Saturn square Uranus: Retrofitting
The inherent conflict of Aquarius is seen in its wildly disparate planetary rulers – Saturn in traditional rulership, and the modern ruler, Uranus. It’s this contradictory sign, and a year-long series of squares between its rulers, Saturn and Uranus – and the battle of change vs. the status quo – that are this year’s dominant story line.
Lest any of us miss the point, the cosmos has conspired to bring us the month of February 2021, when 5-6 planets will converge in Aquarius. Five of them will make squares to Mars in Taurus, and four of them will square Uranus in Taurus.
So, visualize a big, unruly choir with everyone singing loud and strong…in different keys! And the Aquarius dichotomy of Saturn’s conformity and Uranus’ nonconformity is a bit reminiscent of that scene in Monty Python’s Life of Brian, when the reluctant messiah tells an assembled crowd, “You’ve got it all wrong. You don’t NEED to follow me. You don’t NEED to follow anybody. You’ve got to think for yourselves. You’re all individuals.” And the crowd answers in perfect unison, “Yes! We’re all individuals!”
Change vs tradition and continuity
February is also significant because it brings the first of three exact squares from Saturn to Uranus (Feb. 17, 2021, 11:07 am PST), which is one of the key configurations of 2021. The 45-year synodic cycle of Saturn and Uranus is a tug-of-war between tradition and boundaries (Saturn) and the spirit of innovation (Uranus) that keeps us from being imprisoned by them.
For example, I live in a neighborhood that was developed in the early years of the 20th century. When we moved here more than 23 years ago, it was filled with small, charming Craftsman bungalows. Its main thoroughfare was packed with antique shops and used bookstores. In recent years, though, the landscape has changed dramatically. First the antique and book shops disappeared, replaced with craft beer taverns, yoga studios, and tattoo parlors. Then, last year, the city passed a new ordinance designed to encourage high-density housing. All around us, century-old bungalows are being razed to make room for two-story boxes, sometimes several on one property. It’s a dramatic change.
Now, you can argue that progress is inevitable and that this is all to the good. One argument is that higher density will provide lower-priced housing, but that’s not what we’re seeing in my neighborhood, where many of these new over-garage, 1-bedroom granny flats are renting for around $2500 a month. You can also argue that the free market has prevailed, that people want these kinds of businesses and homes. That’s a fair argument. And I know that things don’t stay the same, but I mourn the landscape that drew us here.
But this is one of the oldest stories of them all – the conflict between change and progress, and the status quo. The key is to find a compromise position that moves the dial toward a better quality of life for the greatest number of people, while not throwing away everything of beauty, grace, and value that came before.

The Saturn/Uranus cycle
And so, that’s the issue at stake when Saturn and Uranus are fighting things out. This year we’re at the closing square of a cycle began in 1988, when Saturn and Uranus met in a conjunction in the final degrees of Sagittarius. At critical points in the unfolding cycle, these tensions have been illustrated by the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the first well-known computer virus(1988); a controversial U.S. presidential election that was marred by technological snafus and decided by the Supreme Court (opening square in 2000); and, at the Saturn/Uranus opposition of Nov. 2008-July 2010, the most profound worldwide recession since the Great Depression. (Incidentally, the 1929 Stock Market crash occurred as Saturn was moving into a square with Uranus.)
Headlines near the dates of the exact conjunction, opening square, and opposition between these two were filled with violence – mass-shootings, accidents, and natural disasters – as the tension of these very different planets overflowed. And as the personal use of technology (Uranus) has expanded, the areas of employment, social interaction, and personal privacy have become Saturn/Uranus battlegrounds.
Saturn and Uranus together symbolize moments when the status quo has fallen out of step with the needs or desires of the people, and some level of revolution is inevitable. The U.S. Civil War began in the early 1860’s, with Saturn square Uranus. In the mid-1960’s, when Saturn was opposed both Uranus and Pluto, the anti-war and civil rights movements pitted the draft-age generation against their parents and “the establishment.” And the opposition during the current cycle saw the rise of the conservative Tea Party movement.
The bright promise of the Saturn/Uranus combination is societal progress, and that doesn’t happen without conflict. But progress doesn’t require that we tear down all the useful structures and traditions of society. Ideally, it means building on them – granted, with some vital retrofitting. Aquarius may represent the desire for progress, but it’s ruled by futuristic Uranus AND traditionalist Saturn. Both have to be listened to.
The Saturn/Uranus struggle in your chart
If you have planets in your chart between about 7 and 13 of fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius), this will be a year when matters ruled by those planets, and the houses they occupy in your chart, are forced into conflict by Saturn and Uranus. Let’s say you have Venus in Scorpio, squared by transiting Saturn and opposed by Uranus; you might find that in your relationships, you’re torn between negotiating a new future path with your partner or saying the heck with it and getting out.
Bottom line is that throughout the year, the world is trying to find a balance that respects where we’ve been and what we’ve built, while also moving forward in ways that promises a better future. And each of us will be looking for that sweet spot, as well.
Fast facts:
The Saturn/Uranus squares of 2021 are exact on Feb. 17 (7 Aqu 13’), June 14 (13 Aqu 06’), Dec. 24 (11 Aqu 05’)
Their 45-year synodic cycle began in 1988 in late Sagittarius.
The opening square between them was exact between July-Nov. 1999, and on May 13 2000. (15.36 – 20.45 5 Taurus/Aquarius)
They opposed each other between Nov. 2008-July 2010 (18.57 Virgo/Pisces / 0.25 Aries/Libra)

Writing and collages © 2021 April Elliott Kent