U R A N U S I N C A P R I C O R N
Uranus takes seven years to transit a sign and therefore about 84 years to make one cycle of the zodiac (7 x 12). To understand what Uranus in Capricorn means we have to go back 84 years then 168 years, etc. The dates of Uranus in Capricorn are: December, 1904 through December, 1911; February, 1821 through February, 1828; February, 1737 through December, 1744; December, 1653 through March, 1660; January, 1570 through January, 1577; and finally, January, 1486 through January, 1493.
Uranus has been in Capricorn from 1988 to April 1, 1995 and will be in Capricorn from June 9, 1995 to January 12, 1996. Uranus will be in Aquarius from April 1, 1995 through June 9, 1995 and then will enter for seven years starting on January 12, 1996 (until 2003). Therefore, most of this year will have Uranus in Capricorn. However, the foreshadowing of Uranus in Aquarius will pervade this transition year. More on Uranus in Aquarius follows in the next section.
Theoretically, Uranus is the planet of sudden change, revolution, and the vision of the populace. Uranus is the "eyes" through which people look at life, but especially the vision of the avant garde and the revolutionaries on the fringes of society. For example, with Uranus in Sagittarius, people look at life through the eyes of optimistic expansiveness, adventure, travel, growth, and nature.
On a more personal level, Uranus is the electrical planet of flashing eyes, brainstorms, eclectic thought, erratic behavior, joy, spontaneity, and freedom. The Bohemian types who live on this sort of energy make up the avant garde who light the way for the populace, who turn people's attention to new energies and ways of being. For example, when Uranus was in dreamy Pisces the avant garde hung out in speakeasies. When Uranus was in Libra people talked about the counter culture.
With Uranus in Capricorn, we expect people to look at life in a more serious light. Capricorn represents the quality of patience, the drive to accomplish, the limits of morality, and the solitude of the independent person. Capricorn prizes independence. The image is the mountain goat who zig-zags his way up the mountain of life. Capricorns rise within any structure, such as government or business, by quick movements interspersed with long treks. The word to describe this long, rocky path up the mountain side is "career".
Capricorn is the sign of testing and control. Each rock must be tested; one slip and the Capricorn could fall all the way down the mountain. Capricorns have a paranoic testing of all relationships, of all gifts and business exchanges. Capricorn is spartan -- bringing a mass of materials to make life more comfortable just weighs down the mountain climber. And just as a mountain climber must entrust his life to the others with whom he is tied, so the Capricorn must trust another implicitely before opening up and putting weight upon another.
As you would expect with such a patient sign, accomplishment and recognition are the two ultimate achievements of the Capricorn. The image is a person at the peak of a mountain with others looking up to him.
High Capricorn has the foxy gleam of a sly goat. Capricorn loves to be recognized, to have "height" or prestige. Women who are Capricorns will want to be associated with a prestigous image. In their youth they may have a "foxy" quality. The image of a Yankee trader is the masculine equivalent of this foxiness. The Yankee trader will bite any coin given to him (testing) and will try to patiently hammer out the shrewdist possible deal.
There is one side of Capricorn which you may not be told about in the astrology books. Although Capricorn sometimes comes across as serious, moral, and dour they will often be found in the midst of the wildest possible scenes! Why? Perhaps because their serious, get-it-together drive has the most material to work with -- Capricorns can exercise their ability to order best when all around them is chaos.
In fact, oftentimes Capricorns will "live it up" towards the end of their lives. The goat feels that now that he has acomplished what he had to, the rest of his time is free -- why not have fun. The number of dirty old men and raucous old ladies who are Capricorns is astounding.
There are various ways of looking at Uranus in Capricorn. One way is that Capricorn acts upon Uranus, another is that Uranus acts upon Capricorn, and a third is that Uranus acts through Capricorn. In our look at history all three can be seen.
The most recent transit of Uranus through Capricorn happened in 1904 through 1911. In America, this was the time of Teddy Roosevelt and the trust busters -- many of the large corporations that had gotten a monopoly on particular markets were broken into smaller units. France and England, who had open enmity for each other for 25 years, submerged their differences in the entente cordiale. This was one of the contributing factors to World War I nine years later. Russia fought a war with Japan, Japan won -- the first time a non-white nation had won a war with a white nation in many years. Even more important for Russia, "bloody Sunday" occurred when hundreds of Russians with good intentions went to plead with the Czar for better conditions, and were shot down in cold blood. As one history book said, "this act snapped the moral bond upon which all stable government rests". The moral bond upon which stable government rests is a fine description of high Capricorn.
From looking at the 1904 period we can already see many of the Uranus in Capricorn characteristics. Since Capricorn represents the structure, and power, of government and Uranus represents revolution, sudden change, or reform we would expect governments to go through a period of reform or revolution. In America, the large structures of corporations were broken up. People felt insecure about the structures of which they were part. The image is change, and insecurity in the large external structures such as government and corporations.
During the 1904 period Uranus in Capricorn opposed Neptune in Cancer. These oppositions often are times of scientific breaktrhough. The theory of relativity and many breakthroughs in physics came at this time.
The prior transit of Uranus in Capricorn was in 1821 through 1828. This was a period where Uranus conjuncted Neptune towards the beginning of Capricorn then separated as the two transitted Capricorn. In Europe, this was the end of a time of revolutionary containment. The conservative Metternich held power in Europe and tried to suppress the revolutionary sparks that Napolean had set from 1815 to 1821, especially. Revolution is Uranus and containment is Capricorn, so this placement can sometimes mean a period of conservatism.
However, another phrase from one of the history books is, "new wine in old bottles". As we know, new wine bursts old bottles and the old Capricornian structures were dissolved and burst by the combined influence of the Uranus - Neptune conjunct. This is the paradox. Although Capricorn is a fairly conservative sign, Uranus or Neptune in Capricorn means change in the structures. Even if the changes are repressed, it is like kneading bread -- the yeast spreads more fully through the dough. Many of the changes which convulsed Europe in 1830 and 1848 were kneaded in this time. The industrial revolution took off in England at about this time.
The 1737 to 1744 period was a time of military adventurism. The war of the Austrian succession was fought as Fredrick of Prussia took a chunk of Austria called Silesia. This was the start of a series of wars which lasted until 1763. However, the main determining factor here was Pluto, not Uranus, since the wars started as Pluto entered Scorpio and continued off and on until the year Pluto entered Capricorn. The main Uranian energy was the start of "enlightened despotism" which meant that rulers had an obligation to their subject's well being in exchange for their right to rule. At this time Voltaire was at his height.
Some of the most obvious effects of Uranus in Capricorn happened during the 1653 to 1660 period. There was a revolution in England which started in 1650; Cromwell and his religious following of Puritans executed the King in 1649 and created the Commonwealth (wealth in common = Sagittarius. At this time Uranus conjuncted the planet of religion, Neptune).
In 1653 Cromwell made himself "Lord Protector" and set up the Protectorate, a more Capricornian name. His reign lasted for two years after his death in 1658. Therefore his revolutionary government exactly spanned the Uranus in Capricorn period. Although Cromwell was fairly moderate in terms of religion, his followers were Puritanical and tried to suppress the fun-loving British. When the restoration came and a king was restored to the throne (with Uranus in Aquarius) a period of gaiety, sensuality, and literary/artistic flowering occurred. I remember a history professor telling me that when a couple in a carriage would be stopped by the police during the restoration they would passionately embrace as a sign that they weren't Puritans and hence were politically correct.
The 1653 period shows some of the more unfortunate sides of Uranus in Capricorn, the conservative religious revolution side. However, this occurred more because the conjunction of Uranus and Neptune occurred prior to this in Sagittarius. This Uranus in Capricorn period should be more interesting since the conjunct occurs in mid Capricorn and Uranus enters Aquarius as the conjunct breaks up. This will make the upcoming Uranus in Capricorn period much more lively.
We will skip the 1570 to 1577 period. The 1486 to 1493 period spans Columbus's "discovery" of America in 1492 (as I've mentioned before, it is tough to discover a continent with millions of people living on it...).
The upcoming Uranus in Capricorn period will be more unsettling and turbulent than these prior periods since Uranus will be conjuncting Neptune in mid-Capricorn -- the conjunct will start in February, 1989 and last until the end of 1996 (by which time Uranus will be in Aquarius). Some of the flavor of the conjunct will appear as soon as Uranus enters Capricorn since being in the same sign is like a weak conjunct in mundane astrology.
copyright 1993 - 1996 by Ed Rose
Good News -- The book Generational Patterns Using Astrology will soon be available and will have a complete description of people born with Uranus in Capricorn. If you are here because you want to learn about your birth chart (or someone you know), help is on the way. This section only describes what happened when Uranus was in Capricorn, not the character created by this placement. Click on link below for more information:
Generational Patterns Using Astrology