In astrology Uranus, the lightning god, has a reputation as a disrupter – for good as a liberator and innovator when faced with overdue reforms, not so great when in a contrarian mood as it rocks the boat out of sheer mischief. Usually cast in a favourable light by astrologers who will have it prominently in their charts, it shares with Mercury a trickster quality making it difficult to determine in advance whether the effect of Uranian influences will be progressive or chaotic. Defiance and lawlessness are in its repertory.
Family and close personal relationships are not made easier by the presence of Uranus with its dislike of compromise, lack of adaptability and insistence on protecting individuality and independence over cooperation. Connected to the nervous system, it leads to a highly-strung temperament, prone to impulsive actions. Strongly Uranian types can come across as selfish and obstinate. They demand partners be just as independent as themselves, so relationships can drift apart since there is no real engagement. Often underlying the detachment or the ‘I’ll jump back and leave first’ is a fear of abandonment. They pre-empt what they see as the inevitable by baling out in advance. Uranus in hard aspect to Sun or Moon suggests parents who were erratic, unpredictable, didn’t relate well and fostered a forced independence on the child.
The house that Uranus falls in is always where the individual wants to go against the grain. Uranus in the 6th dislikes the corporate team world, so prefers to go freelance. Uranus in the 9th veers towards alternative philosophies or ideas. In the 7th dislikes conventional relationships, opts for open marriages or constant travelling; in the 8th has a leaning towards experimenting in sex; in the 4th rarely stays living in the same house for long. Whatever everyone else wants, Uranus wants something different.
Its negative manifestations can be damaging. Located in the 10th house it appears in Trump’s chart and Joseph McCarthy’s, exhibiting its ability to cause division and spread disruption; and murderers Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer, intent on lawless lifestyle. The other counter-intuitive Uranian type is Prince Andrew who has it in his 1st house on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Saturn and an 8th house Mercury. No poster boy for progressive causes, he defiantly walks his own road in contrarian fashion, is intolerant of convention.
Uranus shares with Aquarius of which it is co-ruler that odd paradox of being both the epitome of tolerance and dictatorially stubborn. Ideas can be prized above empathy, on occasion leaning towards an obsessive ideology that reduces human beings to a secondary concern. It significantly appears in a considerable number of fascist and extreme right-wingers amongst its number.
The outsider, the troublemaker, the flag-waver for freedom at all costs, more than anything Uranus wants to stand out from the crowd even if seen as a maverick and an oddball. It doesn’t care what others think, isn’t one of the crowd, so it can think out of the box and lead the way into the future. Uranus hates barriers, boundaries, cages of any variety and will rattle the bars until they collapse.
The myth of Ouranos, the sky god, married to Gaia, the earth mother, is telling. He rejected one or more of his children for being earthly and gross, so another son, Kronos (Saturn), at the behest of his mother, castrated his father. The sky-god’s blood fell on the earth, producing the avenging Erinyes and the Gigantes (Giants) leading to an eternal war between the sky (= ideas and ideals) and the earth (= the flesh, practicalities, money and the limits of time.)
The sky god rules the Uranian/Aquarian inclination towards ideas, scientific knowledge. Matters up-in-the-head (in the sky) comes at a significant cost in terms of the physical body. There is something against-the-biology about Uranus, in contrast to his earthy, prolific wife. Which, if the myths hold true, causes great anger (the Furies) and suffering (liver also = anger). Consciousness, ruled by Uranus, was a splitting away from the animal kingdom, the key factor which separates human beings from nature.
What is intriguing is that many of the ‘sexperts’, who studied and wrote about human sexuality were Aquarius – Havelock Ellis, Alex Comfort, Germaine Greer, Betty Friedan, Helen Gurley Brown and Rabelaisian writers like Lord Byron, William Burroughs, Robert Burns. Some plunged happily into the experience but the impression left is that a detached interest in sex was part of the equation.
Detachment is a key word for Uranus/Aquarius, which has a dislike of jealousy or possessiveness, since it brings with it a fear of being corralled and tied down.
The other myth about Uranus is Prometheus, an immortal god seen as the champion of mankind who defied his Olympian brothers by taking fire from them and gifting it to humanity to allow for developments in technology and knowledge. For this he was punished, bound to a rock, and an eagle (symbol of king god Zeus) was sent to eat his liver, the seat of human emotions. His liver would grow back overnight, only to be eaten again the next day in an ongoing cycle. In true Uranian spirit, Prometheus split from his arrogant brother gods to benefit the formerly powerless, but at a physical and emotional cost to himself.
Uranus rules television (as opposed to Neptune ruling film) and rules IT/computers/the internet. Television was an early form of digitalisation which seems to strike a chord with Uranus, as does the here-today-gone-tomorrow feel of much television. The social networking world suits Uranus admirably since it gives a sense of connection with a wide circle of friends without the hassle of messy, face-to-face engagements.
Rock musicians often have Uranus in the performing 5th house, so it promotes a quirky, anti-authoritarian, highly individualistic creativity which is not great art, but appeals to the young at heart. Where high artistic ability comes is when Uranus is tied into visionary Neptune. Historically religious art was connected to Uranus Neptune, which is an inspirational mix.
In a personal chart conjunctions or hard aspects to other planets ramp up the volatility of Uranus.
Uranus Mars is explosive, literally in conflicts, and reckless in personal behaviour. It leads to over-reactions since sudden events threaten to dent self-esteem and leads to macho gestures in response.
Uranus Saturn – can be autocratic, ‘do as I do not as I say’. In good aspect it can merge the best of the old with the best of the new.
Uranus Neptune – can be fanatical, hanging onto beliefs despite incontrovertible evidence. Associated with earthquakes. And with religious art.
Uranus Pluto – revolutions and rebellions which can sweep away outdated regimes and situations. But can also lead to chaos and anarchy if stability is not established after the upheaval.
Uranus Chiron – brings a desire for freedom, to experiment and kick aside limitations not just in individual life but out in the broader culture.
From a previous post on Moon Uranus Mothers.
Uranus constantly seeking excitement, adventure and perpetual change sits at cross purposes to the Moon which yearns for stability, security, sameness and protection. Babies appreciate routine, not a roller coaster ride.
Moon Uranus types tend to have had an unusual, unstable or broken domestic and family life growing up, sometimes with frequent changes of residence. For some their mother neglected them out of boredom with child-raising; or were odd, absent, or emotionally detached. As a result the child learns to shut off their emotions and as a consequence develops a rebellious and contrarian approach.
The positive outcome is a strong intuition, original imagination and resourcefulness but it tends to go alongside erratic emotional impulses, sudden changes of mood and a tendency towards odd or eccentric, strongly independent behaviour. Settling to long-term emotional commitments isn’t easy. Boredom can be a problem, since there’s a need for constant excitement and also a difficulty with compromise. Uranus demands freedom of emotional expression and kicks against any attempts by others to restrict or manipulate feelings.
The classic Moon Uranus is Princess Diana whose mother Frances Shand Kyd was a bolter and left her children and Diana when she was six. Diana had an Aquarius Moon opposition Uranus and found difficulty settling to a long term relationship.
Amanda Knox, tried and found innocent ultimately of the murder of Meredith Kercher, was the product of a broken home and brought up for a while by a resourceful single mother. She has a Moon conjunct Uranus and Saturn. Her mother said she had ‘always been a unique girl. A lot of kids want to conform, but she was always just who she is and never worried about it.” Her odd, unempathic reaction at Meredith’s death was what first aroused police suspicion.
Gordon Ramsay, the Scottish chef, a Moon Uranus Pluto conjunction in the 4th opposition Saturn, described his early life as “hopelessly itinerant” with his family moving constantly owing to the failures of his father, an occasionally violent alcoholic. The Moon rules childhood as well as mother.
The post Ouranus, the sky god – progress or chaos, myths and meanderings first appeared on Astroinform with Marjorie Orr – Star4cast.
