The success of personal relationships in our era is based on the ability of the people concerned to find a higher, synthesizing, magnetic focus for their shared love.  They must therefore, create and identify with a third, transcendental focus of expression for their personal relationship in order for it to continue to be creatively and socially prosperous.  This third has to be able to raise the two individuals up out of their polarizing dynamic of mutual interchange as if not, the relationship must eventually either stagnate or disintegrate.  If the nature of this third is collective in orientation and brings out a greater identification with the essential divinity of the two people who love one another, they and their relationship will grow and prosper both in consciousness as well as on the level of pragmatism.                                                                             –AO

            All of the globes in our solar system are named after and carry the characteristics of the ancient Greek divinities. It is thus that modern western astrology owes much to Greek mythology in terms of the intrinsic natures of the planets.  These primordial myths reveal the archetypal behavior and personality streams common to all humanity.  The way that these planets-cum-archetypes are arranged in the sky, i.e. the natal horoscope, reveals the individuality of every human being, thus bearing out the ancient hermetic maxim: As Above, So Below.

            Uranus is said to be the most ancient of the Olympian gods as he is primordial and known in Greek as Ουρανός, Ouranos the Sky god.  Uranus married his mother Gaia (the Earth goddess) and she bore him a great number of off-spring, among which were the one-eyed Cyclopes (there were many, not just one huge one!), and the Titans among which is Cronus, known to us as Saturn.  Uranus and Gaia had a major crisis in their relationship (it happens to us all!) as Uranus did not like his children and had all the younger ones imprisoned in Tartarus, a hell even deeper than Hades, the underworld realm ruled by Pluto. 

Gaia convinces Cronus/Saturn to castrate his father, which Cronus promptly did.  Please note:  what we have here is Saturn/Cronus (=time as in “chronology”) overcoming the timeless (Ouranus/Uranus as the Sky god), creating the formed finite out of the infinite and the mortal out of immortal formlessness.  Study this relationship well as within it there is the key to the basic duality found in the sign of Aquarius.       The severed genitals of Uranus fell into the ocean, realm of Sea god and out of the foam of this divine sperm was born Venus fully grown.  This is one of the primary reasons why we say that “Venus is exalted in Pisces,” the sign ruled by the Father Neptune who himself is exalted in Cancer the sign of the primordial ocean of fertility, ruled by the Moon.  Another interesting factor for us to observe is that in Soul-Centered astrology, Uranus rules Libra, thus linking Uranus and Venus in an intimate bond.  In this sense, we see that one of the main purposes for a Libran incarnation is not so much to have personal relationships as ends in themselves, but to utilize the attractive qualities of Venus to bring about “right human relationships” into the world.

            Uranus transcends Saturn for even when castrated by Saturn’s own hand, Uranus manages to produce progeny, off-spring that he favors much more than the children he fathered with Gaia.  In fact almost all of the gods and goddess with Uranus and Gaia as their parents are either ugly or monsters.  Venus/Aphrodite is on the other hand the most beautiful of the Greek goddess and she is the progeny of Uranus and Neptune.  It is no wonder that natal aspects between Uranus and Venus tend to foster the liking for “unusual relationship” in the lives of people who have these contacts in their natal charts.  I have also noted a tendency for Uranus/Venus contacts to appear very frequently in the charts of GLBT people.  They also appear in the horoscopes of homo or heterosexual people who are prone to marry or partner people who come from very different socio-economic and/or ethnic backgrounds than themselves.

            This brings us to the essential meaning of Uranus in terms of human behavior.  Uranus is the “Father of Archetypes.”  His energies govern the process of individualization in terms of the Soul and individuality in terms of the personality.  The distinction in these terms is very clear.  Individuality is still governed by Saturn in that it still requires a certain degree of conformity to fads and trends.  One sees so many young people for example “lathered” in tattoos and prickled by piercings.  At first this was a generational statement made by a few of the avant-garde of this generation of young people and then it became a fashion statement with no more meaning than the mass of young people wearing flowers in their hair in the 1960’s who were “grooved into the collective mood.”  Again dear readers, please note the Uranus/Saturn/Aquarius theme here relative to generational thematic social behavior.

            Individuation however is quite the different phenomenon, one that is experienced by relatively few people in a given generation.  This process describes the fusion of the Soul with the personality so that one fully emerges out of the Leo stage of being, i.e. the creation of an individual personality and into the Aquarius field of expression.  The latter we term “entering awake into the world of group or collective consciousness.” The latter may only be done after one has opened the heart chakra, found one’s creative center and “field of service” and then proceeds into Humanity with a clear intent and mission.  If this individuation remains incomplete, one is then likely to enter a sect or a cult or at the very least, take on the trappings and fashions, thoughts and feelings of one’s generation without any degree of objective awareness.  This is how fortunes are made on Madison Avenue and how hoards of people are willing drafted into fascism (or frenetic worship of national soccer/football clubs).  In essence, when individuation fully occurs, the person has the ability to be him or her Self, both the Heart and the Inner Eye have opened and the result to one degree or another is that Life is seen and identified while form is relegated to its proper place.  This is Uranus’ (the Sky god) victory over Gaia (the Earth and materialism).

            The transits of Uranus are very important as whatever Uranus touches in your natal chart is the opportunity for that planet to individualize its energetic field, thus making itself more creatively available for your use.  Many people fear Uranus as it says in effect: “I am going to take you beyond the realm of Saturn and release you from the constraint of the rings of time.”  Although most people initially say, “Oh please do; I have been waiting for this moment!” Subjectively however, there is another message: “Is there any way I can have my old job (relationship, thoughts and feelings) back if this process fails?”  This reminds me of a dear lady who used to come to our Ancient Wisdom classes and meditation meetings on Fridays and was an active member of her Anglican Church on Sundays, “just in case,” as she put it.  (She was a Capricorn with Uranus conjunct Saturn in Gemini!)

Uranus/Sun:  A client of mine came for a reading recently.  He was having Uranus conjunct his 5th house Sun (a transit that began for him in April 2014 and will last until April of 2015 (natal Sun at 14+ degrees of Aries). During this period he left a very comfortable but decidedly Republican conservative family and a very steady and well-paying job.  In its place, he declared to his parents that he was gay, moved in with his much older lover and took up a much more unconventional life and path and is now becoming a professional photographer. (Some of you will note that during this same period, my client will also have experienced transiting Pluto square his natal Sun, an aspect I will cover in the February 2015 issue of Dell Horoscope Magazine.)  Uranus/Sun transits may not affect all people with the same intensity but one thing is for sure: you will be more your “self/Self” than ever before or else move into a very intense period of rebellion without sensed purpose. 

Uranus/Moon:  These globes are not particularly compatible as the former is the most rebellious in the solar system while the latter shares with Saturn the title of the most conservative.  Uranus/Moon transits often indicate a change of address.  This can be an upset in one’s family life that forces one to move on in life or another surprising circumstance (Uranus always arrives unannounced!) that may affect such a change under more positive circumstances—so much depends on the transiting aspect Uranus makes to the Moon.  A “change of residence” also relates to our emotional foundations as we may easily find under this transit a need to release the past and open ourselves to the cultivation of different emotional needs and responses to such needs.

Uranus/Mercury:  The positive transits between these two planets, fosters the link between intellect and intuition.  It opens the door to new learning experiences usually through the urge for us to change our direction as to how we acquire knowledge.  This can mean taking up the learning of a different language or other academic subject, the visit to different environments that expose us to other types of people, or the making of new friends.  The astrologer must then examine three things: the houses that Uranus and Mercury rule; the house that Uranus is transiting; and the house in which Mercury resides in the natal chart.  (You must apply these three rules to all planet-to-planet transiting contacts to ascertain the full significance of what is taking place in the life under examination.)  If Uranus is square or opposing (and in some cases, conjunct) Mercury by transit, then one may tend to become nervous, mentally unstable, and certainly prone to thinking too many things at the same time, thus dissipating mental energy.

Uranus/Venus:  Please note what I mentioned earlier in this article about the natural affinity of this planetary contact.  The transit of Uranus to Venus often indicates the sudden meeting with a person or group of persons (especially if Libra or Aquarius is involved and/or the action is in the 7th or 11th house) that is very incredibly wonderful (the trine or sextile) or very disruptive (the square or opposition; the conjunction can be either as it is a “variable aspect,” but the meeting will certainly be intense).  There also may be a distinct urge to change one’s relationship (especially if Gemini, Libra, and/or the Moon is involved) and find another partner or in many cases, “go it alone” for a while (Aries or Mars or 1st House especially).  Venus is also representative of our artistic and esthetic tastes.  These may also go under a period of change and a more individualized development.

Uranus/Mars: If Mars is difficult in the natal chart (square the Sun and Mercury for example) and Uranus “hits” Mars by square or opposition, then the individual is likely to be “short circuited” and experience a total turn-about in life direction. This may come under duress, accident or other unexpected, often harsh turn of events.  Should Mars be more “positively directed” in the natal map (ex. Saturn sextile Mars; Mercury trine Mars, etc.), then Uranus trine or sextile Mars by transit can produce the urge to be innovative and daring in positive, creative ways and means.  One thing is for certain, the combinations of Uranus and Mars lead to a highly individualistic and daring sense of self (natally) or time in life (length of transit).

Uranus/Jupiter:  This is one of my favorite transits but this is because I am a perpetual student and “professor” of Higher Knowledge and those experiences in life that expand our spiritual and mental horizons.  In addition, sudden opportunities to travel and meet people outside of my daily routine are greeted with great joy by both heart and mind.  These latter remarks are examples of positive transiting aspects from Uranus to Jupiter, indeed these two planets are very good friends as Uranus through his daughter Rhea, was the grandfather of Zeus/Jupiter and grandparents often seem to have better relationships (well certainly easier ones) with their grandchildren than their children.  Divine Greek Olympian family relationships aside, the difficult transiting aspects between these two can send a person off on an unsuccessful voyage or have a person enroll in an educational pursuit that is not quite what one was expected or wanted. In certain cases, an inharmonious transit between these two globes may lead a person into a cult of people practicing some “unconventional” religion or philosophy while the positive aspects can result in finding one’s “spiritual family.”

Uranus/Saturn:  As I have shown, these two Olympians are not very good friends.  They represent the archetypical urge for the son to usurp his father and for the father to dominate or imprison the son.  Not so cheerful!  The positive transiting aspect between the two allows father and son if not to “kiss and make up,” at least it permits them to shake hands and agree on a plan of action that is mutually beneficial.  These planets work out best when some impersonal, socially beneficial project is undertaken as it allows the individual to widen his or her scope of understanding about the “human condition.”  Difficult transits between the two can get a person in trouble to existing authority figures or involve one in conflicting social circumstances or people involved in such.  If Mars is also involved in an inharmonious way, there could indeed be some criminal intentions in the surrounding circumstances.

Uranus/Uranus:  The transits between Uranus and its natal position are worth a lengthy article on their own.  I must be brief and can say that the first square of Uranus happens at around the age of 22.  It is at this time that a person “sets out” to be themselves.  The last square of Uranus happens at around the age of 61 when a person is looking forward to immanent retirement so he or she can do whatever it is that they want and have been prevented from doing because of Saturn, i.e. previous social responsibilities.  The opposition of Uranus to its own place happens at around age 40 when “I’ve got to be ME” becomes one’s personal “national anthem.”  The trines of Uranus to Uranus coincided at around 30 years of age and then later on at around the 56 birthday.  Both these periods coincide with urges for personal creative experimentation.  If you have an approaching major Uranus/Uranus transit, just check your ephemeris for the exact dates.  Uranus transits are rather long in duration and do last 1 to 2 years depending on the path of retrogradation.

Uranus/Neptune and Uranus/Pluto:  I am joining these two planetary contacts because these have something important in common: they represent transits between trans-Saturnian, higher-octave planets.  As such unless a person has risen up a level or two in consciousness on the Path of Individuation, there is little likelihood that there will be any marked change in someone’s life as a result of these contacts.  The exceptions are that the transits of Uranus to Neptune and/or Pluto also involve a simultaneous transit to the Sun or Moon.  It is then that such planetary contacts move from the impersonal to the personal.  The nature and number of such possibilities are too varied and great to cover in this article.  I can say however that the transit of Uranus to Neptune (i.e. the current position of Uranus in Aries in opposition to the Neptune in Libra generation) can awaken a person out of relationship illusions and as such to a path in life that makes one truer to the nature of oneself.  Remember that Uranus rules lightening as well as the urge to become a individuated archetype (self).  The transits of Uranus to Pluto can help to awaken us to the new dynamics on our urge to “die and be reborn” into a life that is more specific to our individualized create urges.  Uranus to Pluto can show us where our blocks to our own regenerative transformations may be found (check the house where Uranus is transiting and Pluto’s natal house position).  It is then up to us to do something about it!  We should keep in mind the ancient astrological adage:

                                          “The Horoscope impels, it does not compel.