Retrograde planets in your birth chart

Could someone please share with me either their own knowledge or some appropriate links which discuss the impact that retrograde planets have in your natal chart. I apparently have six planets and my North Node retrograde, and I am wanting to learn more about how this supposedly affects my life. I've read some information on a few sites I was able to locate through Google, but would love to know more.

TIA,
Winter x

Ive been doing some research on exactly the same thing, as i've got mercury rx in my chart, and also being ruled by mercury it has quite a big impact on me with regards to how i think, speak, communicate

During mercury rx transits in a year....you can guarantee i have issues with communication with everyone, my thinking goes funny, no-one understands me, my mind goes into overtime, there's arguments, and i think about things a hell of a lot more than i usually do.

I've not done too too much research myself, as i only have one rx planet ....but having 6 planets rx, i'm sure must be having some sort of impact.

There's a link here, just incase you've not seen it yet.http://gregoryrozek.com/en/retrogradeplanets/

winter garden said:

Could someone please share with me either their own knowledge or some appropriate links which discuss the impact that retrograde planets have in your natal chart. I apparently have six planets and my North Node retrograde, and I am wanting to learn more about how this supposedly affects my life. I've read some information on a few sites I was able to locate through Google, but would love to know more.

TIA,
Winter x

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The Moon's Nodes (North Node and South Node) are always retrograde, it's normal. The Moon and the Sun are never retrograde, it is normal as well.
Concerning Uranus-Neptune-Pluto, well, they are retrograde during long periods of time each year, therefore I am not sure that their retrogradations are relevant with regard to an individual; maybe, I'm not sure.

Mercury-Venus-Mars-Jupiter-Saturn can be retrograde and sometimes we can read that there could be continual disruptions (and sometimes "contradictions", "discords", "damages") with regard to what a retrograde planet represents. A retrogradation is seen as an affliction that weakens the planet that is retrograde.

winter garden said:

Could someone please share with me either their own knowledge or some appropriate links which discuss the impact that retrograde planets have in your natal chart. I apparently have six planets and my North Node retrograde, and I am wanting to learn more about how this supposedly affects my life. I've read some information on a few sites I was able to locate through Google, but would love to know more.

TIA,
Winter x

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This isn't as easy to answer as it seems. However, I'll start with simply being Retrograde. All three outer planets are regularly retrograde, so the chances of picking up at least one is quite high. Mercury is also Retrograde quite frequently, indeed the most frequent of the classic seven. On the other hand to get Venus retrograde is quite uncommon.

Three or four planets retrograde is not uncommon. But to have six is uncommon (as it to have 0).

The difficulty comes in interpretation. The modern approach is highly psychologically based, and therefore the interpetations are given according to the focus of the planet being more inward than outward. It's something of an introvert/extrovert measure (Personally I don't take that approach).

In reality, being Retrograde is part of a planet's cycle with the Sun. All planets but Sun and Moon can be Retrograde (which means that you only have two planets that could be Retrograde but are actually Direct). It's best to see it as part of that cycle, which begins and ends with the conjunction with the Sun. Sometimes the planet rises before the Sun, sometimes it sets after the Sun and sometimes it isn't seen at all (during the phase of conjunction). Being Retrograde is therefore better than actually being obscured by the Sun, but it's not as good as being Direct and moving away from the conjunction.

If you follow a psychological approach, then Erin Sullivan has a very good book on Retrograde planets.

Addendum

If you do have all three outers retrograde, I wouldn't worry about it. They can be retrograde for around 40% or more of their time. Most Modern Astrologers don't seem to add anything to their interpretation because of it. However those who use transits and make predictions, will take the retrograde cycle into account for transits of those planets.

That leaves two out of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Mercury is most likely, followed by Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and Venus. Their exact interpretations would depend on their position in the chart but you shouldn't get to hung up on the Retrograde nature. It can be balanced by other factors.

I have seen it sometimes meaning (well astrologers saying)...that a retrograde planet in a chart means you have a strong influence of that planet because of it being "closer" to the earth.

But having a strong influence of that planet is not always good and not always bad. Sometimes it can be a positive thing and sometimes having excess of something can be a negative.

I think to really know if the strong influence of a planet (when retrograde) is bad depends on all aspects of the chart and what the chart is pointing to. If the chart points to a lot of positive qualities in the person it's probably not likely for the retrograde planet to be bad.

Alternatively, I have notice (personally) that when someone has a retrograde mercury in their chart and we go through a retrograde mercury time period..it actually works in the favor of the person because ideally they already know how to handle that energy in their life.

Just a young astrologer's two cent.

CosmicBeing said:

Alternatively, I have notice (personally) that when someone has a retrograde mercury in their chart and we go through a retrograde mercury time period..it actually works in the favor of the person because ideally they already know how to handle that energy in their life.

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This bit ive quoted is totally the opposite for me, i dread every mercury rx as i know what its going to do to me. I am planning to more mentally prepare for the next one....as this one's been really bad for me.

Yes i have mercury rx in my chart.

All i can explain it like is that someones put a thousand annoying ants in my head, that seem to be eating away a part of my brain. I can't think clearly, or positively, i get confused, start arguments over nothing, cut people off communication wise, everyone just irritates me.

I am also mercury ruled being a virgo, so not sure if i get it bad because of this factor also.

Just a young astrologer's two cent.

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Sharla said:

This bit ive quoted is totally the opposite for me, i dread every mercury rx as i know what its going to do to me. I am planning to more mentally prepare for the next one....as this one's been really bad for me.

Yes i have mercury rx in my chart.

All i can explain it like is that someones put a thousand annoying ants in my head, that seem to be eating away a part of my brain. I can't think clearly, or positively, i get confused, start arguments over nothing, cut people off communication wise, everyone just irritates me.

I am also mercury ruled being a virgo, so not sure if i get it bad because of this factor also.

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Probably also depend on the sign mercury sits in as well as the house.

If your ascendent sign is ruled by virgo it can explain why....there might be also aspects in your chat that explain why you can't handle those time periods. But in a good chart balanced chart with mercury rx..the person handles those time periods well...have to look at the whole chart at the end of the day to determine if retrograde is good or bad for a person.

When I was learning astrology in the 1970s from the gurus of "psychological astrology," retrogradation meant an internalization of the planetary energy, such that it wouldn't manifest clearly in the realm of outward affairs. Interception had a similar connotation, if I recall. It seems that combustion can do something similar in traditional astrology, in that the Sun "washes out" the planetary influence.

Barleywine said:

When I was learning astrology in the 1970s from the gurus of "psychological astrology," retrogradation meant an internalization of the planetary energy, such that it wouldn't manifest clearly in the realm of outward affairs. Interception had a similar connotation, if I recall. It seems that combustion can do something similar in traditional astrology, in that the Sun "washes out" the planetary influence.

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Combustion is a serious affliction in traditional astrology; retrogradation isn't really good either, but I don't know how traditional astrologers do with their clients to don't hurt them. Probably they have to be born mentalist and be very diplomatic.
Or else they say: "I'm going to be straight with you, therefore bring with you some hard liquor, you could need it after the reading!"
It's a joke, I point out it (I'm not always serious)