The Saturn-Uranus Opposition By Eileen McCabe

I found a great article about the clash of the titans energy that all around right now....
http://www.astrologynyc.org/Resources/Saturn-Uranus.pdf

The Saturn-Uranus Opposition
By Eileen McCabe

Astrologers have always argued over whether it’s fate or free will. Do the transits

happen to us or are they a reflection of what is occurring within our own psyches? Will
the transits define the outcome or is it about how we psychologically respond to a
particular planetary archetype? As Carl Jung once said “when an inner situation is not

made conscious, it happens outside as fate. Which brings us to the Saturn/Uranus
opposition of 2008-9.

It’s obvious that the two nominees now running for President of the United States
symbolically reflect what is taking place within the collective unconscious. Do people
choose tradition, convention, and experience or do they choose new ideas, change and
uncharted territory? The same could obviously be said for our own personal lives. Since
any opposition is a relational aspect, we usually identify with one planet over the other
and then project the other onto someone or something outside of ourselves. The problem
with that though is that we wind up in a very polarized situation where there is tension
and little compromise.

While we may be more identified with Saturn or Uranus based on our own
horoscope configurations, we are all conservative and status quo where we have Saturn
and seek creative change and freedom where we have Uranus. We experience Saturn as
oppressive external authority until we take responsibility for our own lives. We complain
about the unpredictability or instability of other people until we own our own need to
overthrow the limitations and constrictions that block our creativity. If the goal of
psychological health is the integration of the many different aspects of who we are as
human beings then the upcoming Saturn/Uranus opposition becomes an extreme
manifestation of what individuals and society are dealing with on a regular basis.


We need structure and stability in our lives but not at the expense of our
uniqueness and individuality. Is the structure of your life stifling the parts of yourself
that are left unrealized and frustrated? Or, is the structure of your life providing a
container from within which you can be a creative force of change in your own life and in
society? Do the cultural norms and values of society reflect the individual needs of all its
citizens or not? These are some of the questions that we may have to ask ourselves as
individuals and as a society during this time.


Saturn and Uranus are antithetical to each other and that makes this opposition
even more dramatic. If you remember 1965-66, or if you were born during that time,
then you will have no problem understanding the intensity of what this opposition holds
in store for all of us during 2008-9. The 60’s were an explosion of creativity, social
upheaval and change but it could not have come into existence if there wasn’t a
counterforce resisting that change to the status quo. While the Saturn/Uranus opposition
of the 1960’s was a chaotic and explosive time, real change was then integrated into the
very fabric of our society. It is hard for us today to even imagine that African-American
citizens were actually told to move to the back of the bus. It will be equally unthinkable
in many years from now to think that gay people didn’t have the right to legal marriages.
This is not to present an idealistic or rosy picture of this configuration. I can’t
think of two more opposing and antithetical energies working at the same time in our
lives and in society. We can all feel the rumblings of inevitable change and yet we have
no real clue as to what this really means or how it will actually manifest both individually
and societal. We may all feel restless for a revolution in our lives but not at the expense
of losing a foundation. We need structure but not at the expense of our individuality.
Where you have Saturn-in-Virgo transiting in your horoscope right now, you need
to be responsible, patient, and mature and answer to the demands of your life. You are
also seeking a grasp on the details of your life, a need for clarity and a sense of
perfectionism. Where you have Uranus-in-Pisces transiting, the waters are rising and you
may feel flooded with a deep need and desire to somehow radically change and alter the
preexisting patterns of your life. One planetary energy represents a sense of order and
cohesion while the other symbolizes the watery depths of the unconscious that is
beckoning you to sever and overthrow whatever is limiting your spiritual and creative
yearnings.


Whether it is actual flooding in various parts of the country and/or a tsunami
stirring in your own psyche, even the rings of Saturn cannot prevent the archetypal power
of an outer planet transit. Whatever is repressed either personally or in society eventually finds its way into consciousness no matter what the cost. Accidents, shocking news, sudden reversals, the unpredictable forces of nature and/or a conscious decision to alter the course of one’s life; Uranus is the great messenger of divine discontent compelling us to free ourselves of outmoded karma.


Saturn is the builder and the voice of time and authority. Saturn says we need to
move slowly and to make changes in increments so as not to cause damage to preexisting
structures. The Saturn type personality values tradition, continuity and a sense
of stability. Saturn is also the great teacher, the toll we must pay before we can develop
ourselves on higher levels. Uranus is the complete opposite in that it is without
sentimentality and a loyalty to tradition because its only goal is to express and fulfill the
individuated needs of the soul. While Saturn is wisdom and experience, Uranus is a
cosmic intelligence and brilliance that brings novelty, unconventionality and a new
vision.


It is inevitable with this configuration that there will be moments of extremism. If
there is too much chaos and revolution, Saturn will enter to bring back a semblance of
order and normalcy. If there is a clamping down on the rights and freedom of any group
of individuals, the more there will be a need for social and political activism. With an
opposition, you can’t have one without the other. Who or what will be the force of
tradition in your life, and who and what will symbolize an unbridled creative force that
can’t be stifled? Let’s not forget that Uranus is not just about personal individuation but
the realization of one’s unique contribution to the evolvement of consciousness. If
Uranus is a cosmic messenger, how will your particular genius express itself in the
world? On a societal level, how do you see your cosmic destiny, your contribution to the
scheme of things? With Uranus, we awaken to the truth of ourselves and finally live out
who we really are without making any apologies.

As we know, there will be three different oppositions at different degrees of
mutability. The first will be on November 4, 2008 at 18 degrees Virgo/Pisces and then
on February 5, 2009 at 20 degrees and then on September 15, 2009 at 24 degrees. On a
personal level, if you have planets or angles at these degrees, it is safe to say that you will
experience great intensity and change in relation to those areas of your life. In many
ways, the destiny of your personal life right now may mirror the forces of change in the
collective unconscious. While transits come and go throughout our lives, there are times
when a force greater than ourselves moves us forward to new horizons. I think this will
be one such moment for all of us.

Copyright 2008 www.astrologynyc.org
Eileen McCabe, LMSW is a clinical social worker and an astrological teacher and
counselor with a private practice in New York City. She presently serves as President of
the New York Chapter of NCGR and may be contacted at
EILEENMCCABE@msn.com