Retrograde planet in the natal chart – is it a great misfortune?
Today there are various approaches to studying human behavioral psychology. Undoubtedly, a birth horoscope can provide significant assistance in this. Planets reveal a person’s character both in their regular motion and in retrograde phase. Retrograde planets, which appear to move backward, have temporary phases.
Typically, an individual’s natal chart shows various aspects, but retrograde planets have their own unique, irreplaceable role. By identifying which retrograde planet is located in a particular house, one can understand in which areas of life difficulties may arise. Some astrologers speak of the karmic essence of these challenges—meaning a person is born with them, and overcoming them leads to extraordinary inner and spiritual growth. There is a belief that if a person recognizes and understands the lesson of fate, the retrograde planet may cease its negative influence.
In astrology, it is commonly believed that a retrograde planet (and there can even be up to five in a birth horoscope) carries a destructive effect. However, when analyzing a person’s life path and their natal chart, conclusions can be quite ambiguous. For example, the birth horoscope of Svitlana (34 years old) shows retrograde Saturn in the 4th house. This indicates that the parental home will leave its mark on her entire life, and events related to it may carry a fateful character. There is also a high probability of complexes originating from early childhood. The person may come from a dysfunctional family with various issues such as alcoholism, mental illness, and so on.
Naturally, the question arises: how might the destiny of a person with such a retrograde Saturn unfold? Indeed, when speaking with Svitlana, one senses an internal conflict that persists in her perception of childhood and the parental “nest.” Deep inside, she blames her parents for her failures and projects certain situations onto herself. Due to conflict with her father (which retrograde Saturn in the 4th house also indicates), at age 16 Svitlana attempted to leave her parental home, but her departure was only formal. She continued communicating with her parents, maintaining a deep inner dependency. This person remains strongly attached to her parents even today. Yet, this did not prevent Svitlana from creating her own strong, harmonious family and transforming the negative childhood example into a positive direction.
In the case of Oleksandr (41 years old), retrograde Mercury is located in the 10th house. Overall, this person’s natal chart indicates success in career, but character traits also include despotism and tyranny. Here, retrograde Mercury unusually softens the aforementioned qualities. Therefore, today Oleksandr exhibits prudence and caution. Also, his mental processes are directed inward in a creative manner, preventing him from attaining power through force (as other characteristics of the birth horoscope also suggest). Moreover, the conjunction of retrograde Mercury with the Sun may bring success in trade. This person desires to share his wisdom with others, and a sense of depth in his significance gives him confidence in the future.
Today, Oleksandr does not hold a leadership position nor does he reach for the stars, but he steadily works in the field of trade. Due to carelessness and a certain irresponsibility (from retrograde Mercury), his material well-being constantly fluctuates, yet opportunistic life views allow him to avoid losing income. Perhaps this is his happiness?
Hanna’s (63 years old) uniqueness is immediately noticeable. Her inner maturity and strength are not aligned with her physical age. Hanna’s birth horoscope speaks for itself—revealing an informal leader. Her retrograde Mars is in the 4th house and affects how she perceives others. In her parental home, Hanna suffered from arguments, which undermined her self-confidence. Thanks to this same retrograde planet, she draws strength from other people. In interaction, this “vampirism” is not strongly felt. However, energetically weak individuals weaken in her presence. Also, due to retrograde Mars in the 4th house, Hanna cannot fully accept responsibility and tends to place it on others’ shoulders. Hence, she is content with the role of an informal leader. Hanna seeks friends either older than herself, seeing in them parental figures, and attempting to resolve lingering childhood issues—or younger ones, in whom she sees herself. Retrograde Mars in the 4th house constrained Hanna in relationships with men throughout her life. She remained in the “armor” of her fears. And perhaps, overall, this retrogradation contributed to Hanna having a 25-year marriage and two children. Yet, in this union, she lived largely due to her lack of self-confidence. According to all other indicators of her natal chart, her life is quite successful, and Hanna holds authority within her environment.
As we can see, the role of retrograde planets in the birth horoscope is highly distinctive. Their significance depends on the entire natal chart as a whole. By correctly analyzing the influence of a retrograde planet on a specific life area, one can identify positive tendencies and draw useful conclusions.
