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On the very same day as Jupiter stations direct at 14°30’ Sagittarius (antiscion 15°30’ Capricorn) Uranus stations retrograde at 6°36’ Taurus (23°24’ Leo).Jupiter direct: Jupiter in its home sign has given us an opportunity over the last four months to turn inwards and gain deeper insights into spiritual or philosophical issues since our wisdom will have been able to flow with more ease from the subconscious to the conscious self. Now the planet will proceed in forward motion entering the sign of Capricorn on December 2nd this year.
We associate Jupiter, the first of the “superior” or outer planets (affecting the collective rather than the personal) with growth, expansion and luck which, if exaggerated, can also lead to greed and dissatisfaction in some cases, making us believe that the grass is greener elsewhere and so prompting us to explore further. Jupiter encourages us to optimise opportunities but it doesn’t “create” the opportunity itself.
Since Jupiter is the ruler of the traditional 9th (Sagittarius) and the 12th houses (Pisces which he co-rules with the modern ruler Neptune), the axes involved in the traditional zodiac are between the 9-3rd and the 12-6th houses. The 9-3rd axis highlights our awareness of the process of integration and understanding of our ideas and thoughts (3rd) in relationship to their usefulness in our worldly philosophy (9th) and the 12-6th axis urges our soul (12th) to recognize our body (6th) as a vehicle.
The Sabian symbol for 15° Sagittarius: “The ground hog looking for its shadow on ground hog day, February 2nd.” Indicating the value of anticipating new turns of events and ascertaining future prospects.
For the antiscion degree at 16° Capricorn: “School grounds filled with girls and boys in gymnasium suits.” Indicating the needs for physical activity and play, especially in adolescence.
Uranus stations retrograde: this is the second retrograde station of Uranus in the sign of Taurus, it will backtrack to 2°39’ where it will station direct on 10th January 2020.
Some info…
Uranus has an 84-year orbit and spends roughly 7 years in each sign. A century of so after its re-discovery in 1781 by an amateur astronomer named William Herschel (located at 25° Gemini at the time) it was given joint ruler-ship* of the sign of Aquarius together with its traditional zodiacal ruler Saturn, originally it was called Georgium Sidus, after King George III, being renamed Ouranus or modern Uranus in later times.
In the myth Ouranus was married to Gaia (the Earth), he fathered many children with her but found all of them so ugly, horrific even, that he banished them to an underground and faraway place called Tartarus. Of course Gaia wasn’t happy about this and she coveted anger and planned revenge. Some of her children did manage to return and Saturn, her favourite son, was one of these. Gaia gathered flint and made a sickle and convinced Saturn to help her kill her husband (his father). Saturn slayed Ouranus by using the sickle to castrate him. He threw the severed genitals into the sea and from the blood that dripped onto the Earth the Goddesses of Revenge were born (the Erinyes) whilst from the foaming sea and Ouranus’s discarded testicles the Goddess Aphrodite was born.
Uranus represents revolution and change as well as the need to be free and independent, above all from responsibility. He governs science and technology as well as astrology. The planet also lends an “aloof” feeling or impression to planets it aspects.
When planets go retrograde they interiorize their characteristics. So, what might we expect from this retrograde period? It will most affect those with planets in the Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius) between 9-1° degrees approximately (I prefer to give outer transiting planets large leeway as far as orbs are concerned).
Well, first of all, it will impact the house it is travelling through (and the house where it is to be found in your natal chart plus the house/s ruled by Uranus). Uranus in transit direct might be experienced as a disruption in the natural affairs of the house, a sort of “going against the flow” due to un-thought of or unforeseen conditions or circumstances that suddenly arise.
The retrograde period could give some kind of respite and put you more in contact with your soul purpose and your needs for personal freedom and expression…a time of processing that allows you to regroup and assimilate changes that have appeared suddenly and that are sometimes unwanted or seemingly unnecessary and often painful. There may be a gleaning of new insights that might help you reform certain attitudes and patterns of which you were previously unaware so that you can transition them without too much upset or confusion.
The important point is not be too fixed or stagnant in the areas of the house where the planet is transiting, avoiding, where possible, to resist change since Uranus retrograde is really asking us to look below the surface of matters and to see them with true objectivity as soon as they are brought to our attention by outer events.
*I want to digress a little here and discuss the fact of Uranus having been given co-rulership of Aquarius which as we all know is a Fixed Air sign. So, Uranus is the unpredictable planet, I think we can all agree on that. It also sits well in an Air sign (having been acknowledged as the higher octave of Mercury). What I find hard to comprehend is the reason for it being designated to a Fixed sign…what, if anything, is fixed or stable about Uranus’s actions? How can a Fixed modality fit in with sudden and innovating? After doing some research the only article I’ve found about the “how” of its attribution as co-ruler of Aquarius is well explained in Kim Farnell’s enlightening article (1) but nowhere have I found the “why”, maybe one of my more learned colleagues may be able to tell us the answer to that!
Sabian symbol for 7° Taurus: “The woman of Samaria at the ancestral well.” Indicating the meeting of the traditional past and of the creative spirit pointing to the future.
For the antiscion at 24° Leo: “Totally concentrated on inner spiritual attainment, a man is sitting in a state of complete neglect of bodily appearance and cleanliness.” Indicating an interior focalisation of energy and consciousness at the expense of all forms of outward activity and care.
In what sector of your life do you feel the need for freedom?
Bibiography
Rudhyar D. (1974) “An Astrological Mandala: the cycles of transformations and its 360 symbolic phases”. pp 74,145,218,239, Vintage Books Edition, Random House Inc., New York, USA
(1) https://skyscript.co.uk/ur_aq. html accessed 01 august 2019
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