Tag Archives: Uranus

The View from the Other Side

By Amanda Painter

At last, the major astrology of this week (this month, really) has occurred: Mercury is retrograde in Pisces as of Monday; Uranus is in Taurus as of yesterday, and the Pisces New Moon is separating. As I write this, it’s all so fresh that I’m still getting a feel for whether the edginess and sense of anticipation I’d been experiencing has dissipated.

Utility poles in Orkney, Scotland, the day after Uranus — the cosmic light socket — ingressed Taurus in May 2018. Photo by Amanda Painter

I’ve tried to think back to last May, when Uranus first dipped into Taurus, to compare how I felt and what was going on for me, to see if there are any correlations. I have to confess, though, I feel like last year’s ingress was easier somehow.

That could be more the result of time softening the edges of memory than an actual contrast. But I’m curious to hear whether anyone reading this has a similar sense of it all.

I know that last year, like this year, I was involved in a theater production; immediately after, I traveled to Orkney, Scotland, for an intensive workshop on voice and breath for theater. It was during that workshop that Uranus entered Taurus. I recall feeling busy before the trip; maybe a little overwhelmed; but when Uranus actually made its move, I was simply focused completely on the workshop and on exploring my surroundings when I was not exploring my own breath and voice.

So I’ve been wondering: was it partly being in a strange place, on an adventure of self-discovery, that aligned with the energy of Uranus and therefore seemed to smooth the change? Are my situation and activities somehow less in harmony with Uranus this year? Was it the resonance of a voice class with the sign Taurus (which rules the neck and throat)?

Or does this year’s edginess in the lead-up relate more to the succession of other planets we’ve had hanging out in the final degrees of signs? Maybe having Chiron in the sensitive first degree of Aries, conjunct Salacia, is providing more agitation than I’ve been giving it credit for?

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The Day of Creative Isolation: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is March 4

Order Your 2019-20 Pisces Reading | All Other Signs

Stretch into your visionary abilities: the power of your intuition and the breadth of your perception. There will always be moments when you are tempted to respond with a hot head, or to confuse emotion with philosophy. The present environment encourages that behavior. However, if you can keep in mind to pause and check in with your ethical compass, you will have access to a profound, wise and accurate source of inner guidance.
— By Amy Elliott

Written In The Planets
How’s your energy level — physical, mental, emotional, sexual, psychic? There are some agitating factors in the sky currently; yet we’re also just two days from a New Moon. So if you feel under pressure but also lack the ‘oomph’ to deal with it head-on (or in any way productively), there are correlations in the astrology. Namely: Mercury stations retrograde in the last degree of Pisces tomorrow; Uranus leaves the last degree of Aries to enter Taurus on March 6; and later that day the waning Moon meets the Sun for the Pisces New Moon. The New Moon is also square the polarizing Great Attractor (a deep-space phenomenon in mid-Sagittarius).

One way to deal with all of this is to go inward — to make a little space for yourself to settle down, settle in and take inventory of where you’re really at. Yet Jupiter is making a conjunction today to Varda, an object named after the deity associated with light in J. R. R. Tolkien’s legendarium. If you feel more called to express yourself outwardly, it appears that any offerings of light will probably go big. Just take your time to think everything through carefully, and mind previously identified boundaries. Mercury is entering trickster mode. Double-check all emails and texts before you click send.
— By Amanda Painter

The Day of Design: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is March 3

Order Your 2019-20 Pisces Reading | All Other Signs

Remember that what you decide to bring to the world is entirely your call, and therein lies much of your power. If you choose to, you can create beautiful expressions of thought and substance. That can range from a fully fledged artistic masterpiece to simply brightening someone’s day with a kind word — on the surface very different things, but each necessary to making people’s lives easier on this rock we call Earth.
— By Amy Elliott

Written In The Planets

Today the Pisces Sun opposes Rhiphonos in Virgo. We don’t know a lot about Rhiphonos (a centaur), but there’s a suggestion here to be precise and firm in your boundaries with others today. It could also be that you discover someone else to be holding a much-needed perimeter for you, especially if you may be overstepping in subtle ways. There’s a lot of planetary emphasis on watery, all-welcoming, empathetic Pisces right now; that includes Mercury, which is slow, powerful and a little agitated currently, prior to its station retrograde on Tuesday. Few things truly require rushing around the way we usually do, and this would be a particularly good time to shift to a lower gear — no matter how much you feel like you might burst if you try. Some focused physical activity could help to discharge whatever electrical current Uranus is generating from the very final edge of Aries.
— By Amanda Painter

The Day of Artistic Sensibilities: Birthdays and Planet News

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If Your Birthday is March 1

Order Your 2019-20 Pisces Reading | All Other Signs

Growing into the person you wish to become is more often than not a lifelong process, and there will be the occasional stumble. Take it easy on yourself. The key is perseverance: you will make it through so long as you keep heading in the right direction. At this moment, you are likely to see that path clearly, and have the opportunity to progress substantially along it. All you really need to do is maintain your focus.
— By Amy Elliott

Written In The Planets

How flexible are your closest relationships (especially the more intimate kind) when it comes to new experiences? What do you need to get out in the open with a partner? In what ways are you itching to make a bold declaration, indicate your interest, or otherwise spark up your interactions? All of these questions (and their related offshoots) appear to be on the table today. So how can you answer them with action rather than just more thinking and imagining and wishing?

Even though Venus is in a relatively reserved sign (Capricorn) as it makes a square to high-voltage Uranus in the final, restless degree of Aries, it’s still prompting activity to ease some of the tension. By late morning (Eastern time) Venus will move into cooler, calmer ‘friend zone’ Aquarius — though it will still be within friction-distance to Uranus, and Uranus rules Aquarius. You might find that your need for stimulation shifts more to groups and acquaintances, rather than primary partnerships. Whether that’s true or not, keep tabs on what, exactly, you may be provoking in others (and whether it’s truly the reaction you’d prefer). Supplying a little extra warmth than you might automatically offer looks like a useful approach.
— By Amanda Painter

Merging with the New Moon; Uranus Makes its Move

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By Amanda Painter

I feel like it’s been weeks now that I’ve been experiencing and mentioning some kind of edgy or energized sensation to the astrology; I do sometimes wonder if it’s just me, but I’m pretty sure that’s not the case. With only six days to go until Uranus leaves Aries and enters Taurus — and only five days until Mercury stations retrograde in Pisces — I think it’s reasonable to call out again an undercurrent of agitation or instability, mixed with a little mental and emotional fuzziness or diffuseness.

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Working Your Edge: Mars and Uranus

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By Amanda Painter

As has been mentioned elsewhere — and as you’ve probably been feeling — we’re in a rather ‘edgy’ phase of astrology. This could be coming through several ways — such as needing to express something but never getting the right opportunity; or waiting for key information that feels like it will never arrive; or wanting to get moving with a plan or project but seeing no clear path forward. You can probably describe your own version of it — then again, perhaps struggling to identify and articulate what’s going on for you is a primary factor in the sensation (or maybe it’s just not that strong for you).

Photo by Amanda Painter.

We can look to Chiron in the last degree of Pisces and Uranus in the last degree of Aries as the prime suspects for the edginess. To a lesser extent, the asteroid Pallas, in the last degree of Libra, is surely contributing to this overall atmosphere.

Really, though, slow-moving Chiron and Uranus are calling the tune. Chiron will be the first to make its move, entering Aries in just a week and a half, on Feb. 18. Uranus will enter Taurus on March 6. Yet I suspect it may be Uranus that’s generating the stronger buzz right now.

Mainly that’s because Mars is sidling up to it. The Mars-Uranus conjunction won’t be exact until Feb. 13 — almost a week from now. But these are two high-voltage planets in a fiery sign where Mars is strong — and Mars aspects often have a way of making themselves known well in advance of when they’re exact.

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Of Restlessness, Retrogrades, and Choices

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By Amanda Painter

How is this Mercury retrograde going for you? We only have about a week of it left (not counting a few days for things to shake back into place after it stations direct on Dec. 6); so hang in there. Personally, I feel like some of the other current astrology is contributing more to a sense of restlessness; but really it’s all part of the same environment, so it’s hard to say for sure.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

For one thing, we have several objects in the last degree of their respective signs, or about to be. In zodiac order, these include: retrograde Uranus in Aries, Venus in Libra, Mercury about to retrograde into late Scorpio, Pholus in Sagittarius, and Vesta in Capricorn.

Planets in the last (or ‘anaretic’) degree of a sign are often said to feel a little edgy; kind of like how we human beings can get a little edgy in anticipation of a big transition in our lives. Add in that some of those planets are making oppositions or squares to each other — aspects of tension — and the restlessness factor increases.

Plus, we have the Sun in the last sign of a season (Sagittarius), the civil-calendar year is almost over, and Mercury is retrograde in a sign that’s partly about forward intention (in a long series of inner-planet retrogrades this year). The sky seems to be reflecting a general sense of just wanting to get on with it — whatever ‘it’ might be.

So we end up with some questions. What absolutely ought to wait till Mercury’s direct, so that you don’t make more work for yourself than is warranted? What must you address or take steps toward so you can channel this energy creatively, rather than repressing it in unproductive ways?

What can you get started on — such as research, preparation, getting organized, making repairs, reviewing your progress — that might put you in a much better position to take bigger steps in the near future? What’s the different between being wisely cautious and giving in to crippling self-doubt or paranoia?

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What’s New with You?

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By Amanda Painter

As we emerge from yesterday’s Gemini New Moon and whatever you experienced with it, the theme of “new” appears to be carrying forward. Questions you might ask yourself include “Where in my life do I need something new?” and “What am I willing and able to do to seek, cause or attract it?”

Crescent Moon two days after last month's Taurus New Moon, viewed from the Kristin Linklater Voice Center in Orkney, Scotland. Photo by Amanda Painter.

Crescent Moon two days after last month’s Taurus New Moon (and Uranus ingressing Taurus), viewed from the Kristin Linklater Voice Center in Orkney, Scotland. Photo by Amanda Painter.

Note that since this astrology is happening as Mars prepares to station retrograde in Aquarius on June 26, those questions could have a background quality of feeling like you’re standing in contrast to everyone around you. You may want to track that over the next few weeks.

Since the Gemini New Moon made contact with a variety of objects around the zodiac, notice whether you feel like you had to juggle or synthesize several very different encounters, influences or perspectives. How is that process going for you? Do you feel closer to clarity on a particular issue or further from it?

With Mercury — the planet of the mind — in Cancer as of Tuesday, and Venus — the planet of receptivity and relationships — in Leo as of yesterday evening, you might be noticing a slight shift in how you’re perceiving and responding to those around you. Mercury in Cancer could be enhancing sensitivity (both empathetic and reactive); Venus in Leo tends to be compassionate, but with an inclination toward drama and a little more willfulness than is usually associated with Venus. Both of these planets are involved in aspects today and tomorrow that will likely emphasize these shifts in mental and emotional tone — as well as how you’re thinking and feeling about what kind of newness you need.

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