Uranus the Liberator Frees Your Life for the Unexpected!

She said, "Mitch! My life is turning upside down!! What's going on--and while you're at it, why is it so crazy and hard to handle?"

Answer: 

Uranus by transit in the 1st house of Personality.  Like so: "Uranus is the Social Rebel (for example, think "The Grateful Dead band's" energy) which says "I Break the Rules of Society BECAUSE Society needs a wake-up call." Uranus, and its sponsoring sign of Aquarius, really allows us to overthrow and overcome blockage, both personal and socially, on an individual and global scale. 

Uranus is a liberator--it wants us to break free from limitation--the "anti-Saturn" influence. Its purpose is evolution, experimentation, and growth. Although Uranus can sometimes live in reaction mode, it motivates us to think and act outside of the box. In fact, Uranus in its purest form is intuition itself. By house, the position of Uranus shows where individuals look to stir things up, put a new spin on situations, and go against established thought or order. 

Uranus doesn't act like other planetary energies: it has no respect or use for regulations, structures, routines. In your 1st house of Personality and Appearance, you can expect that people "see" you differently, even if not on the surface--but they can sense it. It will also impact on extension the other side of your chart: the 7th house of Relationships and Partnerships. Uranus in the 1st alters the way an individual projects personal energies onto others. You are likely to seek, nay demand, freedom in the way you present yourself to the world. Dressing simply but quirky, you will have no problems in asserting yourself. 

You are not shy in letting everyone know where you stand on issues. In fact you take pride in presenting your unique perspective. "I am a simple soul with few wants and needs," is what you tell yourself. All you can feel is an altruistic desire to change the world! Friends and relatives probably find you a trifle erratic. They know you to be good-hearted and genuine about your feelings. Your passions rise fast and you lose interest at the same rate. 

Why is this happening? It's likely about Personal Change within that indicates you are being prepared for a shift in lifestyle for reasons that are not only about you, but your place in the larger whole of society. In short, you're experiencing what I call "being a Cosmic Tuning Fork." Welcome to MY life! 

(My middle brother's birthday party: he has Uranus on the Ascendant in Leo. Guess who had to wear his custom-design outfit? You bet! His older brother! Someone just asked me if I lost a paintball fight in Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco. Yep. Feels that way.)

Uranus direct (and Uranus transits): Thrill-seekers and Wild Rides

Here we go again: it's time for "Uranus goes Direct," and YOU get to be the rider on the the Unpredictable, Unexpected, Unusual, and Exciting Roller Coaster planet. Up-is-down & down-is-up once again.

During the transits of Uranus to your natal chart, you will experience phenomena that are out of accord with your everyday life.  The events that occur will be unusual, upsetting, sudden, and unexpected.  For this reason, astrologers are often reluctant about giving precise consultations about Uranian activities.  Almost all that can be said for sure is to “expect the unexpected, and let the craziness be your guide.” 

But the transits of Uranus are not to be feared or harmful; rather, they confront us regarding our extent of what we are unwilling to accept regarding newness and change in our lives.  Uranus challenges the rigid structures in life that most people work so hard to build.  Many people value regularity and predictability so much that they will even sacrifice personal happiness to get it.  (Think of all the unhappy marriages that continue only because both persons are afraid of the insecurities that breaking up would bring.)

But this kind of rigidity is ultimately destructive to life in its highest sense—change is inevitable, and the potential to adapt to it and continue is vital.  Life is—or should be—a constant, ongoing confrontation between yourself and the world, with an energy that keeps everything fresh and lively.  The problem with this confrontation, however, is that there is always the danger of losing, so most people avoid the confrontation or circumstances within if they can.  To survive half-dead, they reason, is better than to lose.  However, those are not the only alternatives:  it is only fear that makes it seem that way.

Some birth signs are more intuitively understanding of a Uranus transit:  the Cardinal signs (Aries-Cancer-Libra-Capricorn) are governed by major life events and change, so even though an upheaval may come, they seem to be ready to face it. (Aries may say, “Oh, a new adventure that I never considered--but it's something I can sink my teeth into!”; Cancer will think of how it will affect their home and security ("I didn't plan on yet another home improvement!"); Libra will anticipate how to keep peace with the relationships it has established--or how to handle that exotic new connection; Capricorn will look to see how it affects a long-term legacy that has been a lifetime goal--and how to manage the challenges to the long-term project.) 

The Fixed signs (Taurus-Leo-Scorpio-Aquarius) often resist the hardest (especially Taurians, who do not like to change until they are ready—and Uranus does not give any chance for planning this; a Leo may wonder how it will reflect upon their need for attention and love given and received; a Scorpio will fight it relentlessly, then cast off the old conditions as though they were a dead issue, but Aquarians, being ruled by Uranus, often go with it after an initial stand-off, anticipating a new sense of freedom of self. 

The Mutable signs (Gemini-Virgo-Sagittarius-Pisces) are more adaptable to a Uranus transit time.  (Gemini might find an opportunity to learn something new and wild; Virgo will incorporate the maintenance of schedules into their calibrating-sorting mindset to ensure things get done--sort of a "chaos management"; Sagittarians may seek new unique and visionary venues of philosophy of lifestyles and values that are socially advanced; and Pisces may sigh quietly and just consider it another burden to be accepted in a lifestyle that requires sacrifice regardless--and that the storm will someday mellow when Life's demands are done.

Uranus & Pluto: Unexpected Huge Change in social and personal ways

   If you're 21 years old, this should be a great time in your Life Cycle. You're at the 3rd leg of Saturn's 7-year phase (you passed the Square at 7, and then the Opposition at 14), and now you're in the Trine. So what's here to greet you? Pluto conjunct Uranus.
   Now, don't mistake this for the transiting phase of Uranus squaring Pluto on a global (mundane) level. What I'm talking about here is a natal union to your position of Uranus from "Wasn't such a good idea to demote me, eh?" Pluto. (The mundane global impact affects everyone; the natal conjunction is another matter--and it's personal IF you're 21, etc.) So what does it mean and how does it work?
   Uranus indicates the Roller-coaster of Life Events & Activity. Where it sits in your chart, expect surprises, explosions of some sort, upside-down, and out-of-nowhere. Think of the Tower in the tarot deck. Your legs are knocked out from under you: it can be an emotional, mental, physical, financial, educational, inter-personal, professional juggling session that totally surprises you. In some manner or form, it's where you release your Inner Rebellious Nature--which is part of your own unique creative power. 
   Pluto is pure volcanic process: molten melting power to totally change anything it touches (including Life Experiences above); huge shifts of personal response. Expect cross-country moves; deaths, inheritances, closing off personal doors and roles, but always, the end of one phase and the beginning of another. Think of a lump of carbon being compressed by pressure over time and weight until its atoms are packed so tight they become...crystalline. A diamond. Your character and soul fabric are being built anew--and you have been transformed in some way. You walked through the Threshold. 

    
     Says Robert Hand, "This transit affects us in our formative years when we are most vulnerable to long-term Life Challenges that affect us years later. The combination of these two planets signifies that you want to break away from limiting-restraining circumstances. You may feel that if things aren’t going the way you want, you may impatiently make changes in order to get your way. Don’t count on discipline either. (This is like an anti-Saturn moment.) And a self-righteous nature may be more open in public matters.

     However, it would be a shame to waste this energy in challenging everyone around you or blindly rebelling against all restriction. You can learn a great deal about matters that are really important through this transit’s influence. Both planets are profound and powerfully explosive: spend time learning how to know and understand as much as you can about their potentials. You should not ask yet how you can bring about change because you won’t understand it until this transit is well completed.

     The outcome may very well be that you become wise beyond your years in your depth of understanding, and through this wisdom you will be in a better position to make either conservative or quite revolutionary changes later on. Even if you do not feel inclined to rebel or push for changes in your immediate environment, you may find that very tremendous changes are taking place within you. This may be quite upsetting, but try to remain calm and see what is really happening. Here again you have an opportunity to gain an understanding that is considerably beyond your years."