Uranus: Audacity and Authenticity

by Nadiya Shah

© Nadiya Shah - published by The Career Astrologer, March 2022 / 20.08.2022

The origin myth of Uranus brings us to ancient Greece, where at the beginning of time, there was nothing but a void. Out of that void came chaos, and out of the chaos emerged Gaia—the Earth. Gaia then realized she was lonely, and so out of her own body—out of the Earth, she molded, created, and gave life to Uranus.

However, Uranus turned out to be a cad—eccentric, irresponsible, unfaithful. Uranus is considered an erratic figure. He is the Sky-God of Thunder, who, with this lightning, impregnated the Earth and contributed to the actualization of the ancient gods, many of whom are embodied in the astrological planets. It is Uranus who, with his son Saturn, brought forward structure and stability. He can also be seen as a pathway towards love, truth, and self, as an indirect father to Venus.

Uranus has been associated with the spark, whether to new ideas, the harnessing of electricity, or life itself. It is creative energy, unbound by the limitations of social status or traditions, that creates the world we know. This spark defines the unlimited possibilities of being human in the modern world. Uranus is symbolic of the spark of life running through and radiating from you. Your relationship to this ingenious, creative energy will be highly individual. You are the only one who can feel a creative idea, and you are the only one who will follow it through to actualization. The process is deeply personal and highly relative. The journey is one that only you can take. No pathway will be like the next.

Uranus is considered the modern ruling planet of Aquarius and has been associated with self-trust and blending art with science. Uranus is related to human rights and revolutionary movements, especially those correlated to social justice and equality.

The association that some have made to Uranus as ruler of astrology is an interesting but questionable one. Is it because, nowadays, one needs to have a rebel spirit to be an astrologer? From another point of view, the discovery of Uranus in 1787 correlates with the beginning of the Age of Enlightenment. It marks a period when the definition of science changed, dispelling astrology out of universities and established institutions. The hyper-scientism of this age relied on what could be empirically shown. So, the planet that some say rules astrology was discovered as Western sensibilities became hostile to astrology.

Defining Audacity and Authenticity 

Audacity evokes feelings of courage and boldness. It describes an unabashed nerve that comes from acting or thinking from a place not concerned with the reactions of others. Authenticity takes audacity a step further in that it points to purity of intention and action.

Uranus points to these qualities most clearly. As a symbol of independence, it speaks to how you might reveal and then become your most current, evolved, and authentic self. How you manifest audacity and authenticity will depend on the placement of Uranus in the chart, and the aspects of Uranus to your other planets and points. 

Uranus Aspects & Authenticity

Uranus represents the spirit of freedom, and it will compel you to do life differently than social norms dictate. This includes being creative, which is to invite self-trust. It is to be ingenious, go your own way, and act rebelliously. However, the key is to channel those energies so they can be useful. Being a rebel can be exhilarating, but a rebel without a cause is ultimately a tragic squandering of brave potential. Consciously using the Uranian energy available to you, whether natal or by transit, is a bridge toward being more fully at peace with yourself—the kind of peace that comes when you know you are aligned with the most authentic version of yourself.

The newbie student of astrology can envision aspects as conversations that planets have with each other. The type of aspect speaks to the nature of the conversation.

• The sextile is an easy and harmonious connection, indicating development opportunities.
• The trine is characterized as a supremely harmonious conversation. It speaks to easy energy, breakthroughs, and blessings.
• Squares are conversations of tension and can show frustration, but they become a tremendous source of power when you act.
• Oppositions speak of energies that can take you by surprise. Oppositions can indicate dynamics within the partnerships in your life.
• Finally, the conjunctions are the merging and melding of energy in the sky.

These are the traditional aspects. Other additional modern aspects can add layers of astrological understanding and insight.

Outer planet aspects between Uranus, Pluto, Neptune, and sometimes Saturn are primarily generational, so everyone born within a specific time frame will have those placements as part of their chart. It is more important to consider how Uranus speaks to the personal planets, whether within the natal chart or by transit. Natal aspects of Uranus to the personal planets indicate a lifetime pursuing authenticity and independence. The nature of the aspect tells you how that pursuit is approached.

Let’s look at how to understand these planetary energies, one at a time. As I discuss the energies here, consider how natal placements of these aspects will speak to the native for the lifetime, whereas transits will come for a time and awaken the tendencies listed here.

There are, of course, many directions that one can go in when exploring Uranus. Still, here, we will adhere to the intentions of this piece by considering Uranus’s conversations (aspects) with the personal planets and how they indicate tendencies for a person.

The Sun

The Sun is the core of who you are, and where you find your light, center, and power. It lights you up and gives a sense of selfhood right to your core. The Sun can be selfish, but it can also encourage you to be more loving in the world. The Sun can also represent your paternal figures and your perception of them. The Sun speaks to what is true about you, and in this way, it is the core of your identity.

Uranus in sextile to the Sun will bring opportunities to develop genius and insights. Opportunities to understand how to think differently, what it means to be true to yourself, and go your own way. Sextiles can sometimes be more subtle than the other aspects, so they invite you to be more conscious. Through your own power and truth, you can change your circumstances to please yourself.

Uranus trine the Sun is easy energy that can represent brilliant ideas, which may result in a sense of luck or positive change. The complex ways in which you perceive the world come together. There’s a refreshing quality to the way you know yourself and express it to the world.

Uranus square the Sun can indicate an impulsive disposition and a determination to go one’s own way. These people have a strong sense of needing to be themselves and don't want to be told what to do. Cultivating this powerful energy can forge a path of authenticity, along which you feel more fully yourself.

In opposition to the Sun, Uranus can bring people who will surprise you and shock you, and it is not always comfortable. However, it will be through other people that you will know what needs to change and what's being asked, and where you can be more honest, truthful, and authentic. When you are not authentic, other people will mirror that back to you and show those things you need to change.

Uranus conjunct the Sun indicates brilliance, with unique ways of understanding. The Uranian energy becomes part of the identity. The Uranian archetype becomes more significant, even if the person is in a sign that seems to have nothing to do with Uranian qualities.

The Moon

The Moon speaks to your comfort zone and what you need to feel at peace with yourself emotionally. It is also what is home for you, in the literal sense. The Moon can speak to your perception of maternal figures, and it also speaks to how you might provide care for other people.

If the Moon is in a sextile to Uranus, you will enjoy lightness and freedom. Your home will be spacious since Uranus is associated with minimalism in some ways. These will be people who put in the time and seek the reward for their own emotional development.

Moon square Uranus can indicate someone who might be comfortable in chaotic environments. You will need a lot of freedom on an emotional level. You will need and ask for space. Your own emotions can be erratic from time to time. The opportunity is there to channel profound emotions towards a more comfortable, though sometimes misunderstood, state of being.

As a trine between the Moon and Uranus is integrated, it allows you to feel freer and lighter. You, too, may prefer a space that feels airy. You may like living environments with a lot of space, room to move around, and bright lighting. Moon trine Uranus people will find emotional connections with others who are different than themselves and think outside the norm.

In opposition to the Moon, Uranus can indicate those who attract partners who are not necessarily peaceful or consistent. You might find comfort in people with an unpredictability quality. Partners—in business or love—are likely to be intelligent and unique in their self-expression. Partnerships will usually require the space, permission, and freedom to embody one’s true self.

Uranus conjunct the Moon are people who change homes quickly and dramatically. You will know when you are done with a particular living space or situation. Another possibility is that those with this natal placement may feel that early home life didn't offer emotional or practical stability. Unusual experiences and constant change might be energy you carry into adulthood.

Mercury

Mercury represents ideas, communication, and conversations, and it also represents attention. It is cultivating those connections that allow you to be known by more people. Uranus has to do with the masses. Mercury is energy that speaks to your neighbors, siblings, and cousins. Together, these energies can help you reach many people, feeling like being one of them. Mercury represents mind and learning. Uranus aspects represent unique ways of perceiving, understanding and learning from your immediate environment.

The aspect of Uranus sextile Mercury indicates unique ideas and opinions, with the power to skillfully communicate them in persuasive and advantageous ways. These are people given opportunities to cultivate the power of persuasion through speech. You may find your manner of expression allows you to reach many people.

The Uranus-Mercury trine can indicate a bright mind and charisma with words. You may come to be recognized as exceptionally brilliant or offer a unique contribution to the realm of more advanced ideas.

Uranus square Mercury can suggest erratic mind energy. It is seeing things from a perspective that other people don't, and communicating in ways that may not always be understood. Sometimes this square energy involves provocative ideas that lend themselves to expressions that seem to go over other people’s heads. You will have the opportunity to cultivate unique ideas and may need to work hard to communicate those ideas in a way that can be understood.

An opposition magnifies unexpected reactions. Expressing an idea innocently might be received with shock or surprise. The Mercury-Uranus opposition can be challenging. It is essential to pay attention to the intention behind what is shared. It can mean attracting people who have different or distinct modes of communication and seeing the world. The opposition aspect brings a lot of excitement. You might say something that has the opposite reaction of what you would have wanted.

Uranus conjunct Mercury is a highly unusual way of the mind. Your perception will be uniquely insightful, and sometimes, how learning happens can be very distinct. These people can take what's complex and make it understandable or, alternatively, more complex, perhaps going “over the head” of many.

Venus

Venus indicates how you attract, whether love, pleasure, money, or pleasing experiences. With Venus, you are likely to allow rather than chase. Venus energy is embodied—present for the joys of the earthy experience. In contrast, Uranus is not an embodied energy; it is not romantic or sexual. Uranus is all mental and highly cerebral. Therefore, people with natal or transit contacts between Venus and Uranus will be inclined to develop their minds to attract love, and will enjoy the company of intelligent people.

Uranus sextile Venus brings an effervescent quality to how you pursue love and how you understand who you need to be to have love in your life. It also understands what you need to cultivate to have more pleasure and joy in your life. The nice thing about this energy is that it indicates the ability to attract new types of people or be attracted to different people than before. The sextile also suggests the ability to recognize love in different forms and ways.

With a Uranus Venus trine, your style is rewarded. You will say the right thing and present yourself in the right way that cultivates lucky breaks and propels your life forward. Love, and your ability to attract it, will feel like a blessing for you. You will attract people that are very different from you, representing other backgrounds and traditions. Moving on is easy when a relationship is over, and the ending is accepted.

With Uranus square Venus, your style will go through dramatic changes from time to time. What you think makes you attractive to others may change and may not be understood by everybody around you. You will most likely be drawn to fast fashion as your sense of style undergoes dramatic changes, sometimes quickly and repeatedly. Ideas of what is fun may be different and not understood, but Uranus square Venus types will tap into particular groups that will understand and share your unique style sense. You may have dramatic changes to relationships where sudden urges for freedom can stimulate sweeping changes. The need for lightness and liberty defines love at its’s best.

An opposition suggests a transformation of what love is. Redefining good style and taste can also be indicated. It may feel like you have supporters for your unique artistic fashion expression, but you can sometimes also evoke strong reactions that appear to take you in a whole other direction. You will most likely be drawn to art that has some controversy or evokes strong reactions, one way or another. An ability to attract partners who reveal previously undiscovered truths can characterize transits of this time. Sometimes these truths will enliven and propel you forward, and other times it can be an uncomfortable yet essential part of learning critical lessons in love.

Venus conjunct Uranus is straightforward. Your ideas of beauty will be highly unique and unusual for your time. You will present your fashion, style, and beauty sense in a way that will stand out. Or you might reject any traditional notions of beauty in favor of something more avant-garde or rebellious. When there’s a conjunction, on a more intimate level, the domain of love can be one that will go through dramatic changes in life, but you will develop your sense of intelligence to attract love. Your presentation style and how you’ve cultivated your thinking will help you attract love. The average person will not understand this, but that is how you like it. You want someone who sees something special, brilliant, and bright within you.

Mars

Mars is an energy of excitement, physicality, and athletics. Sometimes, Mars might also be anger and impulsivity. Often depicted in armor and ready to go to battle, Mars in a chart may describe how we fight for what we want, including survival instinct. Mars denotes how we instinctively react as part of self-preservation and the types of actions that we take to defend ourselves.

Mars sextile Uranus is a fortunate connection. Mars is being empowered in this celestial conversation to make changes and help you find the truth and strength within yourself. This aspect encourages emotional control and focus of one’s energy in ways that work to your advantage. Mars sextile Uranus people are open to defining intimacy for themselves. You may find yourself attracted to all kinds of people, especially smart people.

Mars trine Uranus is an aspect where your efforts are rewarded. Self-knowledge and action will create momentum for changes to arrive and fortunate developments to occur. You are attracted to people who are brilliant, animating, and who have a youthful quality. Life presents opportunities to connect with others, especially physically. Mars can be very sexy, but Uranus downplays that element, as it is more cerebral. New ideas and fresh energy can add a youthful quality. Regardless of age, moving through the world with curiosity and wonder represents the best of this aspect.

In a square, Uranus can heighten Mars to emphasize individuality. While any aspect of Uranus to Mars can indicate impulsivity, the square amplifies this tendency. Your energy and actions may seem like they make little sense on the surface. However, your actions express some authenticity of intentions. Even the gentlest soul with this aspect will not shy away from conflict. Sometimes, people with this aspect may need to learn to express anger in ways that are not self-destructive. Anger might come out in moments that feel unexpected, but it is only to bring awareness of your instinctual reactions. Once conscious, you can learn to use the energy of change and empowerment with greater intention. Independent and entrepreneurial, it is a good idea to use your unique, creative impulses to blaze a path all your own.

The opposition can manifest in strong reactions and feelings provoked by other people. It can also indicate surprise moments that seem to come out of nowhere and invite you to be honest about where you stand within a partnership. Being drawn to very unusual people or who allow you to bring forward their own more eccentric side can be a vital characteristic of this aspect.

Uranus conjunct Mars indicates people singularly determined to be themselves, especially related to understanding power—personal or sexual. You may associate brilliance and intelligence with power. However, your sense of emotional control can be erratic, and you can find yourself attracted to highly unusual people. Mars is an accelerator. If you have Uranus conjunct Mars, you may have strong, distinctive qualities, especially in your embodiment and understanding of power.

Conclusion

Presented here are some basic delineations for some of the significant aspects of Uranus to the personal planets in the astrology chart. When the aspect shows in the natal chart, this reflects a tendency the native will cultivate over a lifetime, constantly being called to deeper layers of authenticity. Where the aspect is a transit, the energy of Uranus visits for a time, encouraging the native to wake up, get honest, and get audacious—to free oneself from the limitations of the past as a powerful way of moving towards a more authentic future.

Published in: The Career Astrologer, June 2022.

Author:
Nadiya Shah is an internationally syndicated astrologer, author and media personality, and she holds an M.A. in the Cultural Study of Cosmology and Divination, from the University of Kent, United Kingdom. Her School “Synchronicity University” teaches astrology and tarot worldwide. Nadiya’s Youtube channel is nadiyashahdotcom, and you can visit her website at nadiyashah.com

© 2022 - Nadiya Shah - The Career Astrologer

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