Guest Astrologer
Donna Cunningham
NeptuneCafe presents
Part One in a series
about Saturn and Uranus
Saturn and Uranus oppose each other on April 26 and July 26, 2010, marking a tempestuous four month interval.
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Saturn-Uranus Aspects
how to reconcile their conflicting elements
She has a Master’s degree in Social Work from Columbia University and over 40 years of experience in working with people. Her ebooks can be found at Moon Maven Publications Visit her blog at skywriter.wordpress.com.
About the Author: Donna Cunningham is an internationally-respected author of books, articles, and columns about astrology, flower essences and other metaphysical topics. Her insights reflect her dual background in astrology and psychotherapy.
The material on this page is excerpted with permission from Donna Cunningham's eBook, titled
Aspects between the Outer Planets: The Outer Planets and Inner Life, v.3
For more information on this and several other of her eBooks, visit www.moonmavenpublications.com
questions, comments? email wolfstar@neptunecafe.com
Are you a Saturn-Uranus Person?
What would make this aspect strong would be for Uranus and Saturn both to form major aspects (conjunction, square, trine, or opposition) to the Sun, Moon, Ascendant, and Midheaven or to several planets, especially in a major configuration like a t-square, Grand Cross, Grand Trine, or multiple conjunction. Major placements in Capricorn and Aquarius would include, again, the Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Midheaven or several planets. An emphasis on both the 10th and 11th houses would add strength to the picture.
One of the comforts of higher learning is finding yourself described in a text by a recognized expert and discovering that you’re not alone but instead are part of an identifiable group. You may have felt that same sense of validation in perusing an astrology book or the pages of this e-zine. The first glimpse of where I belonged in the greater scheme of things came during a college sociology course when we studied the concept of the marginal man. The term refers to someone who straddles two distinct cultures or segments of society, not fitting comfortably into either. Marginal individuals, to use a more inclusive term, may feel rejected by family members, schoolmates, coworkers, and society at large, and thus may struggle with a sense of alienation.
You may fit into that category yourself if you’ve lived with a painful awareness of not fitting in anywhere but forever falling betwixt and between. In the company of conventional, solidly established mainstream folks, are you the misfit whose beliefs and enthusiasms are outlandish or even socially and politically questionable? Among the mavericks and counter-culture denizens, on the other hand, is it your thankless role to urge caution and espouse conventional values? (Have you attempted to mix both groups in your social set, for shock value if nothing else?) If you’re relating to this description, it’s entirely possible that you have a Uranus-Saturn aspect strongly featured in your birth chart or a combination of major Capricorn and Aquarius placements.
Coming soon in Part 2 -
Some Life Patterns of Uranus-Saturn People
“Silly things cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way.”
Jane Austen, EmmaA sweaty-palmed, gut-twisting sense of estrangement permeated my young life. Attending high school in the Corn Belt in the 1950s, I was a social outcast and nerd whose ideas and interests were odd and all too often eyebrow-raising. Yet college classmates of the avant-garde, beatnik
variety viewed me as intellectually unsophisticated and too hopelessly square for more than amused forbearance. The pattern continued through grad school in the mid-1960s. Among political radicals and fervent feminists of New York’s East Village, I was a faint-hearted, barely tolerated hanger-on who stuffed envelopes and showed up for demonstrations. I clung to the concept of the marginal individual as a comforting explanation of this consistent feeling of alienation.
That feeling shifted, finally, with my first astrology classes in 1968. Uranus is the planet most aligned with astrology, and among astrology lovers, I found a spiritual home and a deep sense of kinship. A teacher pinpointed the source of my malaise in a strongly featured Saturn-Uranus conjunction in my11th, the house of friends and groups. That aspect seemed to mirror the earlier estrangement. Some 40 years later, I still won’t ever be main stream, though I’m better at faking it now. It no longer matters—what has made all the difference in loving myself was finding a community of the heart. We’ll look at some esteemed colleagues with Uranus-Saturn aspects, but first, let’s delve into the dynamics of Uranus and Saturn in combination.
Keywords for Uranus and Saturn
mountain; the textbook Aquarian takes off like a rocket. Capricorn works toward time-tested, solid, long-term goals and accomplishments; Aquarius is innovative and thinks outside the box.
Likewise, Saturnians carefully build and maintain form; Uranians smash crystallized patterns, periodically reinventing themselves. Typical Saturnians operate along predictable lines, pragmatically sticking with what works; typical Uranians are known for intermittent flashes of brilliance, but their theories can lack practical application. Saturnians can be mainstream and fairly conservative; Uranians may belong to a counter-culture and even be radical. Here are some other inherent differences:
Comparing keywords and phrases is generally a good starting point for dissecting an aspect, but is especially fruitful with this planetary pair because of the strong contrasts between them. Their signs, Capricorn and Aquarius, are about as dissimilar as two signs can be. The textbook Capricorn slowly climbs the
Do you wonder how Saturn and Uranus can work together at all? The pair-ups in the table above read like a working definition of the external and internal tensions faced by marginal individuals in their betwixt-and-between position. What I’d forgotten—or more likely not fathomed—until rereading the original article recently, was that marginal individuals play a significant role in a society that is in flux.
How Uranians Operate:
Focused on society and social change
Defiant, rebellious living on the edge
Change through information, reason
Sudden, radical change
Seek personal and intellectual freedom
Idealistic, humanitarian
Inventive, intellectual, unique
Zany, eccentric, unconventional
In-your-face, shocking, edgy
Individuated, elitist, unique
How Saturnians Operate:
Focused on results, the bottom line
Compliant, conforming, playing it safe
Change through sweat equity, self-discipline
Preserve the status quo
Find merit in authority and the establishment
Stick with what works
Pragmatic to cynical, realistic, hierarchical
Traditional, conservative, predictable
Cling to respectability, classical/elegant
Want to fit in, but be the best of the best
URANUS-SATURN ASPECTS IN THE BIRTH CHART —
GROUNDED ECCENTRICS AND SANE WEIRDOS
Uranians are: Saturnians are: In Combination They Are:
Saturnians are: In Combination They Are:Independent Self-reliant Self-directed and self-motivated
Self-reliant Self-directed and self-motivatedRational, detached Realistic Clear-headed, not in denial
Realistic Clear-headed, not in denialFuturistic, visionary Far-seeing, historical Able to fit past and future together
Far-seeing, historical Able to fit past and future togetherBrainy, inventive Organized, analytical Able to create and assess possibilities
Organized, analytical Able to create and assess possibilities Fixed in purpose Long-range planners Able to stick with long-term goals
Long-range planners Able to stick with long-term goalsAhead of their times Better as they get older Wise elders of their tribes
Some people with this aspect are more Saturnian, while others are more Uranian. It depends on whether the Saturn/Capricorn emphasis or the Uranus/Aquarius emphasis is stronger in the birth chart, particularly if the Sun, Moon, or Ascendant are involved. Angular house placements or closeness to a chart angle can show areas where the planets’ energies are more easily expressed and indicate which of the two is more apparent to the outside world.
Those born with this combination will likely be going through a tough balancing act, as they take the brunt of the changes inferred by this challenging Saturn-Uranus dynamic. Here's a look at these two archetypes, and some suggestions on how to reconcile their differences.
Game Changers
In attempting to reconcile their own personal inconsistencies, they often find ways to reconcile conflicting elements in society itself, acting as a bridge between them. They invent or espouse solutions that blend the best of the old with the best of the new.
For the past several decades, as the rate of change and disintegration of old forms has been rapid and relentless, they are more valuable than ever. Individuals with these aspects make the mixture pay off by merging the best qualities of both planets in ways like these:
If Saturn were on the Midheaven squared by Uranus in the 12th, for instance, the person might be conventional and even successful in career areas but indulge the rebel/maverick side with a secret life like that seen in edgy online communities. There is danger of exposure in such covert pursuits, especially during transits to these positions, and yet the element of risk may only enhance the excitement.
Worried about the Cardinal T-square of Pluto, Saturn, and Uranus?
See a huge collection of useful articles on how to handle those transits by over 50 talented astrologers.
The International Astrology Day Blogathon will help you sort it out at:
