6 Planets Will Retrograde In August, But There's No Reason To Be Alarmed

Ah, the infamous retrograde. This is what everyone who follows astrology is taught to prepare for and fear with all their heart. But, is that fear justified? Or are retrogrades nowhere near as bad as people think? Well, before I talk about whether retrogrades are the end of the world, you're probably wondering how many planets will retrograde August 2019? Even though the number may be high, it won't be anywhere near as difficult as it sounds. In fact, you might even appreciate the energy that it spreads throughout the cosmos.

Though you might only be aware of Mercury retrograde — the most popular one to talk about, after all — every single planet in astrology can endure a retrograde, minus the sun and the moon. It's important to remember that, although a planetary retrograde indicates that it's moving backwards in its orbit, a planet cannot literally travel backwards. This is technically considered "apparent retrograde motion," because the planet only appears to be moving backwards from our perspective on Earth. However, astrology is about Gaia's perspective, which is all that matters.

A basic understanding of a planetary retrograde entails the effect of turning that planet's energy inward rather than outward, which makes it an exceptionally introspective time. Does that make it difficult? Possibly, if you've been avoiding looking inward. Because a retrograde is about confronting what you're truly feeling, it's often viewed with apprehension and avoidance. However, this can also be a period of acquiring validation for one's self and embracing spiritual growth.

Here's how many planets will retrograde in August 2019 and what you can expect from them:

6 Planets Will Retrograde During August 2019

Although six sounds like a pretty large number for retrogrades, there's no reason to be alarmed. The only retrogrades that prove to be a very obviously inconvenient experience are those of the inner planets, which happen to be Mercury, Venus, and Mars. These planets are moving at a much more rapid speed, which means they affect your life on a daily basis, unlike outer planets, which instill a long-term impact on your life. The outer planets are in retrograde a vast majority of the time already, which means you're relatively used to this retrograde energy. In fact, you were probably born while some outer planets were in retrograde, meaning that you live with that energy throughout your everyday life.

Uranus will station retrograde on Aug. 11. Along with Uranus, the planets Saturn, Neptune, Pluto, and Chiron will continue along with their retrogrades. Jupiter will be in retrograde as well, but it will station direct on Aug. 11. With as many as six outer planets in retrograde at once, this will be a month of intense spiritual growth that can be thought of as an internal check-in. For example, with Saturn — planet of karma and maturity — in retrograde, you are being called to rethink the decisions you're making and whether they're yielding the results you desire. Likewise, with Uranus — planet of innovation and revolution — in retrograde, you'll be inspired to question whether you're embracing change as a person and allowing yourself to become more independent.

Does any of this sound like the end of the world? If you're truly terrified of doing some soul-searching, then maybe. But the world won't stop turning, the planets won't begin colliding, and you probably won't notice some intense, showstopping shift in the energy that surrounds you. Instead, you'll feel these retrogrades slowly but surely nudge you to take a closer look at the way you're living your life. By the time they're over, you'll probably realize that there are improvements to be made.