When astrologers talk about Uranus in the chart it’s very difficult not to talk about Saturn. These two share a colourful, mythic history, and every time they are set to aspect each other in the sky we brace ourselves to be torn between past tradition and future change.In the Disney movie Toy Story there are two characters which exemplify the bridge between Saturn and Uranus. The character of Woody (Saturn) is a pull-string cowboy doll and is an old traditional type of toy, and he is secure with his long-held position as Andy’s favourite. But, on Andy’s birthday he receives a Buzz Light-year action toy (Uranus) with all the latest features, flashing lights, sound effects, karate chop actions, and voice simulator. Woody in true Saturn nature is fearful that he will be replaced by this new age toy. Woody represents the past and what is known, familiar and secure, and astrologically Saturn represents the golden age and the indestructible dream.
In the past everything represents a time, law and order. Saturn symbolizes our need to create solid and enduring structures, and to maintain these constructions. The time honoured god also represents all those things that give us a sense of permanence in our lives. Saturn represents our need to preserve and keep these proven and tested values from the past. Saturn (Woody) rules our urge to defend ourselves against anything in life which threatens what we have worked hard to achieve. However, this highly defensive nature can also perceive anybody different or foreign in race or lifestyle as a threat, and this is why Woody (Saturn) fears Buzz Light year (Uranus). In his world, all that is unfamiliar needs to be tested before it is accepted.
Enter Buzz (Uranus) he doesn’t believe he is a toy and thinks he really is the galaxy’s defender. Buzz has larger concerns about saving the universe, and embodies the unknown and unexpected. Like Uranus, Buzz trusts that he can do and achieve anything and is willing to jump out of the window convinced that he can fly, and says the line, “to infinity and beyond.” Woody (Saturn) represents clinging to what is old and familiar and Buzz represents what is new, untried and untested. Uranus offers greater freedom and a new and broader perspective on our lives, but our Saturn side is fearful of going into the unknown.
Uranus people like to break with convention and try something completely new, and they also have powerful and sudden bursts of creativity, which they need to discipline to really make something out of it. Uranus also generates flashes of insights, brilliant ideas, and is considered the lord of inventiveness and originality. The borders of Saturn, represents our fear of anything new and different. Saturn is afraid of what other people will say, and is the planet most concerned with security, following the rules, and not stepping off the line.
Uranus, on the other hand, is not held back by fear, and he was known to break rules, but most of all he believes in realizing our full potential, and isn’t afraid to stand out from the crowd. Uranus represents the breaking of boundaries, and it was Uranus who shook up traditional astrology when it was discovered. Uranus would never have been discovered without the use of technology, and was spotted through a telescope in 1781. The battle enacted between traditional and modern astrology clearly illustrates the differences between Saturn (traditional) and Uranus (Modern), in an almost typical mythological Saturn and Uranus clash.
The planet Uranus doesn’t rotate normally on its axis and instead rolls sideways. Uranus in the horoscope symbolizes our urge for freedom, and as Jeff Green puts it, “Freedom from the Known.” Uranus rules all forms of technology and has to do with breaking away from the norm, but sometimes this means trying to overturn something old to make way for something new (and this is the fear Woody holds about Buzz replacing him as Andy's favourite).
Uranus shuns convention and its only motivation is to progress and move forward. Uranian changes often take us by surprise (like poor Woody), but usually when the planet is in transit we begin to feel an inner restlessness and sense that something is about to shift in our lives. When Uranian lightning strikes we experience the unexpected, and things that we never planned for in our life. If we think about the characters Woody and Buzz we get a really good idea of how Saturn and Uranus work in the natal chart. The good thing with this movie is the two end up being the best of buddies and can offer each other the best of both worlds.
