Every Retrograde In 2024: What You Need To Know & How They Will Affect Your Zodiac Sign

A unique season of retrogrades arrives in 2024 to test your growth, evolution, and patience. But first, you can expect an intense period of forward movement from February to March 2024, in which all planets are in direct motion. Planetary retrogrades are significant, annual astronomical transits that occur when we observe from Earth the illusion of a planet moving backward in its orbit. Astrologically, retrogrades instigate a chapter for revision, reintegration, and restoration. Moving more inconsistently, the energy of a retrograde planet is introspective and much slower to manifest. Retrogrades prompt deep reflections about your life and self-development, urging you to embrace a shift in how you handle your affairs. Though they tend to be frustrating, retrogrades offer constructive energy to serve your growth and help you see what would otherwise remain unconscious, ignored, or misunderstood within yourself and the world around you.

The second half of 2024 brings reflective energy

Relationship planet Venus goes retrograde every 18 months, so it will not switch directions this year. While you can expect a consistent forward-moving flow in your love life, motivation-ruling Mars – which goes retrograde every 26 months – will station retrograde in December 2024. Mars retrograde serves up humbling reminders of your misguided actions that could feed newly arising fears of making the wrong move. The heaviest period of retrograde energy is the latter half of 2024. Remember, not all retrogrades are the same; they don’t impact us with equal force and magnitude. The specific energetics of a retrograde and its unique influence on your life depends on your birth chart.

Mercury turns retrograde 3 times

Most impactful for Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, Gemini, and Virgo

The pressure is on fire signs to harness the destabilizing force of Mercury retrograde to inform powerful mental developments. Mercury governs perspective, logic, communication, and long-distance travel, making its retrograde period reflective and frustrating. The first of 3 Mercury retrogrades align in combative Aries from April 1 to April 25, 2024, challenging you to refrain from jumping to conclusions. A reconsideration of your aggressive stances is in order, prompting serious thoughts around the opinions most intertwined with your identity.

Mercury begins its second backspin from August 5 to August 28, 2024, shifting from hyper-focused Virgo into light-hearted Leo. A closer awareness of details and inconsistencies will aid you in refining your earlier works, though you mustn’t lose touch with your confidence and joy during the process of self-improvement. From November 25/26 to December 15, 2024, Mercury retraces its steps through open-minded Sagittarius, prompting new thoughts around what you believe in and where your morals lie. Holiday and travel plans made without close attention to detail could bring additional hurdles as the year ends. Avoid tight scheduling and allow space for mistakes, delays, and oversights.

Uranus retrograde in Taurus

Most impactful for Taurus and Aquarius

Speedy Uranus – the planet of fluctuations, deviation, breakthroughs, and liberation – began the year while retrograde in Taurus. This cosmic cycle, initiated on August 28, 2023, concludes on January 27, 2024. For much of the year, Uranus is direct, unleashing its turbulent and predictable force to push you outside your comfort zone. Have no fear; this is where brilliance is fostered, at the crossroads where you must choose alternate pathways to that which you have always followed.

Having electrified the rhythm of your life, Uranus goes retrograde in Taurus from September 1, 2024, to January 30, 2025, slowing down to allow you to regain a sense of control over your life. The Uranian fluctuations will be far more manageable during Uranus retrograde, allowing you to examine how well you have coped with change and whether you have resisted your transformation. During Uranus retrograde, you may find it easier to cope with surprising shifts to your comfort, finances, and collective instabilities that have emerged throughout the year.

Pluto retrograde facilitates global change

Most impactful for Aquarius and Capricorn

Give yourself to the divine power of Pluto retrograde as it peels back the mysterious layers in the collective consciousness, bringing a new awareness to the existence of secrets and taboos in society. Pluto is the King of destruction and renewal, power and powerlessness, and the ruler of total destruction, elimination, and upheaval. During its retrograde through progressive Aquarius, beginning on May 2, 2024, you are delivered to the depths of your subconscious mind and forced to evaluate the origins of your darkest thoughts and intolerances. On the world stage, Pluto retrograde influences new, emerging thoughts relating to rebellion and the new world order that we secretly yearn for. This retrograde ends in stoic Capricorn on October 11, 2024. 

Develop maturity during Saturn retrograde

Most impactful for Pisces, Capricorn, and Aquarius

Wise Saturn retrograde in mystical and vulnerable Pisces brings a conflicting karmic struggle. However, this is nothing you haven’t experienced before. Implementing structure and discipline in your most boundless and indecisive areas brings outdated lessons to the surface from June 29, 2024, to November 15, 2024. Forced to face the consequences of your naivety, self-delusion, poor time management, shy boundaries, and escapism, you will develop profound maturity during this most troubling retrograde.

Saturn retrograde brings challenging delays to break down your patterns of unconscious self-sabotage. Develop the strength to admit when you have been too trusting or too comfortable living in hypothetical and ungrounded realities. Illuminating your contradictions and imposing seriousness onto you, there may be a greater heaviness to your emotions as you make realistic assessments of how and why you have evaded your responsibilities.

Neptune retrograde overwhelms your senses

Most impactful for Pisces

Forcing you to face bitter truths about reality, Nebulous Neptune turns retrograde in evasive Pisces from July 2, 2024, to December 7, 2024, bringing up emotional energy from your past. As the planetary ruler of blind faith, spiritual collection, artistry, and psychic sensitivity, Neptune retrograde overwhelms your awareness, clearing the fog of your daydreams to ground you into reality. Acknowledging how you have been deceived will challenge your belief and teach you to anchor deeper into truth to cultivate self-trust on firm foundations.

Express your creative energy fully during the first half of 2024 because you will experience dry spells to your imagination and inspiration during Neptune retrograde. Disappointments and painful disillusionment could result from discoveries that things aren't as rosy as you once perceived. Confront your misplaced trust in illusions and fantasies, offering yourself compassion for losing yourself to addictive ideals and the whirlwind of desirable thoughts that offered you comfort and protection from reality.

Chiron retrograde wants you to heal

Most impactful for Aries, cANCER, lIBRA AND cAPRICORN

Deep-healing Chiron might be an asteroid, but its annual retrograde deserves an honorable mention. While it is not the most influential, when harnessed by the most courageous and self-aware humans Chiron retrograde generates tremendous energy to facilitate your personal development. Triggering an acute awareness of your flaws and insecurities, Chiron retrograde in Aries brings challenges to heal by facing your fears head-on. Take full accountability for developing the strength to overcome issues surrounding your self-worth and appearance from July 26, 2024, to December 29, 2024. A heightened sensitivity to your triggers is not always an indication you have regressed with your growth, but that you are bringing your unconscious emotional experiences to the forefront of your awareness.

Jupiter retrograde eases your restlessness

Most impactful for Gemini, Sagittarius, and Pisces

Abundant Jupiter, the luckiest planet in the sky, heralds a lighter retrograde from October 9, 2024, to February 4, 2025, helping you to slow your spiraling mental energy. Jupiter retrograde in restless Gemini encourages internal observations of your desire for knowledge and craving answers and how these urges lead you down aimless pursuits and rabbit holes that are merely distractions. Observe when you are fixated on finding answers that still won't satisfy you. Consider how your scatteredness has caused you to lose focus and how you block your blessings by missing the bigger picture and acting hastily.

Mars retrograde brings conflict and drama

Most impactful for Leo, Aries, and Scorpio

Beginning in Leo on December 6, 2024, Mars retrograde brings intention and awareness to your instincts – particularly those that have been performative. Act with hesitance and care, reducing the brutal impact of fights and disturbances exacerbated by your impatience and self-centeredness. Driven by energies emerging from your past, Mars retrograde signifies that arising troubles might be far more long-lasting than you thought. Humbled by reminders of earlier setbacks, you must learn from the error of your ways without allowing your pride to interfere with your growth. As Mars retrograde winds down in timid Cancer, ending on February 23/24, 2025, expect to feel conflicted and doubtful about your actions. Progress will stall.

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