As if we haven’t got enough going on with Venus retrograding on the 25th July, the following day Uranus, the “great awakener” also retrogrades.

No one will escape the effects of this retrograde, although Aries will be most strongly affected closely followed by Cancer, Libra and Capricorn.

Uranus only retrogrades once a year, however, when it goes into retrograde on July 25th it will be in this phase for approximately five months.

When earth passes another planet it gives the illusion that the planet slows down, stops and then goes into reverse. Although the planets do not actually spin backwards, they appear as if they do so. Friction is caused as one planet passes by the other and it is this that affects us here on Earth.

As the planets energy is internalised, we also turn everything inwards and this has a powerful impact on what is currently happening in our personal lives.

Uranus, the gigantic ice planet is the ruler of rebellion, freedom, change and revolutions.

Unlike some other planets Uranus is not a gentle retrograde, it is an abrupt and forceful one and it does not give up until we come face to face with areas of our life that desperately require change (even if we are not ready to admit that change is necessary).

Uranus is at its most powerful when retrograding and builds throughout the retrograde period until the internal energy will feel like an explosion.

There is no escaping from Uranus in retrograde; we will be compelled to seek the answers to questions that have eluded us for months or even years and we will leave no stone unturned until we solve the puzzles.

This retrograde will be asking us to take a look at areas of our life that we need freeing and liberating from. Basically, all the usual patterns, barriers and restrictions that we have been allowing to hold us back will be ripped down and torn apart.

As with Venus in retrograde, we will be digging up the past to encrypt and decode it and find some of the answers that have been eluding us. We will not be satisfied until our curiosity has been soothed and we have investigated, questioned, researched and done our homework on what and who has led us to where we are now. And why.

We know that we have repeated so many lessons time and again and there are many parts of our lives that we still do not seem to have fully learned from or completely understood.

We constantly ask ourselves, “Why are the same things being continuously brought to my attention.“

Not any more!

We are at a stage where the energy will be so strong that we will feel it pushing and pulling us in all directions until we finally stand strong and accept: it is time to look at the “whys”—all of them!

No more excuses. There are reasons that we have allowed what we have allowed and we can run, but we cannot continuously hide. We may convince ourselves on the surface that all is “okay” and that we are surviving, but deep down we know the feelings of unrest won’t settle and they won’t just go quietly away.

Uranus is here to break us free from our usual behaviours and ways of thinking. We will feel a strong urge to confront the things that we have been putting off dealing with.

This planet will seek to destruct all that is currently comfortable in our lives, and in doing so it will reconstruct. But when it reconstructs and we build everything back up, we will do so with a more solid and far healthier foundation. This is due to us digging in soul-deep and looking closely at everything that is around us from our closest relationships, to our careers, to our ambitions and lifestyles.

As we look at all of these things we will be looking from an internal perspective and gaining an understanding of what is existing, because it is right for us and what exists just because we have allowed it to, as we are fearful of our alternative options.

Uranus in retrograde is a time for huge transformation. The only thing holding us back from it will be our own ego and our own fear. This retrograde is an opportunity that shouldn’t be taken lightly and we mustn’t allow it to pass by due to our being too afraid to be shaken up.

It’s time to embrace all that we’ve been trying to hide from. To look very closely at who we are, what we want, who is around us and where we are heading. Uranus in retrograde gives us a firm kick in the butt to prevent us from settling into routines that feel too easy for us.

We often fail to achieve our greatest dreams because we become lazy due to what we like to call “calm.”

We are not here to play small. We are on this planet in this life form just for this one lifetime. We have one opportunity to create amazing things and to leave the world a little different to how we found it.

Uranus retrogrades are times that are often seen as where generational changes occur. Great things take place during this period and when we look back in history the Uranus retrograde is the period when most of the biggest shifts in the world have taken place.

It is time to stand tall and to realise we are here to be counted. We must be brave and we absolutely should not risk passing up this chance to take a long hard and very close look at ourselves.

There is nothing to be afraid of.

We are all a mixture of dark and light, we all make mistakes, we all f*ck up from time to time. We just need to make U-turns, go backwards for a little while, reflect and start again. It is not as scary as it seems.

It may feel uncomfortable for a little while, but when we get back on the right path, we will soon find our way again.

Now is the time. We can do this. It isn’t easy, but nothing that is worthwhile ever is. True inner-satisfaction takes work. Hard work. But, the work gets easier and is never in vain.

And… as the Eminem song goes….

“Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted, in one moment. Would you capture it, or just let it slip?”

Relephant:

An Empath’s Guide to Mercury Retrograde.

~

Author: Alex Myles

Editor: Travis May

Photo: Flickr/Tyler Hebert

Bonus: