Painting by Gay Nichols. As one of the outer planets, what I like to call the “transformational” planets, Uranus turns retrograde for about half the year, every years. This ebb and flow of planets moving forward and then retreating before moving on again is a natural part of life and if we are able to slow down the rush of our thoughts we can find ourselves rocking to the rhythm of this eternal planetary wisdom. This is very much like the seashore, where the waves flow in and recede again, in an everlasting flow.
Uranus is named after the Sky God Ouranos who actually held up the arc of the sky. In some accounts he is the father of Hermes/Mercury, and astrologers (me, anyway) often speak of Uranus as being a “higher octave” of Mercury meaning the mental function of Mercury is elevated to a higher plane of consciousness and awareness. Where Mercury rules the mind and everyday communication, Uranus teaches us to break through the boundaries of ordinary awareness and think differently. Under the auspices of Uranus we learn to listen to other dimensions of reality (which we call insight – those “Eureka” moments). We resist being pigeonholed and create new ways of living together in the world. We rebel against restriction and demand the autonomy to be our own uniquely creative and original Self.
It’s the role of Uranus to wake us up from the stupor of our day to day unconsciousness. In order to do that he sometimes brings about a shocking or surprising event that startles us awake and forces us to look at uncomfortable truths in our lives.
Some of us find it easier to express our inner radical than others. If Uranus is strong in your chart you may be a rebel at heart and resist authority without blinking an eye. For those with more conservative planetary structures, such as a preponderance of Virgo or Capricorn or a watery chart which seeks to preserve security rather than make waves, the risks required in standing up to authority and walking away from repression may seem to great. When Uranus retrogrades the impulse to rebel and stand alone becomes stronger and more intense. The things that you may have been able to ignore before will take up more of your consciousness and demand attention. This is especially true for those of you with planets between 5 and 15 degrees of the cardinal signs: Libra, Aries, Cancer and Capricorn.
Uranus will be retrograde until December 17th, and during this time he will make the fourth of seven total exact squares to Pluto (see the sidebar for more information on this cycle if you are new to this site). Because the apparent motion of planets (from our perspective on earth) slows as they prepare to change direction, Uranus has been relatively still for the last couple of weeks and will continue to be at a virtual standstill. Mars in Cancer will be within range of a challenging square to Uranus over the next two weeks and it is advisable to be somewhat cautious during this time. Mars can inflame the dormant radical behavior of Uranus to the point where actions explode in ways that we never intended.
The less we allow resentment and anger to build up during this next couple of weeks the better we will be. Exercise to release the physical energy of Mars is helpful, as is direct communication where necessary. While Uranus is retrograde it is advisable to see where your life needs changing. In what areas are you feeling stale and bored – where can you bring in a bit more excitement and new ways of thinking? These are the questions Uranus will be asking.
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Hi Lynn,
This is especially true for those of you with planets between 5 and 15 degrees of the cardinal signs: Libra, Aries, Cancer and Capricorn.
What do I need to look at on the chart I received from you to understand/evaluate your comment above?
I’m understanding a lot more about about the fundamentals of astrology since our conversation, and with my on-going research. And the good news is – I REALLY have a lot to look forward to Learning!! Thanks, Lynn.
That’s wonderful Lisa! I will email you a report that shows where all of your planets are. If you do have planets being affected we will have discussed that so you may want to listen again to your recording.
Ok – thanks. I’ll go ahead and listen again.
This is especially true for those of you with planets between 5 and 15 degrees of the cardinal signs: Libra, Aries, Cancer and Capricorn.
I have Uranus at 14 Libra retrograde in the second house of money.
I barely survived Saturn in Libra transiting my second house which forced me to stop saving and spend what I earned just to stay afloat.
I can feel my mid-life crisis sneaking up on me because I can find a part of my life that satisfies me any more.
I really worry about next April when the Uranus-Pluto square will be exact at 14 Aries and 14 Capricorn respectively opposing my natal Uranus and squaring my natal Uranus.
The Uranus-Pluto square will also impact the U.S. Sun while Jupiter will be conjunct U.S.
Unfortunately I work for the DoD and I may become unemployed then.
Who knows. LOL
Ah Roderick, you are in your midlife crisis transits. In your age group these start at about age 37-38 with the Pluto square (transiting Pluto squaring natal Pluto) that often creates a breakdown in certain areas of your life that need rebuilding. This was probably occurring while Saturn was transiting your second house. It hasn’t helped that there is an economic crisis surrounding you.
And yes, that feeling that you can’t find anything in your current existence that satisfies you – that’s the feeling of Uranus and Pluto approaching your natal Uranus. Uranus wants you to live an authentic life, and if you are stuck in an existence that is stifling you there may be outer experiences that remove the trappings of your life. Rather than worrying about it, try to cultivate a sense of trust that all of the experiences the Universe brings will help you ultimately towards a more fulfilling and empowering life. This is not just a belief of mine but something I have seen over and over with clients.
Also this is an important time to create that vision of how you want your life to unfold. If you focus on the negativity it that becomes your reality. Opening your eyes to a broader sense of possibilities is very important right now because Uranus will create the space for change to happen.
I came here looking for answers on the Uranus retro and can relate to Roderick’s post! My husband who works for the government received shocking news (on 7/17!) his job was being eliminated due to budget cuts. He knew cuts were coming in other areas at work, but had specifically been told management jobs were safe. He is Taurus with Gemini rise and I am Taurus with Scorpio rise, both of us us were born in April. We are not sure how much time we have as the details are murky right now. We are waiting for news. Not sure what we are going to do. My husband is talking about taking unemployment and “seeing what happens” which is strange, he is a hard working, very motivated person. He is age 38. I knew Saturn in Scorpio would change some things for us, but didn’t expect this at all. I am wondering if this Uranus aspect will keep affecting us until Dec. 17th (like will the job issue drag out that long) or will we have some sort of reoccurring episode when he turns direct? I’m also wondering how mercury will affect this since he was retrograde when the decision was made…
Welcome Tracey. I’m sorry to hear about your husband’s situation.
As far as the future is concerned and the effect of Uranus, I’m afraid it really depends on what is happening with the rest of your chart, it’s impossible to speculate on individual situations without all the data. And of course Pluto is active too. It’s possible that decisions made under the retrograde Mercury can be reversed but we can’t say for sure.