Uranus opposition cycle - the Mid-Life Crisis Challenge

"Life's a bitch and then you die" is not true. It's more like "Life's a bitch, and THEN you wake up and {hopefully} live it with honesty to yourself." Here are three articles, including one by the excellent authority on life cycles and transits, Mr. Robert Hand, on the subject of the Uranus opposite Uranus crisis that we all experience in our early 40s. *Note: due to the pattern of outer planetary orbits NOT being "perfect circles" (but rather egg-shaped), some of us will experience your Uranus opposition in our mid-40s; others will feel it later.

Life Begins at 40: Uranus opposition Uranus

Uranus opposition Uranus is the source of the old saying that life begins at 40. This transit takes place between the ages of approximately 40 to 42. And it's a doozy. 

Uranus is sometimes called the 'Awakener' and this transit does have a tendency to light a fire under a midlife person's butt. Suddenly the person feels more alive and impulsive than they have in years, and intense desires to live lead to all sorts of behavioral changes, fresh starts, sports cars (I bought one!), crises marital and otherwise, desires for meaning, startling insights, and bold new actions. It's not a coincidence that my latest copy of People Magazine has a stunning array of pictures of female celebrities aged 41--all with their first children. Talk about a major life change at age 40. 

In fact, the potential changes that can occur at this time run the gamut. John Wayne became a real star for the first time in his life after he got his lucky break during the Uranus opposition Uranus transit. He finally became popular at the age of 42--which turned his life around. For others, the trend seems to go in the opposite direction. After years of corporate success, a top executive gets fired. Or after years of corporate loyalty, a top executive burns out, climbs off the career ladder and goes home to figure out how to do something more meaningful with her life. Careers change, marriages change, domestic life changes, inner life changes, and...life begins. 

The tricky part is that although Uranus opposition Uranus can be the best news you'll ever get in your life--it often comes wrapped in packaging that doesn't look all that great. Instead of an attractive Tiffany box, Uranus opposition Uranus can come into your life disguised as an upsetting event or a series of them. If your life has suddenly started to feel turbulent in a way you don't much care for, or if you have received some rather upsetting news, you could be entering the initial stages of Uranus opposition Uranus. Bottom line with this transit: It can be the best thing that ever happened to you, but you gotta figure out how to hang on until the good stuff appears.

Uranus oppose Uranus by Robert Hand

This is one of the most important transits of your life.  Like the Saturn return that occurred when you were 29, the Uranus-Uranus opposition when you are 40-42 marks a period of major transition in your life.  This is the crisis of middle age when you have to come to terms with a number of realizations that may not at all be pleasant.  For example, even though you are not very old, you are no longer young.  Have you accomplished or begun to accomplish what you wanted when you were younger?  If you have, was it an appropriate accomplishment for you?  Are you happy with your close relationships, your marriage, and your work?

Many people encountering this transit discover that the answer to several of these questions is “no.”  If this is your situation, you may become seized with a feeling of urgency that you have only a short time to correct the problem.  Consequently, you may begin to act rather disruptively and quickly.  You may leave a marriage or an old job and take up a lifestyle quite different from your earlier one.  Your friends are likely to be rather shocked at the change.  You may spend more time with younger people, for their youth is a symbol of the opportunities you feel you have almost wasted.  This seems to be your last chance to take advantage of those opportunities.

It is also quite possible that you may make none of these drastic changes.  If you have taken advantage of opportunities right along and have not allowed your life to become prematurely old and rigid, this transit will not be so upsetting or disturbing.  You will experience the real meaning of this transit:  a climax of the direction your life has taken since childhood and a shifting of direction toward the issues you must confront in old age.

Each period of life has particular functions.  Roughly speaking, during the first half of your life, prior to the Uranus-Uranus opposition, you encounter the outer world, make an impact on it, and learn all you can about it.  During the second half of your life, you will turn your focus inward and begin to reap the consequences of what you have done and encountered in the first half.  From now on you will turn your experiences inward and recreate—make something new of—yourself.  You will deal with issues of ultimate concern:  the meaning of your life, your relationship to the universe and so forth.  This is why some people begin to get a “last chance” feeling, because the main thrust of their life is turning away from issues that they haven’t dealt with fully.

If you have been successful in your dealings with the outside world, you will continue to be, but now it will have to mean something in terms of your own life and perception.  You will not be able to life for some external purpose; the purpose must come from within.  If you don’t reorient yourself, your life will become hollow and meaningless, regardless of what you accomplish from here on.

The Uranus Opposition by Maria Shaw

People are going through their mid-life crises earlier than in past decades. This is partly due to the fact that some planets have been moving a bit faster than usual in recent years. Normally, things start to heat up around age 40-42, but recently I have seen clients as young as thirty-six start to feel the pressure of what we astrologers call the Uranus opposition. When the planet Uranus in our birth chart opposes transiting Uranus, it’s as if something “strange” begins in our lives. It's a period when people feel as if they only have one more chance to make something out of their lives. The Uranus opposition/mid-life crisis usually lasts a little over a year and in some cases up to two. But the effects can be felt even longer; sometimes for several years. It marks a period of major transition in our lives. Most of us come to terms with realizations that aren't always pleasant. It's an awkward cycle to be in because we aren't old, but we aren't getting any younger, either. People assess where they’re going and where they’ve been, and do so with an intensity like never before. Some people will feel as if they haven't lived up to their potential. Others may feel ambivalent about the future. Did they plan for old age? Will they be ready for retirement? Are they happy in their marriage? Should they get married? We all have certain goals we set in our twenties that we expect to reach by our forties. Some of them are likely to be centered around a career, a beautiful home, or a happy marriage with children. The Uranus opposition is a time in which people are forced answer their own questions of self-worth. Many will feel as if time is running out and they have one last chance to make their dreams come true. Some will question the goals they set when they were younger and either change them, furiously pursue them, or just give up! If you are one of the those folks who don't feel the usual effects of the mid-life crisis, then it is likely you've accomplished many goals you've set for yourself and at the same time fulfilled inner and spiritual needs. However, there are many other people that become overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy, or an urgency need to do something NOW to make things happen. I went through my mid-life crisis last winter. My friends couldn't believe it when I told them that I felt like a total failure in my own life, especially with my career. I had gone through a period of feeling total disgust with what I perceived to be a lack of accomplishment. This period lasted from last February through June. Yet my agent and my friends couldn't believe I was feeling like this. Llewellyn has just released by first book; I was making regular appearances on national television; I was in the middle of a successful lecture tour across the country; and business was booming. Still, I felt like a complete failure. No one could tell me different. When the Uranus opposition was over, it was like a dark cloud had lifted. Luckily for me, I know astrology and could ride this cycle out. Unfortunately, many people in similar situations act without thinking. They’ll end a long-term marriage or quit a job. Many long for a much more exciting, new lifestyle. Some want to dress differently, act younger, hang out with a younger set of friends. Some will have an affair and, yes, many do buy that infamous expensive red sports car—all hoping to hang onto the symbols of youth. As I mentioned earlier, some people never make drastic changes, and many escape without feeling the negative effects of the Uranus opposition. If a person has taken advantage of opportunities and has not allowed life to become rigid, then the mid-life crisis may not be upsetting. It is possible for one to experience the true meaning of this astrological influence. The Uranus opposition can be a peak time in your life—a climax to all you have worked for. It can also indicate a major change in life direction that coincides with issues you will deal with later on. Many of you will one begin to plan for retirement, the empty nest, and so on. The spiritual lesson of the Uranus opposition is that you will come to terms with your perception of life and its true meaning. The outside world is not as important as it was in the past; accomplishments will have to mean something to you on the inside. You will no longer live for approval and applause from the outside, world but rather seek spiritual fulfillment. If you don't work toward spiritual fulfillment in the years following the mid-life crisis, life may grow empty and meaningless. But if you choose to work from your spiritual side, you will find the mid-life crisis to be a true blessing. You can find out the exact times that your mid life crisis begins, peaks, and ends in your natal chart or by contacting an astrologer. We all experience some sort of change in our lives—but what the change is is different for everyone based on his or her birth chart. While some deal with marriage issues, others may deal with career questions. Still others may face past-life issues or family situations. The Uranus opposition is a major astrological cycle in our lives. It can turn our lives upside down and inside out. But knowledge is power, and learning the when’s, where’s, and what’s of your Uranus opposition can help you be prepared to make better choices when the time comes in your life to let go of the past to make way for your future.