Re: Planets That Go Backwards ( from another group)

[Guest guest]

-Dearest Liane,

So helpful! Silver is one of my favorite authors! Thank

you for this post, so very helpful in this time when it feels like my

whole being is doing flipflops and somersaults. It is a beautiful

time to be here when there is a big change but at the same time, it

can be so challenging and really make a person think, Oh, my am I

going to make it through this change and remain sane? Well, maybe

that is a bit extreme, sanity is there, it is just adjusting to this

new way of thinking, living, Be-ing. I digress lots in my posts,

hehe but I think you can relate as well as maybe others? *wink and

smile* Thank you for the helpful information on the planets. Venus

is my sun sign and Mercury I believe my moon sign, this is quite

helpful, dear one! Namaste, LUNA

-- In , " Liane Legey "

<butterflygris@...> wrote:

>

> I've heard " through the grapevine " that Mercury is about to

go " retro " .

> Anyone have thoughts on this? Okay. I thought so. LOL.

>

> Planets That Go Backward

>

> A planet that appears to move backward in the heavens for a period

of

> time is said to be retrograde. I've found retrograde periods

uniquely

> helpful when working magic and considering magical timing.

>

> All the planets in our solar system appear at one time or another to

> stop--this is called making a " station " --and then move backward.

After

> a time, they stop again, or station, and appear to move forward, or

turn

> " direct. " Because some planets have faster orbits than others, the

time

> they stop (station), turn retrograde, stop, and turn direct varies

from

> planet to planet.

>

> But in fact, planets never really go backward--it just looks like

they

> do. Retrogrades are all an illusion created by the orbit of our own

> Earth. Logically speaking, you would think that an illusion wouldn't

> affect reality. But retrogrades have a profound affect on us. If you

> think about it another way, there are actually many illusions that

> affect reality. If we consider the human mind

> we know that if you " believe " something, then you can create that

> something in reality. This is what magic is all about.

>

> So what does a retrograde really mean to magical timing? When a

planet

> turns retrograde, it is the universe's way of saying, " Hey! Hold up

a

> minute! Time to take a breather. Sit back and just chill! " Of

course,

> we can't stop living just because a planet has decided to surf

backward

> for a while, but in magical timing there are ways to use these

> retrogrades to our advantage.

>

> To be honest, I love to observe how people act during planetary

> retrogrades. It's sort of fun to sit there, watch everyone run

around

> with eyes twirling in their sockets, while you just relax and smile

like

> a Cheshire cat because you and the universe are sharing an amusing

> secret, and you were prepared for it.

>

> MAGICAL TIPS FOR RETROGRADES

>

> To take advantage of planetary retrogrades magically, you first

need to

> get yourself a good astrological almanac (or calendar). In it, you

will

> see symbols for each planet and a little symbol, an " R " with a

little

> " x " through it, indicating the time it runs retrograde and a " D "

beside

> the planet when it turns direct.

>

> Once you've determined the time for each planet's backward passage,

the

> basic key for a retrograde is: " Don't start anything in the subject

> area that the retrograde planet corresponds to. " While you can

finish

> things up, if you start something that pertains to that planet's

energy

> while that planet is furiously backpedaling in the universe, then

what

> you have started will more than likely have to be done all over

again

> when that planet turns direct.

>

> Second tip: The day that a planet stations (stops) before it either

goes

> backward (retrograde) or forward (direct) all heck is going to break

> loose involving the subjects that the planet corresponds to. Be

> prepared!

>

> Third tip: The day a planet goes direct, your magic in the area of

that

> planet's rule will act like a slingshot. Although Witches and

magical

> people always try to be specific when working magic, be extra

careful

> when a planet turns direct. Check and double-check what it is you

truly

> want to accomplish. The old adage, " Be careful what you wish for, "

> holds a great deal of meaning here.

>

> RETROGRADE PLANETS AND MAGIC

>

> Although all planetary retrogrades have a general meaning, each

will be

> different in some way for every person because of: (1) your personal

> astrological blueprint--your natal chart; and (2) what house of

life the

> retrograde planet is currently visiting. These two factors can get

> fairly complicated, and if you haven't really gotten into

astrology, the

> glyphs in your almanac may look like gibberish. Still, you don't

need

> to know everything to practice general magical timing. If you come

to

> like astrology, later on you can study on your own.

>

> Below I have described the general retrograde effects for the three

> fastest moving planets--Mercury, Venus, and Mars--in relation to

magical

> timing. Although the slower-moving planets can have long-term

effects

> on certain parts of your life, their energies are not as noticeable

> because of the length of time they take to affect your everyday

> activities. Mercury, Venus, and Mars retrogrades, however, are quite

> noticeable in your day-to-day magical activities.

>

> MERCURY

>

> Mercury is the planet of communication, short distance travel, early

> education, and siblings. Primarily, Mercury is about how we

communicate

> with others; anything communications- centered is subject to snafus

when

> Mercury stations and turns retrograde. Computers go down, phones

don't

> work, cars poop out, travel plans are canceled, your alarm clock

dies at

> 2:00 a.m.--the list can be endless. A note you sent to a friend is

> misinterpreted and now she's mad at you. Furthermore, aside from the

> Moon, Mercury is the fastest planetary body in the heavens. Mercury

is

> named after the Greco-Roman god Mercury--he who is fleet of foot; he

> moves at a lightning pace, and he flips backward and forward about

three

> times a year so you will often encounter these problems.

>

> In magic, work with Mercury rather than against him. Think before

you

> speak. This is a time to read, study, contemplate, work on projects

you

> started earlier, and tie up loose ends on things already ongoing.

This

> includes magic involving investigative procedures, learning,

stopping

> the flow of gossip, or reorganizing your notes for the big term

paper

> that's due next month. As computer problems often crop up during the

> Mercury retrograde, this will not be the time to buy

> new software or try to debug your system. Also, be careful of

picking

> up computer viruses. If something is moving too fast and you want to

> slow it down, especially in the realm of communications, you can

always

> place the Mercury retrograde symbol on a yellow candle, asking that

as

> the candle burns, the problem slows down until you have the answer

you

> need to proceed in a fair and honorable way.

>

> Magical friends of mine have noticed that brief arguments flare up

> between themselves and people they love the day before Mercury

stations

> to turn either way. On this day you might choose to sprinkle

protection

> powder around your house, boil a little basil in water on the stove

to

> create sympathy, and avoid altercations with those you care about.

> Because Mercury is such a fast energy, these fights blow up and blow

> over quickly, yet the hard feelings may remain until you resolve the

> problem over the course of the retrograde, or during the following

> Mercury retrograde. When Mercury's fancy footing does the backward

> shuffle you are free to think in an imaginative, independent way.

Use

> this energy for vision questing and daily meditations.

>

> VENUS

>

> Venus is the planet of love and relationships, but she also governs

fast

> cash, material items to which you have a psychological attachment,

and

> your short-term savings. When Venus turns retrograde, she basically

> pouts, is irritable, and downright difficult. Because she affects

> relationships, her stationing can have the same awkward effect on

> relationships as stumbling Mercury. Your mother might not be as

> easygoing as she usually is, your boyfriend may seem to be looking

in a

> different direction, and your boss may have suddenly become an

> unreasonable soul.

>

> A Venus retrograde happens only every year-and-a-half and lasts

about

> forty days. During this time people are often attracted to the

bizarre,

> unusual, and obscure. If it's weird, a Venus retrograde will expose

it,

> for good or ill. A Venus retrograde is a good time to evaluate

yourself

> and how you react to your parents, spouse, boss, teachers, and

friends.

> If you are trying to find a lost friend or family member, the Venus

> retrograde is the right time to start looking magically and

mundanely.

> Magic practices for love and relationships should concentrate on

> yourself--on doing your best to become a better, caring, open-minded

> person. Other magic during this time can include learning how to

save

> money, how to spend money, and how to decide what you should and

should

> not value in your life. Talking to your guardian angel or totem

animal

> during a Venus retrograde about yourself, your life, and universal

love

> will bring you rewards.

>

> During these forty days, people may be crabby, overly shy, socially

> inept, or downright rude; yet, Venus is the goddess of creativity

and

> things of beauty. If you don't like what you see in the mirror, then

> work to change it. If you hate the color of your apartment and had

> considered repainting it, repaint it now. As you paint, concentrate

on

> feelings of harmony and self-assurance.

>

> If you can't seem to hold on to your money, draw the Venus

retrograde

> symbol on a white candle, and place that candle on top of the money

you

> do have. Ask that you learn to slow down on your spending and hold

on

> to your present savings. If you think that a love relationship is

> moving too fast, draw the Venus retrograde symbol on a blue candle.

> Place the candle over a picture of yourself. Ask that the

relationship

> slow down until you can think clearly about who you want to

associate

> with and why you are really interested in that person. Ask for

clarity

> of thought, Venus will grant your desire.

>

> MARS

>

> Mars is a particularly feisty fellow. He's the gasoline that fuels

all

> sorts of things, ranging from athletics to war. Another Greco-Roman

> god, he doesn't take " no " for an answer in the nicest terms, but he

is

> very useful when we need action and lots of it! Mars turns

retrograde

> approximately every two years and two months, so when he suddenly

stops

> short and retreats, most humans are left with their mouths hanging

> open--just as it's a shock when someone puts water in your gas;

forget

> the " vroom, " we are now permanently set in putt-putt mode.

>

> While a Mars retrograde doesn't exactly act like other retrogrades

(what

> do you expect, he's the macho guy who likes to do things his way),

and

> while his retrograde period can really confuse matters, in fact this

> time period can be quite useful, especially if you are a magical

> person. Since activities slow down, we can learn how to apply our

> energy in a productive way, rather than wasting it on things that

may

> have no real purpose in our lives. In particular, matters involving

> karma--every action having a reaction--can be dealt with now.

>

> Because Mars moves more slowly than the other planets we have

discussed,

> he will probably hit only one department in your life in

particular, and

> because Mars deals with challenges and aggression, you may be

presented

> with a bump in life you weren't particularly ready for. Old angers,

> resentment, and arguments have a tendency to flare up during a Mars

> retrograde. How you handle that aggression determines whether or not

> you will grow spiritually and take one step up that ladder of

universal

> love. During a Mars retrograde it is very hard to hold your anger at

> bay, and after the retrograde you may see things that you missed

because

> you were so busy looking at the problem that you forgot to look

beyond

> for the solution. During a Mars retrograde, you can't force people

to

> behave in a specific way--you shouldn't anyway, but it is more

> pronounced during this time--and issues of right and wrong will seem

> muddy and mixed up.

>

> Magically, the smartest thing to do during a Mars retrograde is to

talk

> to Spirit every day about your mission in life. Mars energy,

channeled

> properly, is not a bad thing. Remember, he's the gas in your cosmic

> engine. You would think that since Mars retreats and the general

pace

> of life slows down, people would be more complacent. Instead, they

seem

> to go around squealing over the tiniest things. Indeed, this is

often

> the time when we must face our cosmic bullies.

>

> In the end, Mars retrograde energy can be channeled into personal

> fortitude and actually provide you with the necessary cautionary

> roadblocks so you can think before you act. During a Mars

retrograde,

> Spirit will show you who your friends are and who doesn't care a

whit

> about you.

>

> by Silver RavenWolf,

> copyright 2000

>

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>