Uranus in Aries – The courage to change

In March of 2011 Uranus took it's first tentative step into the sign of Aries. It will remain there until 2019.

So what does Uranus in Aries mean? In order to discover this we need to break it down and understand what each part means individually.

Uranus is the planet of individuation. Uranus says; “I demand the right to be different.” Anywhere in our lives that we have let our past define us, or settled for a “society approved” life is ripe for this sort of rebellion.

Aries can be a firebrand, anyone who has met an Aries knows that. More importantly though, Aries represents a process, a process that we all must go through if we are to survive. That process is the acquisition of courage. How do we acquire courage? By successfully meeting challenging situations, stress in other words. Unfortunately, we cannot become courageous by hiding in the closet every time the skies turn threatening. In order to attain courage we need to get out of the closet and deal with what is threatening us. We start with small things and as our courage and confidence grow we begin to take on bigger and bigger challenges.

With Uranus in Aries then, we are in the process of acquiring the courage to be different, to do differently than we have ever done before. Being different is scary no doubt about that. In Aries we are being instructed to feel the fear and do it anyway. The maintenance of our individuality requires it.

I recently had a client who as Uranus transited into Aries; quit her job of 25 years, sold her home and moved halfway across the country to a city she had never even visited and knew no-one, to start her own Internet business. Another lady I know; announced she was gay, divorced her husband, entered a committed relationship with another woman and is now pregnant with “their” child. All within the last several months.

Do the changes demanded by Uranus always have to be so traumatic or dramatic? Maybe yes, maybe no. It depends on how far we have strayed from honoring our natal Uranus. Our natal Uranus represents our inborn need to be different, to be unique, to defy authority, to be our authentic selves. If we have allowed the “herd instinct”, the “powers that be”, or our own fears to hold too much sway over our lives, if we have settled for a life that has society's stamp of approval but no hint of our authentic self anywhere in it. Then when Uranus hits, the shake-up can be truly spectacular as we demand a do over.

If, as with the second woman in my example above, we already have a pretty good grasp of who we are and what we want, Uranus in Aries can signal it's time to go for it. “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” Be brave, be who you are and be amazing. More power to you.

My daughter and I were talking the other night and she said that she was feeling the need to “re-invent herself.” For me that statement just about says it all. If you too are feeling this need but don't know even where to begin you might try this. Begin to say “yes” to the things you have always wanted to try but were too scared. And, “no” to those things you never wanted to do anyway but would have usually said “yes.” Then see how you feel. Scary? You bet! But, if your heart pounds and your palms get sweaty, you're probably on the right track.

Obviously we also need to apply a little common sense here as well. There are risks and there are RISKS. Driving down a mountain road with a belly full of beer in a car with no brakes is never a good idea no matter how exciting it may be. We are, after all, trying to re-invent our life, not destroy it.

While Uranus in Aries can restore our sense of self and lead us back to what makes us special it can also incline us to go to extremes. To drop the atom bomb on a mosquito. Throw the baby out with the bathwater. Go off “half cocked” as my Dad likes to say. Is it really always necessary to tear our lives to shreds to gain a little freedom? Don't get me wrong, change is never easy. Re-inventing ourselves is hard work. But, do we need to make it any harder than it needs to be?

Do you really need to get a divorce because you've suddenly realized (Uranus) that your spouse irritates the hell out of you (Aries)? It might help to realize that you are not alone, your partner is having a Uranus in Aries transit as well and maybe wants things to change just as badly as you. And, would it surprise you to discover that your spouse may find some of the things you do pretty irritating as well? Perhaps some counseling might be in order to provide a safe, non-threatening place to get these things out in the open so you can see if they can be worked through before you sign the divorce decree.

Did the first woman in the previous example really need to yank her life out by the roots to start an Internet business? Not for me to say, apparently she thought she did.  But, when I saw her she was plainly shell shocked and lonely. She might as well have had “What have I done?” tattooed on her forehead. She was looking for me to provide her assurance that she had done the right thing. Unfortunately, I couldn't do that because right or wrong really didn't matter anymore, it was already done. The best I could do was to advise her that she had just had major surgery on her life and she needed to breathe, to give herself time to heal, to acclimate to her new surroundings. She needed to get her feet back on the ground before she could start putting down new roots.

Uranus transits always bring with them a sense of urgency, a feeling that it is now or never. This is especially so with Aries whose impatience is legendary. Since Uranus takes 84 years to transit the whole zodiac it is true that, for most of us, this particular opportunity will never come again. This fact alone makes it very important that we get it right the first time if we don't want to spend the rest of our lives cleaning up the mess we made. On the other hand, Uranus will remain in Aries until 2019 so we have plenty of time to figure out what we need to do to get it right.

As Uranus moves through the sign of Aries over the next 8+ years it will form relationships (aspects) with our natal planets. We can expect to see the most activity during the time those aspects are in affect. Because Uranus moves so slowly an aspect can remain in effect anywhere from several weeks to several months. Activities tend to peak as the aspect becomes exact then taper off as the planet moves on and we are left to assimilate our new circumstance, or pick up the pieces.

The changes heralded by Uranus in Aries will have the most profound, perhaps even life altering, affect on those who have their natal Sun, Moon, Rising sign or planets in Aries, Libra, Cancer or Capricorn.

Aries may feel they have finally come into their own and are eager to heed the "call of the wild" but may need to temper their impetuousness with a little wisdom.  Just because something is different doesn't necessarily mean it's better. Libra may find their relationships and people skills put to the test. Cancer and Capricorn may need a lot of hand holding and moral support to get through this period. For all these signs learning to dealing with anger, either your own or other's, may become a big issue. Especially if the anger has been repressed, a common problem for Libra, Cancer and Capricorn.

People with natal Sun, Moon, Rising sign or planets in Gemini and Aquarius may find they are finally given the chance to do something they have always wanted to do anyway.

People with natal Sun, Moon, Rising sign or planets in Leo and Sagittarius may find their natural exuberance enhanced, for better or worse. You may be great but you may not be as great as you think you are right now, try not to go overboard.

People with natal Sun, Moon, Rising sign or planets in Virgo and Scorpio may find that Uranus' call for change inconvenient at best and irritating at worst. Health, physical or emotional, may become an issue. Nothing wrong in asking for help, if you need it.

Next: Saturn in Libra - The Reality of Relationships