The Astrological Uranus: Storm Crow Harbinger of Change

Astrology is an ancient art where a chart, or horoscope, is set up to capture the moment of birth from a celestial perspective, either of a person, an event, or even a project. In simple terms, this horoscope is a map and works in a similar way. Exploring a foreign country without a map, we can find all manner of exciting things, just by wandering around, but how much more we can discover when we have a map in our hands! On a map, the mountain ranges are marked, the main roads, the big cities, the deserts, the forests and the wildernesses, and although a map isn’t the country, our knowledge of the country is greatly enhanced if we have, and understand the map!! This map, the map of the heavens, has been in my hand over the past thirty years, as I have tracked the passages of the stars through my own natal chart, and the charts of others. I have seen battles won and battles lost. Relationships founded, and those that have foundered. I have seen children dreamed into being, and careers that have sprouted, I have seen life blossom, and life fallen away into dust.

I am a watcher, a recorder and an interpreter, offering the guidance of my craft as people come to seek understanding as they stand uncertainly at the crossroads of life, shivering and frightened as they find their lives crumbling in what seems to be a random fashion, but which on closer inspection often reveals itself as a significant life event in planetary terms, a transit of one of the outer planets. The movement of the three outer planets, Uranus, Neptune & Pluto are slow and cumbersome, taking years to travel the circle of our natal charts, and only Uranus, the faster of the three, will make a complete cycle in a life time, if we are lucky, taking 84 years to complete one revolution of the heavens. We are most familiar with the action of Uranus at the age of approximately forty two, as he opposes his natal position in the phase of life that we have come to understand as the “Mid Life Crisis”. Mid-lifers are my most frequent clients. They turn up bewildered, and looking rather lost, often turning to me in desperation as they seek to understand why their relationships, careers or health appears to be in meltdown, as they are forced to take notice of the cry for freedom that has been clamouring from within.

The Uranus mid-life transit can be devastating, especially if we have been trying to deny the urgent calls for change that have been prodding at our subconscious. It can happen in the blink of an eye, one morning we wake up, and, unbeknownst to us, we find that we are in bed with a major Uranus Transit. We get a sudden realisation that the pressure has become overwhelming, we feel suffocated, we need to escape from our lives, NOW.

What had seemed perfectly acceptable, as we plodded along, pretty much OK with what we were doing, now seems totally ludicrous. We look into the mirror and barely recognise ourselves, where did we go? Who is that in the mirror? Where is the life we wanted? We suddenly realise that we are being left behind. We need to break out, set ourselves free, try something new, get a breath of fresh air, and GET AWAY from this mess that we have found ourselves in. Sudden and painful revelations start to cascade upon us as we grab our keys and wallet, and make a break for freedom, leaving everything else behind us. If change has been resisted in any area of life, Uranus is the chap to sort it all out. He will set the cat amongst the pigeons as it were and ensure that life takes off like a rocket with the devil on its heels.

In the beginning, it all seems good. We swagger about telling everyone about all the changes that we have made, and how we are getting our lives sorted out. Many new plans are laid, few will come to fruition. We will probably buy a whole new wardrobe of clothes, find a new partner, and feel 10 years younger. We don’t read the small print. And then it all starts to catch up with us. Outside changes are very easy to make, but in the heat of the moment and the excitement of new relationships, we often forget to lay the foundations. Uranus loves demolishing things, he then likes to move on and leave a pile of rubble, a sore head and no building plans. Uranus is not an architect, he is the demolition squad.

Part two of the Uranus Transit process, usually requires the help of Saturn, (son of Uranus, he has his mother Gaia’s common sense) to start to put some order back into the shattered life. Uranus function is to help with work that may have been otherwise avoided, making the necessary changes, breaking free of limiting restrictions, and embracing the shock of the new.

The rebuilding phase takes much longer than the first phase, and after the exhilaration and excitement of previous events, may seem to be painfully slow and tedious. We may be forced to endure a repetition, or several, of the catastrophic events that have lead us to this place, and similar patterns may be sought out again and again during this phase, as we are challenged to look further and further afield in order to find the true gold from these experiences. The Mid-Life Uranus opposition is actually one of the most important life experiences, with the sense of restlessness and questioning often directly proportional to the amount of action that has already been taken to take charge of one’s own destiny.

The more proactive among us might, at this time, reflect upon past achievements with a feeling of satisfaction, before moving on to different or fresher pastures; often, a period of education marks this stage, as we seek to learn new skills that will see us through the next twenty five years. However, if life has been lived trying to please other people, or internal authority figures, rather than following one’s own instincts, then it is likely that this transit will be experienced as quite disturbing. In this time of readjustment it becomes important to incorporate more spiritual values, for the inner life is asking to be heard. If the necessary changes are avoided, life may become rather meaningless, but on other hand care must be taken not to throw out the baby with the bathwater in the desperate bid for freedom.

The best case scenario sees a balanced approach that incorporates positive changes in a considerate manner, where all parties benefit from the changes and the new sense of liberation. Astrology gives the heads up in these scenarios, helping to map out the whole process, including the timing, the severity and the duration of these life experiences and also the areas of life that are most likely to be affected.

Astrology can help us to find our way out of apparently impossible circumstances, in a way that is instructive and empowering, and although these times in our lives can be difficult and extremely challenging, astrology can help us to better see that what we are left with is a brand new set of shiny tools with which to re-create our lives. Forged from the fires of hell and purified by our own pain, these tools will never let us down again, they are the stuff of life, the inscribers of legends, and their creation will be remembered.

If you are experiencing this transit at the moment, you may be interested in a mentoring service, where I can use my skills with Astrology and Tarot to aid you in navigating the unknown. Working in a one to one private environment, online or in person, no previous experience of Astrology or Tarot is necessary, as I help you to facilitate your own journey at the level at which you are currently at. Working in rhythm with the phases of the moon, this practice is suitable for all ages, and is tailor made to your own personal situation. Past students have added their remarks in the “testimonials” section, and if you are interested, do just email me for further information.