Powerful writers shape minds. Subject matter experts lead the way. Donna Cunningham is both. It’s a rare and potent combination; and in the world of astrological writing Ms. Cunningham is right there on the top. Countless number of people have been helped and healed by her words and her insights. Students of astrology devour her books and will continue to do so in the years to come. Printed below, with her permission, is a piece on Uranus from her book Outer Planets as Career Indicators.
Precocious children have been known to tell their parents, “you’re not the boss of me,” but individuals with Uranus in the career houses of the astrology chart may adopt this as a life-long motto. Some wear it on greasy tee shirts along with other rude sayings, while others deign to wear suits but carry the attitude around in their pockets, ready to whip it out at any challenge.
Brighter than most people around them, typical Uranians easily grow bored and restless, and unless new challenges constantly present themselves, they can create an uproar in the workplace for the sheer excitement of it. Many of them gain the reputation of being mavericks who are unpredictable, erratic, or difficult. Because they’re almost impelled to speak out about things that are wrong, they’re often seen as troublemakers. They question authority and object—none too tactfully—when standard operating procedures on the job are irrational, inequitable, or unjust.
Uranians can have a superiority complex—sometimes even a justified one—but those who cross the line into arrogance are likely to create friction with bosses and coworkers. They inherently feel the rules don’t apply to them, for after all they’re special. Surprisingly often, they get away with it, for they appeal to our too-frequently-suppressed Inner Outlaw, and we live vicariously through their escapades.
Uranians’ resumes tend to be full of mysterious gaps that give job interviewers the willies, and their references tend to be friends or colleagues rather than past employers. They tend to change jobs frequently and suddenly, particularly when bosses clamp down on them. Transiting Uranus is often the impetus for their vocational shifts, for it increases the restlessness and the need to adhere to their own authority rather than rather than former supervisors. However, they’re seldom jobless for long unless they want to be, because they’re usually so bright at what they do that they dazzle potential employers into ignoring the personnel officer’s “red flags” of warning. (They’re also inventive enough to come up with plausible reasons for their spotty job history.)
Over time, they tend to change careers as well, when they no longer find their old field challenging enough or when technology evolves in interesting new directions. They get bored with what they’re doing and move on. Alternately, the trend changes and their fifteen minutes of fame are up, and they’re back on the path of exploration and experimentation that characterizes their work life.
Who are the Uranians? They’re people who have Uranus or the sign Aquarius strong in their birth charts, especially with strong aspects from Uranus to the Sun, Moon, Ascendant or Midheaven or 8° either side of the Ascendant, Midheaven, IC, or Descendant. These factors are stronger if Uranus aspects a number of the personal planets or is in a major configuration like a t-square or grand trine, or if there is a stellium of three or more planets in the sign Aquarius. Such combinations make them Uranian in nature, but might primarily affect their personal lives. (If you’re new to astrology and don’t understand the technical parts but identify with what has been said so far, chances are you’re Uranian.)
For a direct impact on vocational potential, these placements would generally need to be in the 10th, 2nd, or 6th houses or conjunct, square, opposite, or trine the Midheaven and would also need to be prominent in some of the ways mentioned above. If the chart has only Aquarius on the Midheaven or on the cusp of the 2nd or 6th houses but none of the factors mentioned above, the individual may not fit the picture I am describing. The likelihood of a match increases with the number of these factors in the chart.
About the Author: Donna Cunningham is an internationally-respected author of books, articles, and columns about astrology, flower essences and other metaphysical topics. Her insights reflect her dual background in astrology and psychotherapy. She has a Master’s degree in Social Work from Columbia University and over 40 years of experience in working with people. Her ebooks can be found at Moon Maven Publications (http://www.moonmavenpublications.com) Visit her blog at http://skywriter.wordpress.com.
Picture from Wikimedia Commons
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Thanks for posting. This is a really interesting article.
I have to say, I do recognize some of this in myself in terms of work and work situations, but I thought it was because I have Aquarius on the 6th house cusp. When it comes to office and work situations I’ve definitely always marched to the beat of my own drummer and there were many times when I was a disruptive force in those situations (yet I was still always recognized as a valuable employee). But I really don’t consider myself Uranian at all. I have no planets in Aquarius (although my Pisces Saturn falls in that 6th house with it on the cusp) and as far as the outermost planets are concerned, Pluto is what’s strongest in my chart. That said I do have Uranus trine both my Sun and Venus and it’s also conjunct Mars and Pluto.
Also, there aren’t big gaps in my work history, although I did have to fudge a few things on my resume to fill in not-so-big gaps.
This is a very informative article written by an expert!
And i too have AQ on the 6th cusp with a 10th house Uranus so thank you for posting this – one can always use more info on such a difficult to planet to understand…as if you can grasp lightening! Jude
What about a stellium of planets in the 11th house? I have the Moon,Mercury and Uranus in this house, but no Aquarius otherwise.Would these planets take on an Aquarian tone?
Hi, Amy and Jude–Aquarius on the 6th does count for something in terms of a Uranian pattern in the work performance, but the sign is never as strong as the planet. The planet–in this case, Uranus–is all-pervasive and active throughout life, though more clearly when a transit is activating the natal planet. You could say that the planet (Uranus) is like a verb, while the sign (Aquarius) is like an adjective…it gives a tinge or coloration.
Jane, some houses are more like the sign that is naturally there than others (e.g. 4th house Suns are quite Cancerian in terms of their attachment to home and family). But the 11th house is not so much like
Aquarius–e.g. it does not make you revolutionary or rebellious or inventive. Donna
Hi, Donna. Thanks for your reply and for your great writing. 🙂