Fall Equinox Forecast
Uranus retrograde in Pisces
This article is currently featured in the Autumn edition of Alternatives Magazine.
Did you feel that? What a summer of intensity: beginnings and endings, hidden power revealed, emotions rolling all over the place. With multiple Grand Cardinal Crosses and other astro-notables, many people experienced a tremendous push of energy that brought with it new perspectives, renewed focus, and startling or clarifying discoveries.
Sometimes these initial breakthroughs are followed by a time of confusion and doubt. We ask, Was that real? How do I integrate those lessons into the daily reality of life?
As we move into the fall, we may feel doubt and disillusionment as the planets Uranus and Jupiter move retrograde and revisit Pisces, sign of spiritual surrender, compassion and the collective unconscious. When Uranus re-enters Aries in March of 2011, it will usher in a new cycle of 84 years, the time it takes Uranus to orbit the sun. But for now, we have a few months to prepare ourselves for this bold new beginning, and the preparation requires a great deal of inner work and spiritual discipline.
Uranus is a trickster. It works with us by causing unpredictable events, chaos and instability. We may invoke it when we need change – wherever we could use an antidote to stagnation, oppression, and conformity. But we cannot possibly predict what those changes will look like when all is said and done.
With Uranus, there must be a necessary breakdown phase before the new form can be envisioned. The lightning has to strike and break up the pattern, otherwise we won’t be able to clearly see the extent of change needed.
As Uranus visits Pisces for the last time this cycle, what illusions, addictions or bad dreams are you ready to be free of? What do you need to let die and dissolve so that new life can come forth from the old? The unconscious, as symbolized by Pisces, can overwhelm us. But facing our inner depths with compassion and courage will prevent future destruction and violence toward self and others. When we integrate our strong feelings and passions into consciousness, greater stability follows, even if it feels disruptive in the short term.
The last time Uranus was in watery, feminine Pisces was during the roaring 1920s, a time which brought experiments in jazz, art, romance and spiritualism, as well as a loosening of social restrictions and visions for a new culture. At this time, we saw women winning the right to vote, the first “talking” movies, and the Scopes evolution trial. This is the Pisces ideal triggered by the awakened, raw spirit of Uranus.
By contrast, Uranus in Aries is a highly masculine energy, often seeking to enforce a point of view using power, aggression, and cunning creativity. History shows this transit to be a time of violent uprisings and industrial innovation, sometimes bringing independence and freedom, while other times ushering in a wave of fascism.
If we activate the feminine polarity, we can shift the focus from “out there” to “in here.” What if this time we exert our power, desire and passion on overthrowing the harsh dictators and oppressors within us?
There are so many examples of the revolutionary becoming the oppressor when they take power. How can we escape such a fate? By owning up to the individual responsibility we have to liberate ourselves from within. As an outer planet, Uranus requires our effort in order to integrate its lessons. We have to consciously work with it. If we ignore Uranus, it will manifest as senseless rebellion and disruption.
This fall, seek out the chip-on-her-shoulder, hot-headed, defensive adolescent within you and invite her into a heartfelt dialogue. For all her angst and rebellion, is she really free? When we strongly identify with them, expressions of individual freedom – such as the anarchist, the tea party activist, the hippy, or revolutionary – can become oppressive. When identifications are not honest expressions of yourself and your spiritual purpose, they will diminish rather than feed the creative spark within you.
The energy of Uranus in Pisces can help us get loose from those labels and beliefs that hold us back from knowing our spiritual purpose. Your unique expression of Self – what makes you beautifully you - is often exactly what’s needed in order to link with others and create a fabulous whole. That inner teenager has some important advice. She’s authentic and original. And with a little guidance from the mature you, she is waiting to be lit up as Uranus moves into Aries.
The next few months can be a time with tremendous healing potential, as we surrender our need to prove ourselves and just focus on the specific energy we came here to seed in the world – our spiritual purpose. Then we can initiate changes with more presence and less pretense, more authentic zest and less haywire aggression. ♣
Want to go deeper? Take Rhea's Autumn Equinox workshop or Women's Retreat. Click here for more info>>
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