in the best interests of our individual self-expression and our being of service to others? Does it serve both purposes? Neptune’s retrograde motion began on June 3rd, and it will continue moving in retrograde until November 9th.
– Chiron is in retrograde in the sign of Pisces. This affects our health and wellness, which in turn affects our practical resources (what we need to get by in our everyday lives). After all, if we aren’t well, we cannot serve ourselves or others well in an everyday or practical way. This is likely to show up as many of us quietly recognizing how we put our service to others and others’ health and wellness before or in a higher priority than our own. It is likely that many of us are considering new or different choices regarding these matters right now. In retrograde since June 8th, Chiron will be moving in retrograde until November 10th.
– Uranus is currently moving through Aries in retrograde. This affects mass media/communications and social media. What actions are we taking to express ourselves to the world? Do we like what we are getting in response? Are we sharing or promoting ourselves in healthy, productive and unique ways? Uranus has been moving in retrograde since July 10th, and will continue to do so until December 10th – the last of these five planets to shift out of the retrograde motion.
These planets are essentially asking these questions of us:
– What information are we communicating, and do we like what we are saying?
– Where are our boundaries? Where do we draw the tolerance lines in the important matters of our lives?
– What gives life and inspiration to our dreams and visions for ourselves and our lives?
– What heals us? What has us feel healthy and well and ready to be of service to ourselves and to others?
– What are we willing to put ourselves out there for? What are we willing to be known for in a very public and very social way?
The Universe is giving us time to re-think our positions in all of these matters, to be sure that we say we want is what we really want. It’s an opportunity for all of us to really look at the past and present and ask, “Is this what I want for the future?” This is happening not only on an individual scale, but on a community, national, cultural, global and transcendent levels as well. It’s affecting each and all of us.
And all of this is occurring during a 3 universal month! A month in which the energy is about growing and expanding with a child-like enthusiasm. The choices we make about these matters are likely going to be influenced by the question of what gives us the best opportunity to grow and expand ourselves and our self-expressions in our lives? What gives us the best opportunity to give expression to our “inner children”? What gives us the best opportunity to serve others authentically while honoring our unique self-expressions?
This mass retrograde period is our collective retrospective – one of the last major reset opportunities before “the Great Awakening” of 2012. (We’ll talk a bit more about the Great Awakening in a later post.)
For now, I encourage you to acknowledge these questions being asked of you by the Universe. See where and how they are showing up in your own life…and answer them for yourself.
And enjoy the week!
~ Light, Love and Blessings,
Grace
