Uranus, the Planet of Rebellion, moves slowly. It stays in a sign for around seven years. Right now, it's in practical, determined Taurus, and since it only entered the sign in 2019, it'll stick around for a while longer. But a shift is coming: On August 15, Uranus goes retrograde in Taurus. It'll keep tracking backward until January 14, 2021. And during this time, we can expect the unexpected.
"Uranus is an electrifying planet and when it's in retrograde, it brings innovation, unexpected change, and liberation on a collective level," astrologer Lisa Stardust tells Refinery29. "Interestingly enough, Uranus is one of two planets who actually move in opposite rotation of Earth. When retrograde, it’s literally slowly moving backwards, which allows us to see the universal shifts that need to be made."
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Uranus is known as the "Great Awakener." Where it is in your birth chart says something about how you fight against authority or the current cultural norms — and because it stays in one sign for so long, it tends to dictate an entire generation's approach to rebellion. Right now, there's revolution in the air, stemming from the nation's racial justice reckoning and the way the pandemic has highlighted the cracks in the country's healthcare system.
"As Uranus commences its retrograde journey, we will see more protests and revolts against the government," Stardust predicts. She adds that Taurus as a sign represents food, money, and possessions; Uranus's backward journey in this sign could be a harbinger of a sudden or unexpected food shortage. And that may fuel more unrest. "All of this unrest will cause people to revolt and rebel against governmental systems at large," Stardust says.
But the transit may awaken an appetite for personal growth as well. "Uranus’s stationary retrograde can be a significant period and we will seek innovation and changes within ourselves and our own inner thinking and way of approaching things," Leslie Hale, psychic astrologer at Keen.com, tells Refinery29.
In October, the Sun and Mercury retrograde will both find their way into Scorpio, forming an opposition to retrograde Uranus, points out Narayana Montúfar, senior astrology for Astrology.com. That's when we'll really start to experience what she calls "the wildcard nature... of this erratic but fascinating planet." A wildcard just in time for our next Presidential election? Sounds about right.
We'll really start to feel the effects of Uranus retrograde closer to the end of 2020. "Heavy-hitters Saturn and Jupiter enter Aquarius and prepare to form a square to Uranus while it's still retrograde," Montúfar says. "Because both Jupiter and Saturn are planets that dictate a lot of the norms that we share as a society, the tremendous change that this square with Uranus brings will set the tone for themes of social justice and deconstruction of governmental institutions during the entire year of 2021." Hopefully, this means the theme of the upcoming election will be change — but if not, it looks like we'll still be ready to fight against any challenges that come our way.
Uranus retrograde is not necessarily an easy transit, but Montúfar says it will ultimately help us build a better and more just foundation for ourselves and our world. As long as we keep our eyes on the prize, we'll be fine.