Hari Om Namo Narayana!

(Legendary British actor Daniel Day Lewis, who has won 3 academy awards with 6 nominations, has 3 planets retrograde in his birth chart.)

You know one thing I wish was compulsory to qualify you as an astrologer? Having spent at least 50 hours gazing through a telescope.

Thing is, that’s how our ancient astrologers were.

There are lots of texts on ‘yogas’ and planetary combinations but there is a lot that has been said about the placement of planets and stars in the sky. This ‘observational’ part of astrology is sadly missing today.

Which is why when people say things that contradict what is apparent and visible, you realize something somewhere doesn't quite 'fit’.

For example, you look at the many deities; their descriptions in terms of their nature and powers is so consistent with the portrayal of their appearance.

Sure, in many cases the descriptions seem to be pretty symbolic and ‘coded’ but you know the majority of cases when what is being said is actually intended and that fits perfectly.

The night sky should also be the same when corroborating actual astrological statements.

(Night photograph of a retrograde Venus near the Big Dipper.)

• Yes, there is one school of thought that says the astral or ‘divine’ placements of planets is not the same as their physical placement as visible in the material plane.
• Even then, the more you read our ‘Vedic’ texts and not even advanced ones but the basic ones that we are required to read or expected to read such as the ‘Shrimad Bhagavatam’ and ‘Ramayana’ and you see that there is consistency in what is being said and how it is being illustrated wrt its physical existence.
• So in the same way when someone says that retrograde planets are ‘bad’ or ‘malefic’ in nature, I think deep inside if only they could spend some time gazing at that planet through a telescope in a secluded spot and observe.
• Then you would change the way you ‘describe’ it.
• Retrograde planets mostly appear brighter than usual and are very easily visible in the night sky. Not in the cities of course (lol), but when the sky is even a little clear you can see them easily.
• If you look at the charts of high achievers on this material plane, it would be hard for you to find the chart of someone who doesn’t have retrograde planets in his or her chart.

Think about it.

Here let me give you a few examples right away then let’s continue:

Sourav Ganguly

• He has had his share of frustrations and controversies but his reputation precedes him everywhere.
• Fondly called the ‘Prince of Calcutta’, he was one of the most influential and aggressive captains in Indian cricket.
• Loved as a leader by his teammates and full of attitude and will power, Ganguly not only became India’s captain in testing times, he also became BCCI’s president after many internal controversies.
• He has Jupiter and Venus retrograde in his chart

Mukesh Ambani

Granted, his father gave him the foundations of a respected name and healthy reputation.

But look what has he made that into?

• When he took over in 2002, Reliance was worth $15 billion. Today it is worth $229 billion!
• He spearheaded India’s mobile revolution.. twice!
• First when he made available CDMA mobile phones are dirt cheap prices for the common man.
• Then recently when with JIO he effectively destroyed the competition in telecom and gave the power of high speed data to the common man.
• He has both Jupiter and Saturn retrograde.

JK Rowling

• Author of the famous Harry Potter novels. (It’s a franchise now btw with many other books added to the mix in ‘Potter-verse’)
• Arguably the most popular and successful children’s books author of all time, her books have been translated into 80 languages and sold more than 500 million copies around the globe!
• From being a single mother living on state benefits in her thirties, to over taking the Queen of England in terms of wealth by her forties, she is the biggest success story of a creative mind in our times.
• She has Saturn retrograde.

Shahrukh Khan

• Arguably the most popular and recognized Hindi movie star around the world.
• The King of Romance, also known as “King Khan” 17 of whose movies have grossed more than $1 billion in global ticket.
• He also owns the iconic ‘Mannat’ which alone costs 200 crores.
• May not still be a lot from Hollywood standards but this dude has been one of the biggest driving forces in popularizing Hindi movies around the world.
• He has both Jupiter and Saturn retrograde in his chart.

Pablo Picasso

• A painter, sculptor, print maker and theatre designer who revolutionized the art of still life sketching with the technique of ‘cubism’ and ‘collage’.
• Right! ‘Collage’.. he founded it.
• Picasso’s unique perspective and expression is what radically redefined the ideas of art and design.
• His paintings today are worth more than hundreds of millions of dollars!
• Saturn and Jupiter retrograde in his chart.

There you have it, 5 different individuals from 5 different areas of expertise and legit respect from their peers.

So, does that mean retrograde planets are good and every one should aspire to have them?

Well as I said, we need to do a better job of describing their nature.

Retrograde planets are highly ‘karmic ‘in nature.

You see, and this is where I will take my ‘tantric’ approach.

• Retrograde planets point out to an aspect of energy on this material plane that your soul aspires to master.
• This could be related to your body and luxury (Venus).
• Or it could be related to your wisdom and morality (Jupiter)
• In the same way, it could be related to your sense of identity and responsibility (Sun), your resilience and discipline (Saturn) etc.
• Each planet has a specific meaning in ‘Vedic’ astrology wrt what it refers to in the physical body of the native, the native’s life as a whole and the native’s psyche and energetic body.

For example:

• Sun deals with confidence, sense of identity and responsibility at the level of an individual’s character attributes.
• On the level of the physical body, the Sun deals with the native’s vitality, eyesight and gut.
• At an energetic level, Sun deals with the individual’s power of expression.
• At the level of the individual’s life path, it deals with the individual’s relationship with father and authority.

Do you get it?

• There are many many layers to each planet and what it means in a person’s life and chart.
• However, at the most basic level, each planet represents an area of life as within and without, that the individual needs to master in this lifetime to come closer to ‘moksha’.
• That’s the end goal.

So now every retrograde planet in your chart seeks to do nothing more than make you excel in its area of expertise.

You don’t have to take my word for it. Look at the charts of these people and you will see how much it is consistent with their life journey.

• People with Jupiter retrograde will become wise but it will be as a result of important life events and situations that mould them that way. They will learn to rely on and hone this aspect of their personality a lot more as a result of this and that will become their prominent trait.
• People with Saturn return will become hard working, responsible and patient because of the life events, situations and circumstances that cause them to become that way.
• However, this is what will become a very important aspect of their personality throughout their life journey.

So then… why all the difficulties? Couldn’t they have caused those lessons to have been learnt an easier way? Why would the soul choose to put itself through such painful lessons?

• See, the soul only targets its areas of interest.
• It is the physical plane that puts a price on those targets.
• Because that is how the material plane, the physical plane, the ‘mrityu-loka’ function.
• No one is spared. Not even God when he incarnates as a human.
• The more you desire, the more you need to get ready to suffer.
• If you are at ease with the process of development, you will learn the lessons as they are taught to you and master them and grow.
• If you remain stuck on the ‘nature’ of the experience, growth will not take place!

It’s like this:

• You enrolled into a Master’s program and now the work load is what it is.
• You can’t argue with the university to change the syllabus. (That’s outside your power)
• You can’t argue with the teachers to help you with the tests. (That’s outside the rules)
• The only thing you can do after enrolling for a master’s program is to either drop out or just accept what is, and follow through.

‘Dropping out’ is what most people are doing.

They see a bunch of retrograde planets in their chart, their life isn’t going right.. someone tells them it won’t get any easier.. and they give up in the middle of the process.

They lose their commitment and drive and become that group of students who has ‘given up’.

You know those guys who never would come to classes? Did the bare minimum and sometimes not even that?

They were either in the canteen or bunking?

Like that!

1. Retrograde planets are amazing because of the amount of power they give you.
2. ‘Retrograde’ means going backwards and at a spiritual level it says also that the desire to master that energy is linked to your past life.
3. If you look at the house that retrograde planet is related with in your chart, you will get a lot of clues.

Let’s take the example of let’s say Mercury retrograde in the first house?

• Well, the very ‘life journey’ you have chosen for this lifetime is rooted in some past desire or experience with communicating.
• Through your childhood you most probably developed a very clear idea of what was “not being said”.
• In the first house, it could mean that a huge part of your life journey is communicating that which is not freely communicated.
• Imagine the depth of power that Mercury has and also the greater ‘purpose’ with it.
• Now, the problem people face is that this knowledge and ability doesn’t come directly.
• You acquire it in an indirect fashion.

For example, let’s move on with this Mercury example..

• Where do you as a person get the inspiration for ‘communicating’ something that hasn’t even been freely said or written about in the first place?
• Well, a large part of your time could have been spent in vain in being fed false information.
• Or maybe the early part of your life involved you having an inability to communicate properly or clearly.
• This is what ignites the drive to understand, study and communicate. A drive to ‘gather information’ and ‘know’.
• At a physical level, Mercury rules the skin and the nervous system so you could also have dealt with a lot of skin and nervous problems.
• Mercury also rules the throat ‘chakra’ so you may have had tonsillitis or thyroid related problems.
• These deficiencies early on however, are what wake you up to pay closer attention to all the attributes of the planet and its energy in your life.

Get it?

• So don’t make retrograde planets the villain of your inability to work with them!
• You should feel blessed that you were born with a retrograde planet in your chart.
• Others will only be able to develop a superficial or basic understanding of that energy.
• You on the other hand, you will master it!
• Of course, mastering it will depend entirely on your efforts.

Hari Om Namo Narayana!