Retrogrades

A planet never actually moves backward. Retrograde motion is an optical effect, the way a slower car on the highway seems to slip back as you pass it. From Earth, each planet appears to reverse for a while before turning direct again.

Astrology reads these periods as a time for review. Things you thought were settled can come back for a second look. The articles here explain each retrograde in turn. I try to keep them free of the panic that usually surrounds Mercury retrograde online.