Effects of Vakri or Retrograde Planets in Astrology.

Vakri is a Sanskrit word which
means ‘twisted’, ‘winding’, ‘crooked’, ‘indirect’, and ‘roundabout’. The
English word used to mean the meaning of Vakri is ‘Retrograde.’   According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
the word ‘Retrograde’ is a formal and disapproving word which means an action
making a situation worse or returning to a position how something was in the
past. 

Thus, from the literal meaning of these two words we get a vague and
superficial idea about the effects of the retrograde planets. I shall try to
throw some light on the effects of the Vakri or Retrograde planets in this
writing. But, before that it is sensible to know what actually the Vakratta or
retrograde position of planet is.

 What is the retrograde motion of
planets?

The general meaning of retrograde is moving backward. We all know that in
reality no planet of the solar system moves backward. They always move forward
through their fixed orbit.  Actually, it
is an optical illusion. 

When we observe the sky from the earth (taking the
earth as the reference point) in different times, different planets are seen
apparently moving backward for sometimes and then again moving forward; it
seems so because in the solar system all the planets are moving around the Sun
including our earth through their respective orbits and varying speeds. This
point can better be understood with a practical example. 

Suppose two trains of
varying speed happened to be running towards the same direction parallel to one
another for a certain distance. Now, in that situation, the passengers of the
faster train see that the other train is running to the opposite direction of
the in which they are boarded. Actually, both of these trains are heading the
same direction.

Do all planets have retrograde motion?

Except Sun and Moon all planets have retrograde motion; the Sun and Moon
don’t retrograde. Mercury retrogrades ¾ times in a calendar year, Venus once
every 18 months, and Mars once in about every 24 or 26 months. The outer
planets Jupiter and Saturn retrograde once in about two years and Rahu-Ketu
retrograde always. 

In other words, Rahu-Ketu always move anti-clockwise and
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn clockwise in their normal motion. Mars,
Jupiter, and Saturn become retrograde when they move on to the 5^th
sign from the sun and remain in the retrograde motion until they cross over the
9^th sign from the Sun. 

In other words, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn pass
through retrograde motion when they are passing over the 5^th, 6^th,
7^th, and 9^th places.  Mercury, the nearest planet to the Sun and
which never travels beyond 28° to the Sun is observed moving along with the Sun
from Aquarius to Taurus, before the Sun from Gemini to Virgo and after the Sun
from Libra to Capricorn. Another motion of these five planets is Stationary
Motion. 

By stationary motion is meant the stationary position of planets; all
these five planets seem they have stopped their forward or backward motion and
remained motionless for a few days when observed from the earth. Therefore; we
observe three types of motions of the planets. They are: – Forward motion (the
normal motion), Backward or reversal motion and Stationary Motion. The duration
of these motions differ from planet to planet shown in the following table:-

In ephemeris and birth charts the Retrograde Motion is indicated by the
symbol R. For example, SaturnR (ђR) indicates retrograde Saturn.

The general effects of the retrograde planets:-

When planets are retrograde, they are closest to the earth; therefore, they
exert more influence upon us if they retrograde on our natal chart. The effects
may be good as well as bad. Whether they deliver good or bad effect depends
upon the sign and house they are placed and the houses they are ruling in a
particular birth chart. 

They deliver their results on the basis of their
natural significance and ownership of houses; the beneficial or malefic results
don’t have any connection with their being malefic or benefic. Here what is to
be counted is the functional attribute of the retrograde planets.  

The thumb rule is that the retrograde planets
give powerful results and that powerful result may be good or bad. The
retrograde planets which own the Kendra and Trikona houses generally deliver
good results and at the same time they indicate instability or ups and down in
the area of activity as indicated by the house where they are placed.

On the basis of fixed/natural significance, the effects of the retrograde
planets is rather subjective and psychological in the nature and behavior of
the native and which will be the subject of my next blog.

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