Uranus Stations Retrograde
Photo by Micah Tindell on Unsplash
Uranus is stationing retrograde on August 24th. When one of the outer planets stations, the period of about two weeks before and after that date are marked by a magnification of that planetary archetype in our lives and in the collective. We’re also in an ongoing square between Saturn and Uranus (see last month’s post about the Saturn-Uranus square). Saturn is squaring Uranus while in Aquarius, the sign ruled by Uranus. So the month ahead looks to be a Uranian time indeed. Whether or not you are going through a personal Uranus transit, you will be experiencing Uranus archetype strongly as it reverberates through the collective. (And, if you also happen to be going through a personal Uranus transit in your chart, it will be magnified.)
Under a personal or collective Uranus transit, we’re invited to break out of old, stale patterns. When I talk to my clients about their Uranus transits, I often use the phrase “surprises abound.” This gets mixed reactions. People either love or hate surprises. I’ve found that the majority, to my surprise, hate them. Even when I emphasize that a surprise is neutral—neither inherently positive or negative—I still get frightened looks. A surprise is something unexpected, out of the ordinary. Why do we fear this?
It goes back to our need for control. We don’t love hearing that surprises are coming for the same reason that we want to predict our future. We crave security and reassurance that all will be fine. It is only human.
Although I don’t believe we can ever predict the future, some times in our lives are more predictable than others. I think about times in my own life that were relatively calm. Everything was in its place, all the daily routines were running flawlessly, and the road ahead seemed to be clear. During a Uranus time, the opposite is true. There may be chaos. Life does not feel settled. The future is uncertain. But there might also be the excitement of not knowing what’s going to happen next.
Uranus times can be experienced with this spirit of excitement rather than dread. You can actually look forward to the uncertainty that Uranian times bring. You can learn to work with the flow of this energy and ride the wave of change, rather than getting pounded by it.
Howard Sasportas writes about personal Uranus Transits:
“...a Uranus transit is associated with change and disruption, and a phase in our lives when something new–something ‘eccentric’–needs to break through into conscious awareness. It’s a time to be curious and experimentative, a period when new things can be tried, and there are risks to be taken.” (from The Gods of Change)
The keywords from this passage that can be most helpful during this month ahead, and during any Uranus transit, are:
Curiosity
Experiment
Risk
Use your curiosity to reflect on the following questions:
-What routines in my life can I change up in order to breathe new life into my days?
-Where in my life could I experiment more?
-What gifts might this experimentation bring me?
-Where in my life do I feel stagnant?
-What risks do I need to take in order to move out of that stagnation?
The way through an especially unpredictable time is to stop trying to predict. Instead, we can make proactive change. Some fear, discomfort, and resistance will be involved. But Uranus, a god of change, is here to help.
