Understanding Retrograde Planets in Your Birth Chart

Answering one of my most asked about topics.

2025 is the year of retrogrades, which along with some major outer planet transitions this year, is the main reason behind why everything feels so chaotic right now. We’ve been in a Mars retrograde across the signs of Leo and Cancer since early December, and it won’t lift until the end of February. Then on the heels of that Mars retrograde ending, we have two more starting, with Venus and Mercury both retrograde throughout March and April in the signs of Aries and Pisces. So we really won’t feel super motivated or like our year is beginning until mid April!

My sister is due with twins right during these Venus and Mercury retrograde periods this spring - I’m becoming an aunt! So naturally I have been thinking about what it means when you’re born during certain planetary retrogrades. When that happens, you have the energy of a planet’s retrograde in your birth chart, and it shows how you go about the themes associated with that planet differently than most people do. Before we fully get into what retrograde planets in your birth chart mean, here are my recommendations for the month.

Book rec:

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. This book is a long one - over 700 pages, but so worth the read. It’s a family saga that spans the 20th century in India, and centers around the members of a family that have a generational curse of dying by water related accidents. It’s a lot of separate stories and different perspectives that all come together at the end, and I feel like I got a huge education in Indian history and also medicine and surgery.

Wellness rec:

Spearmint tea. I have been struggling with hormonal acne so much over the past couple of months, I think due to stress and an unhealthy diet while in the midst of moving and not having a kitchen to cook in for a while. I kept seeing on social media that drinking spearmint tea helps with hormonal acne, so I finally gave it a try and I haven’t had a breakout since. I drink one cup of this tea a day, and it’s shocking how well it works. Obviously, I’m not a doctor so you may want to look into side effects with certain meds before drinking it, because I think this stuff is pretty potent.

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Okay, let’s get into retrograde planets.

First, I want to go over how you can identify if you have retrograde planets in your chart.

You can always look at your birth chart and identify what planetary symbols have a small “R” next to them, as seen below. If a planet’s symbol has that R next to, it means it was retrograde at the time of your birth. It’s important to note that the Sun and Moon are never retrograde, and the Nodes are always retrograde. So we can exclude those from our interpretation below.

You can also find the exact dates of certain retrogrades that happened in your birth year, and identify if your date of birth fell during any of them, or maybe you were born a couple days before a retrograde started or ended. In that case, it may still feel like you embody those retrograde themes in your life, and the significance of that planet may feel extra important to you. The link to find those dates is here. It’s set for 1993, but you can advance it forward and backwards in time to find your exact birth year. You may want to keep this tab pulled up, as we will reference it again later.

When noting if there are retrograde planets in your chart, which there usually are, I always put a greater emphasis on when Venus, Mars or Mercury is retrograde. These are the inner planets, so they are more personal to you and their retrogrades tend to have a bigger impact. Also, Venus and Mars retrogrades are pretty rare. Venus is only retrograde for about six weeks every eighteen months, while Mars is only retrograde for about two and half months every two years. Jupiter and Saturn retrogrades are definitely worth noting as well, because they are still planets seen with the naked eye. However, along with Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto, these planets all have several month long retrogrades every single year, so a bigger percentage of people will have these retrogrades in their chart.

When you have a planet retrograde in your chart, the meaning of that planet takes on extra importance. However, the qualities associated with that planet may feel more difficult to understand or incorporate into your life, especially when you are younger. You could feel like an outsider in regards to that planet, like everyone else is carrying out the qualities of that planet in one way, but that way may not come naturally or feel right to you. You may spend a lot of time trying to figure out what your approach to that area is, and how you can make it feel like your own. With retrograde planets, it’s almost like you’re fighting to realize the potential of them, and there can be a fixation on it and a desire to master that part of your life.

On the other hand, it could be that you put extra thought into how you express the retrograde planet in a way that other people don’t. You may feel the weight and responsibility of that planet differently. Over time, you may even be recognized or known for the traits that the retrograde planet embodies, as we will see in some chart examples below. First, here are some key themes to associate with each planet’s retrograde. Remember - it’s also important to look at the sign and house in which these retrograde planets fall in your chart, because that will also influence how you express that planet.

Mercury retrograde:

• Needing to communicate in a different way

• Can be a concentration on storytelling, writing, journalism

• May have been shy as a child, or something about the learning process at school needed to be done differently

• Important conversations with people may be more thought out, or extra time is spent deciding how to best word or say something. Communication is not something that is taken lightly.

Venus retrograde:

• Goes about both friendships and romantic relationships in a different way

• May not abide by traditional relationship norms

• Can have low self esteem in social or dating situations when younger though

• Concentration on the arts, creativity, and developing a different type of personal style or aesthetic

• May even become known for embodying a certain style that is very uniquely your own

Mars retrograde:

• Difficulty expressing anger, or having very strong reactions that simmer beneath the surface

• May find the typical way of exerting energy and being productive to feel unnatural - needs to find a routine and a different sense of what motivates you and gives you drive

• A concentration on how to approach confrontation or frustrating feelings in a more effective way - voicing when you are upset may feel particularly difficult but something that you must learn how to do over time.

Jupiter retrograde:

• May have a different set of beliefs or spirituality than what is considered to be the norm where you grew up

• Or you’re very concentrated on sharing bigger picture knowledge or breaking down complex topics in a new way

• Puts a lot of energy into absorbing complex knowledge and finding ways to share it

• There may also be an interest in foreign cultures, and travel might be super important in shaping a greater sense of identity

Saturn retrograde:

• Traditional structures and ways of doing things in society may not make sense to you, and there could be a desire to build new types of structures in the world

• Also working to develop a greater sense of authority and direction - may have trouble with that early in life though.

• Could rise to an important leadership role or become known for being an authoritative voice in a specific area

• May put too much emphasis on taking on big responsibilities though - knowing when it’s better to have balance between work and rest is key

Uranus retrograde:

• A desire to be more independent - gaining greater independence and freedom may be a big theme throughout life

• Feeling like an outsider though or like it’s more difficult to be fully yourself earlier on in life

• A need to challenge the status quo

Neptune retrograde:

• Heightened sensitivity - may feel overwhelming at times

• A strong desire to create art, music, photography

• Ability to channel sensitivities and emotions into creativity

• May be overly compassionate though - very giving to others or how can tap into how people feel very easily

• More in touch with spirit world, and can sense what isn’t always seen

Pluto retrograde:

• Bigger concentration on self transformation throughout life

• Really getting to the bottom of who you really are, and may experience periodic phases of shedding and starting over again

• Struggling with a need to control though

• A keen interest in human behavior - understanding yourself but also why other people work

• May even want to incorporate this theme of psychology, deep investigation, or transformation into a career somehow

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Now let’s look at how natal retrogrades have played out in people’s lives. The chart below is that of Will Ferrell, a comedian and famous actor.

Looking at his chart, you can see that he has a Virgo rising, with his chart ruler, Mercury, retrograde in Cancer in the 11th house. So that Mercury retrograde becomes a bigger deal for him, since it rules his ascendant. Mercury also rules his Gemini Midheaven. His career and what he is known for publicly is tied in with this Mercury retrograde too.

Mercury retrograde themes that have popped up in his life:

• As a kid, he was always finding ways to make the other kids at school laugh, so he was using his words and how he communicated in a different way. He performed comedic skits in front of the whole school too.

• He first tried to work in broadcast news, but didn’t enjoy it, so instead focused on strengthening his improv skills throughout his 20s. He was channeling intense focus into how he could use his words for comedy purposes.

• He has made a name for himself through impersonations of celebrities

• And he stands out in movies for being able to take on the persona of so many different characters, changing the way he speaks for each role.

It’s also worth noting that Will Ferrell had this breakthrough moment in his career when he joined an improvisation group called The Foundlings in 1994, the year a Mercury retrograde was happening in Cancer. So a Mercury cycle was repeating at that time, activating that natal Mercury retrograde in Cancer in his chart. More on this topic later.

Next is the chart of Audrey Hepburn, seen below. She has an Aquarius rising with Venus retrograde in Aries. Audrey Hepburn was a famous actress in the 1950s and 60s, but has honestly become more well known for being a timeless style icon.

Venus is the planet associated with beauty, fashion, relationships, finances and equality. Since she had Venus retrograde in her chart, these Venusian themes became even more important to Audrey Hepburn’s life. Here are some Venus retrograde themes that have popped up in her biography:

• She had a difficult childhood growing up in Europe during WW2. Her family lost a lot of money and their financial situation changed drastically.

• As a result of the war, Audrey was malnourished, which negatively impacted her career as a ballerina. Therefore, she went into acting - Venusian theme of money and how not having it meant a lack of food, which impacted her appearance. Struggling with the theme of Venus when she was younger.

• Her breakout role was in Roman Holiday in 1953. It was a big deal, because her appearance was a stark contrast to how leading actresses in Hollywood looked at that time - Venus retrograde theme of challenging the status quo of style and aesthetics.

• She kicked off a new style and through starring in movies like Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Charade, and Sabrina, she became known for her iconic outfits, which are still looked to for inspiration today - with Venus retrograde in her chart, she became someone who is known for Venusian themes like style and fashion.

And then for a final example, the chart of Malcolm Gladwell is below. I don’t have a birth time for him, but you can see that he has Jupiter retrograde in Aries and Saturn retrograde in Aquarius in his chart.

Malcolm Gladwell is an author and journalist, who is known for bestselling books such as Outliers, Blink, and The Tipping Point. I recently got a copy of his latest book, Revenge of the Tipping Point, which I can’t wait to start reading. What he does so well as an author is he sheds light on behaviors, structures, and popular myths that you think of as just a given, and shows the real reason and the patterns behind these things. He takes bigger picture concepts, like why certain people are so successful or how a person is able to make a quick decision or snap judgment and breaks the concept down in a way that anyone can easily understand. In my opinion, this ability of his comes from that Jupiter retrograde in his birth chart. Jupiter is a planet that is associated with knowledge, bigger picture topics, and in depth learning, so with it retrograde in his chart, Gladwell is naturally going to absorb and translate knowledge in a different way. The Saturn retrograde shows up in his career too, as he’s constantly questioning the status quo of certain rules and societal constructs.

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Before we wrap up, I wanted to touch on the retrograde cycles of these planets, especially when it comes to Mercury, Venus and Mars. I often get questions when Mercury retrograde comes along like, “if I have Mercury retrograde in my birth chart, does that mean I don’t feel it as much, or is it easier for me than it is for other people?” I honestly don’t have a good answer, but I do think it’s more important to pay attention to these retrogrades when they repeat in the same sign that they are located in your natal chart. As we saw with the Will Ferrell chart example, when he had Mercury retrograde repeat in the sign of Cancer in 1994, he leaned into the qualities of his natal Mercury retrograde in Cancer and found a more productive way of expressing them - through an improv group.

You may want to revisit this link from earlier to identify the years in which a planet will station retrograde in the same sign it is retrograde in your birth chart. It would also be interesting to look back at past years from childhood or young adulthood to reflect on what happened at those times too.

Mercury retrograde takes about six years to return to the same element of signs. For example, Mercury retrograde is beginning to take place across the water signs of Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio in 2025-2026. The last time this happened was in 2019-2020.

Venus has an eight year cycle, so it will repeat its retrograde in the same sign every eight years. The Venus retrograde in March starts in Aries. The last time there was a Venus retrograde in Aries was in 2017, eight years ago.

Mars retrograde has a fifteen year cycle. Mars retrograde started in Leo back in December, and the last time a Mars retrograde happened in this sign was in 2010. I have Mars retrograde in Cancer in my birth chart, so the second half of this retrograde with Mars now back in Cancer has really gotten me to understand the meaning of this natal placement. With it in my 12th house, I have been learning how to voice feelings of anger differently in therapy, and I’ve also been recognizing the importance of both exercise and rest (taking care of your body is a big 6th/12th house theme).

So it’s always interesting to see when there might be a powerful realization made with a retrograde planet, and how the potential of it gets unlocked over time. I hope this newsletter was helpful in furthering your understanding of your own chart! If you have any planets retrograde in your chart and you feel like I’ve missed a key theme on one of them, feel free to share your experiences in the comments.