Have you been feeling slightly off recently? Have things not been working in your favour? Well you're not alone – and astrologers believe there's a mystic reason behind it. There's been a recent spike in TikTok uploads exploring retrograde, but what actually is it? In short, retrograde simply means when a planet is moving in the opposite direction. The age-old astrological theory has been researched for thousands of years – but now, thanks to social media and a drive towards self-care and mindfulness, interest in astrology has heightened. Most people will be familiar with the phrase 'Mercury retrograde', but the motion can also happen to all of the planets. Currently, there are seven planets in retrograde. Janelle Palibrk told AU News that she believes one planet can leave people feeling "sensitive" or "intense". However, she claims that "with 7 planets in retrograde, it’s going to be almost impossible to avoid some kind of response, which is why as a collective we are all feeling a little stressed and uncomfortable." According to Yoga Journal, the dates are: Pluto retrograde: May 1 – October 11, 2023 Neptune retrograde: June 30 – December 6, 2023 Saturn retrograde: June 17 – November 4, 2023 Venus retrograde: July 22 – September 3, 2023 Chiron retrograde: July 23 – December 26, 2023 Mercury retrograde: August 23, 2023 – September 15, 2023 Uranus retrograde: August 28, 2023 – January 27, 2024 Jupiter retrograde: September 4 – December 31, 2023 @_thelunarchild @amydemure Personal readings are available ✨ #zodiac #zodiacsigns #horoscope #astrology @innerworldsastrology #greenscreen Why you’re feeling stuck #astrology #zodiac #horoscope Meanwhile, David J. Helfand, Professor of Astronomy and Columbia University Chair, slammed the astrological theory as "arrant nonsense." Helfand previously told Indy100 that the retrograde motion of Mercury is a "simple consequence of the fact that we observe the sky from a moving platform we call Earth as it orbits the Sun. The other planets also orbit the Sun, all in the same direction." "The apparent motion of any planet as observed from Earth is a combination of the orbit of the planet and the orbit of Earth," he added. "Simple geometry shows that roughly three times a year (for Mercury – less often for other planets on longer orbits), these combined motions give the Earth-bound observer the illusion that the other planet has reversed its direction of motion compared to the background stars." He stated that the orbit of Mercury is governed by laws of gravity and is completely unchanged, which has "been well-understood for over 400 years – it's hardly a new idea." Helfand continued: "But apparently, some people prefer 2000-year-old views of the world in which the planets govern their lives – no need to take any personal responsibility then, is there? "In fact, the gravitational force of Mercury on an Earth-bound you is less than the force of your dog on you when you pat him or her on the head." He said: "Indeed, patting your dog on its head is likely to have a positive influence on your mood. Maybe people should try that instead of contemplating arrant nonsense about the planets." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 9, 2023--

Social media platform Twitter, now called X, has reinstated the account of rapper Ye, the artiste formerly known as Kanye West, after he was suspended eight months ago for hate speech. The account was reinstated on Saturday eight months after the rapper was suspended for breaking the platform’s rules prohibiting incitement to violence. Ye got his account back after assuring the platform owned by Elon Musk that he wouldn’t use it to share antisemitic or otherwise harmful language, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing a person familiar with the matter. The artiste will also not be eligible to monetise his account, a new feature added by Mr Musk for paid subscribers, while advertisements won’t appear next to his posts either, the report said citing the social media platform. Ye has not posted anything new since coming back on the platform. His account showed his last post to be from December 2022, which was just two months after it was reinstated following an earlier lock out of his account. Mr Musk, who calls himself a free speech absolutist, had in November welcomed the return of the rapper to the platform, after his account was reinstated for the first time. But on December, one of his posts appeared to show a swastika symbol inside a Star of David, which led to Mr Musk suspending his account after he violated the platform’s policy against inciting violence. Ye lost his account and his partnership with Adidas and Gap for Yeezy products soon after, when he went on a string of antisemitic rants in interviews and on social media. Mr Musk had previously also reinstated former US president Donald Trump’s account after conducting a poll in which some 14.8 million Twitter users had voted with 51.8 per cent voting in favour of the reinstatement. But Mr Trump said he had no interest in returning to Twitter and would stick to his own platform Truth Social. Additional reporting by agencies Read More TikTok ‘failing to act’ as Andrew Tate videos still seen by children as young as 13 Kanye West used offensive phrases about Jewish people, ex-business partner claims As Twitter becomes X - Seven disastrous rebrands from Royal Mail to New Coke

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