Uranus, the sky god, is a trailblazer, a catalyst for change and a lightning striker, illuminating what has become stuck and needs a sharp wake up call. Uncompromising and uncooperative, it fights for tolerance and freedom but can be anarchic and lawless as well as an idealist and humanitarian.
A Uranus Return comes round every 84 years having moved for an individual through the post-teenage rebellion of the first Uranus square at 21 and the midlife crisis of the opposition at 42 years old.
For countries the Return does appear to coincide with historic markers.
The USA had its first Uranus Return in 1860 as the Civil War rapidly approached, spilling out into open clashes in 1861 when Uranus was only one degree over the natal position. Next time round in 1943-44, the USA had just joined WW11 after Pearl Harbor in December 1941 which immediately preceded the Uranus Return. Immediately following the Hiroshima bomb was dropped in 1945. Their next Uranus Return will be in 2027/28.
The UK had its first Uranus Return in 1885 – when the Berlin Conference carved up spheres of influence in Africa for European colonization. The first Irish Home Rule Bill saw an outbreak of hostilities between Catholics and Protestants.
The next Uranus Return in 1969 saw the Irish Troubles start in earnest in Belfast. There were also problems in Southern Rhodesia with Ian Smith splitting away from the UK, declaring independence and a Republic.
In France their first Uranus Return in 1877 oversaw a constitutional crisis which led to the defeat of the Royalists. The second Uranus Return in 1960 saw an insurrection in the French colony of Algeria with outbreaks of violence; and the following year the Paris police infamously massacred unarmed and peaceful pro-Algeria demonstrators, between 40 and 200. Gabon and Mauritania became independent as the French empire went the way of the British. Algeria followed.
Germany’s first Uranus Return in 1955 (after 1871) saw the Cold War hotting up as W Germany joined NATO and the USSR signed a treaty with East Germany.
Russia 1917, had their first Uranus Return in 2000 when Vladimir Putin took over and a particularly brutal 2nd War was being fought in Chechnya.
What does seem to be common themes in the above are divisions and disagreements with political rivals – or with previously dependent countries, demanding freedom.
Thank you very much for this analysis, Marjorie.
I have two follow-up questions which I would love to have you cover in either an add-on or as standalone articles.
(a) Would I be correct in saying that first Uranus Returns for nations seem to almost always involve a section of the nation fighting to become independent?
US – the Confederate States of America/the Civil War
UK – The Irish Land Wars and the first Home Rule Bills for Ireland
Russia – Chechenya
Germany – lost East Germany
The only exception to this observation is France, whose first Uranus Return roughly coincided with the loss of Alsace-Lorraine to Germany.
If the above observations are correct, can you do a chart of the countries that were formed in 1947-50 (particularly India, Pakistan, Israel and the PRC) to see if there would be reignited secessionist movements in any or all of them?
(b) Of the nine countries of the world which are known or suspected to have nuclear weapons, a majority (India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel and the PRC) came into being between August 1947 and October 1949. Was there something in the stars in that period that caused so many of the nations born then to have nuclear weapons?
Thank you as ever for the detailed astrological analysis that you provide here.
I am quite interested in Uranus, partly as it is a personal planet for me.
I think one of the ways that Uranus acts is that it brings up issues that are long buried and not dealt with. You see this with colonial injustices, slavery, exploitation, religious difference, isolationism and so on.
With Uranus going through the UKs 8th house we see many illusions about our place in the world and our finances being exposed, as it was when Uranus was last here in the run up to and early exchanges of the Second World War when the UK had to send its gold to the U S.
Add-on: the foundational Neptune-Uranus conjunction of 1891 was actually conjunct US Uranus. That is when American social and technological innovation began to achieve world prominence. This process reached its peak after the following Uranus return in 1944 and has been maintained for many decades by the transiting Neptune-Pluto sextile. It was severely tested by transiting Uranus square Pluto at the 2016 election and the following US Pluto return, both of which are now abating for the further dramatic challenge of the US Uranus return. Greater challenges lie ahead with the Uranus-Pluto opposition of 2047-48 conjunct the US Moon, with the chart of the US Constitution of 1787 adopted under the last transit of Pluto in Aquarius, afflicted. That is when I would expect a real American dicatorship and second revolution, as the Neptune in Gemini square to Pluto in Pisces approaches in 2067, which probably signals rising seas, a profoundly transformed US and world coastline, severe mass religious psychosis and social disruption, hopefully a renewed spiritual inspiration in the wake of collective suffering the Bible could only imagine. I am very glad I won’t be there.
Looking closer at the US chart, there is the added feature that the country was born in a major conflict against Britain in its original Uranus placement. The decisive battle of Yorktown, which could not have been won without French aid, took place the very year the planet was discovered. This makes the US the original Uranus country, which was confirmed by the Neptune-Pluto civilisation-making conjunction of 1891 directly opposite US Uranus. The tight link between Uranus and a major war in the US chart appears to reflect the interplay between Uranus and Mars, both in Gemini. Uranus at 8 Gemini seems to initiate conflict with a tragic surprise, such as Pearl Harbor. When Uranus reaches Mars at 22 Gemini, there is a major victory, so far. The fact that US Mars is now retrograde might lead to a different outcome, or give the US a background supporting role. The additional element that Mars is square Neptune gives the war a spiritual element, also much moral delusion. Another interesting factor is that Canada’s Uranus is conjunct its Sun at 8 Cancer. There seems to be also an interplay there with US Uranus. Canada’s Pluto at 15 Taurus is currently conjunct transiting Uranus. The only time this happened before was at the beginning of WWII, which Canda joined in 1939 with the UK, two years before the US. This time, Justin Trudeau’s career is likely to end in coming months because of Chinese interference in Canadian elections. The Canadian Uranus-Pluto conjunction appears to lead into, or announce, the US Uranus return.
Re Canada joining WW2 early – it has recently confirmed its support for Ukraine for ‘as long as it takes’, which seems to reflect a marked sense of connection still to Europe/Britain.
Thanks, Andre! Marjorie’s insights about Uranus “illuminating what has become stuck and needs a sharp wake up call. Uncompromising and uncooperative, it fights for tolerance and freedom but can be anarchic and lawless as well as an idealist and humanitarian” and yours about Canada give me uncommon hope for necessary change! Yet I think it involves more than Justin Trudeau being figuratively tossed out unwillingly like a Russian oligarch from a window. I think it involves a fundemental challenge to Canada’s callous, arrogant, greedy, grossly irresponsible, incompetent, intolerant, anti-democratic and/or delusional “elite” very much including Canada’s “legacy” media. Or so I pray!
Great mundane analysis, Andre. I an actively pursuing expatriation largely because I am near certain the U.S. is stumbling towards a major war, one it may well lose. What countries won’t be dragged in is much less clear.