Uranus reverses its Aries advance tomorrow morning shortly before 6 am EDT. Mercury turns back on its Leo course just after 10 pm EDT Saturday night. For Mercury and Uranus to initiate their respective retrograde periods at nearly the same time is an unusual event. Unusual events in astrology frequently correspond to exceptional times in the world. In this case, you may soon expect to find yourself part of an extraordinary and unanticipated correspondence as the direction and nature of your daily routine takes a sudden and unexpected turn into the course of history.
In the words of Robert Hand, “Mercury is the everyday routine, in that it signifies the nature of your casual exchange with the world around you.” Mercury retrograde periods get your attention precisely because they disrupt your routine. Disruption, on the other hand, is routine for Uranus.
The unanticipated discovery of Uranus in 1781 was the essence of disruption. Taking place between the unprecedented events that were the American and French revolutions, the observation and identification of Uranus as a planet initiated a new period in history which, even now, challenges human beings to catch up to the fact that routine is gone forever. The Uranus retrograde station tomorrow symbolically continues the process of pressing us into yet further change by setting up the next of a series of square aspects with Pluto.
Earlier this year, Eric called Uranus square Pluto “The defining aspect of our era in history.” It is the single phenomenon behind all of our current astrology and its interpretation. It is the dominant symbolic presence which connects all current events, both public and personal.