The Blogathon Lives On

Astroair Astrology celebrates its 10^th birthday this month and with Mercury currently retrograde, it’s a perfect time to recall past highlights. Today I remember a most exciting and memorable high point!

In 2010 I was thrilled to be invited by the late, great Donna Cunningham (author of many books, but most notably Healing Pluto Problems) to participate in an amazing Blogathon to celebrate International Astrology Day.

It was themed around the Saturn, Uranus, Pluto cardinal T-Square and comprised more than 70 articles from professional astrologers around the world. These articles provided helpful resources and advice to help readers deal with Saturn, Uranus and Pluto issues.

Donna, naturally, edited the Pluto section. Uranus was compiled by CJ Wright, better known as the wonderful Auntie Moon and Astroair Astrology compiled a series of articles about Saturn.

While some of the articles were of their time and others are sadly no longer available, many of them are still live and remain relevant today.

Here’s a selection of the best timeless articles:

Pluto problems have you perplexed? Here's what helps...

From Lawrence Grecco: Dealing with Pluto on the Angles

Pluto and Bullying – How to Recognise and Stop It and What to Tell Astrology Clients about Pluto in Capricorn both by Donna Cunningham and full of helpful resources and advice.

And from The Radical Virgo blog: Sleepless in America, What’s Pluto got to do with it?

Browse the full Pluto section, edited by Donna Cunningham, here

Uranus - claiming a self-reliant future

From the inimitable Steven Forrest: Transiting Uranus through the 12 houses

From the Void, Of Course blog: A Guide for Teens Studying Astrology

CosmiTec discusses break up transits in: When Love is Over - Divorce Horoscopes

From the technology section, Neeti Ray’s advice for astrologers on using social media: Astro Tribes and Connecting in the Age of Aquarius

Browse the full Uranus section, edited by Auntie Moon, here

Look after Saturn and Saturn looks after you...

From Donna Cunningham’s Skywriter blog - Saturn Transits – What do they mean for your Career?

In Tightening Your Belt with Saturn Mandi Lockley looks at Saturn transits to the money houses

Kathy Loveless on using the Emotional Freedom Technique to help with Saturn issues: Tapping for Saturn – Astrology & EFT

Using insightful client case studies, Jessica Shepherd Takes up the Long Conversation with Astrology

Browse the full Saturn section, coordinated by Mandi Lockley here

Planetary Tests

Donna devised a series of very clever tests to assess the strength of the outer planets in your birth chart!  Take the Saturn test here (and scroll down to test the strength of your Uranus, Neptune and Pluto)

Dedication 

Dedicated to Donna Cunningham, one the great astrologers of our time. Although we never met in person, she remained a friend and mentor after the Blogathon was completed. Her work lives on through her books and magazine articles as well as in all the incredible free articles and resources on her Skywriter blog.

And also a huge shout out to CJ Wright (Auntie Moon) from whom I also learnt a lot and who was a fun and supportive colleague on this project. Her website has gone from strength to strength over the years since and is also really beautiful – check it out here

With love,

Mandi xxx

When Sun-Uranus meets Sun-Uranus

The article below first appeared in the July/August edition of Infinity Astrological Magazine 

You can also read my articles on Astro.com:
How Can Saturn Help Us Live from the Heart?
After the Transit - Neptune
Whistleblowers at the Galactic Centre
And you can find me on Facebook and YouTube

When Sun-Uranus meets Sun-Uranus

Sun Conjunct Venus in Aquarius Trine Pluto in Libra and Square Uranus in Scorpio, aptly describes  Amal Clooney’s profession as a barrister and activist specialising in human rights law. It also describes the non-conformist, the reformer and the need to live a just and honest life.

Amal’s husband, actor/producer/director George Clooney, also has Sun Square Uranus; Sun in Taurus Conjunct Mercury and Uranus in Leo.

For both of them, Sun Square Uranus highlights the need for freedom to pursue their personal goals. It’s probably as well that they married later in life, when Clooney was 53 and Amal 37. Those with strong Uranus aspects to their personal planets often find that long lasting partnerships arrive later in life, when they can better understand and assert their uniqueness and have developed a lifestyle to suit their need for independence.

It was her first marriage, but George had a short first marriage in the late 1980s. It’s a classic commitment phobe aspect and Clooney’s bachelor status became iconic when he made bets that he wouldn’t marry again. It’s not known whether he coughed up the $100,000 he allegedly owed to the likes of Michelle Pfeiffer and Nicole Kidman when he married Amal, losing his bet.

Click to enlarge

Because Amal has all the beauty and glamour of a Hollywood starlet, it’s easy to forget that this is an unconventional pairing. Oxford educated barristers don’t tend to marry triple A list celebrities and big name movie stars mostly pair with others within their Hollywood clique. However, for this Sun-Uranus pair, coming from different worlds may have been part of the attraction. She’s British-born of Lebanese descent and has been tipped for a future seat in the British House of Lords and he’s carved his career in the escapist world of the silver screen.

And what was also refreshingly unconventional (and a lovely reflection of Amal’s Sun-Venus Square Uranus) was that on social media people were not asking how Amal managed to bag Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor, but how Clooney managed to convince this independent, educated, accomplished woman to be his wife.

Like Amal, Clooney is also known for his humanitarian work and political activism - he has Jupiter (his MC ruler) in early Aquarius Conjunct Moon and Saturn in late Capricorn across the 11^th and 12^th Houses. These are Conjunct Amal’s Mercury at 28 Capricorn, denoting a strong urge to connect and share a common sense of purpose, to deal with serious issues.

George’s chart dominance in Earth (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Saturn, Pluto, North Node) with a decent blast of Fire, brings spirited and optimistic pragmatism to Amal’s idealistic chart, dominated by planets in Air (Sun, Venus, Jupiter, Pluto, North Node) and Moon in Sagittarius, likely Conjunct her Neptune and George’s MC in justice-oriented Sagittarius. After they married, they set up The Clooney Foundation for Justice, “fighting for the rights of individuals unfairly targeted by oppressive governments.”¹  Their Foundation, supporting the civil rights of the underdog, is also an apt expression of Sun Square Uranus.

As a couple, it seems the Sun shines out of them. Indeed, see how they shone recently at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, with George’s megawatt smile (still deserving of the nickname ‘Gorgeous George’) and Amal’s dress and hat the colour of high summer sunshine. As well as the attraction of Sun Square Sun by synastry, Amal’s Neptune (and Moon in a noon chart – we don’t have a birth time) on George’s MC, adds to the idea of the glamorous fairy tale romance for a public hungry for idealised happy endings. 

Click to enlarge

Together, their charts form a powerful Fixed Grand Cross consisting of George’s Sun and Mercury in Taurus and Uranus in Leo and Amal’s Uranus in Scorpio and Sun and Venus in Aquarius.

The four fixed signs are about attachment and desire, loyalty, commitment and resistance to change. Where Taurus is about physical security and sensuality, Scorpio is about deeper emotional bonds and desires. When fixed signs are dominant, secure relationships are valued, but with Uranus in the mix, it’s possible that during the lifetime rejection has been suffered and/or that the native has been the one doing the rejecting. Leo is about the development of the ego through putting oneself at the centre of things, through exuding, (at best) warmth and generosity. However, the Leo dynamic often comes with excessive pride. Its Opposite sign, Aquarius, teaches detachment from the ego to allow service to humanity, but there can be a stubborn belief that one’s ideas and values are the only way and a perverse attitude of superiority, even as it proclaims equality for all.

Double Uranus in this Cross potentially brings contrariness and lack of willingness to cooperate. If they’re a true team, on the same side, however, this couple can be a force to be reckoned with, with an energising belief that it’s us against the world or perhaps more likely, because of the power bestowed by their fame and wealth, the belief that it’s up to us to change the world.

This strong fixity invites them to direct their energy into causes and projects with real conviction. It promises that, with sustained effort, ideals and ideas can be converted into tangible action which can make a real difference in the world. Something they can take pride in.

This Fixed Grand Cross is bound to be a strong signature for their private relationship. It provides structure, support, stability and a desire to work at the relationship, to hold it all together. This aspect pattern in synastry can also denote a couple stuck in their problems, recycling the same issues again and again, persistently. And if they do get stuck in a Fixed Cross rut, with Uranus so prominent, it will at least be an unconventional rut.

With security likely to be important to the couple, their choice of UK home on an island in the river Thames feels like a perfect retreat for the Pisces Rising actor and his Mars in Cancer wife.

We would hope that their relationship allows them to fulfil the needs of their Moons. Clooney’s Moon in Capricorn suggests he takes his emotional life seriously and needs to be respected by those he loves and love only those he respects, particularly as it’s Conjunct Saturn. For all his charm, his love is not a love given easily or flippantly. Amal’s Moon in Sagittarius is more adventurous, supporting her Sun-Venus Square Uranus and well suited to her career as an international lawyer as well as to the jet-setting lifestyle that goes hand in hand with marriage to ‘Gorgeous George’.

© Mandi Lockley

¹ https://cfj.org/about/

 

Planetary Shake-Up as Uranus moves into Taurus

It's always a big deal and a fundamental shift in energies when an outer planet changes signs.

Uranus, the planet of shake-ups, surprises, innovation, rebellion and freedom moves on May 15 into security conscious, materialistic Taurus after seven years in fearless, fast-acting Aries.

What Uranus in Aries set in motion, will be seen through and manifested by steadfast Uranus in Taurus, but not without some unexpected twists and turns along the way.  One thing we can be certain of is that by the time Uranus leaves Taurus in 2026, the world won't quite be the same.

Here are three videos from the Academy of Astrology team, exploring the main themes - and making a few predictions - for these interesting years ahead.

Uranus in Aries wakes up your Mars!

 

As Uranus moves through dynamic, restless Aries, it continues to wake up and shake up your natal Mars. It challenges you to act true to your Mars sign and aspects, to use your Mars energy, vitality and assertiveness in an authentic way. The following I wrote and posted in 2010, but it's well worth a revisit now. How is your Mars doing?

Uranus in Aries is an exciting transit of fast forward movement, sudden change, spontaneous happenings and exciting breakthroughs. Because Mars rules Aries, your natal Mars will be stimulated by Uranus in Aries, so here’s a look at Mars through the signs and how Uranus in Aries might affect it.

Mars in Aries

If you have Mars in Aries you have a tendency to be competitive, direct and impatient. You like to take the initiative and lead from the front. Decisions are made impulsively and followed up on quickly, often without considering the consequences. You tend to act on hunches, on intuition and while your actions might seem risky and ill considered to more cautious types, they often pan out quite well! If they don’t, then you tend to have the resilience to bounce back quickly and carry on regardless.

Mars in Aries blends well with the energy of Uranus in Aries. Change is in the air and you are ready to dive in head first embrace it with open arms. Uranus awakens your inner warrior and you’ll be un-phased by any obstacle that stands in your way. You’ll probably be more impatient and excitable than usual, so try not to waste a good opportunity by behaving too recklessly. With lots of excess restless energy to burn, taking regular physical exercise is very important during this transit.

At some point over the next seven years, transiting Uranus will conjunct your natal Mars. While the conjunction is active, the Mars in Aries-Uranus in Aries dynamic described above will become more pronounced. Life is about to get exciting, so go for it!

Mars in Taurus

If you have Mars in Taurus you use your energy very steadily and like to take your time over things. This however, makes for incredible stamina. You really can carry on long after the others have packed up and gone home! You like to put your energy into things – jobs, relationships etc - which will bring you material and emotional security. Tasks performed seem pointless if they don’t produce tangible, measurable results. A lover of simple, down-to-earth pleasures, you like your sex and your meals long lasting and slow.

Mars in Taurus has difficulty seeing eye to eye with Uranus in Aries. You see, Uranus in Aries wants fast forward radical change, but with Mars in Taurus you tend to put your energy into stubbornly resisting change and trying to keep things just the way they are. This could cause you some stress. Imagining yourself as a tall strong tree might help. While you can’t control the fact that your upper branches are swaying in the winds of change, your roots are strong, deep and solidly fixed in the earth, so the tree (you) can remain stable, strong and grounded, whatever comes its way. Certainly, at this time of change and uncertainty, the world needs people like you to hold the fort and help keep things sane and grounded. Finally, Mars in Taurus people like to bring a bit of beauty into the world and often have a marked artistic/creative streak. Under Uranus in Aries, you could well find that streak stimulated in new exciting, ways!

Uranus won’t make a significant transit to your Mars while it’s in Aries.

Mars in Gemini

If you have Mars in Gemini you use your energy to follow many and diverse paths. You are flexible, curious and need to feel constantly stimulated and you do this through communicating, making connections with others and exploring new ideas. You may be easily distracted and change your mind often, directing your energy towards your latest new goal, idea or project, leaving other things unfinished. While you are very skilled at juggling lots of different things at once, you need to learn to follow things through to completion and not leave too many balls hanging in the air! Fortunately, you are mentally and physically dexterous enough to cope with many things at once and that feeling when everything magically seems to come together is a feeling to savour.

Mars in Gemini blends well with the energy of Uranus in Aries. Your open mindedness and enthusiasm for change will serve you well over the next few years. You will have heaps of positive energy to pour into new projects and into making exciting connections with others. This is a good time for developing new skills and exploring new ideas, as recent constraints on your ability to move forward begin to fall away. You will be restless for change, so be careful you don’t simply initiate change for change’s sake and try not to spread yourself too thin.

At some point over the next seven years, transiting Uranus will sextile your natal Mars. While the sextile is active, the Mars in Gemini-Uranus in Aries dynamic described above will become more pronounced and new opportunities will come your way, so long as you are ready, willing and able to make the most of them.

Mars in Cancer

If you have Mars in Cancer you tend to act indirectly and sympathetically, sensitive to the feelings and reactions of others. That said, when backed into a corner or when your own or a loved one’s security is at stake, you can be indomitable. There is a lot going on under the surface with Mars in Cancer as you process things internally at a deep level before you act. Because of this, your actions are often guided by instinct and intuition. You need to feel physically and emotionally safe and because of this you pour a lot of you energy into protecting yourself, particularly in situations where you feel vulnerable. You don’t open up easily to others, but the people you love and trust the most are very fortunate, because you would do anything for them.

Mars in Cancer blends dynamically with the energy of Uranus in Aries, bringing challenges into your life. When challenges come along which threaten your sense of security and your place in the world, you are on the defensive and ready to put up a fight to protect what is yours. However, some Mars in Cancer people could face very challenging changes during this transit – be it in your career, your home life or in your relationships – and while this may be deeply upsetting, at least a part of you will understand the necessity of what is occurring. Becoming aware that change needs to happen in your life and consciously letting go of old, worn out dreams, goals and emotional attachments is the key to unlocking the powerful personal growth and development opportunities available to you at this time. If life feels like a series of endings, remembering that endings come before new beginnings will help you to embrace the new and exciting developments that are possible in almost any sphere of your life these next few years.

At some point over the next seven years, transiting Uranus will square your natal Mars. While the square is active, the Mars in Cancer-Uranus in Aries dynamic described above will become more pronounced. This will certainly be a challenging and unpredictable transit, but it will also be incredibly energising and if handled well, could bring out the very best in you.

Mars in Leo

If you have Mars in Leo you assert yourself proudly, warmly and from the heart. Your actions may be dramatic and self-seeking, because you seek attention and recognition. Pride can sometimes get the better of you and if your will is too stubborn and self-centred, this can lead to problems, especially if you don’t get the compliments you feel you deserve for your unquestionable prowess! When this happens you can become pushy, overbearing and domineering. At best though, your natural confidence and sunny disposition is shared generously with others and your cup runneth over with creative flair and positive vitality.

Mars in Leo blends well with the energy of Uranus in Aries and this should be a time when your creative energies flow easily. Your physical energy will also be enhanced by Uranus in Aries, perhaps bringing exciting and unexpected encounters! Certainly you can gain positive rewards from any endeavour you pour your energy into at this time. However, the danger is that you will simply rest on your laurels during this time. Fine, be lazy if you must – just ‘be’ if you like, but wouldn’t it be a shame to let this time pass you by without actively making the most of your abundant natural energy, talent and ability?

At some point over the next seven years, transiting Uranus will trine your natal Mars. While the trine is active, the Mars in Leo-Uranus in Aries dynamic described above will become more pronounced.

Mars in Virgo

If you have Mars in Virgo you assert yourself modestly and discriminatingly. Your mission is to serve others, work hard and be helpful. You put your energy into practical tasks, but not before carefully mulling over exactly how you are going to put those tasks into action. Steer clear of being over-critical of yourself and others and avoid unnecessary stress by remembering that the world and the people in it are far from perfect!

Mars in Virgo sits awkwardly with the energy of Uranus in Aries and you may find yourself having to adjust to new circumstances you are not totally comfortable with. This can be irritating and frustrating. In particular you may find the balance in your relationships shifts, as significant others go through major life changes and you have to adjust accordingly, even if you feel as if they are acting selfishly. Or it may be that your life is undergoing big changes and you feel as if you are stuck on a see-saw going back and forth between the old and the new. Your task will be to find and maintain the balance, making small adjustments as you go along, until eventually you can find a way to more comfortably integrate the new changes into your life. Tapping into your innate flexibility, practical intelligence and hard working nature will help you enormously during this time.

At some point over the next seven years, transiting Uranus will quincunx your natal Mars. While the quincunx is active, the Mars in Virgo-Uranus in Aries dynamic described above will become more pronounced.

Part 2 – Mars in Libra through Mars in Pisces - coming up next.

How do I find out what sign my natal Mars is in?
You can quickly and simply draw up your birth chart at http://www.alabe.com/.  Make a note of the sign that Mars is in and also the degree it’s in.

You say that Uranus in Aries will make an aspect to my natal Mars – when will that be and how long will it last?
The earlier your Mars is placed in its sign, the sooner you will have the aspect. For example, if your Mars is at 0 degrees of Capricorn, Uranus in Aries will be forming a square aspect to it right now. Or, if your Mars is at 25 degrees of Libra, Uranus will form an opposition aspect to it in 2017.
Uranus transits can last for anything from a few months, up to a year or so. To find out exactly when Uranus will transit your Mars and for how long, you will need to consult an ephemeris or have your transits calculated on professional astrological software.
Please also note that Uranus will be back in Pisces from August this year until March next, so if your Mars is in the last three degrees of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius or Pisces, Uranus in Pisces will make a dynamic transiting aspect to your Mars during that time. Uranus in Pisces is a very different dynamic to Uranus in Aries, but unfortunately there’s not scope to discuss it here.

I read the description of my Mars in its sign and it didn’t feel like the whole picture, why is that?
Most likely your Mars is aspected by other planets in your natal chart. This will colour how your Mars energy expresses itself. For example, with the Sun in aspect to Mars, the Mars energy will be dynamically illuminated and intensified. With the Moon in aspect to Mars, your energy is expressed emotionally, reactively, instinctively. In aspect to Mercury, your Mars energy will be stimulated and expressed through a diverse range of ideas, opinions and activities. When Venus connects to Mars, energy is expressed more diplomatically and creatively and your actions are more relationship focused. Jupiter in aspect to Mars will exaggerate and expand the Mars energy, making you more adventurous and goal driven. Saturn in aspect to Mars may dampen your enthusiasm but will give you patience, discipline and focus. Uranus in aspect to Mars focuses your energy on the need for excitement, originality and independence. Transiting Uranus in Aries will bring out these qualities in you, whatever your Mars sign. Neptune in aspect to Mars will focus your energy on idealistic, creative or spiritual pursuits. Pluto in aspect to Mars will make your energy more concentrated, powerful and intense.

A final note about Uranus transits
Uranus transits, while exciting and sometimes stressful, can be very unpredictable. This makes Uranus transits difficult to predict. They often manifest in exciting and often surprising life events and changes. Sometimes these are initiated by the person having the transit and other times they seem to come at you from the outside. Sometimes, they can represent inner journeys that see you change from the inside out, but aren’t obviously apparent in the external circumstances of your life. Expecting the unexpected is a good way to approach your Uranus transit.

Enjoy the ride!

With love,
Mandi
http://www.mandilockley.com/

Image from: http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/participate/funzone/

Energy Rush ~ Uranus in Aries at the Aries Point

Celebrations in Tahrir Square, Egypt

Welcome back to Uranus in Aries!

The Aries Point (AP) is zero degrees of the cardinal signs - Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. When a transiting planet enters one of the cardinal signs and hits the AP there often a great rush of energy which projects outwards into the world, seeking manifestation. This is why the AP is known as the point where that which is private/personal becomes public/political. Simply put, the AP is the point of maximum exposure.

We have had a whole bunch of planets at the AP over the last couple of years… Pluto in Capricorn, Saturn in Libra, Jupiter in Aries and Uranus in Aries. These planets, forming a moving cardinal t-square, symbolize huge changes and shifts in consciousness which are clearly reflected in world events. The combined symbolism of all these planets around the AP reflects the fact that leaders and politicians, plutocrats, corporations, bankers and the super wealthy have been particularly vulnerable to exposure.

Just look at how many exposés there have been over the last 2-3 years – the reality of the sub-prime mortgage fiasco; the politician expenses scandal in the UK; the whole Wikileaks thing; the uncovering of Bernard Madoff’s massive fraud; undercover police named and exposed in the UK after they ‘went native’; public scrutiny of bankers’ salaries and bonuses following the government bail-outs; details made public of the huge wealth, assets and political influence of the Gaddafi family and other middle eastern ruling families and just this week the arrest for alleged fraud of billionaire property tycoons the Tchenguiz brothers. The list goes on and on….

The latest planet to hit the AP is Uranus. It hits zero degrees of Aries on March 11 2011, but has been at the AP all the time it was at 29 degrees Pisces (since February) if you use the standard one degree orb. Of course, Uranus has been down this road before, hitting the AP back in May 2010, forming an AP conjunction with Jupiter in Aries in June 2010. Look back to that time to see what Uranus at the AP might mean for you personally.

With Uranus at the AP, the stage is set for shocks, sudden change and revolutionary energy. Just look at what happened in Tunisia and Egypt in February when Uranus hit the AP! Look at what’s happening in Libya now and other countries. Developments with Uranus at the AP, particularly in Aries, tend to seem very rapid and urgent. Great courage and the rebellious warrior spirit is awakened in the collective and the old ‘comfort zones’ fall away. The urge to fight ‘for the people’ is stimulated.

Of course, while it may be satisfying to see tyrants tumble, we must remember that the planets are amoral. They don’t root for the good guy OR the bad guy, they really don’t care either way.

Devastation in Japan

This is evident in yesterday’s earthquake in Japan, one of the largest recorded. While much of Japan is built to withhold big earthquakes, unfortunately there was no defense against the tsunami which followed. Uranus is often a significator for earthquakes and it occurred with Uranus at the AP (great rush of energy outwards) in the very last degree of watery Pisces. A planet (particularly an outer planet) in the last degree of its sign (known as the Anaretic Degree) has a sense of urgency and extremism about it and it was as if this was Uranus in Pisces’ final goodbye, riding out on a literal wave of indiscriminate, life changing destruction. The scale of the devastation is still unfolding, but I was relieved to discover this morning that friends of mine in Japan are safe, although scared and shaken.

Our hearts and minds go out to everyone in Japan at this time.

With love,

Mandi

www.mandilockley.com

More on Uranus in Aries at Astroair:

How might Uranus in Aries affect you?

Uranus in Aries Transits 

Some key phrases for this exciting transit, plus tips on how to handle the fiery energy

A Uranus in Aries Brainstorm 

Uranus in Aries will wake up your Mars. Click on the link to find out more.

Uranus in Aries and Your Personal Mars Sign

A look back to the last time Uranus was in Pisces and Aries

Uranus, Fashion and the Roaring Twenties

Uranus, Fashion and the Roaring Twenties

I've noticed that in the fashion shows and fashion magazines the 1920’s flapper style is back into vogue, along with a renewed interest in 20’s music, dance and literature. A new film of Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is in the making, twenties set TV drama Boardwalk Empire is a huge hit and a new book about the decade, Anything Goes, has just been published. Even my local pub is offering Charleston lessons!

What prompts old trends to recycle themselves? I’m not a style expert, but I do know a bit about astrology and there is a striking similarity between the astrology of now and the astrology of the twenties. Therefore, it’s no surprise to me that what was considered stylish then is considered stylish again now.

In 1919-20 Uranus moved into Pisces, then it flirted between Pisces and Aries through 1927, before settling into Aries in 1928. In 2010, we had the same scenario when Uranus moved into Aries for around four months before going retrograde back into Pisces.

The Roaring Twenties are known as a decade of glamour and decadence. After the devastation of World War I, suddenly everyone wanted to party and Uranus in Pisces was there to offer glamour to the masses, along with more freedoms and exciting technical innovations. Women in particular were empowered. They gained the vote in the US and UK and had experienced a taste of independence and self sufficiency from going out to work when their men were away fighting. In response, fashionable, freshly emancipated young women shocked their elders by rebelling against the status quo in a glamorous way. They cut off their hair, discarded their mother’s restrictive corsets, daringly raised their hemlines and took to drinking and dancing the night away in the speakeasies. The flapper girl was born.

Uranus in Pisces is also about the collective ‘illusion’ of glamour and this was the age of the first great movie stars including Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Greta Garbo, Rudolph Valentino and Charlie Chaplin. An interesting side note is that these were the silent movie stars and Pisces is one of the ‘mute’ signs in traditional astrology. Nevertheless these big stars made a big noise in the collective, with huge studio PR machines behind them feeding the public’s insatiable appetite for shocking tales of their glamorous romantic liaisons, lifestyle excesses and exciting scandals.

Doesn't that sound familiar, having just been through Uranus in Pisces ourselves? A huge multi-billion dollar industry has grown from our fascination with the glamorous, the rich and the famous. We are fed a daily diet of stories (most of which we shouldn't believe) about the latest shenanigans of the celebrated few, to make us feel an illusion of closeness to them and to encourage us to buy into the collective dream. Hell, we can even ‘tweet’ and ‘follow’ them online! Perhaps because of the Uranus in Pisces mutual reception with Neptune in Aquarius many of us felt that these elevated roles were within our reach, that we too could become idealized versions of ourselves and thanks to reality TV and the glossy gossip mags, ‘famous for being famous’ became a new, aspirational job title.

For the 1920’s the collective party was over by October 24, 1929, when the stock market crash plunged the world into deep economic depression. By this time, Uranus was settled into Aries and between 1930 and 1936 Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Cancer were in a cardinal square relationship, with the exact alignments occurring between 1932 and 1934. During this period, as the world struggled to lift itself out of the depression, the stage was being set for the struggle of World War II.

Compare, this with the current times. The age of boom and spend came to an abrupt end around 2008 while Uranus was still in Pisces (under Saturn-Uranus and Saturn-Pluto alignments), leading to a world recession. Now that Uranus is in Aries, just like in the twenties, Uranus-Pluto cardinal squares are upon us, their influence spanning from 2009 to 2018, with the exact alignments occurring between 2012 and 2015.

Flappers 2011 Style

We will have to wait and see what the fashion world brings our way during these coming times, but just like the planets, fashion runs in cycles, constantly back-referencing itself. In our current age of austerity, perhaps it’s too early for the fashion world to idealistically re-imagine our most recent age of glamour and illusion during the early Uranus in Pisces years, so instead is harking back to the glamour of a Uranus in Pisces transit from a bygone era.

If you want to find me on a Thursday evening from now on, I’ll be in the pub, flirting, sipping a cocktail and trying out my new Charleston moves!

With love,

Mandi

http://www.mandilockley.com/

Uranus in Aries Transits

As Uranus enters the adventurous warrior sign of Aries, those of us with natal planets or angles in the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn), will experience a major Uranus transit by conjunction, square or opposition, at some point over the next seven years.

Transits of the outer planets – Uranus, Neptune, Pluto or Chiron – to your natal planets or angles tend to reflect big changes in your life. Due to the slow movement of the outer planets and the fact that they spends several months retrograde, these transits can last for a year or longer, and therefore symbolize lengthy processes of growth and development, periods of adjustment and transformation on an inner/psychological level and/or an outer, material level.

What are the themes of Uranus transits? What will happen? Well, it’s quite hard to predict very specifically, except to say that you can probably expect the unexpected... 

Eureka, it's Uranus in Aries!

Uranus transits symbolize events, feelings and life developments which are unpredictable, unexpected, unprecedented, unusual and/or unconventional. We may experience breakdowns, break ups, breakthroughs and Eureka moments during a Uranus transit. This transit can feel exciting and electric and we may have a lot of nervous energy that we just can’t switch off. For this reason, sleeplessness is not unusual under a Uranus transit.

The transit of Uranus in Aries is about fast forward movement, sudden change, spontaneous happenings and exciting breakthroughs. It’s about changes which seem to hit us suddenly and upset the status quo. Even though subconsciously the change might have been brewing in the background for some time, when the change comes it can come as a shock! 

All Change!

Often under a Uranus transit, our circumstances may suddenly seem over restrictive and inhibitive, prompting an overwhelming need for space and freedom. For this reason, many people find themselves detaching themselves from other people or situations, cutting themselves off, breaking away, moving on. Certainly, with Uranus in spontaneous, impatient Aries these sorts of developments can occur very quickly. These periods of rapid change are then followed by the longer process of picking up the pieces/starting again/dealing with the consequences.

Under a Uranus transit you may feel that you know exactly what you want, exactly where you’re going and what changes you need to make. The problem is that under this transit you may go overboard with the need for change and throw the ‘baby out with the bathwater’ so to speak. So, think very carefully before making any major life changes during this transit, because if you go too far there may be no going back! You may regret all or nothing decisions further down the line, so try if you can not to burn all your bridges, leave the door open as you leave, just a little! On the other hand, if you resist changes that you need to make the change may be forced upon you, so perhaps it’s better to initiate the changes yourself.

Seek Freedom!

A good way to deal with a Uranus transit is to find a way to give yourself more freedom and independence. Making the time to do this will really help. Taking up a new interest to indulge yourself in can also work wonders. Pick something that really excites you, perhaps something you’ve always enjoyed/wanted to do but never made time for. For example, many an astrological career was launched under a Uranus transit and this very blog started when transiting Uranus was Squaring my Jupiter in Gemini! With Uranus in Mars-ruled Aries, perhaps your new hobby could be a physical one? Dance, sport, martial arts, D.I.Y. etc. are just a few ideas, although make sure you keep safe – this is potentially an accident prone transit!

click to enlarge

For some people Uranus transits are welcome and exciting. Others who are naturally more resistant to change may find these transits very stressful. For most, they are both exciting and stressful all at the same time. As with all transits, they can manifest in a variety of different ways and on a number of different levels and will not usually be all good or all bad, but a combination.

Uranus in Aries transiting your chart will certainly shake you up, that’s for sure. Above are some Uranus in Aries phrases which offer more of a flavor of what this exciting transit is all about....

Resources:

You can download your chart at http://www.alabe.com/

An ephemeris showing the position of Uranus (and the other planets) for any given date can be found at http://www.astro.com/swisseph/swepha_e.htm

Data for Uranus in Aries:  

• 27 May 2010 (US time zones) / 28 May (European & Asian time zones): Uranus enters Aries
• 5 July 2010: Uranus stations Retrograde
• 13 August 2010 (US time zones) / 14 August (European & Asian time zones): Retrograde Uranus re-enters Pisces
• 6 December 2010: Uranus stations Direct in Pisces
• 11 March 2011 (US time zones) / 12 March (European & Asian time zones): Uranus re-enters Aries
• 15 May 2018: Uranus enters Taurus
• 6 November 2018: Uranus retrograde re-enters Aries
• 6 March 2019: Uranus re-enters Taurus

Books, Links, Articles

For further information on Uranus transits, try Planets in Transit by Robert Hand; The Gods of Change by Howard Sasportas; Alive and Well with Uranus by Bill Tierney.

For a fantastic online resource, see Uranus in Aries: Claiming a Self-Reliant Future over at Auntie Moon which has links to over two dozen exciting articles, including Steven Forrest’s Transiting Uranus through the 12 Houses. 

More on Uranus at Astroair

Uranus in Aries will wake up your natal Mars...click to find out more...
A Uranus in Aries Brainstorm
Uranus, Fashion and the Roaring Twenties
An Interview with Uranus in Pisces

With love,

Mandi

http://www.mandilockley.com/  

An Interview with Uranus in Pisces

As Uranus moves out of Aries and back into Pisces for a spell, it seems appropriate to get a little nostalgic about the planet of innovation’s transit through the sign of divine inspiration, imagination and dissolved boundaries.

Imagine Uranus in Pisces is your friend. You haven’t seen him for a few months (while he’s been firing it up in Aries) and come March next year he’ll be going on a long stint back in Aries and won’t be back in Pisces for well over eighty years! What would you ask him?

Well, fortunately, Uranus is Pisces called me up and asked me out for a drink so I could interview him about how he thought the last seven years or so went down….

Astroair: Hi Uranus in Pisces, nice to see you again, how did the last seven years or so go down?

Uranus: Well, the most fun thing was my two year face-off with my old 'buddy' Saturn..me and him have ancient history.

Astroair: Really?

Uranus: Yes, back in the day, I was known as Father Sky and was hitched to Gaia, good old Mother Earth, but one day, I decided to shake things up a bit and buried her kids deep under the ground. Gaia was cross, natch, so she got our boy Saturn, who went by the name of Cronus back then, to castrate me and throw my manhood into the sea, but from them grew the beautiful Aphrodite, but I think you know her as Venus. Oh, I could reminisce all day about her….

Astroair: I can see why, but can we get back to more recent times?

Uranus: Ah yes, my most recent run-in with Saturn….

Astroair: You mean the Saturn-Uranus oppositions?

Uranus: Yes, well, as usual Saturn just wanted everything to stay the same, preserve the status quo, uphold tradition, blah, blah, but he had Pluto on the sidelines whispering in his ear, digging up the past, making him face things he’d rather not. You know, putting the pressure on. Well, with that going on I seized my opportunity, waded on in there and turned everything upside down. You hear about the banking crisis? The economic recession? Well it all went kaboom! at the end of 2008 and you’re still feeling the shockwaves, right? All I had to do was expose what was really going on and the whole financial system broke down before your very eyes. Exciting times….

Astroair: What's next?

Uranus: Well, change is in the air still, can you feel it? Saturn moves on soon though, so from 2012 to 2015, when I’m in Aries, it’ll be me and Pluto in Capricorn carrying on the good work. Viva la revolution!

Astroair: Any predictions?

Uranus: Come on, don’t you know your astrology? I’m the unpredictable one, so anything can happen. But one of the last times we were in a major alignment was the 1930’s. Remember the great depression? The New Deal in America? No probably not, you look too young. How about the cultural revolution of the mid-late 60’s when me and Pluto were walking hand in hand? You look as if you were just being born around then. Exciting times for you lot on Earth...and no doubt there are more exciting times to come.

Astroair: Thanks for the tip, but we’ve wandered off the point a bit, I was asking you about being in the sign of Pisces…

Uranus: Yes, that’s the trouble with Pisces, no focus.

Astroair: But there must have been some good times?

Uranus: Good, bad, it’s all the same to me, but yes, of course. The Health Care Reforms in the US. Not a done deal yet, but maybe you’ll see some closure before March next year. If I have anything to do with it, it will revolutionize the system and make it fairer for everyone. You see, in Pisces I came over all idealistic and compassionate, but in case you were wondering, I was still strong enough to push back against resistance to the change.

Then there was the election of Obama in 2008 on the very day of my first face-off with Saturn. What a day, talk about cosmic synchronicity! His motto was Change You Can Believe In. I liked that, it suited me very well. And I also appreciated how he was received as if he was the next Messiah. But now he’s really unpopular. Just goes to show how quickly things can swing. So it goes.

And going back a bit, there was my opposition with Jupiter in 2002-4, right at the beginning of my turn in Pisces. When I meet Jupiter in conjunction or opposition, it's reflected on your rock in times of rebellion, leaps in human consciousness, important innovations and exciting scientific breakthroughs.

Remember the mass protests against the invasion of Iraq in 2003? More than 10 million people protested in over 600 cities worldwide, the largest protest ever to take place before a war has even begun. Not only that, an international group of protesters went to Baghdad to act as voluntary human shields, hoping to avert the invasion. It didn’t work though as you know, the invasion went ahead anyway. I can’t influence outcomes because you have free will. I can only provide the necessary energetic vibe.

Then in science, the Human Genome Project was completed in '04, with 99% of the human genome sequenced to 99.99% accuracy and around that time your first successful cloned animals were born. And this one made me laugh…it was in ’04 that the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft arrived successfully within the orbit of my old adversary Saturn. The craft has sent back some truly remarkable, never before seen footage. Good ol’ Saturn, he’ll have no secrets now!

Astroair: You're in aspect with Jupiter again now aren't you?

Uranus: That's right, as I now flit between Pisces and Aries for the last time until the end of this century, I’ve just started the new cycle, a conjunction, with Jupiter. You astrologers have made all sorts of predictions - time travel; teleportation; the indisputable discovery of dark matter; mass riots, strikes and protests; commercial space tourism; proof of life on other bodies in the solar system….

Astroair: Are they right?

Uranus: You’ll just have to wait and see. I’m here to cause surprises, not to spoil them.

Astroair: Fair enough! Anything else you want to share about being in Pisces?

Uranus: Well, you tell me…

Astroair: Errmm, how about the massive spread of online social networking? Then there were breakthroughs in opportunities for the disadvantaged and marginalized and some very successful and innovative charity appeals. And there's been the rise of the new age movement, which has seen many turning their back on the organized, structured religions to follow their own brand of faith...

Uranus: Exactly and the list goes on and on… Of course Neptune in Aquarius has tried to take the credit for some of those, but who believes Neptune? Another drink?

Astroair: I don’t mind if I do, thank you very much.

With love, Mandi
www.mandilockley.com

Uranus Planet image from http://www.spacestationinfo.com/
Uranus and Gaia image from http://madraider.com/