Uranus in Taurus: Break Down Barriers + Demand To Be Heard

To Learn About Uranus In Taurus, We Need A Cosmic Crash Course in Astrology

Just as the earth has its seasons and the moon has its cycles, the planets in our solar system possess their own cyclical patterns. Each affects the ebbs and flows of life itself. Whether we realize it or not, we are influenced by these universal elements—by their journeys around the sun, and through each sign of the zodiac. In fact, each planet plays a role in our individual cosmic roadmaps as well as the world at large.

The Personal Planets

Closest to earth, these planets move more quickly through the 12 signs of the zodiac and affect our daily experiences. Think: our moods, decision-making, relationships, etc.

• Mercury is the planet of communication.
• Mars is the planet of action and pursuit.
• Venus is the planet of values, relationships, and sensuality.

The Social Consciousness + Generational Planets

Positioned further from the earth, and on the other side of the asteroid belt, these planets move more slowly through the 12 signs of the zodiac and influence society on a much more significant, long-term scale. Think: significant breakthroughs, growth spurts, transformation, as well as having substantial impacts on social consciousness and economic trends, etc.

• Jupiter is the planet of good fortune, abundance, and social consciousness.
• Saturn is the planet of discipline, structure, purpose, and soul lessons.
• Uranus is the planet of revolution, evolution, disruption, and change.
• Neptune is the planet of spirituality, dreams, and vision.
• Pluto is the planet of transformation, death, destruction, and power.

Since the outer planets move very slowly, they only transition signs every 1-30 years. Jupiter and Saturn (who are really inner-outer planets) move much faster than Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. So, it’s a momentous and meaningful event when any of them change signs—especially those furthest from the sun, like Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Whenever these distant planets change signs, it’s a critical time to note how their shifts will influence our world.

Uranus In Taurus: Disrupting The Discourse

Right now, Uranus is gearing up to transition from Aries to Taurus which hasn’t happened since 1934! As mentioned above, Uranus is known for shaking up the status quo, so this shift is incredibly noteworthy and symbolic of what’s to come over the next 7+ years.

But before we dive into what this means for us, I want to share a little history about our friend, Uranus. According to Greek Mythology, he was the God of the sky and heavens. He visited Gaia (Earth) every night to mate with her, and it was in their nightly unions that the 12 Titans were born. However, Uranus felt threatened by his offspring and would hide them away deep in the earth. Gaia wasn’t pleased with these disruptions and plotted against Uranus with the strongest of her Titans. Their son, Saturn (aka Cronus), stepped up to the plate and castrated Uranus. As his genitals fell to the sea, Aphrodite, the goddess of love was born—something beautiful arising from a period of chaos.(1)

What Uranus Means To Me

In my own chart, I have Uranus in a challenging position (my 1st house in Scorpio, opposing a Mars and Venus conjunction in Taurus in my 7th house). Between 1997 and 1998, I had multiple surgeries due to cancer that rendered me without ovaries, a uterus, a cervix, or fallopian tubes. This left me on a rampant search for answers. I started studying astrology as a way to heal and understand my own experience of female castration.

Uranus, the higher octave of Mercury, rules Aquarius and correlates genuinely with astrology. His influence in my natal chart led me to learn astrology as a healing tool; and, ultimately take it on as a central part of my profession. The last twenty years of my life have entailed a relentless quest to find, integrate, and master not only the knowledge I now teach but also the aptitude to serve.

I owe a huge “thank you” to my Uranus placement, as well as my Saturn placement too. Saturn conjoins my natal moon and north node conjunction. (I know, it’s complicated!)

While Uranus is known for innovation, Uranus does, in fact, bring with it massive change and in some cases total upheaval. The day it transitioned into Aries in 2011 was the moment the Japanese earthquakes hit and resulted in a Tsunami. On the other hand, what makes Uranus beautiful is that it also awakens us to new possibilities. While in Aries over the past seven years, Uranus has revolutionized personal identity. We’ve witnessed the rise of the personal brand and the power of social media as a way to build solo ventures and massive followings.

Uranus in Aries: The Rise Of The Personal Brand

Think about it. Authors like Wayne Dyer had to go on national book tours to get their work into the hands of the masses from the ‘80s until the early 2000s. Whereas now, the online world is the way of success and brand awareness. While Uranus traveled in Aries, we witnessed the breakout success of online leaders like Marie Forleo, who blazed the trail of building an online business and taught others to do the same with the launch of legendary B-School in 2010. I had never seen such a relatable woman teaching high-end internet marketing in her own way (not complying with industry standards). Enrolling in her program in 2010 supported me immensely to launch an online business, even though in doing so, terror shook me to my core.

Similarly, Danielle LaPorte, creator of The Fire Starter Sessions, another game-changing, then downloadable course (now book) incited a fresh approach to business that inspired, uplifted and broke boundaries. (This product, which profoundly impacted me and the development of my business, later became a legendary book and facilitator training program.)

Marie and Danielle joined forces right after Uranus (the planet of individuality) moved into Aries (a sign that closely relates to self) to produce an event called Selling Your Soul. Uranus entered Aries once and for all in April in 2011, and Selling Your Soul happened in May the same year.

I remember buying my ticket for this event and sitting in the Helen Mills Theater in Chelsea so excited to learn from the two of these smart and successful entrepreneurs about how to create a profitable business from the deepest core of my authenticity (Uranus—authenticity; Aries—self). At that moment, I discovered I could create a company out of blending astrology and coaching.

My professional purpose solidified.

Today, just about every entrepreneur has a personal brand online—a phenomenon that’s empowered us all to use our unique gifts to do what we love, and make money while doing it.

(Side note: A man with one of the most prominent personal brands in the world and an affinity for Twitter is now our president without an ounce of political experience. Also, very Uranian!)

When a planet reaches the end of a sign, often its most potent lessons emerge.

Last week, the interwebs erupted over a controversial program released by Danielle LaPorte, due to offensive marketing.

As an astrologer watching trends, this became very curious to me. Uranus at his final degrees of Aries brings forth his lessons in the most distinct manner. He asks us to own our curriculum in our bones before moving forward.

And because he’s eruptive, his teaching disrupts.

So, with this in mind, the creator of Fire Starter Sessions (a program that aims to help you find your most authentic voice, and make money from it, embodies so many of the Uranus in Aries attributes) falls under intense scrutiny and needs to pull the release of her latest program altogether because not only does it fail to speak to her intersectional audience—it offends.

Right, wrong, good, or bad, Danielle, (let’s give her the benefit of the doubt, and see that she did not intend to offend or hurt anyone), comes to us as a different kind of teacher this time. She demonstrates a powerful lesson; it’s required to do the work of examining and undoing implicit bias.

(Implicit bias runs rampant in the everyday functioning of modern society and it’s essential to not only unpack it, but to also undo it.)

Again, Uranus—disruption on behalf of innovation—in fire sign Aries, at 29 degrees.

Uranus in Aries: The Rise Of Intersectional Feminism

If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know I believe in intersectional feminism. Intersectional feminism supports women no matter their sexual orientation, class, religion, race or privilege.

Kimberlé Crenshaw, an American civil rights activist, and scholar, is credited with the introduction and development of intersectional theory: “the study of how overlapping or intersecting social identities, particularly minority identities, relate to systems and structures of oppression, domination, or discrimination.” More specifically, intersectional feminism “examines the overlapping systems of oppression and discrimination that women are subject to due to their ethnicity, sexuality and economic background… [It is] the view that women experience oppression in varying configurations and varying degrees of intensity.”(2)

To learn more about intersectionality and Kimberlé Crenshaw, please go here.

While, I have so much to learn on this subject, uncover and dismantle in my psyche, intersectionality remains an important concept, value, and movement to discuss.

Uranus In Taurus: Redefining Feminine Power

With Uranus moving into Taurus for the first time in 84 years; my prediction is that you are going to hear the word intersectionality — a lot. More than I can communicate in this post.

Again, Uranus who became castrated by Saturn dismantles power to birth innovation. Looking back on the rise of social media over the last seven years, the personal brand became viable. Suddenly, many more options for employment presented themselves. After all, I rode this wave in my business. 20 years ago, I’d never have a robust international following doing what I do, unless I had television fame. I built my business via blogging on a WordPress site?! SO Uranus in Aries!

Unlike Aries, which is ruled by Mars, Taurus is ruled by Venus. Venus relates to feminine energy, values, money, and relationships. A redefinition of feminine power is going to be the undercurrent of this planetary shift. In many ways, we’ve already seen it coming to fruition. The next seven years with Uranus in Taurus will largely be about breaking down the barriers and limitations around what’s possible for women. We already see the strength of Aphrodite—ruled by Venus—emerging in the #MeToo Movement, in Tony Robbins’ apology, in Beyonce’s performance at Coachella which brilliantly confronted white culture, through the work of white women like Glennon Doyle, and through the fierce—albeit acrimonious response—to Danielle’s launch and her need to not only apologize twice, but actually pull the product from the market.  

Watch out, patriarchy—the feminine is rising!

And newsflash: she’s not a middle-class white woman. She’s not even necessarily “female”. This rise remains intersectional—including the spectrum of gender identity—as well as race and socioeconomic status. If this rattles you, check in and ask yourself why.

I’ve heard that some feel womanhood is under attack, and I’d like to reframe it for you. It’s not under attack. Uranus—heading straight into stable-and-steady, Venus-ruled, fixed-earth Taurus—is disrupting power dynamics that have limited the expression of womanhood for far too long. Along the way, it’s leveling the playing field and opening up potential for various incarnations of embodiment to express themselves.

When does Uranus officially move into Taurus? Well, Uranus likes to do a little bit of dancing with each sign before he commits. His first move will be from May 15th through November 16th, 2018. Then, he’ll retrograde back into Aries until March 6th, 2019. Once Uranus returns to Taurus next year, he will remain there until 2026.

In this period of “dancing” with Taurus, I recommend practicing self-care and stepping more into empowerment as a woman. Read more below, if you choose.

Check Your Privilege.

I write about this in the full knowledge that I am not the teacher here. I am a cisgender, middle-class, white woman and I’ve got much to learn. Therefore, I am not even trying to teach on this subject. Instead, I look to learn from others. I’m doing my best to look to the people I follow who address intersectionality and race with authority: Jamia Wilson, Kelly Diels, Toi Smith, L’erin Alta, Nisha Moodley, Rachel Ricketts, Rachel Cargle, amongst so many others. (Please note, I don’t always agree with everything said by those I follow. I do, however, admire and find tremendous value in their leadership.)

There’s nothing more empowering or inspiring than being in the company of strong, graceful women who dismantle privilege while living their purpose. Women who make other women feel safe. Who invite other women to explore their desires, dreams, and blocks to getting what they want. These women succeed without harming others or denying the legacy of pain surrounding race, social class, and privilege.

Find Comfort in Your Body.

Now’s the time to get cozy with your own sensuality, sexuality, and your primal desires. As I mentioned in my last post—Alex Jamieson is an important person to follow on topic, as she addresses where women haven’t been supported to feel safe in their body. (Alex is a prominent voice for intersectionality, too.) Uranus in Taurus is an epoch where it’ll become crucial to identify where you haven’t felt safe in your body. Then it’s up to you to do the inner work to transform it. Find the support if needed to initiate healing and indeed come home to yourself.

Read.

What does empowerment mean to you? Now is a great moment to define that for yourself. It’s essential, especially as a white, cisgender woman, that I take the initiative to educate myself about systemic injustices that face underprivileged populations. While it can be tempting to ask women of color, or other minorities to explain privilege, it’s ultimately asking them to do the labor for white women. Instead, if you are white, take it upon yourself and do the research. I am exploring these lists by Bustle—(I have not read my way through these yet, I am starting with The New Jim Crow):

18 Books Every White Ally Should Read  (*Reading this list does not make anyone an ally. Doing the work does.)

17 Books On Race Every White Person Needs to Read

Now, I’d love to hear from you! How are you exploring implicit bias in your own life? How are you educating yourself at this critical moment in history? As you look back over the last seven years, is there a theme? Can you see what you’ve accomplished? What has Uranus, the planet of change and revolution, meant for you while it has transited through Aries? Tell me about the challenges you’ve bumped up against. And let me know what you would like to see change for the better in this world. Please share in the comments below!

(1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronus
(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberl%C3%A9_Williams_Crenshaw