The retrograde Venus period begins: what should Russians be wary of?

On March 3, Venus will stop moving like all planets (from right to left, from west to east) and will enter its retrograde phase, tracing a loop. On March 15, the retrograde period of Mercury will begin. Astrologers advise to be cautious. But what do these phenomena actually signify?

WHAT IS RETROGRADE?

Planets move among the stars from right to left. It's easy to confirm this by tracking any planet for a few days and noting its position relative to the star patterns. However, sometimes planets halt and move backward. They trace a loop among the stars and return to their original path. This position is referred to as retrograde in astrology and as apparent retrograde in astronomy. But how does it occur?

The movement of a planet among the stars is an optical illusion. We observe rotating planets from Earth, which is also rotating around the Sun. The combination of these two circular motions creates an interesting effect. When a star catches up to a slower outer planet, or when a faster inner planet (Mercury, Venus) overtakes Earth, the planet appears to momentarily stop. This is similar to a train running parallel to your subway train appearing to stop when their speeds are compared, allowing you to see inside their compartments through the window. Then the "train" (the planet) lags behind, moving backward. Eventually, everything aligns again, because unlike trains moving in a straight line, planets travel in circular orbits.

Thus, planets have always been retrograde and apparent, as this is their nature. However, people have not always paid attention to these loops.

TAYLOR SWIFT IS TO BLAME

In classical astrology, retrograde movements of planets hold no significance.

About 20 years ago, a blogger posted on social media: "Everything is falling apart today, cursed retrograde Mercury." In this way, she almost single-handedly linked retrograde motion with negativity.

This post caught the attention of singer Taylor Swift, who was looking for inspiration. The image of "evil" Mercury resonated with her, and the trend took off.

Just last year, an even more interesting movement began. Retrograde Mercury had become tiresome, and the public's attention needed new fuel, leading to retrograde Mars, which, by the way, just ended recently. Now retrograde Venus has joined the mix. It seems that all the planets in the Solar System will soon be retrograde.

Basically, yes. Although attempts have been made to correlate periods of retrograde Mercury with statistically significant events, nothing conclusive has been found.

As mentioned earlier, classical astrology, which is closer to astronomy, understood that retrograde motion is natural, and thus it shouldn't be a primary focus.

Looking at it from another perspective, in almost all traditional cultures, movement with the Sun is deemed positive, while against it is seen negatively. This belief stems from the observation that the Moon (not the most favorable "planet") moves in reverse to the Sun. However, by this logic, retrograde ("with the Sun") movement of a planet should, on the contrary, bring about good.

NEVERTHELESS

Many people believe in horoscopes, so let's briefly summarize what astrologers think about the combination of two retrograde planets in March.

Two approaches easily emerge. Astrologers of the first school think in terms of Mercury. Since Venus is the planet of love and harmony, and it is moving backward (weakened), this is generally seen as a bad omen. Less love, less abundance, and money.

On the other hand, astrologers of a different school believe that retrograde Venus allows for everything to be "turned inside out." For instance, it may provide an opportunity to restore long-broken relationships, to mend a shattered cup.

Whom should we believe? Let's observe the events in our own lives and draw our own conclusions!