URANUS STATION/EFFECTIVE JULY 3RD through JULY 7TH

Uranus actually goes retrograde on July 5th. Yet because we always give planetary stations a two-day ‘lee-way’ (before and after) this means that the days of/between July 3rd and July 7th are all subject to this Uranian ‘turning point’ effect.

Remembering that Uranus the planet pretty much ‘rolls’ around the sun (as opposed to other planets which do a sort of spinning-like-tops thing), for us to think that Uranian events signal the unusual is…well, because the planet itself is unusual. It does things ‘a whole different way,’ which fits with the idea that astrology sees Uranus as the symbol of change and all things different.

So what about this station thing? Well first, let’s be real here about one thing: planets don’t actually back up. Retrograde is all about the fact that other planets move faster or slower in their orbits around the Sun than Earth does – it’s all something of an optical illusion. Yet speaking from either the metaphysical or science side, this does mean that energetics Uranus' moving through space generates/sends out does change in tandem with its relative position/directional movement to Earth.

Next thing to remember is the basic ‘rule’ of this station leeway thing...that the farther you are from the actual station (which in this case occurs at 4:50 in the afternoon GMT time)…the farther you are from the crux, or crucial effect of any ‘turning point’ happening in your life. (Not that you should ignore anything which happens during this period. Or more likely, that you could ignore them! Uranus events do tend to be things we take note of!)

There’s also a metaphysical ‘playing out’ indication here. Those who encounter the ‘new and different’ moment prior to the station are working towards change. Those who encounter those 'moments’ after the exact station time are moving on, or capitalizing on changes already made.

The general metaphysical rule of thumb here is ‘a day’ equals either a month or a year. So if something happens in your life on the 4th, you'll see effects play out in a month...or a year. And maybe both! It depends on your chart - and how prominent Uranus is in that chart. So since we can't look at everyone's chart here (how many billions of people are there in the world now? Whew - that's a LOT of charts!)....let's just go with the idea that the overall theme is one of a ‘turning point.’ If you do know your chart, you can add to that using details about where Uranus is by house, sign, degree and aspect in your natal horoscope.

But even if you’re a bit astrologically challenged, here are some important ideas on the subject read by yours truly from signposts along this particular cosmic road (none of which say Burma Shave, by the way…)

First of all, the station occurs with Uranus at zero Aries – the first degree of the zodiac. So automatically we think ‘beginnings.’ And because this is Aries, we think physicality, ‘bringing into being,’ ‘giving life to’ and initiation of the idea, action or determination type. There is clarity of purpose here, but also a degree of limited ability to really do much – at least yet (baby steps, people - baby steps!). Also, egotism can be up, humility down, and with Jupiter at 2 Aries conjunct a brilliant Pulsar at 3 Aries, we've got one part ‘what you sow is what you reap’ plus one part of a ‘news flash’ in the mix.

And what is this 'news flash' about? It's about a recognizing in your own mind, heart or wherever else you do your recognizing about just how dangerous or problematic haste, vanity and impulsiveness can really be.

Despite this being an Aries (‘who I am in my own mind’) degree, there’s also a note about interactions here which suggests – as a whole – that this station is about a change in interaction and relationship. And since this is definitely a first decan degree (one falling in degrees 0 - 9 of some sign) this is definitely about what you do or do about it. Past or present, where things have come to, or where you are going because of past choices or events, that seems the likely overall theme.

Other signs on this celestial highway....with a Black Hole and fixed star Scheat at 28 and 29 Pisces, there's a message about ‘oh, THAT’s why that happened?’ in the mix. And with Lust (fixation) sitting with Jupiter (what works and learning better), it’s oh so very likely that obsessions or too much attention to one thing (and lack of attention to something else) creating an imbalance has brought you to wherever you are at the moment.

Also, be aware of...you may still be too fixated (and thus out of balance) too. And whether or not this is true (or if you recognize it as true), with Saturn, Panacea and supermassive black hole M87 sitting in opposition to this station, you may just feel like ‘placating’ someone. Or that someone is just trying to placate you.

Is that true? That depends....and unfortunately it's not just all about you. Jupiter and Saturn in opposition is certainly the effort to build something, but the 'opposition' part may be causing a problem. What you're trying to build may be incompatible with what someone else is trying to build. Or how you're going about it may not mesh. Even the rates of growth or effort may be a bit - or even greatly out of sync. 

But with this station being Uranian, the real message is that the truth of the matter is probably somewhat other than you think. Also - because Uranus symbolizes all things and forces we can only cooperate with, not control…and especially as there are galactic black holes positioned at either end of this Jupiter/Saturn balance beam, you may be sure that neither party really understands each other. At least not yet! 

Plus (seemingly just to be annoying), let’s be galactically real: black hole M87 is one of the biggest black holes we know of. So its black holey ‘altered reality’ potential is truly huge, and it's positioned in 'the other guy's court.' Considering this, you may think they're the one living in an altered reality. Yet remember - from their point of view, you're the one occupying some oddity-of-karmic-space zone.

Yes, this would be the sticky wicket part of global transits!.

Can you ignore it? No. Can you simply insist that you're right and they're wrong? You can, but that will probably play against you.

So! What to do…! Oh what to do…?!

The answer probably comes from [deep breath...] Pluto/Charybdis at the midpoint of this opposition...a position which makes the whole of this 'stationary affair' a prime example of an infamously annoying (yet potently powerful) figure known as a t-square. With Charybdis/Pluto at the ‘t’, the instruction is to keep trying (with Charybdis, the worst thing you can do is not keep trying!) and to participate in the attempt to create positive change, granting that you may not have done all perfectly to begin with.

Pluto is one of those ‘outcome’ symbols (a Plutino). And yet because it represents transformation, unless someone out-and-out dies (and we hope that isn’t the case here) there is always room for exploration, negotiation, rehabilitation, conversation…

So long as both sides (BOTH sides…hear me?) are willing to own who they are, what they may have done or not done - and that differences are sometimes not merely okay but a positive…then what comes out of this station may be truly innovative and lead to greater freedom and happiness all the way around.

And if it doesn’t, we assess and go from there. Just try not to assume or act in haste – that’s so against the grain here, and as always where Uranus is concerned, flex - lest you break something you need value, or stand to ultimately depend on.

Finally, remember that retrogrades are all about internal things, so don't go looking for your answers "out there." Uranus retrograde in Aries is a primal call to look at ourselves with enough clarity of perspective to actually see where we're going wrong and thus why things aren't working out. Only by facing our grinches, glitches and gremlins can we get what we want from our life, and here we see Uranus as the force which forces a crack to shiver the walls of our internal resistance so that we can see ourselves. So that we learn what needs changing.

Oddly enough, this means that even the most unpleasant of scenes and situations which arise now are merely the universe delivering us a message. We're feeling what we feel and struggling with what we encounter because we need to. If we were actually as 'together' as we think we are, things would be peaceful. So if they're not, where they're not (and the feelings which get stirred up) are clues to what we need to take a good hard look at...not through the eyes of self-justification, or recrimination, but with a liberating dose of perspective.

In so many of our lives, we are our own problem. So to the degree that this station proves unsettling, that's actually an Aries gift of revelation in (possibly uncomfortable) disguise.

But here's the best part: any negative you find and get hold of is really a road map to your answers. Problems are our potentials seen on edge - a cutting edge. And to allow yourself to see this is to own your untapped genius.

And genius? That's Uranus incarnate.