What is Mercury Retroshade? Astrology meaning Retroshade

Photo illustration: Preity Kinha; Images: Getty Images

I know You are I know that Mercury retrograde — which wreaks havoc leading to communication mishaps, transportation crashes, and being texted back at 1 a.m. — is a somewhat astronomical event that only lasts three weeks.

But isn’t it feelings Like hell that Mercury retrograde It actually starts earlier and lasts longer than those three weeks? Take, for example, the last month: technically, it’s Mercury Retrograde It started on December 29th – But didn’t we all feel the burn a few weeks ago? Sure, you can blame him on the holidays…or you can, like me, shake your fists in the back shadows.

Technically, the term retroshade refers to a planet’s “retroshadow period,” which occurs before and after the retroshade itself. It is when the planet slows down as it prepares to enter retrograde and increases its speed as it leaves its retrograde motion behind. It also corresponds to the retrograde motion itself, showing us exactly which part of the sky will be visited three times: before the retrograde, during the retrograde, and after the retrograde.

To understand this concept, imagine walking ten paces in the snow, creating footprints behind you. Then, if you’re asked to walk back four steps, and you retrace your steps exactly, you’ll find yourself walking back on the same footprints again. Finally, you are required to continue forward into the remainder of the path, which means stepping into these footprints for the third and final time in this bizarre winter workout.

Basically, retroshade is a planet retracing its steps. Let’s take, for example, the current rollback. Mercury is retrograde on December 29th at 24 degrees Capricorn, and will conclude its retrograde motion at 8 degrees Capricorn on January 18th. So to find out the period before the shadow, we’ll use Astronomical calendar (astrological table detailing the exact position of the planets on a daily basis) to determine when Mercury was first at 8 degrees Capricorn – and, you look at that, it was on December 12th! Then, to determine the post-shadow period, we’ll want to know when Mercury clears that final position at 24 degrees Capricorn (the place where Mercury retrograde goes), which it will be on February 7th.

So, to recap, between Mercury Retrograde pre-shadow (December 12th to December 29th), Mercury Retrograde (December 29th to January 18th), and Mercury Retrograde post-shadow (January 18th to February 7th), we’re looking forward to a huge event. Nine weeks of chaos. Yikes.

Fear not, friends. The retrograde period is not so filled with disaster as the retrogression itself.

In fact, you actually can Preparation To go back through the pre-shadow phase tracing. Since the pre-shadow period charts the area of ​​the sky where the planet will return during retrograde, any upcoming themes are guaranteed to be revisited during those initial shadows. For example, if you were dealing with family issues or dealing with a difficult project at work during your pre-shadow period, planetary retrograde is likely to address those matters specifically. Likewise, these are the same situations that will be solved During the post-shadow period on the other side of the decline. See, there is a method to madness!

why yes! Which means that retrograde shadowing applies to all celestial bodies.

And in case you forgot, Mars – the planet of action, motivation, and determination – been back since October 30th (at 25 degrees Gemini) and you’ll finally finish the backspin on January 12th (at 8 degrees Gemini), resulting in ten long weeks of…well, exhaustion. But, based on retrograde principles, Mars actually began its pre-shadow period on September 4th and will conclude its post-shadow phase on March 16th, which means that this Mars story is roughly for five months. Sheesh! Don’t panic though: During our post-shadow phase in Mars retrograde, we actually have a chance to revisit everything that fell by the wayside during that planet’s long retrograde orbit. While Mercury Retrograde focuses on misunderstandings and weaknesses, Mars Retrograde is really about depletion of energy. Mars possesses life force energy, so when this planet goes retrograde, we will find ourselves exhausted, exhausted, and uninspired. Likewise, as Mars gains momentum during its post-shadow phase, not only will our energy and motivation steadily (finally) increase, but we will also feel inspired to adjust, adjust, and even correct some Mars retrograde mistakes.

Finally, know that personally (and professionally!) Morning Astrologer, you know) Astrological philosophy that the movements of the planets Always Supportive and helpful, even if it seems a little complicated at the moment. Yes, Mercury Retrograde or Mars Retrograde can be stressful and difficult, but it also encourages us to slow down and examine the situation from an entirely different perspective. Sometimes things need to be turned upside down so we can see them more clearly. you know? you know! You got this!