Retrograde planets in a birth chart aren't broken

In Jyotish a planet that was retrograde at your birth is counted strong, not weak. It's closer to Earth, brighter, and gets extra motional strength (cheshta bala).

What retrograde does seem to change is the style. The planet's themes come back round, get revisited and redone, and often turn inward before they show outward.

If you have a retrograde Mercury, Jupiter or Saturn, you may know that feeling of learning the same lesson twice and getting much better at it the second time.