Here's What You Need To Know About Uranus Retrograde 2022

If you thought the summer of retrogrades was crazy before, get ready for a serious — and energetic — switch–up. August 2022 is full of surprises, and none more anticipated than Uranus retrograde. At the end of August, Uranus will join Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Pluto, and Chiron in retrograde motion, which will give you the energetic push to spin your perspective around (via Astrostyle). And while the energy of a retrograde planet tends to be less predictable and more uncertain, Uranus retrograde challenges you to live a more authentic expression of your life, even if you're unsure what comes next.

As astrologer Milkstrology pointed out on Twitter, planets that spend almost half a year to the entire year in retrograde — like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto — are less likely to interrupt your daily routine significantly and are more likely to create "undercurrents of change" that take years to fully manifest. So, think of this time as a period of reflection and careful planning ahead of the next several years of growth and change. The summer of retrogrades might seem beyond messy, but with the right planning, it could be the catapult you need into the next stage of life. Here's what you should be mindful of when the planet of unexpected change, revolution, and rebellion goes retrograde later this month.

As one of the three transcendental (or generational) planets in astrology, the changes brought on by Uranus retrograde are slower moving and felt over a longer period of time. And from August 24 to January 22, 2023, Uranus will retrograde in Taurus, challenging you to go against the grain and reimagine your goals. When Uranus is in retrograde, the collective experiences large-scale changes and unique phenomena. This allows for an opportunity to be more reflective and look inward. This energy will be amplified by the fact that Uranus retrograde will join the retrograde energy of the North Node until Uranus goes direct in February 2023 (via Astrology.com). 

"Uranus goes retrograde this month. This happens every year but this influence is more prominent due to the North Node activation that's happening at this moment," Cosmic Occult Astrology shared on Twitter. "A lot of you will be finding your soul's purpose during this time or have a turn of fate in some way." Now doesn't that sound intriguing? 

Uranus holds the key to understanding independence. As the planet of rebellion and change, it symbolizes the circumstances you require in life to express a sense of personal freedom. It can also symbolize where you have the insight to express out–of–the–box or innovative ideas to move progress forward. However, due to Uranus' tendency to push against the grain, Uranus also has a reputation for being disruptive and a bit chaotic. "The first stirrings of creative power ordinarily cause turbulence in the psyche of most individuals; a turbulence which expresses itself as rebellion against the past. Thus Uranus is best known to most astrologers as the Divine Rebel," writes Ariel Guttman and Kenneth Johnson in "Mythic Astrology: Archetypal Powers in the Horoscope."

When Uranus goes retrograde, we tend to reflect on what needs transforming in our lives. And as Guttman and Johnson point out in their chapter on Uranus, the transits of this generational planet tend to mark hallmark moments in our growth and evolution. "It is fitting that the planet beyond Saturn should represent a break from tradition or a freedom from the ordered and structured world that Saturn represents," Guttman and Johnson add. What Uranus then offers is not necessarily the death or end of anything we weren't already considering in–flux. In fact, Uranus retrograde periods are crucial for pushing boundaries and getting past the edge of comfort, where new ideas and alternative perspectives can thrive.

If you're curious how this retrograde plays into the larger themes of your astrological transits, there are a few things to be mindful of. The first is that these transits last for several months and can often be seen as a series of events that lead to an ultimate lesson or revelation. "During the transit of Uranus to your natal chart, you will experience phenomena that are out of accord with your everyday life. Uranus challenges the rigid structures of life that most people work so hard to build, writes Robert Hand in "Planets in Transit: Life Cycles for Living." Although it may feel like a time of free fall in your personal life, Uranus retrograde marks the chance to leave behind the comfortable and predictable to do something different.

Of course, as with any major transit, some signs will feel the energy more than others. As New York City–based astrologer Lisa Stardust told Astrology.com, the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) will be experiencing the biggest shake-up in their lives during these transits, while the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn) will make headway in the areas of finances, career, and stability. Finally, mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces) will deal with these changes more inwardly and focus on personal development rather than large life changes.