(Source: Wikipedia)
This is our third and final post in the series examining the travels of the three outermost planets during 2011. We’ve covered Pluto and Neptune; check out the links if you missed them. Today we’ll take a look at Uranus. You’ll want to have your chart handy so you can determine whether Uranus will figure prominently for you this year. If so, follow the advice at the end about pitfalls to watch for and ways to align yourself with the energy. (If you need a copy of your chart, see the sidebar to request a free natal chart.)
Uranus
Astrology segments the planets and luminaries into three groups: the personal planets including the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars; the societal planets Jupiter and Saturn; and the impersonal planets, the planets of the collective, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. From the Sun all the way out to Saturn, we are familiar with these energies. They form a part of our everyday experience of life and their patterns are developed in terms we understand. We may not agree with the limitations imposed by Saturn, but they make sense to us and we’re generally willing to go along. An example is the speed limit: we may not like it for ourselves but we can recognize the beneficial restriction on our fellows.
All of the planets out to the orbit of Saturn were known and tracked for thousands of years. Then we come to Uranus. Uranus is the planet of the paradigm shift. Can you imagine what it must have been like when it was discovered? Not only was there this incredible invention, the telescope, but another body in the sky, the sky we had thought we had known so well for so long.
That’s the impact of Uranus in society and in our lives. It serves to breakup conventions; it ushers in brand new information. It propels us into unexpected ways of thinking and perceiving reality. In business, its name is “innovation.” Uranus governs change, disruption, reversals, brilliance, acceleration, eccentricity, the unique individual and the wider community.
Uranus represents an incredibly powerful mental dimension which, when brought into our conscious awareness, can yield startling and useful insights. In the personal mind, it appears as sudden flashes of insight and intuition that often lead to upheavals in our consciousness and are reflected in our outer lives.
Uranus in Aries
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)
We’ll see the shift in society too, and politics. For many years people have felt powerless to address the challenges of our world, especially those caused by government, big business, and the other powers that be. But there is a new movement afoot – one in which we are all coming to the understanding that we are individually powerful and that each act we perform has the power to change our world.
This is the positive side of Uranus in Aries, inspiring us to be the one willing to take responsibility for the whole even if that means standing alone to do so. This is the lone hunter who provides for the entire tribe. It is the individual with the courage to speak out on behalf of others. It is the inspired entrepreneur who through her efforts improves other people’s lives.
Perhaps we won’t be working in concert with others so much as we did when Uranus was in Pisces. But in breaking free of the crowd we can break free of groupthink, too. What do we think when we stand outside of the cluster we have identified with? What is the truth for us alone? With the courage of Aries, we can act from our own truth. This is the upside of Uranus in Aries.
Uranus in the heavens this year
Uranus begins the year at 26 degrees Pisces and enters Aries on March 11. From there it continues to 4 degrees of Aries when it begins its annual period of retrograde motion. Moving all the way back to 00 degrees Aries, it turns direct on December 10th and finishes the year still at 00 degrees Aries.
If you have chart points from 26 to 30 degrees of any sign, but especially Pisces, Gemini, Virgo, or Sagittarius, Uranus will bring its signature change and disruption over the next couple of months. But it also brings startling clarity of mind and a desire to experiment and break through. If you have chart points from 00 to 5 degrees of any sign, but especially Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn this is your year for independence and reinvention.
If Uranus is visiting you this year, the way to work with the energy is to let yourself be excited by something new; branch out, experiment, try new things. Allow yourself to be struck by lightning, to be shaken up, to be surprised. Let in new ideas, new philosophies, and allow yourself to be influenced by others. Join a cause; work on the change you want to see. It’s a time for intellectual fervor and for thinking way outside of the box.
Some complications
You may have noticed that Uranus is roughly covering the same degrees that Neptune will be covering, but in different signs. If you have chart points at 26, 27, 28, 29, or 00 degrees you will be visited by both planets between now and the end of March. And depending on which signs your chart points are in, you will be favored by one and challenged by the other. For instance, say you have a 00 degree Sagittarius Sun. Neptune will square your Sun from Pisces, which is challenging, and Uranus will trine your Sun from Aries, which brings opportunity. So you’ll have two different, distinct, and powerful influences pushing and pulling you in different ways. Don’t be surprised if you feel bewildered, or when one moment’s absolute clarity disintegrates into the next moment’s complete confusion. Your heart and your mind may be taking you in different directions, or two support groups may be urging two different courses of action.
Both influences have something to bring, and they will each bring their impact into your business. The big, wider world wants to take a hand in your life. Since these aren’t energies we can regulate, I’d say embrace both. By the end of March you’ll be on firm footing again or at least only dealing with one or the other!
And more complications
Similar to Uranus and Neptune, Uranus and Pluto will also be in close contact this year. They don’t actually form an exact aspect until 2012 but they come within a degree or so. Next summer may bring intensity and breakthrough for you if you have chart points from 3 to 6 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn. But that’s another topic: we’ll cover it closer to its due date.
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Have you seen my new blog? Discussing all things astrological, for anyone interested in real-life astrology, check out Ellen Longo’s Astrology Blog.
For more information on Uranus, see these posts:
Uranus in Pisces – Cisco Systems
Astro4Business Today – May 27, Full Moon, Uranus enters Aries!
Astro4Business Weekly Forecast – Welcome Uranus in Aries!
Uranus and the Cycle of Innovation
Seven Classic Skills for Innovation
Do you have a question for Ellen? See the “Work with Ellen” tab at the top of this site for my Straight to the Point Response service.
For an overview of the month, see the Astro4Business Month Ahead – January 2011
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