Uranus, the radical planet of progress, is in retrograde motion approximately 5 months every year. This means that roughly half of the population has the planet retrograde in their birth chart. Any retrograde natal planet in a chart means that its energies are turned inwards, at least for the beginning of the native’s life.
Any planet being retrograde during the native’s birth indicates that the planet and the things it rules in his life are strongly connected with previous lives through karma. It takes some years until the person balances the planetary energies and discovers how to manifest them in the outer world. Having a planet retrograde in the natal chart does not signify that it acts as a malefic, it just means that it functions in a different way. In fact, retrograde planets can even have a strongly positive influence, as they can bring to our current incarnation a lot of traits developed in previous ones.
Most people have more than one planet retrograde in their natal chart, and it is rather difficult to find a person that has all his natal planets direct. Therefore, we should understand that the karmic connection to previous lives is a rule affecting most of the population, and should be regarded as a tool to understand ourselves.
A common effect of any retrograde planet is delays concerning the matters of the house it is placed in. Uranus, in particular, is a slow moving planet, and thus an individual may wait quite a long time until they start experiencing its energy radiating outwards.
Retrograde Uranus indicates that during previous lives the individual may have struggled to express his rebellious side. His innovative ideas had found quite a lot of opposition from conservative people, and his utopian beliefs of better societies had collapsed under the weight of reality. The native had experienced disappointments from the inability of his surroundings to accept his pioneering traits or had suffered due to his individuality. He probably had to act like the masses did, hiding some of his weird activities or ideas. This natal aspect shows that the individual had to suppress his bizarre or crazy ideas, mostly because of the fear to be ridiculized.
During the current incarnation, Uranus retrograde delivers some of these previous life traits. The native can have inner fears connected to whatever is new, no matter if it is an idea or technological equipment. He might have a strong inner desire to do the exact opposite, but there exists an inner blockage not allowing him to do it. Such people will feel unsure to change their computer for a new one, to use a different operating system than the one they are used to, or generally to be the first ones to experience any technological change.
In addition, a retrograde Uranus can also influence the native’s opinions about social changes. Such a person can fear possible chaotic situations that happen during the collapse of a political regime, while also restrict their own revolutionary side. No matter how much they believe in the rightness of a demonstration, they will be the last ones that will join it. This tendency can be connected with phobias about unexpected situations that can happen there, including mass violence. As Uranus retrograde mostly operates inwards, the native keeps his rebellious nature to himself, which can even lead to some mental difficulties.
Especially if the planet is adversely aspected, the individual can become a boiling kettle. So, the best thing that a person with natal Uranus retrograde can do is to find Uranian activities that can help him tame the planet’s energy. As Uranus is the ruler of the 11th house, such activities naturally involve groups and organizations, as well as whatever makes people come closer to each other. Uranus is all about the unification of the individuals into a collective organism, and progress through altruism and acceptance of others. Retrograde Uranus people can gain great help from being members of groups, as they can develop both their individual self and promote a higher cause. Many times, a problem that can arise with Uranus retrograde is fear of accepting one’s own self. By being part of a group, the native will eventually feel accepted for what he is, and even allow his eccentric characteristics to bloom.
Other fears that one might develop with this Uranus retrograde are also strongly connected with the energy of Uranus, and the 11th house where it is in domicile. The native may experience difficulties of trusting his friends or people that belong to the same social groups as him. New social or political theories may feel alien to him, as any type of experimentation that the humankind marches to. It is not that he is opposed to progress; he might just be unsure of whether the change will bring something good, thus becoming rather skeptical towards it.
A native with natal Uranus retrograde should be careful of explosions and over-reactions. Their habit to keep the Uranian energy locked inside them may eventually lead them to uncontrolled outbursts, usually of an eccentric or even an extreme nature. The best way to control the planet is by not suppressing it. Allow your small weird characteristics to show themselves to the outer world. If you do not do that, the pressured traits can grow in an unhealthy way. Do not forget that Uranus as a planet is also responsible for mental disorders. Indeed, if a person represses his real self, psychological problems are a rather common outcome.