“The most important thing in this life is to find and be your True Self.” Mooji
Astrology often looks to the Sun, the Moon and the inner planets as pointers to who we are and the circumstances we’re meant to navigate in life. But when we look to the outer planets of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, the symbolism goes much deeper and points us toward the higher intentions of our Soul. If their messages are skillfully interpreted, they can provide us with a level of self-awareness that brings us closer to discovering the “True Self” taught to us by spiritual teachers.
All of the inner and outer planets are of course placed somewhere in everyone’s birth chart. They are found in a specific sign and house and they make connections to each other by aspects. This symbolism is what gets explored in a Natal Chart reading. As the slow-moving outer planets continue to move across the sky over the course of a lifetime, they are destined to make connections (or transits) to these placements with the sole intention of creating opportunity for spiritual growth. Each planet has its own approach to creating these opportunities and the most volatile approach comes from the planet Uranus.
“There’s a wild and impetuous uniqueness to you that can be honored.” Tosha Silver
Uranus symbolizes the unique, eccentric, innovative place in us that doesn’t want to be told what to do. The place that isn’t interested in conforming to the norms of our culture and wants to break free from the rules. The place that wants to let loose and be unabashedly authentic. There’s an element of electricity to Uranus and when this kind of energy activates our birth chart by transit, there is a quality of shock and awe about it. There is no subtlety about Uranus. He is programmed to shake things up and force us to remember our “wild and impetuous uniqueness.”
It takes about 84 years for Uranus to make his way around the 360 degrees of the Zodiac. He might not make a conjunction with all the sensitive degrees in our chart, but chances are he’ll make a square and an opposition to most of them at some point. And when these connections happen, he is asking us to look closely at that part of our life. He is insisting that we emotionally detach from our circumstances and truly look at what needs to be changed so that we can grow toward our most authentic Self.
“Can you remember who you were before the world told you who to be?” Charles Bukowski
None of us escapes our childhood without a certain amount of conditioning. The culture, religion and family we are born into all shape our sense of who we are and how life works. It’s the nature of the beast. Along with this conditioning comes a sense of knowing who we’re “supposed” to be, how we’re “supposed” to act and what the unwritten rules are.
Some of us will rebel against these “shoulds” at every turn, but many of us will go with the flow of conformity until a certain point in life. When Uranus comes to call by transit, a certain point in life has arrived. Uranus challenges the status quo and asks us to look at ourselves and the life we’ve created through the lens of authenticity. He seeks to shatter our conditioning and our acceptance of anything because “that’s how it’s always been done.” He aims to shock us with sudden, mind-blowing insights and revelations so that we can see our way through to a deeper, more authentic truth about ourselves.
It’s helpful to keep in mind that his message is always and forever about spiritual growth. It’s never about shattering our traditions simply for the sake of creating chaos. Of course, chaos usually follows in the path of Uranus and this can be a painful process. He’s asking us to buck the system and that can bring a level of alienation from the people in our lives who are invested in us conforming to the way things are.
“When we resist change, it’s called suffering.” Pema Chödrön
Over the last few years, Uranus made a pass through the 7th House of my birth chart and over my Aries Moon. The Moon in the sign of Aries calls for nurturing and embodying a certain amount of independence. When it’s placed in the 7th house of relationships and it squares a Cancer Sun, there are challenging lessons to be learned about the paradoxes of self and other, about shining brightly in the world while responding to the needs of home and family. That alone can be the work of a lifetime. When Uranus activates the whole scene, there is an alarming sense of urgency to these lessons and, ready or not, things will change.
In my case, the changes have been tremendous. All of them involving what we might expect from these areas of a birth chart. The Sun: my identity and sense of purpose. The Moon: my emotional core. The 7th House: my significant relationships. The 10th House: how I am in the world. All of this has changed. Looking back at when this Uranus transit began, I can see how much I resisted change in any of these areas. I loved the safe, suburban family life I created with my husband. I loved our house, our family gatherings, our friends, hosting dinner parties, playing with our grandkids. I loved it all and I especially loved being married to him. When Uranus comes around, all of this is up for grabs. I remember saying to him after we received the news of his terminal illness that I couldn’t do life without him, that I would not do life without him. And instead of listening to his calm voice of reason to trust in Life, to appreciate the time we had left and to be grateful for the 25 years we were given, I went into battle mode. My resistance to the major shifts on the horizon did nothing to further my growth. It only made me suffer and feel devastated and desperate to hang on to all of it. Not until I began embracing the reality of my situation and facing the impending changes with open eyes did the Universe begin supporting me in magical ways.
I am still shocked by what has transpired and I still get sidetracked by grief on some days but looking at it through the lens of astrology somehow makes it easier to maintain perspective. I came into this life being called to fully integrate all the placements in my birth chart including a 7th House Aries Moon and a 10th House Cancer Sun squaring off with each other. My husband didn’t have to die for Uranus to make his point. That was in the cards when we met a long time ago. What did need to happen was for me to find ways to embrace my independence without identifying myself solely as a wife and caretaker and to find my way of contributing something unique in the world. I’m working on the details, but I now have a sense of gratitude for Uranus and his wake-up calls.
Astrology is not a straightforward, interpretive art. It’s nuanced and layered and gives us hints about our Soul’s intended journey through life. It’s our job to put the pieces of the puzzle together and get a sense of what is being asked of us through the symbolism in our birth charts. When it comes to Uranus, we need to look at the ways we may be following the rules because it’s what we “should” do. We need to find ways to embrace the changes that are needed to bring us closer to our true purpose.
If you’re new to astrology and need help finding where Uranus is moving in your chart, then seek the help of a professional astrologer. Awareness can make all the difference. Acceptance and conscious choice make for a smoother transition through inevitable change. Ultimately, we each have a choice as to our perspective. I am choosing to see the transits of Uranus as an opportunity for intentionally moving toward authenticity and closer to finding and being my True Self. I encourage us all to do the same.
Sue Wyatt is a professional astrologer and spiritual life coach.
You can learn more about her through her website: www.suewyatt.com