Some of you may be wondering where I have been, and in fact I have wondered that myself. I am in the middle of a Very Big Uranus Transit in which the planet of rebellion and the destroyer of all that is rigid and feels like obligation is sitting right on an important system in my chart. (Geeky astrological details: I have a triple conjunction in Libra of Saturn, Sun and Neptune which is squared by Uranus in Cancer.)
The Uranus cycle tends to be associated with major changes in a person’s life. The first one, the square (90 degree) aspect from Uranus in the sky to Uranus in the chart, occurs around age 20-22 in tandem with the closing square of Saturn in the sky to Saturn in the chart. This is usually a time of chaos in a young person’s life during which they may dramatically shift the course their life has been taking up until that time. Saturn puts pressure on the individual to get serious about their life, and at the same time Uranus is urging rebellion and a breaking away of anything that feels restrictive. No wonder it’s such a challenging time!
The second phase in the cycle is the classic midlife crisis transit at age 40-42, the Uranus Opposition, which occurs in tandem with the square of transiting Neptune to natal Neptune. During this cycle the urge to break out of routine (Uranus) is complicated by the confusion and delusion that is imposed by Neptune in an effort to inspire transcendence and a yearning for a more inward and spiritual life course.
The third phase in the cycle occurs around age 60-62, after the second Saturn Return at age 56-68. The second Saturn Return marks the entry into what used to be called “Old Age” – now that 70 is the new 40, all of our conceptions about aging has changed. Yet there’s no doubt that the second Saturn Return urges us to get serious about preparing for old age. At this stage we have to let go of our ideas of who we wanted to be and recognize that we are who we are, and we had better embrace it. And here comes the closing square of the Uranus cycle – the impetus for change that calls our attention to anything in our lives and in our psyche that feels stuck and calcified and needs release in order to achieve liberation.
The final phase in the Uranus cycle is the Uranus Return at age 84. If one has lived to this stage, the Uranus Return offers an opportunity to free oneself from any artifice of human existence and prepare for the final passage out of this life and into the realm of pure energy. For really, Uranus in its purest form represents the energy of human life: the electromagnetic force that provides the spark of life and supports that spark through a web of electromagnetic fields that we sometimes call “auras.” For this reason Uranus cycles are often associated not only with shocking events that change our lives in the outer world, but also with kundalini events that can bring about anxiety and intense emotional changes.
When like me Uranus in your birthchart is tied into a sensitive system including a very personal planet like the Sun, these Uranus transits are intensified and become more important in transitioning into the next stage of the human experience. My own Uranus Opposition happened to occur when Uranus and Neptune aligned in the early 1990s. It was the best of times and the worst of times – my life was filled with exciting new experiences but also divorce. I started to tap into my psychic abilities, but I also experienced debilitating panic attacks. The breaking down of the defenses of the psyche is more difficult for people (again, like me) who have numerous planets in fixed signs that are not easily adaptable to change.
Over the past five years with Uranus locked in its dance with Pluto that you have been reading so much about (and if this is new you can catch up with the mini article in the sidebar), those of us undergoing these major Uranus cycles have been even more powerfully affected because of the inclusion of Pluto’s intensity. This includes those born between 1990 and 1995 who have experienced the opening square of the cycle, those born between 1970-1975 who are in their Uranus Opposition, those like me born between 1950-1953 in the closing square, and finally, those in their Uranus Return born between 1926-1929.
I was somewhat apprehensive about the effect of this big Uranus Cycle in my own life, especially since transiting Uranus is at a virtual standstill in the sky and has been powering a laser beam of intense energy since May and will continue until at least September. Like all transits the beginning was the most intense as the energy ramped up for the transit and I was forced to adapt to new energy pathways being forged that created some insomnia and emotional outbursts. But now the initial intensity has smoothed out and I see that I am being opened from the inside out which is making it easier for me to let go and allow these changes to occur.
When these intense energetic shifts happen it can be quite frightening, but understanding the way astrology works can be quite helpful as we have a better idea of why these changes are happening and what we can do to facilitate the process.
Unfortunately my dear readers, under the force of Uranus I have neglected this blog. The (almost) daily writing that a blog requires is a Saturnian effort – it requires discipline and focus and patience. I do have Saturn on my Sun which usually helps me to pump out articles that are hopefully interesting and help to educate on a regular basis where so many other bloggers have quit. However, with Uranus urging me to drop the routines, forget the obligations – seek something new and exciting in my life – it has been more difficult to write something fascinating about a New Moon for the thousandth time since this blog’s inception in 2005.
So while I apologize to you for having neglected you for so long, I believe that something is awakening in my soul and in my psyche that will ultimately benefit you as well so that we can take this journey into greater understanding together.
Thank you for this explanation of Uranus transits. It relates to my situation and brings me the comfort to know that what is going on in my life is a continuous process to make me better.
Super article, thank you. You’ve given me an enormous amount to review and ponder. Hands down, these have been the periods in my life when, so far, I have made the biggest changes, then felt as if I’d been shot out of a cannon into directions unknown – but with the most fruitful (though not always the most comfortable) results. I appreciate how you teach astrology through your own experiences, Lynn. Yes! Here’s to greater understand!
it is always a most welcome time when you appear on my internet pages.
glad you are here.
Lynn-
I marvel at your ability to communicate so clearly and beautifully, and am grateful that astrology is your calling. If you were set to the task of writing the fine print for legal forms, people might actually want to read it. :)
I echo the commenters before me. Thank you for explaining what’s going on, and I’m excited for you and whatever will come next for you in your own journey!
thank you so much for sharing this. much, much better the occasional wisdom post than daily transit news that one could find in a multitudes of places. you are still serving your followers – in true spacetime, the only timing that matters.
as one who can empathize, Respect and a Big Hug.
Thank you all for such loving comments! I’m glad to know that you are still out there and that my work still has meaning. There are so many sites now that talk about current planetary configurations and that is certainly still meaningful, but the process of healing and transformation is really where my focus has always been and where it will continue to be.
thank you Lynn, I enjoyed this, my son & I are both affected (he was born 1991, me 1970) and for sure changes are brewing, and part of my spiritual work has been being okay with the uncomfortable part of change. He has been changing a lot, stressing about finding his path.
I’m 83 and Uranus completes its 3 crossing of my natal Uranus around the 28th of this month. I’m not an astrologer but am an esoteric student, and for months now I’ve found my daily meditations becoming increasingly powerful. My natal Uranus is square my natal Pluto within 1/2 degree. I have a feeling that something is coming but don’t know what — no death as I’m in very good shape mentally and physically. Have u dealt with anyone with a Uranus return?
Hi Finley – yes, I observed my mother’s Uranus return and have several clients who have gone through a Uranus return. Just as with any Uranus cycle, only more so, when Uranus returns to its place in the chart any area of our life which is not working for us is highlighted and demands change. You do sometimes see people transition out of their bodies at the Uranus return, but we also see that at the Uranus opposition at age 41-42 as well as the Uranus squares at 20-22 and 60-62. This can be a phenomenal time, especially for your esoteric studies, and especially since both Uranus and Pluto have been or will be in aspect to your natal Uranus/Pluto square.
Thanks Lynn. The only thing I’ve noticed with the Uranus return and Uranus square natal Pluto is an intensification of the energies coming thru in meditation. Otherwise, at 83 life seems pretty normal.
New-be Uranus conjunct Pluto 1965 , any ideals their?
Yes, I have lots of articles about this. 1965 was a challenging year to be born, as Saturn opposed Chiron at the same degree of the Uranus/Pluto conjunction. Here are some articles about that conjunction. https://www.lynnhayes.com/tag/uranus-pluto-conjunction/
Thank you so very much for sharing your knowledge!
Hi Lynn! I am writing to you because I am experiencing a transit of Uranus opposite my natal moon and I have experienced severe gastritis. Now I am experiencing intermittent sleep. I have insomnia. I wake up and wake up several times. You told me to take lemon balm and holy basil. I’m also taking ashwaghandha. Now they tell me that I should take melatonin. do not know what to do!. This has me with anxiety and panic attacks. Also at this moment Mercury is transiting opposite my sun. I have had a headache in the area of my eyebrows and temples as well. I don’t know if it’s because of Uranus. What can I do to catch up on sleep? What does Uranus like? Is this the traffic that affects the most? My moon in Scorpio 26th degree and Uranus in 26th Taurus. I am Pisces ascending Libra. natal moon square to natal mercury. Saturn is transiting my 6th house and the nodes and Lilith too. kisses, thank you. Sorry
Ugh, I’m so sorry to hear you’re having these problems. Uranus isn’t called the “Great Awakener” for nothing! It’s impossible to really advise you without knowing more about your chart, but it’s the energy of the transit that is keeping you awake so remedies like herbs and melatonin aren’t really a match. Physical activity will help to ground and release some of the pent up energy and THEN meditation can help to calm the nervous system (don’t do it the other way around though!). Also try Kriya Yoga which is basically a relaxation meditation. I really like this channel for relaxation yoga practices.