2026 Planetary Retrograde Calendar

Communication, technology, travel, commerce. Mercury retrograde is the one most people feel directly -- email glitches, travel delays, misunderstandings, and exes resurfacing. In 2026, all three Mercury retrogrades fall in water signs, emphasizing emotional communication over logistical snafus.

Love, beauty, money, values, relationships. Venus retrograde happens roughly every 18 months and lasts about 40 days. During this period, old relationships get reconsidered, spending habits come under review, and what you find attractive may shift. Not ideal for cosmetic procedures, major purchases, or starting new romantic relationships. Good for reassessing what you actually value versus what you have been chasing.

Drive, ambition, conflict, energy, sexuality. Mars does not retrograde in 2026. Its roughly 26-month cycle means it skips this year entirely. The last Mars retrograde ended in February 2025 (in Cancer/Leo), and the next begins in January 2027. This is good news -- Mars retrograde is one of the more frustrating transits, draining physical energy and stalling projects that require initiative.

Growth, expansion, luck, philosophy, higher education, travel. Jupiter retrograde is a period of internal growth rather than external expansion. Opportunities still exist, but they require more reflection. Plans that seemed like sure things may need revision. The first retrograde (Cancer) wraps up in March, and the second (Leo) begins in December -- bookending the year.

Structure, discipline, responsibility, authority, limitations. Saturn retrograde is a period of structural reassessment. Rules and systems you have been living under come up for review. Career commitments, authority relationships, and long-term plans get tested. Saturn in Aries is already uncomfortable -- Aries wants to rush, Saturn insists on patience. The retrograde intensifies that friction.

Revolution, innovation, disruption, freedom, technology. Uranus retrograde turns the urge for change inward. Instead of external upheaval, the disruption happens inside -- questioning assumptions, rethinking what freedom means to you, noticing where you have been conforming out of habit rather than choice. Uranus enters Gemini in 2025 and this is its first full retrograde in the sign, which likely coincides with shifts in communication technology, media, and information systems.

Dreams, illusion, spirituality, creativity, deception. Neptune retrograde lifts some of the fog that Neptune normally creates. Idealized views of people and situations become more realistic. Creative inspiration may dry up temporarily, but you see things more clearly. Neptune entered Aries in 2025 for the first time since the 1860s, and its retrograde here is a good time to ask whether your ideals are actually yours or borrowed from someone else.

Power, control, the unconscious, what is buried. Pluto retrograde is hard to notice day-to-day but matters on a collective scale. Power dynamics that have been building beneath the surface become visible. On a personal level, Pluto retrograde in Aquarius is a good time to look at where you give your power away to groups, technology, or systems. Pluto moves slowly -- it entered Aquarius in 2024 and will stay until 2044.