Retrograded Planets: The Key to Personal Development? by Psychic Fern

The astrological birth chart is a fantastic tool for self-reflection and personal development. When examined they can tell you what your core essence is, the image you present, and your natural tendencies in different areas of life. Most people look at their big three signs: Sun sign, Rising sign, and Moon sign; but in reality, there is so much more to learn from the birth chart. This article is meant to highlight the importance of retrograded planets at birth, and soul lessons one learns in the present lifetime.

Retrograded celestial bodies are a good indicator of areas in your life you might be blocked externally. They are a strong tool for personal development and studying them can absolutely transform your understanding of self.

Mercury

Mercury retrograde individuals are interested in self-study and discovery. These individuals can struggle with fully expressing how they feel to others, and due to their unique ways of learning, they can be insecure about their intelligence. They also frequently question whether they have properly analyzed and perceived situations and people.

The message in personal development is to work on methods of communication and expressing yourself fully and confidently. If they have trouble learning, they should try other more unconventional methods of doing so. One of their strengths is examining their perception and bias.

Venus

Venus retrograde individuals feel things deeply and fully. They are introverted and uninterested in superficial conversation. A Venus retrograde exhibiting negative tendencies might reject connection and love altogether due to fear and issues with worthiness. Deep seated insecurities can plague them.

Self-love, confidence, and getting out of their shell are great areas for growth for a Venus retrograde. Self-love and confidence will help quiet the insecurities. Forget the small talk, stay deep as that is your strength!

Mars

A Mars retrograde individual is very passive aggressive, even passive in nature, and struggles to be assertive. This is especially true when communicating your desires for people whether positive (friendship, love, sexual) or negative (anger, hatred, jealousy). 

The lesson here is to build confidence and work on speaking up more. If you let things build up inside, you will be prone to outbursts. Two strengths of the mars retrograde are creative expressions of desire, and depth of intimacy (feeling intimacy to the core of their being).

Jupiter

Forget what society says, Jupiter retrograde individuals follow their own path, good luck trying to make them fit the mold. These individuals can be social pariahs because they are cut from a different cloth. They also are humble to the point of self-deprecation.

These individuals can work on treating themselves as decently as they treat others and allowing themselves to receive. One of their strengths and weaknesses is inability to fit in, so balance in loving their individuality, and allowing themselves to be part of a community is helpful.

Saturn

Shame, doubt, and guilt can consume the Saturn retrograde individual, as they too easily blame themselves for things going wrong in their lives, and this can lead to stagnation and fear of action. They can be flighty, and struggle with commitment and stability due to this.

The lesson here is kindness towards oneself, we are all human, and therefore make mistakes, it is okay. A Saturn retrograde must work to allow themselves to do this. Their strength is their awareness of their impact, as they are constantly checking to make sure they are acting in line with their values.

Uranus

Oftentimes, Uranus retrogrades are people that are struggling with something, but in all actuality don’t want to get better. This is through an attachment to suffering and identifying as a victim. They are also afraid of change.

Affirmation: CHANGE IS GOOD, CHANGE IS INEVITABLE. The lesson is to keep ego in check, and not hold on to a victim mentality, these individuals must take more ownership of their lives. One of their strengths is their dynamic, eccentric nature. Depending on the situation, they can either fall in line, or take down an empire.

Neptune

Neptune retrograde individuals have a rather icy and withdrawn exterior, they don’t feel comfortable being vulnerable around others. They also suppress their intuition and are natural skeptics, which can aid and hurt them in life.

The lesson for Neptune retrograde is to bear their hearts more, as they risk going through life without creating meaningful emotional connections. Also, to allow themselves to dream more and not be such nihilists. Skepticism is a strength of the Neptune Retrograde because it makes them highly investigative of unfamiliar things.

Pluto

Pluto retrograde individuals are stubbornly independent. They refuse to ask for help for fear of manipulation and leveraging. They dislike giving up control, typically from negative experiences of people’s intentions. Over the years this causes them to be guarded and have trust issues. They struggle with transformation.

The first message to the Pluto retrograde is instead of shutting people out, to learn from their mistakes and make better choices of friends and acquaintances. The second message is to keep trying with personal development, it may seem like an impossible mountain to climb, but eventually you will succeed.

Chiron

Chiron governs pain and healing. The pain witnessed and experienced in the life of a Chiron retrograde is overwhelming, leading them to question humanity, and struggle to bear this empathic burden.

Instead of trying so hard to avoid pain, a Chiron retrograde must accept that it is a part of life and find beauty in the process of healing. They should study and reflect on aspects of pain (grief, sorrow, loss, etc.) and fall in love with the growth from these experiences. Their strength is their strong ability to empathize and understand all wounded people.

There is a lot to learn from the celestial bodies retrograded at birth. This article is meant to be a guide to help the reader investigate areas for reflection personal development. 

 

For even more about Retrogrades and Astrology, check out our extensive free Guide to Astrology.