Forget Retrogrades, We're Focusing On Retroshades (They Explain A Lot, Tbh)

Allow us to explain. Retroshade, in a nutshell, refers to the period after a planet is in retrograde when the illusion of it spinning backward starts slowing down. This is also sometimes known as retrograde shadow. Mercury is the most common planet to talk about when it comes to retroshade, as it actually has two shady periods. One happens before retrograde and is called pre-retrograde, and the other happens after and is called post-retrograde, with both lasting around two weeks. Think of pre-retrograde as being the time in which retrograde is preparing to rear its head once again, making plans for what’s to come.

As for the post-retrograde phase, that’s often thought of as a time to look back at what happened during retrograde. Here, people are able to look back with a clearer mind, some making sensible changes to their lives based on situations that reared their heads during retrograde. “The post-shadow period helps you become clear about what all of those encounters and experiences can mean for your life moving forward. It is also a chance to resolve any issues that arose during the retrograde cycle,” intuitive astrologer and healer Rachel Lang explained to Well + Good.