Calendars
Retrograde calendar (with shadows)
When Mercury, Venus, Mars and the outer planets station retrograde and direct — and when they enter and leave the shadow. Times for Sofia.
Retrograde motion is an optical effect: Earth overtakes the planet (or the planet overtakes Earth), and for weeks it seems to move backwards across the sky. The “shadow” is the stretch of sky the planet crosses three times — before, during and after the retrograde.
| Planet | Enters shadow | Stations retrograde | Stations direct | Leaves shadow | Tradition suggests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ♆ Neptune · retrograde now | — | 7 Jul 2026, 14:20 ♈ Aries 4° | 13 Dec 2026, 00:13 ♈ Aries 1° | — | The fog lifts — illusions are easier to see. |
| ♄ Saturn · retrograde now | — | 26 Jul 2026, 22:57 ♈ Aries 14° | 11 Dec 2026, 01:23 ♈ Aries 7° | — | Review deadlines and responsibilities. |
| ♅ Uranus · retrograde now | — | 10 Sept 2026, 21:40 ♊ Gemini 5° | 8 Feb 2027, 14:23 ♊ Gemini 1° | — | Changes ripen inside before they show outside. |
| ♀ Venus · retrograde now | 31 Aug 2026 | 3 Oct 2026, 10:10 ♏ Scorpio 8° | 14 Nov 2026, 02:20 ♎ Libra 22° | 15 Dec 2026 | A time to review relationships and spending; big beauty purchases and new romances are better after it ends. |
| ☿ Mercury · retrograde now | 4 Oct 2026 | 24 Oct 2026, 10:15 ♏ Scorpio 20° | 13 Nov 2026, 17:52 ♏ Scorpio 5° | 30 Nov 2026 | Re-read contracts, keep backups, and leave new signatures and gadget purchases for after it ends. |
| ♃ Jupiter | — | 13 Dec 2026, 02:58 ♌ Leo 27° | 13 Apr 2027, 05:13 ♌ Leo 16° | — | Rethink big promises and spending. |
| ♂ Mars | 5 Nov 2026 | 10 Jan 2027, 15:01 ♍ Virgo 10° | 1 Apr 2027, 17:10 ♌ Leo 20° | 8 Jun 2027 | Energy turns inward: finish what you started; new fights and abrupt decisions are better after it ends. |
| ☿ Mercury | 25 Jan 2027 | 9 Feb 2027, 19:35 ♓ Pisces 5° | 3 Mar 2027, 14:34 ♒ Aquarius 20° | 23 Mar 2027 | Re-read contracts, keep backups, and leave new signatures and gadget purchases for after it ends. |
| ♇ Pluto | — | 8 May 2027, 15:14 ♒ Aquarius 7° | 18 Oct 2027, 06:51 ♒ Aquarius 4° | — | A time for quiet inner renovation. |
| ☿ Mercury | 26 May 2027 | 10 Jun 2027, 21:18 ♋ Cancer 6° | 4 Jul 2027, 22:40 ♊ Gemini 27° | 19 Jul 2027 | Re-read contracts, keep backups, and leave new signatures and gadget purchases for after it ends. |
| ♆ Neptune | — | 10 Jul 2027, 01:49 ♈ Aries 6° | 15 Dec 2027, 11:42 ♈ Aries 3° | — | The fog lifts — illusions are easier to see. |
| ♄ Saturn | — | 9 Aug 2027, 20:52 ♈ Aries 27° | 24 Dec 2027, 04:49 ♈ Aries 21° | — | Review deadlines and responsibilities. |
| ♅ Uranus | — | 15 Sept 2027, 12:14 ♊ Gemini 9° | 13 Feb 2028, 01:40 ♊ Gemini 5° | — | Changes ripen inside before they show outside. |
| ☿ Mercury | 17 Sept 2027 | 7 Oct 2027, 17:40 ♏ Scorpio 4° | 28 Oct 2027, 17:10 ♎ Libra 19° | 13 Nov 2027 | Re-read contracts, keep backups, and leave new signatures and gadget purchases for after it ends. |
| ♃ Jupiter | — | 12 Jan 2028, 10:48 ♍ Virgo 27° | — | — | Rethink big promises and spending. |
| ☿ Mercury | 8 Jan 2028 | 24 Jan 2028, 13:03 ♒ Aquarius 19° | 14 Feb 2028, 14:38 ♒ Aquarius 3° | 5 Mar 2028 | Re-read contracts, keep backups, and leave new signatures and gadget purchases for after it ends. |
The shadow is calculated for Mercury, Venus and Mars; for the slow planets it lasts most of the year, so we leave it out.
Read more: Retrograde motion · The retrograde shadow · Mercury retrograde
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