A still from Disney’s “Moana”

August 15 - January 14, 2020

10°-6° Taurus

Uranus went into Taurus, the sign of its fall, back in 2018, in what I envision as a retelling of the creation myth in which the ancient sky god, its namesake, mated with Gaia, the earth goddess. In that cosmology, equal but opposite forces united for the procreation of the world’s first inhabitants, the Titans and the Giants. But, like our transit, it wasn’t always a happy marriage. Fatherhood made Uranus paranoid over his power. He turned on his offspring, and threatened to kill them all. To protect them, Gaia charged her son Cronus (Saturn) with castrating his father and liberating his siblings. And so he did. 

Fast forward through the ages to the time of Zeus’s Olympian rule. The Titan Prometheus, having formed the race of humans out of clay, defies Zeus in favor of his creation by giving us the gift of fire. It is a giant step for mankind. Astrologically, we can also think of the planet Uranus as Prometheus, given its role as rebel and awakener. Either way, whether you see in the planet the story of the primordial sky god or that of the trickster, the theme common to both is change: a disruption to the given order of things; a questioning of the status quo; or the inauguration of a new paradigm. In Taurus, we are looking at Gaia awakening, and simultaneously, at humanity waking up to her. Regimes—of gods and of mortals—come and go, but Mother Earth endures. It is a humbling reminder that we are of the earth, not on the earth, and as such, are ultimately subject to her whims. 

Uranus stations retrograde on Saturday, as it does every year, and will retreat backwards until January of 2021. Outwardly, this could bring instability to an already volatile landscape, affecting weather patterns, financial systems, food production or animal populations, among other things. There is an old guard, an outdated establishment, that stands to be deposed. But there is also new blood, with new vision, eager to take on the role of humanity’s champion. Inwardly, we will be questioning our own values and what we consider our most precious currency. We will be placing a higher premium on truth and authenticity, and those things in turn may be questioned by others. Something inside will be awakening: sometimes it may flash, other times it may quake. But there are rumblings in our foundations and it will have us thinking differently. 

Where Taurus falls in your chart is the area in your life where Uranus has been at work on you, poking at the sleepy, slow-moving bull, or bringing a shake-up that threatens the Taurean stability. Two years into this seven-year transit, and you may be chafing at the bit or feeling the pull of individuation. This retrograde is a good opportunity to take stock of your abundance, the gift of Taurus, and pay homage to the steady, enduring influences in your life. Then, tune into your inner voice, and try to hear what it is telling you. Cultivate the inner spark that will light the flame of clarity, and it will shed light on your unique gift to the world.

A still from Disney’s “Moana”