Five Planets Are In Retrograde & It’s Going To Make August Tough For All Zodiac Signs

If you've been feeling like nothing has been going right no matter what you do, or if you've noticed that everything you say is coming out wrong to people, you aren't alone — and there's a pretty good reason behind what's going on. As of this moment, five planets are retrograde at the same exact time, and no, this is not a drill. On July 26, Mercury joined the lineup of retrograde planets, making the list of planets retrograding quite a doozy: Saturn, Pluto, Neptune, Mars, and, of course, Mercury.

To understand how this is going to affect the rest of your summer, you have to have a better understanding of exactly what's going on up there, and of how each retrograde individually affects you. When a planet goes retrograde, that means that it's moving a bit differently... and it causes some wacky effects in the lives of all zodiac signs.

Every retrograde encourages us to take some time to reflect. The fact that our feet are firmly planted in the past can make things feel a bit tough for everyone — we might feel like we can't move forward, like things aren't really working out. It can be frustrating, but it also shouldn't be seen as something that is the end of the world. You'll be better off if you look at retrograde periods in a more positive light. They offer you the perfect chance to tie up any loose ends and to correct any past mistakes you may have made.

This is generally true of any retrograde period, but each planet has its own side effects as well. Mars retrograde, which has been going on since June 26 and will last until August 27, might make you feel low on energy and a bit impatient. It's a good time to focus on the little stuff rather than the big picture, and to try and get some rest.

Saturn will be retrograde through Sept. 6, and is probably affecting your job and your feeling of ambition. This is the time to take charge at your place of work, and you might find that you feel similarly in your relationships.

Neptune retrograde, however is more about emotions, and can leave you feeling distracted and unfocused. When Neptune is retrograde, you might feel like your emotional self needs to be taken care of. You might also feel very reflective. Pluto is so distant that you might not feel much of anything, so it's a good time to be reflective and learn from the past.

Finally, there's Mercury retrograde, which happens about twice or three times a year, and is the most well-known of the retrogrades. As Mercury is the ruler of communication and travel, the retrograde period can leave us feeling a little off-balance. We might find that conversations are more difficult to navigate, that we're saying things we don't really mean, or that we're having trouble totally understanding someone else. Although Mercury retrograde gets a bad reputation, it should be looked at as a chance to evaluate your choices thus far.

That's true for this time period of five retrogrades in general, actually. According to Spirit Science Central, "Together these five planetary retrogrades will clear out all things that are not serving you, including beliefs and habits, to prepare you to be your best self." While the rest of the summer might be a little bit more of a struggle than usual, it's nothing to freak out about — look at it in a positive light, and you'll get through this!