…Back to retrograde energy. When a planet appears to be moving backwards, it affects how we interact with that planet's energy. It is redirected inwards allowing us to review how we experience that planet's energy. All celestial bodies will appear to be retrograde from the point of Earth. The two exceptions are the Sun and Moon - our outer expression of who we came here to be and experience ourselves as, and our way of navigating our inner emotional landscapes, parts of which we usually are not fully aware of.  The outer planets, Jupiter through Pluto, each spend months retrograde. That is why it takes them so long to move through a sign. They move forward, then retrace their steps, allowing for review and revision of whatever part of the longer term changes were put in motion. They tend to influence the larger currents we all swim in collectively. 

The personal planets, Mercury, Venus and Mars, are more strongly felt when they retrograde because they are "personal" planets. Their energy is expressed more individually by us. And because they move faster than the outer planets, they are retrograde for shorter periods of time.