You're Not Alone If You've Been Feeling Off — Astrologers Say It's All In The Stars

It's been an equally intense yet slow-moving past few months, with many of us feeling a bit...off. But there's a reason, according to the stars.

As mbg's resident astrologists, the AstroTwins, previously explained, "When a planet passes the Earth on its journey around the Sun, it's said to be going retrograde. From our vantage point on Earth, it is almost as if the planet is moving in reverse." While the planet isn't actually moving backward, "it's a bit like two trains passing at different speeds—one appears to be going backward," they add.

When a planet goes retrograde, the themes associated with that planet tend to get a bit wonky. Mercury retrograde, for example, can mess with communication, travel, and technology, as those are all under Mercury's jurisdiction.

All five of the latter planets are currently in retrograde, with Mercury joining them soon. And while this energy can feel disorienting, the twins do offer some advice: Think of the prefix "re-" and review, reunite, reconnect, research. "Retrogrades aren't the best times to begin something new," they add, "but they can be stellar phases for tying up loose ends or giving a stalled mission a second chance."

The bottom line is, yes, retrogrades have a way of throwing us for a loop—but they don't last forever! In fact, while they can be overwhelming, they offer an opportunity to step back and reassess where we're at so we can prepare to make changes when the planets go direct once more.