Uranus enters Taurus at 16:16 (BST) on May 15, 2018. It will retrograde back into Aries at 18:58 (UT) on November 6, 2018 and then enter Taurus for the long haul at 8:26 (UT) on March 6, 2019.
URANUS
Uranus was discovered on March 13, 1781 orbiting beyond Saturn. In the discovery chart, Uranus is in Gemini and in a tense t-square pattern with a square to the Sun and oppositions to both Mars and Saturn.
Uranus’s axis of rotation is tilted sideways so he spins on his back. He also spins in a different direction to all the other planets aside from Venus. We can see then from these attributes that Uranus is a bit of a rebel! He’s also the only planet to have his name derived directly from a Greek God. All the other planets are named after Roman counterparts.
Uranus is a primordial deity born of Gaia, Mother Earth. Gaia was lonely and longed for a mate, so she created the sky to surround and comfort her. The name Uranus means ‘sky’ or ‘heavens’. Uranus mated with Gaia but he hated the children that she bore from their unions. In the myths, Uranus either locked the children away in Tartarus or he tried to stop Gaia giving birth. Either way, Gaia wasn’t impressed, so she asked her son Chronos (you and I know him better as Saturn) to castrate Uranus with a sickle. Chronos obliged and threw Uranus’s testicles into the sea. From the severed genitals, Aphrodite (Venus) was born.
The astronomy, mythology and discovery chart give us the themes that Uranus speaks of in astrology. Uranus rules planes, rockets and all forms of air travel. There is a coldness to Uranus, rather like the distant stars. Uranus is remote and yet connected to something vast and incomprehensible. He is considered the higher vibration of Mercury and represents higher consciousness. Just as a brilliant flash of lightening can illuminate the sky, Uranus can provide moments of absolute knowing, cosmic downloads, flashes of intellectual brilliance. Uranus is genius and awakening. He provides us with those breakthrough moments that push us beyond our limits (Saturn). Just like the electrical energy of lightening, Uranus can shock us awake or simply shock us. Uranus is surprising, unpredictable, twisted, weird, wired, stressed. He’s the crazy scientist, trying to dominate nature (Gaia) and coming unstuck (Saturn!). Yet, if we combine the revolutionary thinking of Uranus with the disciplined responsibility of Saturn, something beautiful is born from it (Aphrodite/Venus).
Uranus relates to science, technology, computing, invention, innovation, originality and independence. He rules Aquarius and the 11th house in the mundane chart. Uranus is associated with objectivity, political thought, forward thinking, systems, groups and social awareness. When working well, Uranus encourages each of us to honour our uniqueness and difference. Negatively, Uranus can be robotic, disruptive, rebellious and wilful.
TAURUS
Taurus is the first of the Earth signs and fixed in modality. Taurus takes the seedlings sprung by inspirational Aries and tends to them, bringing them to fruitfulness. You only have to think of how the land looks during Taurus time in the Northern hemisphere to get a sense of this sign. Mother Nature has sprung to life and the landscape is covered with blossom and beauty. Venus rules Taurus so this sign is the artist, gardener, farmer, chef and lover. It’s tactile, kind and creative.
Given the Bull is the symbol of Taurus, this sign is also associated with determination, strength and patience. We think of the constancy of the seasons, year after year in a predictable pattern. Whilst this sign is about the safety and security of the well-trodden path, it can also be resistant to change, stuck in a rut, unable to go with the flow.
Taurus is concerned with survival. Its practical nature pushes us to acquire what we need to get through life. Money and possessions are important to Taurus as well as resources such as natural skills and talents that can be used to garner further security. Positively, Taurus is hardworking, constant and reliable but it can also become possessive, claiming ownership over those they love.
The entry of wild, changeable, shocking, surprising, machine-like Uranus into traditional, staid, slow-moving, pastoral Taurus is quite a clash in energies! For all of us, there is an area of life (indicated by the house in our chart with Taurus on the cusp) which is about to get a shake up. But it’s necessary because playing it safe can make the landscape of our lives boring and infertile. Uranus may be challenging but ultimately, he’s awakening us to greater potential and showing us that there is something far more valuable if we can allow ourselves to step outside of our comfort zone.
HISTORICAL AND MODERN MANIFESTATIONS
To gain some idea of how this transit might manifest, I have looked back at the last time Uranus was in Taurus to explore the themes arising from this period.
WAR AND INSTABILITY
Uranus was in Taurus between 1934 and 1942 (give or take a couple of retrogrades). This was one of the most unstable times in history as it was during this period that World War Two began. Nothing felt safe as homes and cities were bombed to oblivion. As well as bombs falling out of the sky, there were other famous moments of ‘grounding’ such as the giant Hindenburg airship crash and the loss of Amelia Earhart’s plane.
Uranus in Taurus has a way of bringing us down to earth with a bump, shocking us out of our comfort zone. Events may occur that raise the issue of what price for a human life. Some may receive a metaphorical ‘bombshell’ that changes everything. I do certainly hope we aren’t about to enter World War three but things at ground level do feel unstable because so many changes are happening in the fundamental bedrock of our lives.
ROYAL SHOCKS
During Uranus in Taurus, there was another great shock in Briton as Edward VIII famously chose his wife (Venus!) over his throne. It was the abdication of Edward that ultimately lead to Queen Elizabeth becoming Queen as it was her father (George V1) who took Edward’s place.
Looking at the Queen’s chart, I think it is highly likely that we may see some significant changes within the royal family during Uranus in Taurus. The Queen herself is a Taurean with a 0 degree Sun so therefore she will experience Uranus conjunct the Sun during this year. A change around identity is one way of interpreting this transit. Note too that potent Pluto is now sitting in the degree of her Ascendant. Whilst not exact until next year, there is certainly a strong astrological theme that major changes are indicated in the Queen’s life. Whether the changes indicated by Uranus will be marked by controversy like Edward VIII remains to be seen.
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
The last period of Uranus in Taurus brought us :-
The first ptarmigan hatched and reared in captivity.
The establishment of a commercial hydroponics operation.
The first patent on soilless culture of plants.
Spam!
The formation of the first animal breeding society.
The exhibition of the first animal conceived by artificial insemination.
There are themes then about humankind’s relationship to the natural world. Out of interest, the Sabian symbol for Uranus’s discovery degree is A Gardener Trimming Large Palm Trees. Certainly, this image alone gives us a feel of how Uranus might work in Taurus’s rural environment. Human intervention with natural growth might be connected. Also, ‘cutting back’ might be a theme. Think of the war years and rationing. It’s possible then that we are looking at shortages of certain foods or alternatively (and more positively!) perhaps cutting back on certain types of unhealthy foods.
Having recently transitioned to being vegan, I have noticed how easy it is compared to years ago when I first tried (and failed!) to be vegan. Vegan products have exploded into the market place and I imagine that with humanitarian concerns as well as concerns with animal welfare and health, this trend will continue to rise and rise. It’s possible too, that there will be greater investments in lab grown meat as the traditional meat industry is recognised as being unsustainable on all levels. At the more negative end of the scale, the shadow of this transit may see cold, scientific Uranus treating creatures more and more like machines, automating processes and tinkering further with natural production. Already we have just seen the issue of tallow being used in the actual production of money in the UK. Despite severe opposition from vegan and religious communities, the Bank of England stated that it would too costly to replace them. Here is a very stark negative expression of Uranus in Taurus with wealth being more important than sentient creatures.
On the bright side, perhaps there will be a drive to free ourselves (Uranus!) from food consumerism. During the war years, many went back to the land, growing their own food. They say that necessity is the mother of invention. If food prices continue to rise, people may decide to group together and grow their own. These initiatives are already in play but these next few years may see them becoming more viable, visible and commonplace.
It’s likely we will see advancements generally in agriculture – some fuelled by the greed for money, some fuelled by higher consciousness. Modified foods, GMO, artificial pollination (yes, I watched THAT episode of Black Mirror!), gene manipulation in cattle particularly may be on the agenda. But arable farming too will also get a revamp. Maybe we will be using Earth’s resources in a different way. We may also see new elements being discovered and new life in inhospitable places.
The Earth herself is awakening with Uranus moving through this sign so we are also likely to see more earthquake activity.
MONEY
The last period of Uranus in Taurus brought us :-
The creation of the Federal Savings and Loan Association.
Fort Knox was built to house BULLion
The Game of Monopoly
The Hobbit (Bilbo Baggins lived under the Earth and his quest was to win a share of the treasure protected by a dragon).
To Have and To Have Not – a novel by Earnest Hemingway which centred on the story of a good man forced into the black market.
The black market could boom during this next period of Uranus in Taurus yet at the same time there is great instability all round. Whether it is cryptocurrency or traditional currency, there are likely to be some shocks. With Uranus ruling distance and computers, cryptocurrency is likely to become more traditional as a form of exchange however digital money in general will be the main focus. More and more people will look to online shopping as traditional stores are priced out of the market with rent rises. Companies that choose bricks and mortar stores may also invest heavily in automation where no human interaction occurs and purchases are made without cash – much like the Amazon Go store.
Products and services that have a Uranian flavour are the ones most likely to be commercially viable during this time. Computing, technology, automisation, robots, virtual reality and yes even astrology, especially with the growing interest in this discipline currently. Unfortunately however, it is also likely we will have to deal with those who are cashing in to make a quick buck instead of having the patience to learn the practice from the ground up.
There may also be a growth in those who attempt to live free of money entirely. This revisits the theme of self-sufficiency I mentioned above but goes further – dropping out of the system altogether to be liberated from materialism.
Taurus however is also about our personal and collective values. These too will see a shift during these years. What we think of as important now is being called into question as new information, science and understanding becomes available.
EUTHANISA
Back in the war years, Hitler began a ‘Euthanasia Program’ in an effort to create a perfect race of people. Whilst this was nothing more than mass murder in practice, the event still brings up the word for discussion.
Taurus is a sign associated with life and survival at all costs however when objective, humanitarian Uranus enters this sign, the discussion over voluntary euthanasia may be raised again for debate. Clearly in the past, what occurred was the absolute worst expression of this energy however in modern times, hopefully, we will be looking at something far more positive. I note that just a few days ago, scientist (Uranus) David Goodall ended his life legally and peacefully in Switzerland at the age of 104 after his quality of life had diminished so far that it rendered him unable to do the things he loved. It’s as though his very public and open discussion of this is leading the way forward as Uranus moves into Taurus.
SCIENCE
The last period of Uranus in Taurus brought us :-
Alan Turing publishes ‘On Computable Numbers’ – the theoretical basis for modern computers.
The world’s first working programmable, fully automatic computer.
A Plough for laying submarine cable.
The establishment of the Civil Aeronautics Authority
The invention of nylon.
The discovery of nuclear fission using Uranium!
The world’s first helicopter.
We should anticipate advancements in aviation as well as space travel. We’re going off-world with Uranus in Taurus! Artificial fabrics and materials will continue to generate new inventions. Computers themselves are perhaps more likely to focus on functionality rather than looks.
SCI-FI
On October 30th 1938, The War of the Worlds by H.G. Well was broadcast on radio, sparking some to believe that Earth had been invaded by aliens.
The sci-fi genre both books and film are likely to be very popular during this time. The eternal optimist in me also hopes the SETI project will get a hit from space. Lord knows I’ve been waiting for the Mother Ship long enough 😀
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
Where have I been stuck too long?
Where do I need to be more experimental in my life?
How can I make a difference to planet Earth?
Where can I utilise new technologies and information to protect the planet?
How important is money to me?
What does freedom look like to me?
What skills or natural talents do I have that are unique to me?
Where does the need for security compromise my freedom?
URANUS IN TAURUS DATES
15/05/2018 Enters Taurus
06/11/2018 Re-enters Aries
06/03/2019 Enters Taurus
07/07/2025 Enters Gemini
08/11/2025 Re-enters Taurus
26/04/2026 Enters Gemini
Painting – ‘Cow with Parasol’ by Marc Chagall
Resource for Historical Information
