.: Bull of Heaven :.
Uranus is stationing retrograde in Taurus.
The one who spins on his side will be recollecting old stories until January (Aug 15th-Jan 14th; 11–7 degrees of Taurus). As is the case with all retrogrades, the planet is coming close, daring us to plug in, go deep, reflect honestly, and upload some ancient ideas into the corrupt parts of our hard drives.
The degree at which the current oscillates in direction is 11 Taurus. Trying out the Chandra Symbols, instead of the Sabians, Elias Londsdale writes of this degree:
A WOMAN WITH FLAMES FOR HAIR
Direct, full-on, and unstoppable. Pushing for optimal outcomes, we self-convinced and hard-driving. So passionate about our own desire and impulse that anything off to the side is far out of the picture, and all that counts is to have our say, to make an impact. Something long-gathering suddenly emerging as rage, self-intent, need, and craving. Personal to the Nth degree. Almost solipsistic. “Me” mattering after being counted out. We feel the surge of power of someone who recognizes that they are bearing a life-force that can no longer be put down, and we follow the brightness wherever it takes us, blindly, insensately, and beautifully.
It reminds me of the Sumerian story of Innana summoning the Bull of Heaven to take out Gilgamesh. From the Epic, here is her plea to her father Anu:
Father, let me have the Bull of Heaven
To kill Gilgamesh and his city.
For if you do not grant me the Bull of Heaven,
I will pull down the Gates of Hell itself,
Crush the doorposts and flatten the door,
And I will let the dead leave
And let the dead roam the earth
And they shall eat the living.
The dead will overwhelm all the living!
(the art for this piece by Rebecca Yanovskaya depicting the scene of Gilgamesh and his battle buddy Eniku defeating the bull)
The wrath of the Goddess knows no bounds. In one version of the story, it is born of the rejection she feels from Gilgamesh. In our times, it is clear how it is appearing. Whether directed at the Red King, the patriarchy, cops, men in general-or women- more than just hairs are on fire. Now, before we completely open the gates of hell as Innana desired, we must also tune our ears to what Uranus teaches: Objectivity! That is, to transcend our subjective filters by climbing the shafts out of our reality tunnels, having a moment to see what some would call the “big picture.”
Generalizations are fun but incredibly dangerous. We must always be careful with them. We must pray for owl eyes to see our own shadowy projections. The gift of all retrogrades is the reflections they offer. It’s just that sometimes they only come out at night. Again, we pray for the eyes that can see in the dark and the silent wings to snatch those dangerous ideas from the mouth of the chthonic cave.
How can Uranus show us another way of seeing? Can we be radical enough to entertain the perspective of the “enemy?” Can we spot it within? This is my constant prayer with Uranus: To always see with wider and wilder eyes.
* Find Taurus in your chart. Reassemble there.
Eudaimonia,
Adam
…to adventure deeper into kosmos, mythos, and psyche
….to support my writing and get lots of gifts
