Retrograde Uranus, Neptune and Pluto: an almost permanent state

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Three planets almost always retrograde

Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are so distant and slow that Earth overtakes each of them once a year, each time making them appear to recede for about five months. They are therefore retrograde 41 to 44% of the time. For these planets, retrograde is almost the usual state: people speak more of their direct phases than of their backward phases. The mechanism is the one explained in retrogrades in general.

What happens in the sky

Planet	Orbital period	Length of the retrograde	Share of time
Uranus	84 years	151 days	About 41%
Neptune	About 165 years	158 days	About 43%
Pluto	About 248 years	About 160 days	About 44%

The farther away a planet is, the closer Earth's catching-up cycle comes to one year (370, 367 and 367 days respectively): the episode therefore recurs on almost the same date each year, shifting by only a few days. Their apparent backward motion is small, a few degrees at most, and these planets cannot be seen with the naked eye (Uranus only just, under a very dark sky). To follow their paths, you need binoculars, a telescope or ephemeris software.

Discoveries and names

• Uranus was discovered in 1781 by William Herschel. It is named after the Greek god of the sky, Ouranos.
• Neptune was found in 1846 by the astronomer Johann Galle, at the spot predicted by the calculations of Urbain Le Verrier (John Couch Adams had independently calculated a nearby position). It is named after the Roman god of the sea.
• Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh. Since 2006, the International Astronomical Union has classed it as a dwarf planet. Astrologers have kept Pluto in their charts, since its symbolic value does not depend on that status.

These planets are absent from ancient astrology, which knew only seven bodies (the Sun, the Moon and five visible planets). Modern astrology added them in the 19th and 20th centuries, assigning them signs: Uranus to Aquarius, Neptune to Pisces, Pluto to Scorpio. These assignments are a convention; ancient tradition gave these signs to Saturn, Jupiter and Mars.

What astrologers read into it

Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are called transpersonal planets: they evoke themes that go beyond the individual. Their annual retrograde is rarely discussed, because it is so frequent. When it is mentioned, it is seen as change turning inward.

Planet	Symbolic keywords	Reading of the retrograde
Uranus	Rupture, freedom, originality, innovation	Making a desire for change personal
Neptune	Dream, ideal, inspiration, illusion	Distinguishing the dream from the illusion
Pluto	Transformation, power, depth	Looking at what we want to keep or let go

These readings remain images. They have no predictive value.

In a birth chart: generational planets

Because these planets move slowly, all children born in the same year have roughly the same positions. Astrologers speak of generations: Pluto stays for about 12 to 31 years in a single sign, owing to its very eccentric orbit; Neptune about 14 years; Uranus about 7 years. Being retrograde is very common: nearly four people in ten are born with one of these planets retrograde. Nothing allows a character trait to be derived from this. The personal importance of these planets depends more on their aspects to the fast planets and on their house (see aspects and houses).

What does science say?

No effect of the apparent positions of Uranus, Neptune or Pluto on people or events has been demonstrated. These bodies are billions of kilometres away. When Pluto is linked to a historical crisis, or Neptune to an artistic trend, this is a correlation chosen after the fact from among countless events. This does not prevent these symbols from being fine images for thinking about change.

Nuanced wording

Avoid	More nuanced
“Retrograde Pluto causes crises.”	“In modern tradition, Pluto symbolises transformation; its retrograde, which is very frequent, turns it inward.”
“Retrograde Neptune deceives you.”	“Neptune evokes dream and illusion; the image invites us to test our ideals.”
“Your generation is cursed.”	“Each generation meets its own events; the planets change nothing about that.”

Questions for reflection

1. What change do I want to make that nobody is imposing on me?
2. Which ideal guides me, and do I want to test it against the facts?
3. What am I ready to leave behind?
4. What do I share with my generation, and how am I different from it?

Going further

Astrology is a symbolic tradition with no scientific validation: these readings are aids to reflection, never forecasts. Continue with Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, or return to Retrograde Saturn.

Frequently asked questions

Also read

The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to In-depth astrology.