Uranus transits: shedding our shoulds and becoming our most authentic self

Most people will experience a transit of Uranus to a sensitive point in their birth chart at some time in their lives and the experience is not always pleasant. Uranus transits can be a particular loud wake up call if we haven’t been living in alignment with our true self.

“The most important thing in this life is to find and be your True Self.” Mooji

Astrology looks to the Sun, the Moon and the inner planets as pointers to who we are and the circumstances we’re meant to navigate in life. But when we look to the outer planets of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, the symbolism goes much deeper and points us toward the higher intentions of our Soul.

If the messages of the outer planets are skillfully interpreted, they can provide us with a level of self-awareness that brings us closer to discovering our True Self. Outer planet transits usually shake us out of our complacency, reminding us of who we really are. Uranus transits tend to be particularly disruptive.

How Uranus transits shake up our world

All of the inner and outer planets are of course placed somewhere in everyone’s birth chart. They are found in a specific sign and house and they make connections to each other by aspect. This symbolism is what gets explored in a Natal Chart reading.

As the slow-moving outer planets continue to move across the sky over the course of a lifetime, they are destined to make connections (or transits) to these placements with the sole intention of creating opportunity for spiritual growth. Each planet has its own approach to creating these opportunities. The most volatile and disruptive learning experiences are caused by Uranus transits.

“There’s a wild and impetuous uniqueness to you that can be honored.” Tosha Silver

Uranus symbolizes the unique, eccentric, innovative place in us that doesn’t want to be told what to do. The place that isn’t interested in conforming to the norms of our culture and wants to break free from the rules. The place that wants to let loose and be unabashedly authentic.

There’s an element of electricity to Uranus and when this kind of energy activates our birth chart by transit, there is a quality of shock and awe about it. There is no subtlety about Uranus transits. Uranus shakes things up and force us to remember our “wild and impetuous uniqueness.”

It takes about 84 years for Uranus to make his way around the 360 degrees of the Zodiac. He might not make a conjunction with all the sensitive degrees in our chart, but chances are he’ll make a square and an opposition to most of them at some point.

Whereever Uranus transits occur, we are being asked to look closely at that part of our life. Uranus is insisting that we emotionally detach from our circumstances and truly look at what needs to be changed so that we can grow toward our most authentic Self.

“Can you remember who you were before the world told you who to be?” Charles Bukowski

None of us escapes our childhood without a certain amount of conditioning. The culture, religion and family we are born into all shape our sense of who we are and how life works. It’s the nature of the beast. Along with this conditioning comes a sense of knowing who we’re “supposed” to be, how we’re “supposed” to act and what the unwritten rules are. Uranus transits will call this conditioning into question.

Some of us will rebel against these “shoulds” at every turn, but many of us will go with the flow of conformity until a certain point in life. When Uranus transits occur they challenge the status quo and asks us to look at ourselves and the life we’ve created through the lens of authenticity. Uranus seeks to shatter our conditioning and our acceptance of anything because “that’s how it’s always been done.” He aims to shock us with sudden, mind-blowing insights and revelations so that we can see our way through to a deeper, more authentic truth about ourselves.

It’s helpful to keep in mind that his message is always and forever about spiritual growth. It’s never about shattering our traditions simply for the sake of creating chaos. Of course, chaos usually follows in the path of a Uranus transit and this can be a painful process. He’s asking us to buck the system and that can bring a level of alienation from the people in our lives who are invested in us conforming to the way things are.

My own experience of Uranus transits

Over the last few years, Uranus made a pass through the 7^th House of my birth chart and over my Aries Moon. The Moon in the sign of Aries calls for nurturing and embodying a certain amount of independence. When it’s placed in the 7^th house of relationships and it squares a Cancer Sun, there are challenging lessons to be learned about the paradoxes of self and other, about shining brightly in the world while responding to the needs of home and family. That alone can be the work of a lifetime.

When Uranus transits this kind of configuration, there is an alarming sense of urgency to these lessons and, ready or not, things will change.

In my case, the changes have been tremendous. All of them involving what we might expect from these areas of a birth chart. The Sun: my identity and sense of purpose. The Moon: my emotional core. The 7^th House: my significant relationships. The 10^th House: how I am in the world. All of this has changed. Looking back at when these Uranus transits began, I can see how much I resisted change in any of these areas.

“When we resist change, it’s called suffering.” Pema Chödrön

I loved the safe, suburban family life I created with my husband. I loved our house, our family gatherings, our friends, hosting dinner parties, playing with our grandkids. I loved it all and I especially loved being married to him. When Uranus transits, all of this is up for grabs.

I remember saying to my husband after we received the news of his terminal illness that I couldn’t do life without him, that I would not do life without him. And instead of listening to his calm voice of reason to trust in Life, to appreciate the time we had left and to be grateful for the 25 years we were given, I went into battle mode.

My resistance to the major shifts on the horizon did nothing to further my growth. It only made me suffer and feel devastated and desperate to hang on to all of it. Not until I began embracing the reality of my situation and facing the impending changes with open eyes did the Universe begin supporting me in magical ways. This is the challenge of Uranus transits; we have to be prepared to let things fall apart.

I am still shocked by what has transpired and I still get sidetracked by grief on some days but looking at it through the lens of astrology makes it easier to maintain perspective. I came into this life being called to fully integrate all the placements in my birth chart including a 7^th House Aries Moon and a 10^th House Cancer Sun squaring off with each other. My husband didn’t have to die for Uranus to make his point. That was in the cards when we met a long time ago.

What did need to happen was for me to find ways to embrace my independence without identifying myself solely as a wife and caretaker and to find my way of contributing something unique in the world. I’m working on the details, but I now have a sense of gratitude for Uranus and his wake-up calls.

Working with your own Uranus transits

Astrology is not a straightforward, interpretive art. It’s nuanced and layered and gives us hints about our Soul’s intended journey through life. It’s our job to put the pieces of the puzzle together and find out what is being asked of us through the symbolism in our birth charts.

When we experience Uranus transits, we need to look at the ways we may be following the rules because it’s what we “should” do. We need to find ways to embrace the changes that are needed to bring us closer to our true purpose.

If you’re new to astrology and need help finding where Uranus is moving in your chart, then seek the help of a professional astrologer. Awareness can make all the difference. Acceptance and conscious choice make for a smoother transition through inevitable change.

Ultimately, we each have a choice as to our perspective. I am choosing to see my own Uranus transits as an opportunity for intentionally moving toward authenticity and closer to finding and being my True Self. I encourage us all to do the same.

If you don’t have one yet, you can get a free birth chart at astro.com. To understand how to read your birth chart, and follow the transits in your own life, download my free ebook The Language of Astrology.