You may know your "big three" signs, but getting to know the roles of all the planets in your birth chart can grant you a much deeper understanding of astrology….and yourself! In this series, the team at VICE Horoscopes explain each planet, and how it correlates to your natal chart.There’s no planet in our solar system as quirky and eccentric as Uranus. Not only is the planet’s axis at a near 90 degree angle—causing it to orbit the sun in a sideways motion—but it also rotates in a retrograde motion opposite the sun and the rest of the planets (except for Venus). As the first planet to be discovered in modern history, Uranus has also become an astrological symbol of progress, science, and disruption of the status quo. While Mercury is traditionally associated with technology, Uranus is often referred to as the “higher octave” in some schools of astrology, leading it to be a symbol of electricity and the internet.
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Before the discovery of Uranus, the sun and moon governed one sign each, and the planets each ruled two signs, reflecting a symmetrical relationship between the planets and the zodiac. After the outer planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (we still call Pluto a planet in astrology) were discovered, they each became a modern ruler of Aquarius, Pisces, and Scorpio, respectively. Unlike the rest of the planets, however, Uranus is the only one named after a Greek sky deity—Ouranos, the father of mythological Saturn—instead of a Roman one.Uranus is also the planet with the coldest atmosphere in our solar system, so it makes sense that it’s the modern ruler of Aquarius, the sign occupying mid-winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Astrologically, Uranus is associated with extremes, breakthroughs and breakdowns, limitlessness, and being an outsider. While Saturn is the planet of limitations, Uranus is the planet that seeks to push past them—it’s the inventor or “mad scientist” of the solar system. Saturn is about preserving tradition while Uranus is about bulldozing old structures to create a new paradigm. Uranus is anything but conventional. In your chart, the planet reflects your sense of uniqueness, and which relationships or areas of life you’ll experience chaos, liberation, rebellion, and genius insights.As an outer planet, Uranus takes a very long time to make a full orbit around the sun—about 84 Earth years— and spends approximately seven years in each sign. Astrologically, some of the most significant Uranus transits you’ll experience in your life occur between the ages 20-22, 27-29, 40-42, 55-57, and 63-65, when the planet of disruption makes a square (from 20-22 and 63-65), trine (from 27-29 and 55-57), and opposition (from 40-42) to your natal Uranus. These transits are times when we experience shocking changes or sometimes make wild and unexpected adaptations in our lives that surprise others. It’s no coincidence that the Uranus opposition and trine occur during phases of life often referred to as a mid-life crisis. To live in synchronicity with Uranus is to live authentically and to make changes that reflect who you are as you evolve, even if that means shaking up the status quo.
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That said, Uranus can be anywhere in relation to your sun sign, making it important to check your chart to know where it was located when you were born. To find your Uranus sign, plug in your birth date, time, and location to your preferred birth chart generator and find the symbol that looks like a crossed H perched on top of a circle. (The planet’s original name was “Herschel” after the astronomer who discovered it, which is the reason for the H glyph.) The European Uranus glyph looks like a Mars glyph (a circle with a pointed arrow attached) with a dot in the center. Because Uranus changes signs every 7 years, you will likely have this sign in common with people in your age range, give or take.Once you’ve figured it out, read what our team of astrologers at Astro Guide have to say about your Uranus sign!
Uranus in Aries
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Uranus in Taurus
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Uranus in Gemini
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Uranus in Cancer
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Uranus in Leo
Uranus in Virgo
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Uranus in Libra
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Uranus in Scorpio
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Uranus in Sagittarius
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Uranus in Capricorn
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