Retrograde Planets (and how they're a blind spot)
So, my friends and I were talking about retrograde planets and how the energy of a retrograde planet turns inwards rather than outwards. I told them I've always seen retrograde planets like that and, more specifically, I see retrograde planets as a blind spot. So without further ado, here's how I think retrograde planets work as a blind spot in a person.
Keep in mind aspects, the houses, and degrees could change this. This is just for fun and shouldn't dictate your life.
Mercury Retrograde: One of the major blind spots I've noticed with natives who have Mercury retrograde in their natal chart is they can't see how much they contribute to projects, social gatherings, etc. Most of them have convinced themselves that they're idiots, have nothing worthy to offer and they often can't see how smart they are. Even if they think of themselves as smart, there's still this self-doubt that exists in them "because what if I'm just faking this"? One of the major lessons here is to stop doubting how much you contribute to things and how smart you are; speak up when you have something to say! People want to hear you, I promise. Oh, and remember to speak up when someone does something you don't like either! It's okay to communicate how you're feeling.
Venus Retrograde: One of the major blind spots I've noticed with natives who have Venus retrograde in their natal chart is their inability to see their worth in any relationship, whether that be romantic or platonic. Most of the individuals I know who have a retrograde Venus have issues with over-extending themselves with the people in their lives too; they want to be everything to everyone, especially the people they hold dear. Also, there can be a fear of being vulnerable with another person because they've been taken advantage of one too many times. One of the major lessons here is to put yourself first and to stop burning yourself out to make other people happy; learn how to express the love you give to others towards yourself.
Mars Retrograde: One of the major blind spots I've noticed with natives who have Mars retrograde in their natal chart is their inability to properly express when something or someone has upset them. This was likely learned in childhood too, where all of their emotional reaction was seen "as too much" or they were seen as something to write off. Due to all of these experiences, I've found the native often has a fear of their own anger and refuses to express it; perhaps they saw too many expressions of anger being portrayed in the wrong way growing up, thus causing the native to fear anger or any aggressive behaviour. One of the major lessons here is learning how to work with your anger rather than against it; it's okay to express how you feel about things, you don't need to keep it bottled away "for the sake of others".
Jupiter Retrograde: One of the major blind spots I've noticed with natives who have Jupiter retrograde in their natal chart is their inability to trust themselves when it comes to anything spiritual or educational; these are usually the types of people who heard that they were "stupid", "dumb", etc growing up when it came to anything they were interested in too, which can cause resentment towards people who are easily able to find their own spiritual path and for those who seem to breeze by in an educational setting. They often don't see how much they have to offer in these two areas either, often looking to others to tell them what to do before they feel comfortable going out and doing it by themselves. That's one of the major lessons here: stop looking towards other people for the answer, you already know it.
Saturn Retrograde: One of the major blind spots I've noticed with natives who have Saturn retrograde in their natal chart is the inability to see their self-worth. They have an inability to see how much they offer to other people, always misjudging themselves, their character, their morals, etc. There's an immense fear of rejection or appearing as "stupid", "dumb", "a loser", etc to others too; they have an inability to see how and why other people like them (whether romantically or platonically). They always see themselves as this big, bad, terrible and horrible person when that's the furthest thing from the truth. One of the major lessons here is learning how to accurately judge their self-worth and the qualities they possess; they need to stop painting themselves as the bad guy for not knowing the answer to a question, for not knowing how to help someone out, etc.
Uranus Retrograde: One of the major blind spots I've noticed with natives who have Uranus retrograde in their natal chart is the fear of being themselves without putting a mask on. Let me be clear, they don't put a mask on to "do evil things". They put on a mask because they think this is what the people around them want to see, how these people want them to be, etc. They likely had their individuality suppressed in some way when they were growing up, making them terrified to express any part of themselves that wasn't approved by the parental figures or the people around them. With that being said, that's one of the major lessons for the native: to be yourself without having to wear a mask. People are going to like you for you, it's okay to let people see the true you.
Neptune Retrograde: One of the major blind spots I've noticed with natives who have Neptune retrograde in their natal chart is the fear of being uncreative, of being boring, of having no substance to who you are as a person. There can be a major doubt or fear that you're misremembering the things that happened in your life, especially because it's likely that the person around you told you that you were being overdramatic with expressing how much you feel, how you felt about a situation, etc. There can be a tendency to avoid showing other people what you've created in fear of being judged, rejected, abandoned, etc by the people you love too, likely due to having your creative side suppressed during childhood. One of the major lessons here is learning how to stop doubting yourself, to stop doubting your memory, and to learn that it's okay to show your creative side to the world.
Pluto Retrograde: One of the major blind spots I've noticed with natives who have Pluto retrograde in their natal chart is the fear of being in the spotlight. There's a fear surrounding standing out in some way, a fear of having your talents, dreams, goals, etc recognized by the people around you. Also, I've noticed these natives have a fear of moving on or letting go of people or things that have/had a lot of sentimental value to the native. This can cause a block with transforming the person, the situation or the environment around them; there's a need to be in control of situations because the native likely had that taken away from them a lot when they were growing up. They were likely subjected to someone else's control, wishes, etc which can be a source of fear when the person grows up. That's one of the major lessons they need to learn: no one can take away your power unless you allow them to do so. You are in control.
