Apparently the colour for next year (according to Pantone, the people who know these things) is Emerald green. Nice.
So the other day I bought a pair of platform shoes to mark the occasion- I’m wearing them with my sky blue toe nail polish as we speak.
They will probably be only green thing I buy all year.
I didn’t buy them because of the green, I bought them because they were a little different to everything else in my wardrobe and I seriously needed some different.
It could possibly be because I straightened my hair the other day.
My hair has, for the last 5 or so years, (ironically the time that Uranus has been transiting my first house) been my little rebellion. I wear it out- long, thick and unruly. I curse the knots and battle the frizz, but secretly relish the chaos of it.
For most of my life it was kept short- cropped short. My Mother didn’t like long hair.
When I left home I started to grow it- just into a bob length- but cut it again when I began taking my career seriously. Laugh if you will, but you rarely find unrestrained curly hair in the boardrooms and conference rooms of financial institutions.
Back then I wore the uniform too- you know, the heels, unrestrained business suits, sensible jewellery.
It wasn’t until Uranus approached my Ascendant that I decided none of it was me. Sure I was in a corporate role, but I could do my job just as well without cutting my hair.
As it grew longer- and curlier- the business suits started to disappear too. I was as if my hair was leading my personal mini rebellion against what I saw as the constraints of conformity.
I rarely straightened it- largely because I have no idea how to use a hair dryer or straightener, but also because straightening was a little like conforming.
I had my usual 4 weekly, remove the grey, trip to the hairdresser last week. My mother had called me while I was there. In the course of the discussion, she said, ‘I suppose it’s too much to hope that you’ll get it all cut off, Joanne. It looked so much smarter short.’
Perhaps it did, but to me it also felt like the handcuffs of control. Yes, I know it sounds ridiculous.
Anyways, somehow or other, I left the salon last Friday with straight hair- the stylist wanted to practice on very thick, very curly hair…apparently I’m perfect for that.
I felt a little weird with it, but given that a few friends that weekend asked me if I’d had botox, I’m thinking that I’m vain enough to buy a straightener and learn to use it- even if it does mean that I’m conforming…just a little.
The thing is, virtually every planet and major point in my chart is touched by Uranus- that makes me seriously Uranian.
Why am I telling you this?
Because later tonight, a few hours after the New Moon, Uranus will turn direct.
While Uranus was retrograde all of that bubbling, electrical energy was happening within you instead of to you. Eventually it has to explode. Suddenly you see exactly what you need to see- just like in the Partridge Family song when you wake up with something that keeps knocking at your brain.
There is nothing subtle about Uranus. He has neither the time nor the energy to faff around with subtlety and lessons and opportunity. Instead he gets off on giving totally unexpected and utterly unavoidable shocks to get you moving out of your rut and into something that is more authentically you.
He pokes and prods at you until you have no choice but to make the changes that are necessary to become yourself. Uranus is uncomfortable and indiscriminate. If work is not right, expect stuff like failed projects, difficult clients, problems with money. Likewise if relationships need changing, problems will arise in this area. Get the idea?
If Uranus passes back across a natal planet or chart point for you during this transit your time is …now! Think about the bid for freedom you may have made when Uranus 1st touched that planet. The retrograde period has given the opportunity for those feelings to be directed inward and observed objectively. What went wrong then? What could you have handled differently?
If a break out is still required or a change absolutely needs to be made, when Uranus goes direct over that planet you will have the opportunity to make the change real… or risk regretting it for ever.
But what will happen? I hear you ask… Who knows. The one thing I do know about Uranus is expect the unexpected.
Where is Uranus in your chart? The cause of the transit can be found where Uranus is natally. The house through which Uranus is transiting is where most of the action is taking place and the house ruled by Aquarius is the area where the transits’ energy will be manifested.
The centre of the transit will come from the house that Uranus is transiting in your chart- this is where you are being pushed into making changes that will ultimately result in a more authentic you- he makes you confront your own individuality.
If, like me, this activity is happening in the first house, it will be all about you- how you look, where you work, what you do, who you do it with, where you live and who you do that with.
The planets will tell you the nature of that transit. And trust me, resistance is futile. The more you struggle against the Freedom Fighter, the tighter the chains that bind. If Uranus thinks that changes need to be made he will not be content with a minor renovation- if your life needs an overhaul, repainting a room will simply not cut the mustard- although it may calm your restless urges for a time. If you think that you can control your environment, think again- the area of life that Uranus is transiting becomes totally unpredictable.
The more that you have done what is expected of you, or the responsible thing and been who other people want you to be, thought the way other people want you to think and felt and loved the way society tells you that you should feel and love the harder these transits will be for you. As one who has done this, and to a certain extent, continues to do this, Uranus conjunctions are flipping painful…but exciting and liberating all at the same time.
Related Post: There’s Someone I Forgot to Be: Uranus transits of the Ascendant