For the amateur astrologers such as myself, this year just keeps providing more and more things to pay attention to.  A few of the big things that I have been paying attention to include the grand trine of Venus, Pluto and Mars back in March, the Venus Transit in early June, the squaring of Pluto to Uranus, and now most recently, Uranus going retrograde.  All of these aspects have been hailed as very powerful events and I have to say that I have certainly felt the energy of most of them.

The grand trine brought with it a deep, Earthy manifesting power to it that has helped me get myself into a more grounded and realistic state of mind about many of my career and life goals.  The Venus transit brought about a cleansing fire that started to burn away many of things that were holding me back.  As I look towards the next 5 months of Uranus in retrograde and the next 2 years of it squaring up with Pluto, I am optimistic of what will be coming for me in the future.  Uranus influences our independence and our freedoms.  As you look to your personal chart, evaluating which house Uranus lands in, can give you good insight as to what area of your life you can best take advantage of this freedom.

For me, Uranus falls in my 12th house which relates to the hidden and unknown.  This is often tied in with secrets and the subconscious.  In my own life, I can say that keeping myself free from secrets and hidden truths is very liberating.  There are many people that can hold a secret straight to the grave.  While it is possible for me to do this, I abhor the thought of it.  I do not like being privy to knowledge that is not intended to be public. I have always felt a gnawing inside me whenever I attempt to mask my own dealings with secrecy and it has never felt comfortable to do so.    This doesn’t mean I can’t hold a secret, I am a Scorpio after all, I would just rather be able to present things as they are and not have to spend the energy trying to constantly cover things up.

In its direct state, Uranus helps us to break free of the limitations that we perceive the world has on us.  It provides us with out intuitive actions and thoughts, our desire to think outside of the normal patterns of society, and a push for personal freedom within our realm.  This can be a very constructive energy as it pushes the bounds of what we think is possible and drives us towards new frontiers.  After all, if no one ever thought outside of the common acceptance, we would still be living in caves wondering what the mystical specks of light in the sky are.  As an outer planet, I am finding that the accepted theory is that the energy it expresses is on more of a global or societal level.  The rebellious and independent thoughts it fuels are directed more at how can the group become more free.  Think of it as a line of thought envisioning how your actions can help to liberate the masses.  What will your thinking do to help raise the bar for all of mankind.

However, when Uranus goes retrograde, things turn in a little different direction.  Instead of the outward expressions of freedom, the energy gets more focused and directed on an inward level.  On the constructive side, this can mean a deep introspection on what things are holding you back from feeling your own freedom.  These next five months may be a time for you to examine the limitations you have set up for yourself and where you feel the need to break free.  Take this time for meditation and personal examination.  Ask yourself if the limitations you see around you are real, or simply constructs of your own fears.  Say that you have been contemplating the idea of quitting your job to start your own business.  What is it that is holding you back?  If you a thinking about this plan with no money in the bank, no business plan and nothing more than an idea scribbled on a bar napkin, then you are facing real roadblocks and this is likely not the time to try and tear them down.  However, if you have been preparing yourself for this by budgeting your finances, planning your business structure and development, and feel like you are simply waiting for the green light, then this may be your sign.

On a more personal level, this is also a time that will be effective for evaluating personal relationships and interactions that are weighing on you.  Uranus’ retrograde energy can provide you with the push to confront situations in your life that are draining you and keeping you from feeling your own freedoms.  In as much as we all need to work together to thrive on this planet, we all need to have our own space and independence as well.  Expressed positively, we can voice our concerns and seek a greater balance towards duty and freedom.

As with everything in our reality, this planetary shift has some shadowy aspects as well.  On a more destructive path, Uranus can lead us towards rebellion and uprising.   In this retrograde state, we can see this manifest as sudden explosions in our relationships or drastic shifts in the cooperation and communication we have with others.  This personal desire for freedom can easily outweigh the logic that we may otherwise perceive in the situation.  In the scenarios above, this rebellious energy, led by a frustration of our current boss and work environment, may push us to quit our job anyway despite any previous preparations.  In our personal interactions, we run the risk of focusing only on a perceived lack of freedom in the relationship and throwing the whole thing out the window just because we wanted to experience liberation.

On a planetary level, we have been seeing the effects of Uranus for quite some time.  Though the exact dates have not been agreed upon, many astrologers believe us to be in the much talked about Age of Aquarius.  Given that modern astrologers use Uranus as the ruler of this sign, it is no doubt that the freedom loving, rebellious planet has been working its mojo very hard as of late.  We have seen numerous uprisings over the last few decades and seemingly established tyrannies falling at the hands of the people.  I have little reason not to think that this retrograde motion will inspire even more uprising in the coming months as people begin to take the pressures they feel from their governments more personally.

As we combine this desire for personal freedom with the on and off square to Pluto that will be occurring over the next 3 years there is little doubt that some major global changes will occur.  As a reference point, the last time the energies lined up like this was around 1938.  A quick search of major events in that year will show you the precursors to many catastrophic events over the coming years.  I feel that it  is in our best interests to deeply evaluate where our priorities and intentions are when it comes to our freedoms.  Through the middle of December, when Uranus goes direct again, there may be many times when we feel compelled to rise up and fight against that which is holding us back.  However, I ask for each of you to stop and think before you act.  Is this the time?  Will this benefit me alone, or my society as a whole?  The energy is strong for potentially selfish acts to be committed in the name of freedom and liberation.  With a cool and collected head, we have the opportunity to see through these personal rebellions and refocus their energy towards the greater good.