On May 15, 2018, Uranus made its first Ingress into Taurus. This transit is the most major planetary movement of 2018 and is one of several concurrent planetary movements and patterns that suggests we are entering a pivotal time of epochal change in the world -- one that has been building and developing for quite some time.

In general, outer planet movements in astrology often denote major shifts in the mass psyche and mark generational patterns. This is because the planets that are furthest out in the solar system move the slowest through the zodiac, and therefore have a more sustained impact over a greater period of time – creating long-term evolution in the area where the influence is traveling. These energies are distilled through changes in society during the time period that they are active, as well as in people born during those periods who embody the struggles and gifts of each placement.

The planet of Uranus – awakening, disruptive, electric, technological, individualistic – entering the sign of Taurus – fixed, focused, earthy, feminine, material – is an energy that brings change to our tangible experience very directly. Taurus is a sign that governs money, the environment, physical earthly life, and stubborn, deeply rooted habitual attitudes. Taurus, in many ways, represents the bedrock of society – the well-established norms and unchanging forces that allow us to feel stable. Whether or not we enjoy or love these forces, they are accepted and maybe even taken for granted, because they feel so essential and immovable.

When Uranus comes into the picture, however, those definitions change and they change quickly and in often surprising ways. Uranus is a thunderous energy that causes eruptions and volatility, sudden flare-ups, and dramatic, unexpected events that alter perceptions forever. In the sign of Taurus – the bedrock is shaky, fixed perspectives are at their breaking point, and the physical world is no longer as it has seemed.

The coming 7-8 years, as Uranus travels through this sign, promise to bring immense, tangible change to that which is immediately apparent and relevant to our lives: economic systems, the health of the earth and environment, as well as the function and use of esoteric and earth based knowledge in a modern society that has largely lost touch with such information, and/or struggled to find significant, grounded application for it.

One major message that I received for this transit is: “In order to shift the tangible reality (Taurus) – the intangible (Uranus) must become tangible” … this, I feel, summarizes much of what I am going to share in the coming sections.

So without further ado, I’d like to begin breaking down my thoughts on this transit by topic.

First, Uranus in Taurus in the Greater Astrological Matrix

(Note: I strongly suggest also reading my articles on the Lunar New Year, Saturn in Capricorn & Jupiter in Scorpio for further depth and additional layers)

Timeline of Uranus in Taurus Transit:

Uranus first enters Taurus: May 15-November 7, 2018
Uranus returns to Aries via Retrograde: November 7, 2018-March 5, 2019
Uranus returns to Taurus for remainder of transit: March 6, 2019 – July 7, 2025 (with retrograde November 8, 2025-April 26, 2026)

No planetary movement ever exists in a vacuum. It is always a part of a larger picture of planetary movements that augment the interpretation of a transit – and also give specificity to a transit’s impact from one period of history to another.

The last time that Uranus transited through Taurus was 84 years ago from 1934 to 1942. This was a time period that historically followed a worldwide economic depression and culminated in the beginning of World War II (1938-45). Although there are many things about the present day’s Uranus Taurus transit that will make this period of time quite different from the last – many of the themes which were active from that period are likely to recur and be rewritten now. Economic systems, collective ideals & attitudes around what creates stability in our social organizations, and the role of technology in human progress are among the topics that will be especially considered and likely to cause friction.

When considering the long range, I feel that it can be reasonably stated that the events leading into WWII and their aftermath officially “set the stage” for much of what has occurred since. The evolutionary arc of most people living today arose from the rubble of this extremely harsh and tumultuous period in world history and our collective cultural outlook has been deeply influenced by it. The atrocities, the reasons that they came to be, and the subsequent growth determined what we collectively agreed upon as acceptable from there on out. In like fashion, I see the events of the next 7-8 years to be similarly pivotal.

In the present day Astrological picture, this transit of Uranus through Taurus comes at an interesting time. Particularly, Uranus crossing into Taurus also coincides with Saturn’s transit through its two signs of natural rulership: Capricorn & Aquarius. Pluto is also moving through the same territory (albeit much slower) at the same time. Uranus in Taurus indicates significant shifts in the foundations of life and Saturn & Pluto in the signs that relate specifically to greater society, social order and government throughout this transit suggest major social overhaul and structural change at both the fundamental and larger societal levels.

Because of this alignment, the earlier years of the transit will feel very real. We will be grappling with situations directly, and as a society, that have a physical impact on our lives. This will come to the greatest level of intensity in 2020 when Saturn, Pluto AND Jupiter all align in Capricorn – this, in particular, can be considered a major turning point/breaking point. We will not be able to turn away from the change – it will not be something running in the background, ignorable. Change will be coming right to our doorstep, whether we want it to, or not. The issues at hand will feel intractable, but the pressures to change will continue to build and increase until it can no longer be contained. Expect change to burst forth explosively and violently in all areas where stagnation has gone on too long, and swiftly and surprisingly in all areas where progress has been allowed to naturally unfold.

After 2023, when Saturn leaves Aquarius, there will be a tone shift. At this point Pluto will cross into Aquarius, and Saturn will travel through the sign of the collective unconscious and dreams, Pisces. This undoubtedly will bring about a deep reckoning of where we are going as a society, and a clearing/awareness of what hidden remnants might be left behind from the previous years’ destruction of status quo.

By the time Uranus leaves Taurus, Saturn and Neptune will both transit into Aries, leaving only Pluto left in the “collective” oriented signs of the zodiac. By the time that this occurs the world will have shifted incredibly, and the focus of the collective energy will be largely on more direct, individual-oriented issues. When Pluto finally crosses into Aries some decades later (2068), perhaps that is when our collective work of transition from the age of Pisces to the age of Aquarius might be fully established.

All in all, this is one of the most potent times of transition and revolution that we have seen in a long time, as so much energy is focused not only on the fundamentals (Taurus), but also on the major pillars of society and collective consciousness.

So now that we’ve got that overview and context, let’s get specific about what types of changes might we expect during this period…

Body Consciousness & The Integration of Earth Energies

Although this might not be the most obvious external influence, for me it was one of the first messages I got regarding the Uranus-Taurus transit. As a person who practices Internal Chinese Martial Arts (Tai Chi Chuan, Baguazhang, Qigong), this was something immediately relevant to my work and day-to-day teaching.

The sign of Taurus is a bodily sign – and Uranus is the planet that relates directly to the divine mind & consciousness. As an intuitive and energetic practitioner, this immediately tells me that issues of body and consciousness are going to come to much greater relevance throughout this period.

Where does your consciousness sit in your body? Are you aware that it can be directed, moved, and utilized? How do we even begin to sense the deeper consciousness in a physical, tangible way?

The era where the energetic arts are hidden in secret sects and mystery schools and/or written off as quackery is coming to an end. More and more people will be needing access to energetic embodiment practices and health care services in order to find better physical health and basic equilibrium, as most of us experience a great deal of energetic bombardment in our modern, high stress, high tech lifestyles. With Uranus in Taurus, it all won’t seem so “kooky” or weird anymore. In part, mainstream consciousness will (as it already has) start to adjust more to the ideas. The quality of the information, practitioners, etc. will also improve and evolve.

Throughout this period, the ways in which we have drifted from embodiment and connection to nature, as well as how this impacts us in a concrete way, will become increasingly evident. For those who are already involved with embodiment and consciousness refinement work, the integrity and realness of this work will be tested, and there is a potential for tremendous growth as we find more and more ways to bring modern understandings and realities (Uranus) to ancient nature-based techniques and teachings (Taurus). At the same time revolutionizing (Uranus) the modern frameworks for understanding reality (Taurus) to incorporate this new information more widely (Uranus).

In this way, I expect that ancient sciences and cosmological practices will not only gain more traction culturally, modern sciences will also start to “catch up to” this information. Deeper understandings of the functional aspects of intuitive and spiritual work will start to emerge within practitioners who are/have been working with these perspectives, as well as in a society that is grappling with environmental crisis.

The other element to this that I see goes back to my initial comment that “in order to shift the tangible -- the intangible must become tangible” – and what that means from this perspective is that consciousness must become totally embodied (not just floating around in our heads or in the atmosphere) in order for us to manifest, real, sustained and sustainable change down on the ground. Actions taken on a mental/intellectual level only will not work for sustained change.

The whole problem that created our current situation was a human need to mechanize and intellectualize matter. Along the way, our true connection to matter became “mind over matter.” The reframe that I see at this juncture, which is the most profound – is “mind within matter.” What if everything we can touch, see and feel is sentient? How would we change our approach to life if this were so?

Because here’s the dig – in many ways, our survival and health is dependent on conscious embodiment, e.g. intentionally uniting the consciousness of the mind/spirit with the physical body and physical world. In the world of crazy technology and urbanization, chemical drugs, pesticides, processed food, etc – without embodiment, we will never feel quite “right,” because almost everything is working against us and we have no idea how to work with available natural resources. But on the other side – the more that we do become embodied, the more that our personal consciousness starts to resonate with earthly consciousness. The more that destructive practices to ourselves, as well as to the earth, become disturbing to us.

While this is painful, it is also necessary. Humans must intentionally embody & reconnect with the energy of the earth in order to bring healing to the earth and the wounded relationship within us and between us.

This is also an important process to face and transmute human trauma equally to earth trauma. In order for us to fully ground, we must be able to pass through the centers of our body that store the deepest, darkest pain. That is, in order to connect with earth energy in a fully grounded way, we need to deal with what’s happening within us first. Earth energy can be of assistance, however – as natural places, objects and medicines can help us clear distortions that manmade places & products cannot replicate. Earth energy naturally digests, transmutes, and heals all that is thrown into it. By working in connection with the earth, together with its energy in a symbiotic rather than parasitic manner, both humanity and the planet can experience transformation.

Environmental Progress & Technology

Following that note, throughout this time period I also expect to see major changes to how we look at and deal with environmental issues. The aforementioned dynamic of deepening embodiment within people is one piece of how I see this coming about -- but bigger and more direct will be weather patterns, contaminated resources, and other such situations and their effect on populations, that will create a sea change in the environmental conversation.

Uranus is an unpredictable and stormy planet – and under this influence erratic weather patterns are likely to intensify, along with other ecological disasters – jolting us out of complacency and into action. At the same time, Uranus is a planet that also relates to technology. Very likely, new innovations will be developed to lessen ecological impact, assist in earth clean up, and also help us deal with the effects of intensified weather.

Farming and environmental agencies will face major adjustments to their practices – but the impact will likely spread to all areas of our lives where earth resources are involved (papers, fuel, use of chemicals in products, mass production of foods/animal products). More and more people are going to want products that are natural, sustainable, and not chemically loaded. Alternative methods to deal with preservatives, composting of trash, etc, may come into the picture as well.

Revolution of the Economic Structure

At present, the economic structure throughout the world is highly government-based with citizens having very little control over how their tax dollars get utilized. Our class-based social structure leads to oppression and suffocation of the many with freedom and mobility afforded by the very few. In addition to this, people who are concerned about matters of economic justice and the intelligent use of resources to create sustainable infrastructure, are severely limited by powerful entities that hold more wealth and power.

Just as conflicts over wealth and the distribution of resources were the root of mounting tensions between nations in the pre-WWII days, the world today is faced with mounting tensions between corporate entities/governments and people (Saturn in Capricorn/Pluto in Capricorn & Jupiter in Scorpio, of course, also contribute to this state of affairs). If these larger forces of power are unable to change, the influence of Uranus in Taurus at this particular time has the effect of enabling and inspiring people to work around oppressive economic structures, effectively breaking it apart from the bottom. Many astrologers have discussed this possibility coming about through the rise of cryptocurrency (digital "one world" currencies) but it could occur in any number of ways where the people-based freedom granted through technology (Uranus) overrides and erodes the current economic foundation (Taurus). However new economic solutions manifest, people will opt to find ways where they can be more self reliant and less dependent upon failing & stagnant economic systems.

In the broad picture, the world might also see a shift in the current “Super Powers” as it pertains to the wealth of nations. This could very well be tied to the different ways that technology allows citizens to connect and exchange resources/information.

Cultural Mind to Reality Manifestation

Due in large part to social media & social sharing apps, we have already witnessed immense change in how the cultural “hive mind” operates and directs change in society. Social media has become an integral part of how we receive news & information as well as how people are able to instantly share on-the-ground footage of real time events.

Throughout this period, technology will continue to have a massive effect on the evolution of society. The cultural mind to reality manifestations will take root much more quickly and directly – and methods to use technology for a wide variety of practical day-to-day life applications, will continue to be streamlined and integrated.

The power of individuals to create life as they see fit is only going to keep growing and solidifying with the freedoms offered through technological means. The result being that new social, economic and other systems will be born. Individuals have more power than ever to assert their voice and vision and create “something” out of “nothing.”

Even as pushes for greater regulation and censorship of digital resources, as well as attempts to sway the masses with falsified information may come down from the powers that be -- ultimately, I feel the energy is supportive of private individuals and companies overcoming attempts to seize the collective will. The information and truths that are able to be shared online will continue to shock and awaken people's most basic core understandings, such that there will come a point of no return in the priorities/understanding of every day people. Guided by the choices and realizations we make as a collective at this time -- technology, and its place in our lives, will likely begin to solidify into a new order that becomes the foundation of future developments, and shapes the way we move through the world for decades to come.

If individuals stay focused and empowered, there is incredible potential for great progress in a totally new direction. One we have not seen before in our history.

Shifts in Masculine / Feminine Roles … The Value in Emotional Intelligence

Among many issues that have come up since Uranus began a new cycle through the zodiac in 2010, human rights issues have been a major one. Uranus governs the ideals of an equal society where everyone’s unique genius is a respected, appreciated and essential contribution to the whole. As Uranus traveled through Aries, the sign of the individual, marginalized social groups from all over the world began to speak out against oppressive social structures of all kinds. Individual voices were not only able to be heard in new ways (through social media and technology) – but were becoming valued over the homogenized ideals presented as truth up until this point. Every individual has a voice, everyone has something to offer.

As Uranus begins its transit through the sensual, feminine sign of Taurus, the female voice in particular, is receiving a boost of independence. Women’s issues and feminine roles will be seeing continued shifts – and women may be at the forefront of many innovations & evolutions at this time.

In addition to this, since Taurus is about ingrained attitudes & values, there will likely also be a softening (or breaking apart) of outdated outlooks in all areas of the social spectrum encompassing many groups – as more feminine traits of intuition, empathy, and caring come to be more valued in general. The overall attitude that these traits are weakly emotional, foolish and unproductive can start to fall apart as the social agreements shift more towards embracing and truly understanding the other rather than marginalizing them.

The equalization of groups is something that will continue to evolve and become even more powerful as the transit progresses. Major shifts will most certainly unfold by the time Pluto crosses into Aquarius and Uranus progresses into Gemini (2023-26). Gemini & Aquarius are signs that highly support social equality, however I anticipate considerable progress being made at the root level between now and then.

Steady Growth In All Things

The transit of Uranus through Taurus brings with it tremendous potential and a sense that new horizons and unprecedented breakthroughs are ahead, along with the immense tumult and turmoil involved with large scale change. Much of what we are working with now may feel totally “new” to us, and there’s a lot to learn on the fly. What’s helpful to remember is that this is an opportunity to start to materialize all that was conceived and envisioned in the past 8 years as Uranus traveled through Aries – and that the materialization of anything takes time. Even with fast-moving Uranus at the wheel, Taurus is still essentially about steady, determined growth – one step at a time.

A final major message of this transit is that the Old must embrace the New and the New must embrace the Old. The truth of life is inherently a paradox and we are in this moment in history where modernization is not going anywhere but references to the past are more essential than ever. To really root into who we are, as we are supposed to be, and keep up with the many developments before us – we have to have the wisdom to learn from the past: whether that means acknowledging the failures of history, drawing upon the wisdom of ancient medicine techniques and philosophies, or connecting deeply with nature (the source of life). Likewise, our grand visions must be applicable and meaningful in our modern context, not just idealistic notions of some bygone age recreated but ill-fitting in the now.

Wise upgrades to our way of life are a part of evolution. We’re supposed to change, evolve, branch out and then re-merge. In this period of time, many of our branches and separations have the opportunity to remerge into something whole and more complete, if we are willing to be open.