Mercury
every 4 months / 3 weeks
Retrogradation
No planet ever really turns back. Retrogradation is an optical illusion: due to different orbital speeds, from Earth some planets seem, for certain periods, to move backward against the background of the zodiac.
The phenomenon
A question of who overtakes whom
Seen from our own moving vantage point, a planet's apparent position against the background of the fixed stars can seem to slow down, stop, and finally move backward, before resuming its direct motion.
What changes is our point of view, not the planet's course. An inner planet like Mercury or Venus turns retrograde when it overtakes Earth on its faster orbit; an outer planet like Mars or Jupiter turns retrograde when it is Earth that overtakes it.
Venus
every 18 months / 40 days
Mars
every 2 years / 2-3 months
Jupiter and beyond
every year / 4-5 months
In astrology
Slowing down to look back
In astrology, retrogradation is not really about the planet itself but about the theme it represents. When a planet is retrograde, its energy turns inward: instead of pushing forward, it invites us to go back, review, correct. Mercury retrograde, the best known, is linked to communication, contracts and travel that call for extra care. Venus retrograde touches relationships and values; Mars retrograde, action and desire; the slower planets, from Jupiter onward, broader, longer-arc themes, often shared by an entire generation.
It is not a period to fear — it is an invitation to slow down before moving on again.
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