The Astrological significance of Uranus by Opeaus Blair

Meanwhile, Uranus is transiting Taurus (the archetype most resistant to it) from 2018 till 2026, its last transit (1935-1942) brought WWII 'Hitler' and the ‘Great Depression’.

Pinterest: Ouranos

Astrology has a poor reputation these days, reduced to the banality of horoscopes, deciding which sexual partner to pursue or avoid, what ‘lottery’ numbers to pick, and to provide the ‘lost’ with a feeling that they are not ‘alone’ in the world (that there are others, just like them). It is peddled by an industry (largely driven by the quest for money) that has perverted a sacred, epic story of creation, and diminished its wonderous cycles and characters into something mundane. Astrology speaks in a language of symbols, archetypes, and geometry, and like all ‘wisdom’ worthy of the name, it provides clarity to (hu)man’s connection with nature and the heavens, and what is unfolding both within and without.

Modern (or should that be ‘Tabloid’) Astrology endeavours to ‘shoehorn’ (hu)men into 12 Zodiacal ‘Sun Sign’ categories, or archetypes, placing limiting labels/identities upon all; in the same manner that Carl Jung boxed (hu)man’s psyche into 12 universal prisons of personality (although there is truth in this condensed view, it does not allow, or account, for the much richer tapestry that can be observed and experienced). We are so much more than these simple zodiacal sun signs, and through Astrology we can understand this and use the knowledge to guide and shape, not only ourselves, but the world around us (this manifest reality we call life).

A great deal of astrological knowledge survives to present day (although by far not all), it survived the fall of Rome due largely to the emerging Arab culture(s) and has been passed down in works such as ‘The Picatrix’ or ‘Ghayat al Hakim’ (the aim of the wise). During the 17th century Astrology started to decline, due in large part to the intolerance of the Christian religion and was driven out of universities and the public mind/discourse (other than the farmer’s almanacs, which continued to show the 'correct' time for planting during ‘fruitful moon signs’. These are available to this day – the author would strongly advise to seek such out).

What follows is not an attempt to teach one how to become an Astrologer, there is no need – we are all already Astrology’s pupils (whether we acknowledge such or not), it is/has always been working through us, and we through it. The cast of characters in this great narrative have been playing out their appointed roles across this manifest cosmos since its birth (and within all of us since ours – the term ‘Fate’ comes to mind).

In brief, these characters are: The 12 Zodiac signs as the great archetypes* (a fixed procession of constellations), the four ‘terrestrial’ planets closest to the Sun (representing the Self – both Ego and Soul purpose) who describe/influence the personal realm – Mercury (Mind), Venus (Love), Mars (Will), and Moon (Memory). Earth is where their play manifests. Beyond them lies the belt of asteroids (the disintegration of Ego in death), and beyond that are the ‘gas giants’ - Jupiter (Meaning/Expansion) and Saturn (Destiny/Contraction), abstracted from Ego with spiritual quality removed (they influence the larger ‘social’ reality on Earth or its ‘evolution’, and Saturn is the ‘Guardian of the Threshold’). Lastly are the three ‘outer’ (Trans-Saturnian) planets – Uranus (Disruption/Liberation), Neptune (Inspiration), and Pluto (Transformation), these are the generational/spiritual planets that embody principles that lie beyond the realm of Saturn, with Uranus allowing the ‘breaking through’ of the boundary – this character is the focus of what follows.

In Greek mythology Ouranos (Latin: Uranus or Caelus) was the oldest of the Gods of antiquity. The story goes, that Gaia (Earth) gave birth to him with Aether (Sun), the god of the ‘upper air and light of heaven’, and Ouranos was understood to be both a male deity, as well as the ‘dome of the sky itself’ (the heavens). In the mythology of creation, from Chaos emerged Gaia (Mother Earth) who had her counterpart in Ouranos (Sky Father), who brought ‘fertility to Gaia in the form of rainfall’ or ‘life’, that is until the ‘God’ Ouranos was deposed by Cronus (Latin: Saturn) and subsequently by Zeus (Latin: Jupiter).

Although Cronus was successful in overthrowing Ouranos (at the behest of Gaia, due to the unbearable state of continuous ‘creative folding’ or ‘harbouring of forms’ between Mother Earth and Sky Father, Chronos castrated Ouranos with a diamond sickle), this deed created unforeseen consequences. Aphrodite (Latin: Venus), rose up from the water where Cronus threw the ‘castrated member’, and from his blood (that had touched Gaia) rose the Erinyes, fearsome goddesses of revenge who would appear and punish those who broke natural laws.

The story of Prometheus (the foreseeing one), the one who brought the divine fire of rebellion to all of humankind, and by so doing rebelled against Zeus (king of the gods) has Ouranos as a more appropriate figure (although many astrologers would disagree with this point).

Despite Uranus being known to humanity in antiquity, it was the first planet to be ‘discovered’ beyond the traditional threshold or 'edge of consciousness' of Saturn (the old astrological and alchemical texts handed down to modernity from the Middle Ages do not usually contain reference of the three ‘outer’ planets). It was (re)discovered by telescope in March 1781.

Uranus is four times the size of Earth; is twice as far from Earth as Saturn; requires roughly 84 years to make one orbit of the Sun; and has a rather striking (and particular) feature – it is the only planet in our solar system that has a rotational axis that is tilted to such an angle that it lies (almost) on its orbital plane. It is also associated within the Tarot as ‘The Fool’ (although that tale is for another time).

There are two symbols for Uranus. The common one utilised in Astrology – a circle connected to an H, which can be stylised so that it is a cross connecting two crescents on either side of the circle – this is a complex symbol indicating ‘intuitive’ insights and flashes of wisdom (usually rapidly, and outside of our usual limits). The other, less common symbol is a combination of the Alchemy symbols for iron and gold – similar to the symbol for Mars, it is an arrow on top (pointing up) of a ‘solar circle’, with its vitality/spirit directed with ‘willpower’ upwards towards the ‘super conscious(ness)’.

Our ‘individual’ life operates in cycles, our spiralling ‘life pattern’ has often been measured under the astrological influence of Saturn and was marked by the 20-year cycle (Synod in Astrology, meaning 'journey together') of the conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn. Instead, it is the motion of Uranus which could be said to be more significant, and appropriate.

As noted above, it takes Uranus 84-years to complete a revolution of our Sun (and thus through the Zodiac - staying seven years in each sign), reaching its opposition from its start (its natal placement in ‘our’ birth charts – an essential ‘tool’ for understanding and using Astrology, particularly within ourselves) at the age of about 42 (of Middle Age). This 84-year cycle can be divided into twelve 7-year cycles (or seven 12-year periods of a Jupiterian nature), thus the important ‘milestone’ ages of (hu)man: 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, and so on. These periods have meaning/association with the mind/body. Contemplate this, and see if it resonates with your own life? What insight, development, achievement, and casting aside was made at each of these ‘points’ in your cycle?

Uranus is associated with (hu)man’s nervous system (in its ability to transmit information or impulses), as well as innovation and change, or more appropriately – revolution/liberation, and it rules the Zodiac sign of Aquarius (or partially rules, Uranus is designated the ‘day ruler’, whilst Saturn is considered the ‘night ruler’ – something to consider with the emerging ‘Age of Aquarius’?), and has 'authority' within Scorpio.

Its progression through the Zodiac brings with it discovery and enlightenment, and usually the disruption of established order(s). The energies of Uranus (male/female as one of the two ‘neutral’ planets, the other being Mercury) are electric(al) and highly charged, and this can be observed today, and throughout history, especially when discerned within the roughly 45-year Saturn-Uranus conjunctions, as they are both planets of extremes (or is that eternal enemies?).

For a start, the ‘discovery’ of our protagonist Uranus was at the time of the American (1776) and French (1789) Revolutions (the exact year Uranian influence returned to (hu)man’s (un)consciousness was marked by the ratification of the American ‘Articles of Confederation’ and the final surrender of the British - a case of the British kicking out the British? Or the birth of the Anglo-American Empire?).

Our present Saturn-Uranus cycle started in 1988, with the planting of the original 'seed idea', during their conjunction together in the Zodiac sign of Sagittarius. This 'seed' was (or at least, appeared to be): 'America as a Global Hegemony', which was birthed out of their previous cycle (1942-1988: The Cold War Era from World War II to the fall of the Berlin Wall).

This conjunction saw the ‘Black Monday’ crash, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing, violent unrest in South Africa (leading to the end of Apartheid – at least for Africa), the formation of Al-Qaeda, the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, and the beginning of the 'Global Warming' agenda (with the address to the U.S. Senate by James Hansen). All of these are generally considered to be ‘common manifestations’ of their planetary alignments, along with technological breakthroughs and disruptions – such as NASA resuming the Discovery Space Shuttle flights at the same time a massive telescope collapsed in Green Bank, West Virginia.

As this cycle progressed to the next ‘exact’ conjunction(s) in July and November 1999, and May 2000 (during what Astrology terms 'Waxing Square', covering the period 1998-2001), the energies initiated during the 1988 conjunction came into their first 'hard aspect', creating a 'climax of action', specifically: The wars in Kosovo and Chechnya (and the dissolution of Yugoslavia, which had been formed in the previous conjunction), the 'Dotcom' crash, U.S. President Clinton's Executive Order imposing sanctions against the Taliban in Afghanistan (a 'boomerang' effect from the arming and training of Al-Qaeda, once again in the cycle's last conjunction), and in a similar irony, the U.S. Senate rejection of the Nuclear Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Of particular import during this period was 9/11 and the start of the so-called ‘War on Terror’ (a repeat of events in the previous cycle from 1942-1988?).

When this cycle proceeded into 'Opposition' from October 2007 till August 2011 (with 'exact' conjunctions in November 2008, February, and September 2009, plus April and July 2010) earlier developments 'maximised' with Uranus in Pisces and Saturn in Virgo. This period coincided with the ‘Credit Crunch’ crash (resulting from yet another 'bubble' – see a theme here?) and was the 'maturation' of the 'seed idea' towards globalism from the original conjunction in 1988.

This was the birth of a concept know as: 'Too Big to Fail' - which when viewed through the 'eye' of Astrology, we can see: “When something is too big (Sagittarius archetype) to fail (Saturn impulse), it requires reform (Uranus impulse), in order to survival, otherwise it will be destroyed (Pluto impulse)”. Pluto is a key character in this chronicle because it is a major player in the story of Saturn-Uranus (another tale for another time), but in this particular chapter of our tale the reform was not forthcoming – so where was the destruction?

This opposition period also saw: The 'Arab Spring', the 're-start' of North Korea's nuclear weapon production (and Israeli tantrums about Iran's ‘uranium’ enrichment programme), Obama elected as the first black U.S. President, whilst the Tories returned to power in the UK (as an aside, the ‘trine’ Saturn-Uranus alignment between 2016-18 manifested the election of Trump as well as the ‘Brexit’ referendum – maybe there is no such thing as coincidence?).

Which brings us to today, during the final ‘Waning Square’ phase from 2020 to 2023 (with Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus – the opposite of their positions in the first square), with ‘exact’ conjunctions in February, June, December 2021, and October 2022 (all momentous months). We don’t need to digest these events here, they are fresh in our ‘consciousness’, but it is worth noting that the period for this square ‘coincides’ with a Saturn-Pluto conjunction (another cycle of significance which is characterised by war, terrorism, and disease – and destructive transformation/retribution in the case of ‘Too Big to Fail’?).

Whereas the Saturn-Uranus conjunctions during the Waxing Square phase of the cycle were characterised by a ‘climax of action’, during the Waning Square phase it manifests as a ‘climax of consciousness’. There is a requirement to undertake new ways of thinking, rather than just new actions, in order to address the symmetry and role reversal (which is evidenced dramatically by the events of last year and this October – Did Saturn ‘win’ round one? Is Uranus winning round two?)

Of compelling interest is Saturn-Uranus cycles correlations with vaccines: Edward Jenner tested the first vaccine (smallpox) in 1796 (during a square), the first UK Vaccination Acts of 1840, 1853, 1867, 1898 and 1907 all correlated with conjunctions, the UK Anti-Vaccination League was formed in 1866 (trine alignment), the 1905 U.S. Supreme Court ruling of ‘Jacobson v. Massachusetts’ a landmark vaccination case which determined that government could not force vaccination, even for the benefit of ‘Public Health’ (sextile alignment), and the first vaccination certificates required by law (although later rescinded) in India in 1897 (a triple conjunction). This 'dance' through the past, and the recent Covid ‘plandemic’, shows us a notable pattern, as evidenced by the above dated ‘exact’ conjunctions.

A new cycle begins in 2032 with Saturn-Uranus in Gemini. So, what can we expect? That's what Astrology is 'for' isn't it? In previous such conjunctions (if history can truly be any guide for the future) a revolution/subversion of travel can be expected (most likely from 2025 onwards), and new 'lines' will be drawn (both physical and ideological). The 'seed' that was planted in 1988 (having matured and declined, like plants in nature) will give way/birth a new 'seeding'. This will most likely take root in the youth of this phase (an Aquarian time with Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions within this archetype) - those that have 'ripped' their parents apart (along with the manifestations they enacted during 'their' time), who believe they are (re)manifesting a 'new' Earth - will need guiding/tempering in their thoughts by those of the 'old' Earth.

Meanwhile, Uranus is transiting Taurus (the archetype most resistant to it) from 2018 till 2026, its last transit (1935-1942) brought WWII 'Hitler' and the ‘Great Depression’. During this transit we can expect to observe an 'illumination' of the 'dance' of vaccination described above, and there is the potential 'effect' of reversal/dissolving of authority - responsibility will have to be taken for any 'harm' caused in the time Saturn was transiting Taurus (it is also important to note that the Saturn-Neptune cycle comes into play. Between July and November 2026, in company with Saturn-Neptune will be Uranus 'trine' Pluto - the 'coming together' of external/internal, rational/spiritual, and mind/soul relationships and progress - What new 'reality' will emerge?).

Astrology marks the ‘Path of Progression’, not through the linear ‘Time’ invented for (hu)man’s convenience, but the ‘State of Time’ which emerged as creation. Its application is an ‘individual’ pursuit, as much as it is a ‘societal’ manifestation/observation, to a greater degree in fact. So, are we ‘Fated’ to repeat the same past events, spiralling around-and-around at the whim of the zodiacal archetypes and planets? Or is the 'wisdom' of Astrology known to ‘Earthly’ players who know how to use its cycles, and conjunctions, to manifest their desired future?

The story ‘inscribed’ above, is but a tiny paragraph of a larger chapter, in a much grander book. We have touched on only a part of a single cycle, of a 'wheels-within-wheels' tale of multiple spiralling cycles, that make up the chronicle of (hu)man's perceived cosmos. Astrology provides the 'sight' to perceive beyond this mundane manifestation we call life and have awareness of both above and below - and it is Uranus, functioning in those who can think apart from the brain (who planned immortality for (hu)man), that will lead us.

* The Zodiac Archetypes: Aries ('I am'), Taurus ('I have'), Gemini ('I think'), Cancer ('I feel'), Leo ('I will'), Virgo ('I analyse'), Libra ('I balance'), Scorpio ('I desire'), Sagittarius ('I see'), Capricorn ('I use'), Aquarius ('I know'), and Pisces ('I believe').