Retrograde

Retrograde motion is the apparent backward motion of a planet from the viewpoint of Earth. In a natal chart, it often points to a more inward way of living that planet's function.

How to read it in a chart

Retrograde motion is useful only inside the whole chart. In astrology, everything is read through connections: a sign is refined by a house, a house by its ruler, a planet by aspects, and a forecast by the natal base.

When you meet this term in a reading, ask three questions: which planet is retrograde, where it stands, and how its function may turn inward before it expresses outwardly.

Common mistake

A beginner mistake is to read retrograde as "bad" or broken. More often it describes a different rhythm: revision, internalization, delay, or a need to form a personal relationship with the planet's theme.

Use this definition as an entry point into the chart, not as the whole reading.