2019 has come and gone so quickly! With 2020 just a few weeks away, I figured I'd make a handy little key for all the planets' retrogrades for the upcoming year.
Here are a few facts about retrograde periods:
A retrograde is something you can actually watch happen (over time) in the sky! The planets are direct when they are moving in the normal direction in the order of the zodiac. But, from time to time you'll see them slow down, come to a stop (station), begin to move backwards for a while, then come to a stop (station) again, and move forward (direct) like normal.
Mercury is retrograde the most often out of all the planets. It has 3 separate retrograde periods each year. Mercury's retrogrades also have a cycle where they'll occur in all three signs of one element for a year or so, before changing to the next element. This year it was in all water signs, Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces (for the most part), and it'll be about the same for next year, as you'll see below, but it will begin carrying over into the three air signs.
The slower moving planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) all spend 4+ months retrograde every single year. This means that these are all extremely common retrograde periods..
Venus and Mars retrograde occur the least often of all the planets. Venus is retrograde only once every year and a half, and Mars is retrograde once every two years.
Retrograde "shadow" periods are worth noting as well. A planet's retrograde "pre-shadow" phase happen before the actual retrograde itself, and the retrograde "post-shadow" phase happens after the retrograde. The pre-shadow usually represents a time where the effects of the retrograde build up. The post-shadow is considered to be a time where the effects of the retrograde linger around a little bit until it leaves the shadow. NOTE: The shadow periods are not "worse" than the retrograde period, though! During the shadow phases, the planet begins to slow down before it comes to a stop (station) and then begins moving backwards. The reverse movement of the planet is more counterproductive than the slower movement during the shadow phase.
Neptune and Pluto are ALWAYS in their pre-shadow, post-shadow, or retrograde, so the effects of those planets being retrograde are part of the basic nature of the planet itself. Personally, I take this to mean that those retrogrades are not nearly as significant as the others can be.
Uranus is ALMOST always retrograde, so the same idea can be applied to it to an extent. Uranus spends only less than one week, usually only a couple of days, of each year outside of its pre-shadow and post-shadow phases, and it's during the time that it's conjunct the Sun.
The retrograde and direct stations (when the planets come to stop before beginning to move backwards) are considered by some to be more significant than the retrogrades themselves. When a planet is stationed in real time, the things represented by that planet can seem to become stagnant or inactive until it begins to gain speed again. In a birth chart, stationed planets are considered to be pretty powerful and significant in the person's life. In Steve Jobs chart, Mercury (the planet associated with technology) is stationary, and he's obviously well known for a big tech company. In Amy Winehouse's chart, Venus (the planet of music and art) is stationary, and she was a very well known musician. The list of well known people with stationary planets that have to do with what exactly they're well known for goes on.
Here's the list of retrogrades that will occur in 2020!
These times are in Eastern Time (EST/EDT), so don't forget to convert it to your local timezone!
I also rounded these to the nearest hour just for convenience, so if you want exact times, check your favorite site or software.
