Retrogrades in a Birth Chart

(Word of caution... sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing... and I suddenly have a bunch of astrology-related questions. So I hope I don't drive anyone crazy if the answers are obvious or if begin to post too many...)

Okay, that said -- What, if any, is the importance/meaning of having a planet (or planets) retrograde when you were born? I know Mercury retrogrades are extremely common (to the point of becoming almost too frequent for me to put much attention to, but that's another story) -- but what about the other planets... and what about the Nodes?

I ask because in scouring the symbols on my birth chart, I noticed a retrograde sign for Neptune, as well as one for my South Node. I didn't even know that other planets, let alone nodes (whatever nodes are... I'm still trying to figure that out, although I do know what they stand for) went retrograde.



thanks, joya

This is a very good question- one that I've never really thought about. Of course, just about every single planet in my chart was retrograde when I was born, so I gues it would do me some good to watch and learn.
My retrograde planets include:
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Pluto
Mercury (stationary retrograde)
Uranus (stationary retrograde)

i was born with Mercury, Neptune, and Uranus in retrograde.

With mercury, I was born with ear canal problems, however now I am very talkitive and my hearing is actually above normal but I am still sensitive to lound noises.

Neptune retrograde channels my mental and psychic abilities through my imagination, which has been uncannily accurate at times. My approach to psychic powers is one of caution as with great power comes great responsibility as well as great karma.

Uranus charges me with indpendence, but sometimes my desires are more traditional, or more preciecely, a modern type of tradition based on equality.

The meanins of the planets are not reversed, but some aspects to the meanings are changed slightly, it seems to have more impact with the progressed charts combined with natal interpretation.

For example, my progressed mercury has gone through its retrograde phase, gone stationary, and is now direct and passing over my natal Sun and Mercury, this resulted in hypertension and insomnia as well as some anxiety. These problems occured before I checked out my progressed chart, but a progressed direct mercury return over a natal retrograde mercury is something that I didn't tink of, until now, which is an excellent example of another aspect to retrogrades: they bring out new information in new ways, sometimes in a backwards fashion (you expierence something then the information comes to you as a reaction).

There's a wonderful book on natal retrogrades written by Martin Schulman, "Retrogrades and Reincarnation", ISBN:0-87738-345-1. It's a small but VERY eye-opening text!

I have natal Mercury retrograde in the ninth house which has proven to hamper my speaking ability, as in I don't seem to say the right words at the moment. I become totally flustered and think of the perfect thing to say way after the fact. I am much better in writing than in speech as I have the luxury of time to edit myself. I also had a horrible lisp when I was a kid which could be blamed on Mr. Mercury.... or orthodontics

I also have natal Pluto retro in the fifth house and boy was I a challenging child! I questioned everything and wanted to do it MY way. I have super parents who tempered this quality in me however my mom still deals with my "child wanting to be parent" at times.

Read Schulman, you won't regret it!

~ January

Joya, retrograde nodes are even more common than retrograde Mercury -- in fact, this month, the nodes turn direct twice, for a total of only about five days. The rest of the time, they are retrograde.

Kim

I wholeheartedly second January's suggestion on the Schulman text. VERY helpful. He actually has a series of books (Karmic Astrology), and another one in the series is devoted to the Moon's Nodes. I have that one too, though I don't like it as much.

BTW, nodes are always retrograde (I think -- someone may want to confirm), so your South Node has no significance as far as being Rx.

If you're looking for info on the nodes, check out the North Node thread: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=37011.

Minderwiz also has a nice post on the various meanings of retrogrades in the "Retrogrades in Natal Chart" thread that you might find helpful: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=37189.

Cheers,
Kaylee

Oops, correcting myself: The nodes are nearly always retrograde.

And asking questions is a good thing! Please don't apologize for your curiousity!!

~Kaylee