CHAPTER 1
THE MECHANICS OF RETROGRESSION
Throughout the book we will be reminded constantly that retrograde motion ispeculiar to our earth-based viewpoint. We look both inward to the Sun and thetwo 'inferior' planets, and outward at the 'superior' planets towards theboundary of the solar system. The inferior planets whose orbits lie inside theorbit of our Earth—Moon system are Mercury and Venus; those beyond our orbit Mars,Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto - are the superior planets. Ofthe superior planets, astrologers have come to know the first three as the'social' planets and the outermost three as the 'transpersonal' or, moreaccurately, 'trans-Saturnian' planets.
Retrogression is the period of time during which a planet in our solar systemappears to be moving backward as we see it against the fixed backdrop of thestars. The phenomenon is entirely due to our Earth-based perspective and waswell known to the ancient astronomers.
The ancient sky-watchers were, however, in some confusion about the cycles ofthe inferior planets - retrogression in particular - because they thought thatMercury and Venus were both two different bodies. This was because they can beboth morning and evening 'stars' at different times in their cycle of orbitalrevolution and retrogression. The confusion is quite understandable, becausewhen we look towards Mercury and Venus it appears as if they are passing backand forth across - rather than orbiting around - the Sun. Because of theirorbital proximity to the Sun they are clearly observable only when at their mostdistant from the Sun in zodiacal longitude. This visibility occurs for two shortperiods of time, as Mercury and Venus head 'towards' us in their orbits to forman inferior conjunction with the Sun, and as they head 'away from' us,continuing in their respective orbits around the Sun to the superiorconjunction.
The social planets - Mars, Jupiter and Saturn - are most clearly visible whenthey are moving in the opposite part of the sky to the Sun - in the night sky andare retrograde for much of the time when in this zodiacal zone. This sameSun-planet opposition principle applies also to Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, butthey are invisible to the unaided eye.
The primary difference, therefore, between inferior planets and superior planetsretrograde is that:
1. Superior planets only appear to turn retrograde when they are about to opposethe Sun. Earth is then posited between the Sun and the planet in its orbit.
2. Inferior planets only appear to turn retrograde when they are about toconjoin the Sun. The planet is posited between Earth and the Sun.
The point in common between all planets is that they are closest to Earth whenretrograde. With these facts in mind, let us examine the cycles of inferior andsuperior retrogression.
RETROGRADE CYCLE OF INFERIOR PLANETS
From a geocentric viewpoint Mercury and Venus can make two kinds of conjunctionwith the Sun:
1. Inferior: when the planet is between Earth and the Sun, and the planet isretrograde.
2. Superior: when the planet is on the other side (from Earth) of the Sun, andthe planet is direct.
Both Mercury and Venus orbit the Sun in shorter periods than the Earth. Mercurygoes around the Sun once every 88 days, and Venus about every 225 days (Earth'sorbital period is 365 ¼ days). As the Earth and inferior planets orbit the Sun intheir respective periods, occasionally they are all found on the same side ofthe Sun, occasionally on opposite sides of the Sun. Sometimes they are runningalongside each other, sometimes not. When an inferior planet moves around theSun and 'catches up' with and passes the Earth, the planet appears to movebackwards against the zodiac. At that point it is in close proximity to the Sunin zodiacal longitude (in the ephemeris), and is then retrograde. From aheliocentric viewpoint, it is an Earth-Mercury or Earth-Venus conjunction.
For Mercury this retrograde motion occurs three times approximately everythirteen or so months; the planet catches up with Earth at the inferiorconjunction with the Sun every 116 days. Venus - which orbits the Sun every 225days - passes through the inferior conjunction with the Sun about every 584 daysand is therefore seen retrograde only once approximately every eighteen months.Though the times of Mercury's and Venus' retrograde cycles are considerablydifferent, the system operates in precisely the same way.
At superior conjunction (point 1 in fig. 1.1, p. 6) the Earth is looking beyondthe Sun to the inferior planet, which is trotting along in direct motion roundthe Sun. At a certain point the inferior planet begins to head around in itsorbit again towards the Earth and passes between the Sun and Earth. When theplanet is between the superior conjunction (point 1) and Greatest EasternElongation (point 2), it is direct in motion. It begins to decelerate justbefore point 2 and stations, turning retrograde at point 3, after which time itappears to move backward against the zodiac for a period of time (an average oftwenty-two days for Mercury and forty-two for Venus). At the midpoint of theretrograde period, the planet will have moved back to conjoin the Sun atinferior conjunction (point 4). Some days after the inferior conjunction (forMercury this is about ten days and Venus about twenty-one days), the planet willappear to slow again, stop and then begin forward motion (point 5), headingtowards the superior conjunction (point 1) on the other side of the Sun.
The points before the station-retrograde and after the station-direct (points 2and 6) are when the inferior planet is clearly visible to us on Earth. Thesepoints are called Greatest Elongation: the inferior planet is then as distantfrom the Sun in zodiacal longitude as it can be. For Mercury, the maximumdistance is 28° on either side of the Sun, and for Venus 48°. At the stationary-retrograde,point, the inferior planet has been at its greatest easternelongation, sets just after the Sun and is called the evening star; when it isat its stationary-direct point, it will soon rise ahead of the Sun as themorning star and is then at its greatest western elongation.
Both Mercury and Venus perform this oscillation and both, at different times ineach of their cycles, appear as morning and evening star. At certain rareperiods, when Mercury and Venus are both together on the same side of the Sunthey can present themselves as morning or evening star simultaneously, withVenus, the more distant of the two from the Sun, lingering longer in the horizonthan Mercury at evening, or rising ahead of Mercury, heralding the dawn.
Summary
Direct [superior] conjunction [point 1 in fig. 1.1]: When Mercury or Venus is onthe other side of the Sun from Earth, and reaches the same degree as the Sun inzodiacal longitude. This marks the time when the planet begins the advancetowards greatest eastern elongation.
Greatest eastern elongation [point 2]: For Mercury this is around 28° ahead ofthe Sun and for Venus 48° ahead of the Sun in zodiacal longitude. This is whenthe planet appears on the horizon after sunset as the evening star, during whichtime the Sun appears to gain on it in longitude. Venus is called Hesperos whenit is the evening star, literally meaning 'evening' or 'western' in Greek,whereas this phase of Mercury is called Epimethean, after the Greek godEpimetheus.
Station-retrograde [point 3]: The planet appears to stop and reverse its motionas seen against the zodiac. The Sun advances and Mercury or Venus willretrogress back in the zodiac to meet at:
Retrograde [inferior] conjunction [point 4]: Mercury or Venus now begins to fallbehind the Sun in longitudinal degree. This is the midpoint of the retrogradecycle and marks a new phase in the evolution of the Sun-inferior planet.
Station-direct [point 5]: For both Mercury and Venus this occurs just prior totheir becoming visible - and marks the return to forward motion of the inferiorplanet, as it heads towards:
Greatest western elongation [point 6]. This occurs during the time when Mercuryor Venus is the morning star and they are, respectively, 28° or 48° behind theSun in zodiacal longitude. In this period the planet will reach again, while indirect motion, the degree at which it was conjunct the Sun while in retrogrademotion. At this point the inferior planet begins its longest direct cycle, as itheads back around the Sun, 'away' from Earth, towards the superior conjunction.When Venus is in this position, it is commonly called Lucifer, or 'lightbearer'in Latin, but it might well be Phosphoros, in keeping with the Greek Hesperos.In this phase Mercury is called Promethean, after the Greek god Prometheus, thefire-thief.
RETROGRADE CYCLE OF SUPERIOR PLANETS
Heliocentric view
From the heliocentric viewpoint the Earth and the superior planets all orbit theSun, but because the revolution period of the Earth is shorter and its proximityto the Sun closer, Earth gradually overtakes each superior planet in the courseof its annual revolution.
Referring to fig. 1.2, point 1 is the conjunction of the superior planet and theSun: as the Earth comes round to meet the superior planet in its orbit it beginsto move between the planet and the Sun and passes the planet. As it does so, theplanet appears to slow, stop and reverse its motion as we see it against thebackdrop of the zodiac. Although each planet has its own period of direct andretrograde motion according to its position in the zodiac relative to the Sun,the principle is exactly the same for all of them. At point 5 the Earth isposited exactly between the Sun and the planet, appearing from our view as aSun-planet opposition, but from the Sun as an Earth-planet conjunction. When thesuperior planet has moved along in its orbit to point 7, the planet will stationand turn direct in apparent motion again. (This diagram also clearly showsquadrature and the 'retrograde trine' zone.)
Geocentric view
The cycles as depicted in the heliocentric diagram (fig. 1.2) correspond exactlyto those in fig. 1.3. Fig. 1.3, however, is an astrological representation,illustrating how on an annual basis the Sun appears to transit the signs of thezodiac and its position as seen from the Earth and in relation to the superiorplanet.
When a superior planet is in zodiacal conjunction with the Sun, its apparentmotion is at its quickest, although we cannot see it because it is obliteratedby the brightness of the solar rays. However, after the conjunction the Suncontinues to move at approximately 1° per day and appears to leave the planetbehind. By the time the Sun has reached the first quarter square aspect to thesuperior planet (point 2 in fig. 1.3), the apparent motion of that planet beginsto slow; by the time the Sun is in a trine to it (point 4), it has stationed andturned retrograde (point 3) some days beforehand, causing it to appear to movebackward against the zodiac, and is visible in the night sky (with the soleexception of Mars which is trined by the Sun before it stations-retrograde).
This phenomenon has been best illustrated by the analogy of the fast-moving carpassing the slow-moving car: even though both are moving, the speed of thefaster car as seen against the background makes the slower car appear to bemoving backward. With this in mind, let us look at the periods consistent withsuperior planetary retrogression.
Summary
Conjunction with the Sun [point 1 in fig. 1.3]: This point originates the cycle,with the planet's apparent motion at its quickest. The Earth is on the oppositeside of the Sun to the superior planet, so we look towards both of them,'seeing' them together against the backdrop of the zodiac. (In actual fact, wecannot of course see it because it is in the day sky.)
First quarter square [point 2]: This occurs when the Earth has moved to such aposition that the Sun appears three signs ahead in the zodiac, and the superiorplanet has begun to slow down in apparent motion in preparation for station-retrogression.In fact, the Earth is now beginning to come between the Sun andthe superior planet in its orbit, heralding the advent of the stationary-retrogradepoint.
Station-retrograde [point 3]: The superior planet appears to have stopped in thesky. This is caused by the Earth having moved to the point in its orbit where itwill overtake the superior planet and pass it by, giving the appearance of theplanet moving backward for a period of time (from two and a half to five and ahalf months, depending on the planet - see next section for the days between theSun trine to the superior planet and either station).
Stationary-retrograde Sun trine to superior planet [point 4]: This configurationoccurs some days after the stationary-retrograde point - the number of days alsodiffers with each planet.
Accelerating quincunx [point 5]: The Sun forms a quincunx to the superior planetas it begins to quicken.
Opposition point of Sun to superior planet [point 6]: This is the midpoint inthe synodic cycle of the planet and Sun, but is geocentrically the time when theEarth is exactly between the Sun and the superior planet, appearing as anopposition in the horoscope. The superior planet is in its quickest phase ofretrograde motion, about two thirds as fast as when it is conjunct the Sun indirect motion.
Decelerating quincunx [point 7]: The Sun is now in a quincunx to the retrogradesuperior planet, which is 'slowing' in apparent motion.
Stationary-direct Sun trine to superior planet [point 8]: The trine after theopposition heralds the stationary-direct point, which follows some days afterthe Sun trine. The Earth has now moved to such a point in its orbit that it isheading around to the opposite side of the Sun from where it was when the firsttrine occurred (point 4), and the superior planet prepares for:
Stationary-direct [point 9]: The Earth has moved ahead in its orbit to completeits passage past the superior planet. The superior planet now appears to stop,then slowly begins to move forward again in the zodiac, completing theretrograde phase.
Last quarter square [point 10]: Now the superior planet 'picks up speed' as theSun moves back towards the conjunction with it, and is three zodiacal signsbehind it. The Earth has gone around in its orbit to begin travelling on theopposite side of the Sun to the superior planet; it will be exactly opposite atthe solar conjunction back at point 1.
Timing of Sun trines to superior planets
Sun-Mars: The formation of the trine aspect is quite irregular in regard tonumber of days before and after the stations, but it is different from all theother superior planets in that it occurs anywhere from thirteen to twenty-twodays before it stations and turns retrograde and anywhere from thirteen totwenty-two days after it stations and turns direct. This means that a Sun-Marstrine is too far out of orb for Mars to be retrograde and in trine at the sametime (it is however at its slowest motion). Mars' pattern is unique amongsuperior planets in that it is not retrograde when the Sun is trine to it.
Sun-Jupiter. The Sun is very close (within orb) to the exact trine to Jupiterfor both its stations. The Sun trines Jupiter between four and seven days afterthe station-retrograde and trines it again between four and seven days beforethe station-direct.
Sun-Saturn: The Sun trines Saturn ten to twelve days after the station-retrogradeand again ten to twelve days before it stations and turns direct.
Sun-Uranus: The Sun trines Uranus fifteen to twenty days after the station-retrogradeand fifteen to twenty days before it stations-direct.
Sun-Neptune: The Sun trines Neptune twenty to twenty-two days after the station-retrogradeand twenty to twenty-two days before it stations-direct.
