5th Anniversary Astrology ~ The 5th House (Part 2)
So far, we have seen that the fifth is the house of creativity and self-expression. In addition, it is the house that shows how we attempt to distinguish ourselves from others. And as I noted in Part 1, it is colored by the spiritual Piscean Moon’s needs, emotions and mentality. That Pisces Moon is also a reflection of the public’s emotional responses to its (fifth house) creativity. All this and not even a mention of the eccentric Uranus here yet.
The Discovery
Sir William Herschel, an amateur astronomer and professional musician of historical little note, first discovered what he thought was a new comet late in the evening of March 13, 1781. Within months of its sudden, unexpected and “out of the blue” discovery, John Townley tells us1, Uranus2 was recognized as the first trans-Saturnine planet. It is so eccentric that its poles, instead of being in a north/south orientation, are actually almost parallel to the plane of its orbit. In other words, from Earth, it seems to be lying on its side. Now that’s different!
It is perhaps no coincidence that the discovery of Uranus coincides with the adoption of the Articles of Confederation by the Continental Congress (3/1/1781, BTW, the date that I personally consider to be the correct date for the birth chart of the USA), and the year of Cornwallis’s defeat at Yorktown. It was the year that “the world turned upside down.”3 In every sense then the coming of Uranus marked the conception of the Age of Aquarius. This two hundred year gestation period has been marked by revolutions, the struggle for freedom and liberty around the globe, the development of electric power, an exponential period of industrial growth, the development of modern transportation systems, an explosion in the field of communications and the “first step for man” into outer space. All this since that planetary discovery.
Uranus in the 5th
So what does Uranus in Pisces and the fifth house tell us about this chart? Well in addition to what we know about the creativity associated with the fifth, a good deal of unique creative juice is added to it by this eccentric planet. Because of its nature there is the suggestion of sudden opportunities and lucky breaks, all of which can lead to achievement of the Concordance’s goals.
Nor is it isolated in the chart. It is supported by two strong applying aspects, a Trine from the Sun and a sextile from Jupiter, both of which bring surprises, unexpected events, new interests, progressive ideas, and exciting opportunities along with sudden flashes of insight which could increase spiritual awareness. With Uranus in the fifth, especially, these aspects tend to stimulate creativity, excitability, statements of self-will and a desire for liberation. Indeed, Jupiter and the Sun shower the chart with originality, honors, awards and unexpected good fortune from unusual sources. Sounds pretty rosy, huh?
But not so fast. Here we must remember that the actions of any planet in any give house are always felt in it opposing house. There’s an undercurrent of a generational malaise here too…and it comes from the opposition to Saturn in the 11th house that hangs like a pall over the entire proceedings. Here is one of the major archetypal conflicts in all of creation. Saturn, the task master, Father Time, the firm guiding hand of Fate and the Cosmic Parent opposes that planet of rebellion, freedom, uniqueness, the sudden and unexpected. Big time clash, right? But wait a moment. There’s some thing very exceptional about these seemingly polar opposites. They share rulership of Aquarius (the natural ruler of the 11th house).
Saturn, like the other planets (not including the Lights), is given traditional lordship over two signs, Capricorn and Aquarius, while Uranus is afforded the “modern” rulership of the Water Bearer. This, suggests Bil Tierney, is what makes these two seemingly antagonistic planets work together better than might be assumed in as much as they share the social awareness and truth seeking qualities associated with Aquarius. And although Saturn is the natural law giver and Uranus the natural law breaker, they work really well together. Saturn needs to ease up on its restrictive nature while Uranus needs to contain some of its more rambunctious characteristics for the sake of the harmony of the whole.4 Opposed to each other as they are here, the danger in the mundane world of open hostilities breaking out cannot be denied. But then again, this is not a mundane chart we are looking at. It is one that belongs to a spiritual event. As such, this opposition offers a best case scenario of the insight of a deeply spiritual Saturn brought to light by the uniqueness of Uranus’s creative energy.
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1. Townley, John, Uranus, (Samuel Weiser: New York, 1978) p. 15.
2. Ibid., p. 16.
3. Tradition has it that when Lord Cornwallis surrendered at the Siege of Yorktown the British band played a tune by this name, although there is no historical record of it.
4. Tierney, Bil, The Twelve Faces of Saturn, (Llewellyn Publications: St. Paul, 2001) Pp. 272-5.