By Michele Avanti, NCGR
 

Let’s first examine the myth of Ouranos as the Greeks called Uranus. In Greek mythology, when Gaia, Mother Earth emerged from Primordial Chaos, she gave birth to her first offsprings which she called Father Sky. He showed his love for his mother by pouring rain down to nourish her and together they created the beauty of Earth. Later, Gaia married him and called him Ouranos. Together they gave birth to hideous offspring including multi-headed giants, titans and then the Cyclops. Uranus hated his Cyclops children. He feared they would replace him, so he had them buried in the earth. Gaia, in turmoil and pain over the treatment of her Cyclops children, begged her other children to free them. Cronus (Saturn) came to her aid. He ambushed Ouranos and castrated him throwing his genitals into the sea. Some of Ouranos’s sperm fell onto the ground as well as into the water. From the sperm that fell to the ground sprang The Furies, the Goddesses of Vengeance. From the sperm that fell into the sea, sprang Aphrodite (later named Venus by the Romans), the Goddess of Love and Beauty.

Thus Ouranos or Uranus, as the Romans called him, is capable of creating gentle rain or terrifying storms. He can suddenly bring forth the Vengeful Furies or the most beautiful, compassionate, romantic love. As he destroyed his children and buried them in the earth, so is he capable of the mighty earthquakes that bury cities. He brings things forth in sudden unexpected fashion whether the birth of beauty or the anger of vengeance. These are some characteristics of Uranus and they reinforce the very unpredictable and rebellious nature of his orbit.

Now let’s take a look at the myth of Pisces for a better understanding of what we can expect when Uranus enters Pisces in March.

The Constellation of Pisces is based on the following Greek myth. There was a monstrous god named Typhoeus This horrible earthborn giant suddenly appeared one day at Olympus, the mountain home of the gods. So terrifying and powerful was the evil god that even the immortal followers of Zeus refused to fight him. When he approached they disguised themselves as animals. Jupiter transformed himself into a ram; Mercury became an ibis, Apollo took the shape of a crow; Diana hid herself as a cat; and Bacchus disguised himself as a goat. Aphrodite and her son Eros (also known as Venus and Cupid) were bathing on the banks of the Euphrates River that day. Quickly they became two fish and plunged into the water to escape. Later Minerva immortalized the event by placing the figures of a joined pair of fish amongst the stars, thus commemorating the time Typhoeus nearly overran Olympus. Examining the myth of Aphrodite/Venus, we recall that Uranus’s genitals had been cast into the sea immediately giving birth to Aphrodite/Venus, goddess of beauty, love and compassion. Aphrodite’s name is derived from the Greek word aphros or foam, because the goddess was born from the foam of the sea. Later myths state that Venus gave birth to Eros/Cupid, whom we all know as the benevolent or mischievous god shooting arrows and causing both joy and heartbreak. Here is a short quote from an old Greek text by Hesiod "Eros, the fairest of the deathless gods; he unstrings the limbs and subdues both mind and sensible thought in the breasts of all gods and men." Eros/Cupid is identified here as a very powerful god. It clearly states that neither mortal nor divine can resist his spell of enchantment.

Now combine all the forgoing statements about Uranus and Pisces to gain insight into the overall picture of the next seven years. Uranus, is the rebellious, freedom oriented, unpredictable, eccentric, weather controlling, sometimes vengeful planet. Pisces fills the world with beauty, art, love, imagination, enchantment, illusion, compassion, romance, inspiration, propaganda, the very heights of idealism, or the depths of despair. So Uranus, traveling through Pisces, may bring unpredictable events, which may include unusual storms and earthquakes. It may bring revolts in some countries that create compassion in others, as well as despair. It can bring in a revolution of the arts and romance, breakthroughs in the creative illusionary process as well as a revolution in propaganda. It can begin a cycle of enchantment and spirituality.