Every calendar year we have a number of planets that have retrograde cycles and this year is no different. Except this year and specifically this month, we will have 7 retrograde planets and that is a lot. The only planet that is not retrograde will be Mars and it did a 3 month retrograde in Gemini in 2022, ending it the first week of January 2023. That Mars retro is significant to what is happening now, more on that later. If you wonder why I don’t mention the sun and the moon, it’s because they never go retrograde and they don’t figure in here. 

Technically we can include the Sun in this group of retrogrades because Venus is currently retrograde in Leo, which is ruled by the sun. So that gives us a total of 8 planets in a field of 9. I think that is significant, don’t you?

What does all of this retrograde motion mean to us? Well, first of all retrogrades invite us to step back, review, use discernment, and pause before moving forward. Mercury will be retrograde, which is always a significant factor in our daily lives. If you don’t believe me think back to the last Mercury retrograde and your car broke down, you lost your keys, you tripped or fell and hurt yourself, you missed an important phone call, or something happened that upset your plans. Mercury retrograde has a way of being very inconvenient, especially when we’re rushed, in a hurry, or juggling too many things at once. 

Mercury retrogrades in Virgo, one of its signs of rulership, although I have always thought that Chiron should be the ruler of Virgo, especially when we consider its lower or more negative aspects of being the Martyred Healer, servitude, self-judgment, and it can be a bit OCD. This Mercury retrograde is tied to the Mars in Gemini retrograde, also another sign of Mercury rulership and this retrograde brings up our karma, soul cycles, soul groups, karma cycles, and stories in a big way.

I want to introduce something I call the 4 karmic milestones, which involves the signs Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces. This figures very prominently over the next 3 months which is why I am calling it to your attention now. You may thank me for it later. 

Read the rest of this article on the blog at enlighteninglife.com

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