There are countless people who have a progressed planet go retrograde, or a progressed retrograde planet go direct.

Both of these are VERY important events in our lives, as they represent sea changes in our internal way of moving through experience.

Remember that all progressions are symbolic and internal, just as transits are “real time” and external. When something changes in our progressed chart, it is an internal movement, whether when a progressed planet changes signs or when it goes retrograde or direct.

With our natal planets, there are only five possible ways they progress:

1. they are direct at birth, and remain in direct motion our entire life.
2. they are direct at birth, and then go retrograde at some point in life.
3. they are retrograde at birth, and remain in retrograde motion our entire life.
4. they are retrograde at birth, and then go direct at some point in life.
5. they are direct at birth, go retrograde for a period, and then go direct.

Numbers 1 and 3 are the fewest in my experience, and always involve planets from Jupiter out to Transpluto. Each year, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto go retrograde for a few months, and then go direct, moving forward anywhere from 1 degree a year (Pluto) to an entire sign and more (usually around 36 degrees) in the case of Jupiter. The forward motion represents new information; retrograde motion re-traces the span and gives a different view of the initial information. The next direct motion utilizes what was reviewed as it moves into the next degree span.

Many are born with a planet direct which then goes retrograde by progression, and just as many are born with a planet retrograde which goes direct at some progressed point in time. When this happens, it represents a “sea change” in how that planet works in the chart, whether the threshold of a review, or the threshold of moving forward. As Jupiter and Saturn represent the socio-cultural field as an expression of the vaster spiritual field, these are collective lessons which we “interpret and express” via our visible planets.

For example, in my chart I’ve had both my progressed Saturn and my progressed Pluto go stationary direct in my life. My progressed Pluto went stationary direct when I was 28, and certainly that period marked a crucial change in my life. Here we must remember that Pluto, being so slow, was stationary direct for several years before it went direct in 1979 by progression.

Those were incredibly important years, because what I built in the 8 years before it went direct formed the basis of my spiritual life and astrological practice. It was as though a purification force took over my life at crucial points in time and propelled me forward into my Destiny based in my choices. I would definitely say that 1977-1981 represented the biggest changes in my life up to that time. Of course, it was also my Saturn return, so there was no rest for the weary during those years!

My progressed Saturn went stationary direct when I was 57 in 2008. As with Pluto, it was on its station for a number of years before it actually went SD. Again, during 2008-2011 I went through some major life-changing decision making which forever changed the trajectory of parts of my life forever. And interestingly, it was also my Saturn return, and around the time that my progressed Pluto conjuncted its natal position!

So pay attention to progressions and note if you have any of the outers going SRX or SD, since those will mark times of major shifts in direction related to the planet’s “department of labor.” These may be times of life changing perspectives coming and/or going related to one’s sense of purpose, truth, or obligations. I see my progressed Pluto moving forward as marking a point when my need for purification was over and I could move forward with my purified physical, emotional, and mental vehicles to embrace the Plutonic elements of my destiny.

Mars and Venus

Most people have Venus and Mars direct their entire life, though anyone with these retrograde at birth will likely experience them going direct at some point in life. As Mars’ retrograde periods are around 26 months apart and run anywhere from 60-80 days, those born just before a Mars retrograde may or may not live long enough to see it go direct by progression. And obviously, those born with Mars retrograde often see their progressed Mars go direct which shifts the nature of how we “attack the problems of life” within ourselves.

In all retrogrades from Mars out, there will be a distinct difference between progressed Mars RX before the Solar opposition and after the Solar opposition, as this marks the point when Mars will again begin to speed up. Whenever there is a progressed Solar opposition to a progressed retrograde planet it marks a point in our internal responses when we either have a realization, confront an internal opposition, or must in some way allow the progressed RX planet to “be illuminated” by the progressed Sun within ourselves.

This is where our progressed Venus and progressed Mercury chart their own retrograde courses, since there can never be a time when our progressed Sun opposes either Mercury or Venus (natally or progressed). Instead, these retrogrades have what are called “Inferior Conjunctions,” which mark the points of slowest motion of Mercury and Venus.

In the case of Venus, it goes retrograde for around 40-42 days every 18-20 months. That gives far higher odds of having Venus retrograde than Mars retrograde. As you can see, you could have Venus direct at birth, have it go retrograde by progression, and then 40 years later have it go direct. And of course everyone with Venus retrograde has it go direct in some progressed year if we live to any age at all.

Like the other planets, a progressed Venus going retrograde or direct represents an internal shift in perspective about that planet’s function in our life. As I discussed in The Magic of Venus: Friendships, Soul Mates, and Twin Flames, Chapter 8, Venus Retrograde,

When Venus is direct in motion we get Venusian "information." When it slows down and goes retrograde we get a new view of what we just learned about those energies and can find a new appreciation and admiration for whatever that transit is related to in our lives. It could be a time of finding new value in old interactions and things, or an internal check on what we’ve been valuing up to that point….

(Venus retrograde) is a perfect time … for memories of real world “echoes” of these past experiences to come forth. These periods may bring back old value systems for new evaluation, or a return of old memories of things we valued and appreciated in the past. These periods are good for recalibrating our view of money, wealth, and things in general, as well as why we value what we do in our relationships, and whether we're working off of old tapes, old hurts, old attachments, and old aversions in relationships that bear no resemblance to what the life we're living today….

Because of the inward and/or review qualities of the retrograde, we can explore different ways to relate to others or different ways to image what we like and how we like it. It can bring back old relationships, old memories of relationships, or old relationship patterns updated for the present. During Venus retrograde periods, we can review, revalue, reevaluate, and re-image what we appreciate and how we express our appreciation. They are particularly good times for seeing ourselves through the eyes of others, and/or from the perspective of how we used to relate juxtaposed with how we’re relating now.

Venus is our inner romantic picture of things, people, and ideas, mirrored out to our world. Its glyph, resembling a hand mirror, shows that it symbolizes our vanities and our self-reflected images of beauty. None of these are a bad thing, but we must revise them from time to time lest we be pursuing images that will no longer satisfy our evolved self and life.

In the context of progressed Venus going retrograde or direct, all of these Venusian areas are in play, whether for review or for moving forward after a review. A progressed retrograde Venus going direct marks a platform from which our internal Venus function will move forward with the retrograde experience available for use if we need it during the future. Progressed Venus going direct could mean old hurts have been resolved forever, old doubts about why we were or weren’t liked or not liked in the past can be seen in a different light of wisdom, and old internal issues keeping us feeling isolated or separated from others can be set aside in a new “forward looking” internal Venusian vision.

Tomorrow in part 2, we’ll focus specifically on progressed Mercury going retrograde and/or direct, since a vast majority of us has that going at some point in our lives. See you soon!

Reprinted on crystalwind.ca with written permission from Robert Wilkinson. Copying this article to other blogs is strictly prohibited. It is copyright protected. 

© Copyright 2024 Robert Wilkinson

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