On this date in 1781, William Hershel discovered Uranus.
There is an expression about getting the rug pulled out from under you. We use this expression when our world is unexpectedly turned upside down. In astrology, Uranus plays the part of the rug puller.
According to astrologer Kevin Burk, at this stage of human evolution we are living in a Saturn-ruled world (Astrology: Understanding the Birth Chart, p. 38). Saturn is a very structured, concrete, Earthbound sort of planet. It represents the physical world that we can see and touch and hear. Uranus, though, as the first of the so-called outer planets, symbolizes our first and often traumatic realization that there is more to the universe than we believed (39).
Uranus reminds us about our attachments. It sends us messages, usually in the form of an unpredictable upset or a bolt from the blue, that cause us to re-examine the foundations of our lives.
The orbital cycle of Uranus is 84 years, and so it spends about 7 years in each sign. Right now, Uranus is in the sign of Aries. It was last in Aries during the Great Depression (1927-1935). Aries is a fiery warrior who isn’t afraid to take chances and create new beginnings. During the Great Depression, it took a pioneering spirit and a self-motivation to survive.
What structures could you re-examine in your life? Where could you let loose your individual drive and release yourself from restrictions? Some herald the Age of Aquarius as a boon time for humanity where we will all coexist peacefully in a harmonious “oneness,” but I think that we also need to remember that we are still unique individuals within that group. Use the “eureka” energy of Uranus in Aries to find YOUR spark.
aim4wisdom 
Aimee, this is so great, so interesting personally – and more importantly as you point out, so relevant to whole eras of rut and discovery. Thank you very very much for your research, passion, and incredibly clear presentation of what you know.
I’m tuned in to (or maybe just projecting) a societal hunger for more than the obvious. You, the thoughtful, insightful, outside-the-box writer, along with anyone who’s reading your blog, is, too. Black and white just isn’t all there is, and our big brains – as much as they trap us sometimes in the concrete and scientific – are capable of zillions of shades in between. It’s humbling on any level to suppose we don’t know it all, and I’m glad for traditions/studies that bring sophistication, reassurance, and good ideas to the very necessary first step of change (personal, societal, global) – which is admitting that, for better and worse, “I DON’T KNOW IT ALL.”
I’m struck again and again in professional and personal experiences that clients and I both want and resist what we don’t know. “There has to be something different, something else I haven’t understood, bring it on…” and “But that’s not what I’m used to, that’s scary and unknown, I don’t want any parts of that rug-pulling….” seems to be a common inner (and, I daresay, social, political, economical, global, universal) battle. In the right atmosphere, that battle can soften into curiosity and wonder. The right atmosphere, perhaps inspired by Uranus, might be stillness, confidence, some kind of ok-ness when stuff isn’t ok or familiar or predictable, some kind of community that doesn’t freak out at, but rather welcomes, what’s “new.”
That atmosphere does exist – and you are helping to establish it here 🙂
I think you’re spot-on when you say that “oneness” doesn’t mean a lack of uniqueness. On the contrary, the way for everyone to get along – so seamlessly that there is maybe the “feel” of oneness – is to sink in to who we each really truly individually are – where we come from, what we believe, what we have to offer, where our habits hold us hostage…. All very personal searching and discovering, to be sure.
For me, I’d say the bolts out of the blue have been the most compelling inspiration to shift habits of thought and behavior. I seem to need (and yes, cause) ass-kicks in order to wake up and face what I don’t know. Being open to feedback from body and friends and teachers has been hard and necessary to “encourage” me to touch down into who I am – the good the bad and the ugly. I find – for self and other – that the bad and ugly ain’t so bad and ugly when I explore all the soft stuff at the heart of it.
Here’s the one thing I’ve done, and as therapist encourage others to do: like myself. Explore, entertain, and sometimes insist that beneath habits and harm, there is good intention and something tender and brave and useful to discover and share – in any circumstance, in anybody. It’s been a profoundly immediate and transformative practice, to just drop the judgments of my experience and have that much more time and energy – and ultimately confidence – left for figuring out the next ideal thing to say or do.
As always, I appreciate your lightness, language, encouragement, and cosmic soundness. You get me thinking in all kinds of good directions 🙂
Awww, thanks for the kind words…. and the awesome thoughtfulness you put into your reply! You give all of us something(s) to think about too! Now, wait until you hear about Neptune…… 😉