Except the Sun and the Moon, all the planets in Vedic astrology can be retrograde. Planets orbit the Sun, so keeping the Earth as a reference point, whenever the planets are coming closer to the Earth in distance as part of their revolutionary orbit, they are said to be in Direct motion. However, when they are past Earth in distance and appear to be moving away from our planet, they give the impression of moving ‘backwards’ and are thus termed as retrograde planets. Retrograde planets are denoted by the sign * in birth charts and have stronger impacts on our lives than their Direct motion counterparts.
Till date, nobody has been able to completely and comprehensively understand how retrograde planets affect our lives. Sometimes, they are good, some other times, they are not. However, some things can be said –
- Retrograde malefic planets that are also functionally malefic will increase the negative impacts on the life of the person
- Retrograde benefic planets that are functionally benefic will give good results but if they are functionally malefic, the results will be mixed to negative** – this is as per my practical experience, but I am open to debate and arguments about it provided that proofs are given.
*Note that retrograde planets in the ascendant chart will impact not just their house of placement but also the immediately preceding house; for example, a retrograde Saturn placed in the 6th house will also impact the 5th house whether for good or bad. During the Dasha periods of Saturn, both the good and/or bad effects of this will be seen.
Leave a Reply