Retrograde Motion And Astrology

               Retrograde Motion And Astrology:

         

               If you were sitting in a train alongside another train in a railroad station, you may see the          other train begin to move backward. However, you won't know if that train is moving backward or          yours if moving forward, especially if your train moves off smoothly and slowly. In the same way,          the apparent motion between the earth and its sister planets makes it seem that the other planets          are moving backward around the zodiac. Actually the planets all move around the zodiac in the same direction at all times.

Table Of Planetary Hours

Table Of Planetary Hours

 

               This apparent backward motion of the planets is called "retrograde" motion. It occurs in          several stages. First the planet seems to stand still, then it backs up through the signs, stands          still again, and then resumes its forward motion. The Sun and Moon are never in retrograde motion. The amount of time that a planet spends in retrograde motion depends on the planet's orbit, varying from about twenty-two days for nearby Mercury to about 160 days for distant Pluto.

               A popular misconception is that a retrograde planet  signifies something unpleasant . It's easy to see why. A retrograde planet prolongs the influence of that planet in its sign and house of a horoscope. If that influence happens to be an unpleasant one, the prolonged unpleasantness will be blamed on that retrograde condition. In all fairness, if a retrograde planet is producing pleasant circumstances, that too will be prolonged by the retrograde planet