Uranus Opposition is dubbed the “mid-life crisis” and occurs around age 42. Some have called this time a “quickening of the soul”, a “breakthrough” (also a breakdown), and liberation. It is a significant time that challenges the status quo and can shake up your life and for many, it’s having the rug pulled out from underneath them. The Uranus Opposition can be a powerfully transformational period.
As the first planet to be discovered, and through the use of machinery, via the telescope, Uranus is associated with science and technology, and with ground breaking or cutting edge developments. Uranus is curious and wants nothing more than to break new ground or shake up stagnant routines, rituals or beliefs. One common prediction for a Uranus transit is to “expect the unexpected”, so unpredictable is its influence.
Uranus represents independence and freedom. The underlying mission of any Uranus transit is to inspire, encourage or coerce you to make a change that gives you freedom. The goal is to help shift you into a more inspiring existence, one that is aligned with your authentic self. Safety, security and playing it safe hold no interest to Uranus.
Kelly Surtees
Why around 42? It takes Uranus about 84 years to move through the zodiac and the 64 Gates of the Human Design Mandala. The mid-point is 42 years; however, Uranus spends significant portions of a year in retrograde. So Uranus Opposition, which is when Uranus ♅ moves 180° from natal Uranus, does not occur exactly 42 years later.
As much as Uranus Opposition can feel like it’s come out of nowhere, we would have felt a nudge years prior. However, we may not be aware of its meaning or we may have chosen to ignore it. Mid-life events consist of four astrological configurations – Pluto ♇ square Pluto, Neptune ♆ square Neptune, and the second Saturn ♄ Opposition. In Astrology, these planets represent generational themes. Each has a different focus and can be quite an impact period of several years.
Uranus & 1781
It’s said that when we are ready, the teacher will show up. When our consciousness is ready, we begin to shift our perception. And as we do this, new things come into our field and new understanding of old concepts as well. In 1781, Uranus came into our view when William Herschel’s observation of it was recorded.
The date was March 13, 1781. Uranus was 24°27′ in Gemini. This is Gate 12. In Dreamrave, Gate 12 is a Portal Gate, bringing into the waking realm the potential of mutation. Gate 12 is Standstill, or Caution. Being an Individual Gate and part of the only social channel of the Individual Circuitry (which brings mutation and creativity), Gate 12 is “the quality of restraint and the importance of mediation and inaction in confronting temptation.” This is an energy that is available when in the mood, an indicator of our evolution – being available and engaging when it is correct or have clarity.
In Human Design, 1781 is an important year, a marker for when we shifted from a 7-centred to a 9-centred form, along with the mutation of the visual cortex. While our consciousness has not entirely shifted, we live with a very different bioform, one that has a new cognitive architecture. A new consciousness has been rising, mutating into its future form. The way we think, store information, process the world, be, and see expanded to include the receptive. This is what we call Right, Rightness, or right-oriented in Human Design. This indicates a different approach to life, one that is not strategic. People who carry Rightness are built differently and act as a deep library and a resource.
With Uranian bodies, our lifespan is no longer Saturnian-based and our development also takes longer. Unlike in previous times, we cannot expect ourselves and our children to have it “figured out” by the time someone is 14/15 years of age. Now, we are still children before our Saturn Return, around age 30. The focus before then is nourishing the brain and body, and discovering ourselves, allowing ourselves to explore and experiment, without commitment to work. We do not have to choose a guild to apprentice with. The old milestones no longer apply, yet they continue to be as we are still very much conditioned by the old 7-centred, Saturnian consciousness.
With a cycle of 84 years, which is a natural and minimum human life cycle since 1781, around age 42 we experience our mid-life. It is often experienced as a crisis as we are uninitiated, unprepared, and have lost connection to our natural flow.
Uranus is the symbol of whatever challenges the absolute validity and upsets the patterns of a Saturnian type of organization. Uranus is the energy of inconsistency; it introduces solutions of continuity and breaks in the logical order of a traditional, well-ordered process of activity or of thought. It is the waterfall that interrupts violently the peaceful continuous flow of the river’s water. The waterfall is noisy, dramatic; and it makes potentially available electric power. Anything that interrupts the steady flow of energy makes possible the release of power. Uranus releases power or the potentiality of usable power.
Dane Rudhyar
Uranus Opposition & Mid Life Change
Relating to the midlife transition, Carl Jung identified five stages – accommodation, separation, liminality, reintegration, and individuation. These are stages that begin prior to the transition itself and can bring to the surface compensatory values, incongruent beliefs and unconscious direction taken in the first half of life. The imbalance that exists can come as a shock, in the form of big life events such as divorce, major health challenge, and some other profound “disruption”.
Uranus Opposition may be less of a lightning strike if we have been living from our inner compass. For everyone, it is still a time of change. We shift from South Node themes and energies to those of our North Node. The South Node is where we begin our life, our past experience, past life, what we’ve brought into this life, which is a comfort, familiarity, and perhaps a mastery of. The North Node is where we are moving toward and here to learn about and experience. As these are opposite points, they are a polarity to each other. Someone like myself who has a North Node in Aquarius in my astrology chart has the South Node in Leo. The archetype of Aquarius is very different – polar opposite – to that of Leo. There is a tension that can feel difficult, such is a theme that we are here to learn from.
Nodes in Human Design
In Human Design we have two sets of Nodes as we have two sets of data points. The Personality activations are the astrological information at the time of birth and the Design, 88° prior on the solar arc. The Design Nodes represent our environment and the Personality Nodes represent our perspective. They are the being and the seeing. The Nodes are the storyline of our life.
Many factors come into play in this movement and Uranus Opposition. In my own case, as I move from my South Nodes to my North Nodes, I move from a defined centre to an undefined centre, from consistent energy to inconsistent energy. My environment moves from a collective energy to a tribal one. My perceptive moves from a logical collective energy to an abstract collective one. Both of my South Nodes form a channel with my Personality Sun and Earth and play a significant part in who I think I am.
In Human Design, we also see that our Design rules the South Node and Personality, the North Node. What this means is to see the Personality South Node as it relates to the Design side, or the body, rather than through a Personality value. In other words, how does the body/vehicle influence the Perspective (Personality nodes)?
You can also look at your Nodal movement through the Nodal cycle, which is 18.6 years. As well, the mid point can provide major insights. Looking at your life events at these times can yield important insight.
As you can see, there are many ways we can look at this movement of the Nodal energies through our Uranus Opposition. The Nodes tell the story of our life.
Just as Solar Return charts can show the themes of the year, Uranus Opposition and other cycle charts can do the same. These cycle charts indicate the themes and energies available. The themes, however, do not change our imprint and so we continue to navigate with our Strategy, Authority, and Cognition.
As Carl Jung has shown, our midlife and Uranus Opposition are not a singular point in time and we have our own approach and integration rhythms. It can take years for the insights to surface more fully and for us to integrate them.
Your Uranus Opposition
Use this transit calculator to find out the date(s) of your Uranus Opposition. How to : complete the top section with your birth information and select Uranus under both “Transit” and “Natal” from the dropdown menu and 180/opposition for “Aspect”. This will give you the dates from birth when Uranus is in opposition (or 180° from where Uranus is at birth), as well as the zodiac degree and house. Since Uranus spends approximately five months each year in retrograde, you’re likely to get multiple Uranus opposition hits as this planetary sphere moves into/out of retrograde.
Mid-life transition can arrive in a haze because of the astrological energies prior to our Uranus Opposition. This transition then can come as a crisis, one we may not be well-resourced to navigate. As systems such as Human Design spread in the collective, more people can be equipped with knowledge on how to navigate challenging and identity-dismantling times. Uranus Opposition can bring unexpected and abrupt change and connecting with our inner process helps us see what is happening with greater acceptance and ease. For many the seeing happens later, so trust in our own process and anchor in self-love will help us move through these and all times. For myself, I got more deeply into different kinds of astrology, found support in my community, and leaned into my own self-care practice. It was not an easy time and marked a significant shift in my life. I can say that I connected with myself and discovered self-love in profound deep ways.
As a reminder from Gate 12, we must be in the mood to engage. Is there life force available? The lessons of Uranus Opposition point to a more individual way of living life, rather than from a tribal obligation. The emergence from our Uranus Opposition can take longer than what our mind desires or is comfortable with, so having compassion and love toward ourselves is an essential part of surrendering to the depth of the process.
