Squares
The primary theme (but not the only one) of 2021 (and some of 2022) is the relationship is the astrological aspect of a Saturn-Uranus square. To the lay person, it can be best understood visually as a first or last-quarter Moon in the sky. The Moon is at a roughly 90-degree aspect to the Sun, lighting up “half” of the surface of the Moon. It forms an “L-shape” from a two-dimensional perspective.
Much more is known, astrologically, about Saturn, than Uranus, as Uranus was not officially discovered until the 18th century. But Uranus’ discovery kick-started a slow-evolving revolution in astrology and astronomy that helped both fields of study and inquiry that carried huge implications for the evolution of civilization.
Technically, Uranus is a planet that is visible to the naked eye every year for a few weeks or so every year as it sits on the edge of what naked eye can see. It is an open question as to whether ancient peoples noticed Uranus in the night sky before the dawn of the telescope. In order to see it, a person would have to have no light pollution and know exactly where to look. But to keen observers, it can indeed be seen.
In Shamanic Astrology, Uranus represents unexpected, unpredictable events or experiences of great novelty. Uranus is a Change Agent, connecting us to a non-linear way of time itself, effectively disturbing the flow of rational, logical progress or motion forward or backward. It is revolutionary lightning in an otherwise regular, “normal” day.
Uranus can create conditions or circumstances for us to experience breakthroughs or breakdowns, depending upon our own individual perspective of the condition or circumstance. Technological advances and sudden insights and epiphanies are a regular feature of this eccentric planet. It’s our perception and feeling of any event that gives it meaning in a dualistic good or bad definition (for any astrological cycle/transit).
Since Uranus is in the sign of Taurus, there are elements of significant changes in the areas of how we experience our pleasures and comforts, the importance of personal and sensual intimacy with others and with Earth. It is interesting to note the how the pandemic minimized the ability to connect with others, thereby directing pleasure, sensual intimacy and comfort elsewhere. The suffering around this issue hasn’t been fully understood as of yet.
On the other hand, Saturn has been seen for many millennia as it orbits as the slowest moving easily seen visible planet. In human history, it has been called by many names by many cultures and my understanding of it shows it has had and still has a profound impact on human consciousness in our languages, cultures, spirituality-religion, astronomy, astrology and social-economic and educational systems.
Saturn, now in the sign of Aquarius, shows up astrologically as the planet of “growth through limits and boundaries”. It symbolically connects us to our perception of time in the third dimension, seeding the future individually and collectively. A Saturn cycle can feel constricting, limiting, pressured and challenging at times. We may even feel judged. At the same time, its gifts can come to us in the form of assisting us with major life decisions such as partnership/relationships, moving to a new location, changing careers and long-term educational paths.
Saturn also assists us as a check and balance to over-expansion a counter-point to ungroundedness. Planning for the future, working with our resources and building a foundation for our life purpose is all a part of what Saturn can constructively apply to our soul’s journey.
Together, Uranus and Saturn can create some very unusual opportunities for humanity. In the wake of the collective events of 2020 and early 2021 (assisted by the Pluto, Saturn and Jupiter conjunction in the sign of Capricorn and Mars and Eris in Aries squaring those other planets), there is a potential for an unveiling of the diamonds in the rough. We are painstakingly discovering what could give us a chance for long-term solutions to problems that have existed for decades and, some cases, centuries. The fallout of the 2020-21 crisis is only now becoming more evident.
The rest of 2021 has an intent of higher-level unexpected insights while an opportunity for accountability for the damages and trauma we continue to burden ourselves with while not truly facing it in the here and now. “Business as usual” remains in limbo and this idea is seeking a new application or even a new definition. This Saturn-Uranus square theme creates a way beyond the shocks of 2020-21 from all sectors and systems. This theme will continue into 2022 as well.
Three Saturn-Uranus squares in 2021:
Feb 17th – 7°13’ Aquarius-Taurus
June 14th – 13°06’ Aquarius-Taurus
Dec 23rd – 11°05’ Aquarius-Taurus
I’ve written and shared a lot about the sign of Aquarius, where Saturn is transiting currently, and I recommend reading my previous article about the Aquarius Stellium here: https://www.inspiralnexus.com/2021/01/an-aquarius-stellium/
The intent of Saturn-Uranus could educate humanity the value of changing the way we live in our relationships with each other and with Earth. Infrastructure and technology (including how we entertain ourselves) are also a crossroads with the square along with how we acquire the resources to create the infrastructure and technology utilized by humanity with potent repercussions of all life on Earth. But the same vane that carries us into the crossroads also carries the wisdom for beneficial uses of technology, bettering all life.
I certainly couldn’t talk of Saturn-Uranus as the only major theme without mentioning the importance of the Pluto Return transit for the United States. Pluto is in a multi-year Return back to its position where it was at the Declaration of Independence. Various astrologers will have various measurements of the timeline of the Pluto Return but my view is due to the uniqueness and rarity of it (and due to the very recent alignments of Pluto with Saturn and Jupiter), I view it as the period between 2020 to 2024 (this includes the 5th Chiron Return of the US), essentially ending when Pluto ingresses into the sign of Aquarius.
Pluto’s Role
Pluto is a dwarf planet (officially labeled as since 2006) discovered in 1930 at a time when there was deeper insights with discoveries of new sources of power and the preview of the atomic/nuclear age. Astrologers have since come to know this planet for its “underworld” qualities of death/rebirthing, surrender of ego, facing our deepest fears and feeling the raw feelings within. Pluto symbolically is not about the mind or intellect or consciousness. It deals with the prime forces of the Universe itself, unbiased, somewhat chaotic and generally beyond one’s full control.
Many have already experienced this process of the Pluto Return in the US and even those outside the US due to the global influence of the country. The origins of the United States and its birth from the tyranny of a British monarch evolved with idealism and innovation that hadn’t ever been tried in the way it was tried. It was an experiment with a life of its own. Now, with a Pluto Return, it is a time to fully detoxify the body of the nation, to face the raw, primal truth of what was created. In this process of decay and alchemy, there is an essence of that experiment-creation that desires rebirth. But it can only have a life if we choose to give it such.
When things go wrong in a Pluto transit, the typical solutions aren’t usually the strategy to use to solve them. It’s more to do with facing the fear of a lack of a true solution and control of the situation and a surrender as a “pathway” to a solution. That process transforms us and in turn the nation.
Pluto is in the sign of Capricorn, so this process has much to do with the structures and systems in the US, showing us an unbiased perspective of our essential character and fundamental building blocks of community and government the collective will and desire to want rebirth. Pluto’s intent through surrender and detoxification is, ultimately, empowerment. Potentially, this can free us (along with Saturn and Uranus) after facing the intense burden of our core identity.
There are reams and reams of papers that can be written about the astrology chart of the United States with Pluto just a portion (but currently a major portion) of what is happening. I have plans to do a full video about the US natal chart later this year.
The Texas Infrastructure Fracture
In mid-February, much of the United States was hit by a polar vortex weather event that lasted several days, including here in my home state of Oregon. While Oregon was able to recover, it didn’t suffer as much damage and collapse as most of the State of Texas. This vortex took place during the first of three Saturn-Uranus squares in 2021. In the entire month of February, Saturn and Uranus were within a single degree of exact, which took place exactly on the 17th.
Why this is important is that the much of the State of Texas was deregulated in 1999 when then Governor George W Bush signed into law SB7. This act was the fruition, mostly, of lobbying actions from the energy corporation, Enron. It was designed to both encourage greater private competition and increase profits of the energy and utility companies. In 1999, Saturn, in the sign of Taurus, was about three degrees from an exact square of Uranus in Aquarius.
It wasn’t long after 1999 that Enron became infamous with a scandal in the early 2000s, going bankrupt and leaving many thousands without jobs and essentially losing retirement and other investment funds for them. In 2000, Jupiter and Saturn were in conjunction in the sign of Taurus and in 2001, a Pluto-Saturn opposition around the time of the terrorist attacks on 9/11.
Here is the a link below to a free ebook called Lone Star Tarnished that references the date of Bush’s signature:
Uranus (in Aquarius) squares Saturn (in Taurus) 1999-2001 within 5 degrees
SB7 Signed into law by Texas Gov George W Bush on June 18, 1999. The law went into effect on January 1, 2002.
Here is a Washington Post article that re-visits the deregulation activities of Texas in the 1990s and how it led to the consequences of millions without power or water during the polar vortex of February, 2021:
In 2020, Saturn got to within 5 degrees of a square with Uranus, before retrograding back into the sign of Capricorn. In 2021-22, Saturn in Aquarius has 3 exact squares with Uranus in Taurus and within 1 degree of a 4th exact square in Sept/Oct of 2022.
Saturn and Uranus offer a powerful educational opportunity to understand both the need for change and innovation/invention and for rules/laws to help the growth of humanity. In this square, the intent is the utilization of the tension between those forces they symbolically represent that I’ve outlined.
Having an awareness of these cycles/transits and/or planetary alignments gives us a peek at the intent of what is being channeled through in these times. It is our relationship with the Earth and Sky that can help us experience that wisdom and knowledge using all of our senses, mind, heart and soul. It’s also knowing we are part of the expression of the cosmos that helps us fulfill our authentic expression or soul’s intent.
I really appreciate your work and this artical Erik thank you for sharing this awareness