U is for Uranus

Uranus, the Latinized version of the Greek "Ouranos", was discovered in 1781 by Sir William Herschel. Since Saturn is the father of Jupiter in mythology, Herschel decided to continue the tradition and name this planet for Saturn's father.

Astrologically, Uranus is one of the "outer planets", and has less of a day-to-day impact on a chart, but it shouldn't be neglected. Many astrology students don't take the time to understand it, which is a shame; it certainly has a lot to offer and a lot of different areas fall under its purview.

Uranus rules the sign Aquarius, and is called "The Light-Bringer". It brings us originality, inventiveness, intuition, and social reform. Taken too far, the planet's energy can seem overly quirky or eccentric, anarchic, or erratic, and can bring those feelings to the fore in all of us. Those days when you think about chucking it all and joining the circus are when Uranus is driving the bus.

With this planet, expect the unexpected. No, REALLY. While every person is unique, Aquarians come by it honestly: Uranus gives Aquarius folks lots of interesting quirks that the Aquarius just explains away while the rest of us stand around saying "What the fuck...? You mean there's a reason why you cut your sandwiches into the shape of a rhombus on days you have big meetings?" You can bet the explanation will be interesting but don't expect the person to change.

Aquarians should also note the place of Saturn in their charts, as Saturn was your ruling planet before 1781. And speaking of 1781, there were quite a number of big world revolutions going on. Would it surprise you to know that Uranus rules revolution, rebellion, and abrupt change? Yeah, imagine THAT coincidence. :)

Uranus is another slow-mover, changing signs once every 7 years. If the calculations about the average American life-span are correct--check out the Washington Post article here--women have a better shot at seeing a Uranus return than men at 84. If technology, which is, incidentally, Uranus-ruled, continues to be developed, maybe we'll live long enough to see a second return someday.

What is more interesting is the Uranus opposition. OK...so let's break this down. When two planets are opposed in a chart, it means that they are 180 degrees apart, forcing the person to figure out how to balance the divergent influences. In my natal chart, I was born with Saturn and Neptune opposed. But what I'm referring to here is a transiting opposition--Uranus moving into a position exactly opposite the place when you were born--which means it will happen to all of us around the age of 39. What happens around 39? Mid-life crisis! Abrupt changes in attitudes, jobs, lifestyles and behaviors can abound. I'm actually going through it right now...my Uranus was opposed last year, and because Uranus is often in retrograde it has come back into its opposite sign to my birth sign, Aries, several times.

Here are some of the other areas Uranus rules:

• Computers and networks
• Electricity
• The future and the unexpected
• Intuition and any extrasensory or psychic ability
• Natural sciences

Thanks for stopping in! Tune in tomorrow for my "V" post!