Saturn and Uranus: Something's Gotta Give

I don't have to have faith. I have experience.

- Joseph Campbell

As Uranus in Aries and Saturn in Libra approach their final opposition, once again we as individuals are thrust into a dynamic battle  between two what these two planetary titans represent. On the surface, Uranus and Saturn don't have much in common. Uranus is the Lord of the unpredictable, revolution, and progression. Saturn, the Lord of time-tested values, tradition and caution. It trusts what it has experienced and what it can feel, taste, touch and smell. It represents earth, is associated with the sign of Capricorn and is willing to wait for years for its beliefs and vision to blossom. Uranus scoffs at the status quo and is enlivened by experimentation and what it thinks may become a cultural touchstone.  The past is the past and it is the future that holds the key. Is Uranus brilliant or reckless? Genius or needlessly eccentric? When Saturn, the part of us which respects the tried and true, opposes this most electric of planets, it seems something's gotta give. The challenge, as with any opposition, is to achieve balance where no one part of ourselves trumps the other. The Uraniun part of ourselves must learn to honor and respect the Saturnian part of ourselves for any progress and any sense of inner peace. 

Also, let's consider the signs these planets are in. The unpredictable and experimental part of Uranus is further encouraged by being in Aries. The first sign of the Zodiac represents how the planet will express itself. The planet being the what and the sign the how. Intuitively, it seems this combination is doubly bent on experimentation and being the first to sniff out a new idea. The inventiveness of Uranus will only be satiated through the bold passionate actions of Aries. It will not be content to only conceptualize as its placement in a fire sign wants ideas that inspire creation. It could lead to brilliant break through's...a sort of magical combination of head and heart (you can see this idea played out in black and white in the classic film Metropolis). But there's a catch! Literally. Saturn in Libra is just as adamant (Ohhhhh, and Saturn is adamant about being adamant) about being patient, cementing bonds based on shared social values and hard-nosed commitment to achieving what's balanced and fair. We could say both Saturn and Libra posses a certain snobbery, placing a premium on refinement and outside impressions. Why risk when we already know what acceptable and valued in the eyes of society and other people? Uranus in Aries wants a revolution...yesterday and may act like an overly excitable child in the eyes of Saturn in Libra. 

There's definitely a tension here that demands our attention and consciousness. Uranus is considered an outer planet, its orbital period three times that of Saturn. It thus takes on more of a collective force being that an entire generation will have the planet in the same sign. That however is a topic for another blog! Don't even get me started on Pluto! For now, it may be helpful to look at what Saturn and Uranus represent to you in your chart and how to honor both. The center must hold as they say. At the end of the day, both want progress although their means may seem very different. Choices, some very difficult, may land on your shore. The degree to which you feel like you are choosing one life over another - or one way to the detriment of the other -  may indicate that you haven't acknowledged how Uranus and Saturn can live under one roof, happily ever after - stronger for having joined forces and making us confront those parts of ourselves that may calcify without the necessary pressure to change and grow. A time has arrived.