If things have been feeling rather intense as of late, I assure you there is a reason. Currently, nearly the entire solar system is in retrograde.

Most people recognize the phrase ‘Mercury retrograde,’ even if they don’t know much about what that means. However, Mercury is not the only planet that begins to spin backward once in a while. Currently, we have six planets in total that are retrograde. And while the energy can be quite intense, it’s much needed to push you forward onto your path deeper than ever before.

The six planets currently in retrograde are Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn, Pluto, and Mercury.

Technically speaking, the first five went retrograde before September, but will continue to move backward throughout the month. Mercury just recently added itself to that list.

As Mercury is the planet that governs communication, travel, and expression, when it goes retrograde we can expect miscommunications, travel plans that go awry, and difficulty in expressing ourselves. Oftentimes, this retrograde is thought to be bad, however, it’s an opportunity to reassess not only ourselves and how we communicate and show up, but it also offers us an opportunity to put the past behind us once and for all.

Jupiter is a planet that is associated with luck, expansion, and good fortune, so when it goes retrograde, it gives us time to reflect and look at the bigger picture. However, it can also cause us to expect some problems in our finances, or to have overlooked aspects of our ability to expand and grow to shine brighter than before.

Saturn is a planet that governs structure and discipline, so its retrograde often breaks down our beliefs, pushing us to look at things in a new light. Uranus is thought to be an astrological wild card, but typically is thought to be tied to a rebellious type of energy. When Uranus and Saturn retrograde together, they can shake things up throughout the world, to say the least!

Neptune, on the other hand, is tied to our ideals and our dreams. Right now, the universe is pushing us all to focus on our goals, dreams, and aspirations creatively. And Pluto governs rebirth. Because of that, you likely are going to feel pushed to finally do a mental cleanup, ridding yourself of toxicity once and for all.

While Chiron isn’t necessarily a planet but is instead a comet, it might seem weird to include it. However, Chiron plays an important part in astrology. Chiron pushes us to heal, typically through everyday life, but during its retrograde, we are pushed to examine ourselves from the inside out, pushing us to heal in a more meaningful way.