“Retrograde” sounds like a bad thing, but I’m here to tell you that it isn’t. In a nutshell, retrograde means that from our perspective here on Earth, a planet appears to be moving in reverse. Of course, planets don’t ever actually back up, but the energy of retrograde planets is often held back, delayed, or hindered in some way. For example, when Mercury—the ruler of communication and navigation—appears to be retrograde, it’s tough to get from point A to point B without a snafu, and it’s equally hard to get a straight answer. Things just don’t seem to go as planned. But it only makes sense. Since Mercury is the planet in charge of conversation and movement, when he’s moving backward—well, imagine driving a car that only had reverse. Yep. It wouldn’t be easy. Still, if that’s all you had to work with, you’d eventually find a way to get where you wanted to go. That’s how all retrograde energies work. If you have retrograde planets in your natal chart, don’t rush them. These energies may need a bit more time to function well for you than other natal planets, but if you’re patient, talk about having an edge! You’ll know these planets inside and out. On a collective basis, think of the time when a planet moves retrograde as a chance for a celestial do-over.