Maggie Nalbandian & Gregory N. Nalbandian
Bill hates his job. He has to force himself to get up each morning to face the reality of another day of putting in his time so that he can rush home to do what he really likes to do. He feels trapped with no options to change his life. How can he risk his security or his family's security by trying something different? One day he trudges into work to find a pink slip on his desk removing the insurmountable obstacle from his hands - fate (as he sees it) did it for him - suddenly, irrevocably. Bill was under a Uranus transit that day.
Sue is miserable. She feels trapped in a loveless marriage with all her hopes in life buried under a mate's refusal to allow her to do anything other than what he perceives her duty. She, like so many others, had been programmed by society as to what her commitment's and duty's are at an early stage of her life. She felt she had no choice -- no options. More and more she knew deep down that she has to get out of this relationship -- her dreams have been telling her; she has been noticing more and more information on 'bad' relationships, so on and so on. All of this information seems to be trying to tell her something, but the strength of her "good wife/mother" programming held all of that at bay, in the "other-consciousness." Finally, one day she finds a note from her husband stating he was divorcing her and marrying his young secretary. Somehow it seemed familiar and right to her, and yet her "this consciousness" -- EGO, was totally shattered. Again another with a Uranus transit breaking up stagnation. Again another jolt where the sky seems to be falling -- suddenly, irrevocably.
What does this far-off planet Uranus symbolize? As we saw in the examples above, chaos, sudden unfoldment of events or realizations that disrupt life. Electric lightning jolts seem to be the Uranus calling card, coming from out of no where, and yet the reality is somehow a "stagnation stopper" for the known. We all have periods in our lives that this describes as we all experience Uranus transits. In order to understand this unique, exciting planet we must look at the symbology of where it is in our solar system, remembering that each planet symbolizes a personality function either conscious or unconscious. We have discussed all the planets out through Saturn and identified each as conscious personality functions; i.e., we are consciously aware of making value judgments (Venus). Saturn was the outer-most planet from the Sun that we discussed as being the conscious structure of our personal and social identities. It also is how we set up our limits and, therefore how we protect ourselves -- which can crystallize into fears and boundaries. We can impede growth here due to fear of the unknown or change. Now enters Uranus, the first planet beyond Saturn's orbit.
The Uranus function is from the unconscious and seeks to break down the Saturn structure when it becomes stagnant or immovable by thrusting into the conscious mind, or even into manifest reality information from the unconscious Self. Its action has been called "the freedom from the known" principle, as human nature tends to grasp that which is known or safe -- even if that which is known is uncomfortable, the unknown is always perceived to be much worse. In the two examples above, the known was uncomfortable and both individuals were miserable in their circumstances. Neither would consider change as the fear of what would happen (the unknown) was not an option. Both were stagnant and there was no room for growth in their lives. Both were ideal candidates for a Uranian explosion to clear the path toward continued evolution.
Another, more positive, way of Uranus action can be seen in the case of Tom. Tom is working on a problem of designing a house. He knows what he wants in this house but cannot get everything to fit just right. He knows somehow it can be done but it eludes him. One day he was just about ready to give up and leave out some of the things he wanted. He sat, rather disgusted, contemplating his choices when suddenly it fell into place. A sudden light bulb went on and the whole house seemed to come together perfectly. This is what I call the "AH-Hah" effect -- a sudden knowing. This knowing is so profoundly "lighting-up-reality" like, that it is almost impossible to imagine a state in which you didn't see the event or current state of knowing. This is Uranus again coming through the unconscious with sudden flashes of insight or knowing. It is our creative genius at work. We all have had times in our lives when this "sudden knowing" happens. Sometimes it is when a teacher says something that suddenly triggers the light bulb or when we sit quietly contemplating nothing in particular and that flash of insight comes, like looking at a mosaic color pattern for a long time when all of a sudden a pattern arises out of it so distinctly that you almost feel stupid because it took you so long to see it. No matter what the circumstances are, the results are a freeing up of old perceptions leading to a new, original way of seeing our reality and allowing us to see a larger horizon or future through wider eyes.
Where Uranus is located in the Natal Chart by sign and house placement shows where this phenomenon is manifesting in each individual. This is where and how our personal genius factor is working, as well as the ability to find greater and larger associations or patterns. When Uranus is aspecting (affecting through angular distance) other planets in our charts, it sets up an action like an electrical charge to that personality function (Planet) It can be perceived as erratic, unconventional or a touch of genius.
The Uranus orbit is 84 years and during our lifetime we will experience all types of Uranus transits not only to our natal planets but also through our own personal house placements. The results can be chaotic, exciting, disruptive and freeing. One thing for sure is that this time will not be dull or boring. Change will happen but it depends on the individual as to how this change will manifest. We can become conscious of the coming changes and the perimeters of that change through Astrology as well as listening to the unconscious messages in the dream state. If we know when and what changes are coming we can see the options we have. We can institute change ourselves or we can wait for that "bolt out of the blue" to demand change. In the cases of Bill and Sue, the "bolt" happened. Their lives were in crisis for a while but once the dust settled, both were able to look back on the events and declare that it was one of the best things that had happened to them and they know that they have irreversibly changed. They were now free to move on with their lives -- that both did very successfully.
-- finis --