Uranus turns retrograde on August 19, bringing to a peak the abrupt, unsettling and/or surprising patterns of activity that have been building over the last couple of weeks. This transcendental outer planet, known as The Great Awakener, correlates to shifts in our awareness that can lead to decisive life changes. Sometimes external events can trigger these shifts, which are often unexpected or even shocking. Uranus calls us to tap into our inner authority, but from a place of heightened awareness wherein we offer up our personal power in service to humanity and evolving consciousness. In Taurus, Uranus is tasked with disrupting fixed notions regarding our values and to wake us up to what we consider most essential, including what or who we need in our lives. Uranus correlates to a drive for innovation that responds to evolving conditions. In Taurus, that drive will focus on changes that are sustainable over time. On a collective level for example (out of all the interlocking crises unfolding at this time), the brutal extreme weather patterns of late may correlate to this being the moment in history we collectively wake up and make real the urgent need to bring our planet back from the brink of uninhabitability.
Uranus being retrograde through January 18, 2022 directs our attention internally to reflect on choices that have brought us to this moment. This inward shift is especially emphasized with Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Pluto also retrograde. Rather than focusing on external events, noisy as they may be, our time may be best spent working on strengthening our relationship with Self to unify heart, mind and soul. Contemplating what we truly need to fulfill our destiny may influence greater selectivity in utilizing the resources at our disposal. Light bulbs could go off on how we can make meaningful changes to support moving towards a more sustainable future.
Further intensifying the urgency to change in ways that have a real impact on our lives, Mercury and Mars segue from their conjunction in Virgo on August 18 into trining retrograde Uranus on August 20 and August 21 respectively. This flowing alignment across earth signs emphasizes a melding of thought processes and physical movements that can be practical, precise, and potentially radical. Resistance is minimal and “going with the flow” may seem like the best course of action. Mercury/Mars can correlate to active and passionate communication that is also acutely perceptive (Mercury rules analytical Virgo). We could feel emotionally charged or act aggressively if we’re immersed in getting what we want no matter the impact on others. Yet the Mercury/Mars/Uranus alignment may also feel like mental rocket fuel that could help us burst out of the inertia of conformity. Caution when speaking or acting may be sidelined in favor of the potentially forceful impulses to “just do it” and deal with the consequences later. Hopefully these planets operating through methodical Taurus and service-oriented Virgo will bring out the purposeful and soulful activist in all of us.
Also on August 19, the Sun in Leo pulls into an opposition with retrograde Jupiter in Aquarius. The two giants of our solar system facing off correlates to an expanding force that leads us to stretch beyond our perceived limitations. Their opposition amplifies the need to integrate the Leo/Aquarius polarity by dedicating our creative self-expression, and whatever we produce out of it, to a better future for all. The irony here is that when we are creating simply for the joy of it, we may not think about what our creative gifts can do for others. Yet, when we are connected to our heart and soul as we are creating, we come to understand that we belong in a much bigger space than our self-serving ego-mind can contain. We also begin to experience being a root-participant in a universal process. Being this space opens us to achieving more than we imagined was possible.
On August 22, the Moon in Aquarius conjuncts Jupiter and opposes the Sun to form the Full Moon – a rare second Full Moon in a row along the Leo/Aquarius axis. This one is at the 29th degree, which increases the sense of urgency to complete its archetypal lesson to focus not on personal gain or recognition, but simply on opening to new ideas and ways of perceiving that will keep our creative juices flowing. The aspects unfolding at this time support breaking through to a new level of being and creating that which our heart compels us to create, in whatever arena we may find ourselves. This cosmic imperative is underscored by the Sabian symbols for the last degrees of Leo and Aquarius, which together suggest that we may come to a transcendent realization that all which comes through us and takes form belongs to all humanity and must be shared instead of kept for personal gain.
Also on August 22, just hours after the Full Moon, the Sun leaves Leo and enters Virgo, the sign where sharing takes on the form of giving of oneself in service as a way of beginning to engage in a world of others. Being useful motivates the Sun in Virgo, which has a natural talent for breaking a whole of something into its individual parts, analyzing how they all fit together, and identifying the weaker links that may require support or refinement. Sometimes, however, the drive for purity can be so subjective that one may try to change something that isn’t wanted or needed. “Tolerance” is the gift of Virgo, which from a transpersonal point of view is best understood as a movement within to accept and welcome the differences in others with a sense of openness and parity rather than separative superiority. This is reached after much effort is made to understand that diversity is itself a form of purity in a society that thrives on the unique contributions of all individuals.
Venus in its home sign of Libra forms a trine to Saturn in Aquarius on August 23, further emphasizing the need for working together and sharing ideas for the benefit of all. Saturn, Jupiter and the Full Moon are all in the sign that Uranus rules. This elevates the Great Awakener, still at the degree of its station, to greater potency and amplifies its message of offering up one’s power in service to all. The coming months of these retrogrades, therefore, have the potential to help us shift our values to be more in line with our soul needs and those of the anima mundi.
August 24 to 26, Mercury in Virgo segues from an opposition to retrograde Neptune in Pisces to a trine to retrograde Pluto in Capricorn, reactivating the long-term sextile between the latter two outer planets, a cosmically visionary alignment that offers the potential for us to experience life from a deeper, more profound level. If we make an effort to receive their subtle emanations focusing through Mercury, the planet of perception, we could experience communion with the greater whole of existence and get an idea of the role we are here to play as a participant in the evolution of consciousness.
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