UNC students reflect on recent Mercury and Venus retrogrades

There’s more to planets than meets the eye. April 7 marked the end of the first Mercury retrograde period of 2025, and the only Venus retrograde of this year ended on April 12. These two events are a fraction of the many celestial events that those drawn to astrology — including some UNC students — believe can cause turmoil in their lives. 

A retrograde happens when a planet moves in a direction different from its normal orbit. However, they are not actually changing orbit, but appear that way from the Earth’s point of view. They have been observed since Babylonian times by the earliest astronomers, around the seventh century.

Jayme Hanzak, a special projects engineer for UNC-TV and president of the Chapel Hill Astronomical and Observational Society, best described the outer space movement as an optical illusion, nicknaming it the dance of the planet.

“It looks like it goes backwards and then goes forwards again,” he said. “And that's just because [of] the way the planet is moving through the background and the viewpoint between us and the other."

Mercury retrogrades occur three to four times a year and each lasts three weeks. Venus retrogrades happen every eighteen months and last around forty days.

In astrology, Mercury is the trickster planet that symbolizes communication and intellect. It rules the zodiac signs Gemini, Virgo and Pisces. Venus on the other hand, symbolizes beauty and attraction — ruling the Taurus and Libra signs. 

These aspects are what enthusiasts of divination believe go haywire during their retrogrades, leading to mishaps in people’s lives. Especially those who identify with the zodiacs ruled by Mercury and Venus.

Aniyah Lewis, a first-year psychology major at UNC and astrology enthusiast, said she believes there are spiritual implications with planet retrogrades.

“I'm really into spirituality, so I feel like the dynamics — everything has its own frequency, so everything causes its own shift,“ she said. “So, once there's a shift within our planets, I believe, personally, that changes the frequency within [Earth], because everything's in a new position.” 

Others, like first-year neuroscience major Mahwish Kittur, don’t think much of planet retrogrades.

“It's just how we perceive the planets of orbit,” she said. “So to me that's just like a physics thing, astrophysics thing, so it doesn't really have any effect on our lives.”

One of the biggest interruptions astrologers believe happens during the Mercury retrograde is with pre-scheduled plans. During Venus retrogrades, problems can surface in relationships. 

Lewis’ zodiac sign is Aquarius. She believes the recent retrogrades interfered with her social life, mainly with her friends and family. She talked about times during the retrogrades when missing communication was the biggest issue.

“So many things being left unsaid have been causing so much miscommunication,” she said. “And it only peaked around this time.”

Nivedha Prathap Chandran, a first-year psychology student, is a Virgo. She doesn't believe that the planet retrogrades affect her social circles. She prefers to think about her actions during conflicts instead of looking for an extraterrestrial answer.

"I feel like my first assumption would be to look into what actually went wrong in the relationship,” she said. "Or what went wrong with me. What did I do wrong? What did that person do wrong?”

Both retrogrades are over for now. The next Mercury retrograde will occur from July 17 to August 11. Astrology connoisseurs gave some tips for adjusting during those periods: delay big decisions and trust your gut. Aside from their negative aspects, retrogrades are a good time for introspection.

“I feel like that's why people enjoy the retrogrades a little bit more,” Lewis said. “Because it causes such a change in yourself and [allows] you to become stronger.”

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