One of the classic Hollywood formulas is known as “The Odd Couple.” Even if you aren’t familiar with the term, or haven’t seen the original stage play or movie or TV series the concept is named after, I’m certain you’ve seen the basic principle in action before.
“She’s a tough as nails former Chicago cop , and he’s a freewheeling feng shui practitioner from outer space. Together they’re taking back the streets as HANRAHAN AND ZORK, PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS!”
You take two characters who are diametrically opposed to each other, and throw them into a situation where they have to work together. You know that somewhere along the way, there will be some conflict… Zork will start annoyingly waving his pendulum in Hanrahan’s face and chanting in Aramaic while Hanrahan is trying to eat her steak in an effort to “clear the negative karma,” and at some point Hanrahan will flush Zork’s stash of “organic glaucoma medicine” down the toilet. By the end of the show, Hanrahan will rescue Zork from a trash compactor, Zork will throw himself in front of a bullet to save Hanrahan’s life, and it will end with them joking around over Zork’s hospital bed and saying something about “hey that wasn’t so bad, maybe we should keep working together” and next week (or for the sequel) they will be at it again.
The formula really is that simple, and that’s how Hollywood keeps making money… simple ideas that ring at least somewhat true, on a storytelling level anyway.
The problem is though: that makes for fine entertainment, but what if it was real life, and you were either Hanrahan or Zork, handcuffed to the other one under circumstances that are totally annoying and untenable by your standards? Let’s be honest here: it was always funny when Kramer would burst into Jerry’s apartment unannounced and say something wacky… but if you were Seinfeld in a real-life situation like that, how long will it be before you either bought a deadbolt lock for your door, or got a restraining order?
That’s a bit like what this month’s Saturn-Uranus quincunx is going to be like.
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Saturn is the structural boss of the Solar System. Saturn organizes, strengthens, and creates order. A lot of astrologers traditionally think Saturn kind of sucks… and yeah, it kind of does. Saturn is no fun. Saturn is Sister Mary Katherine’s metal ruler across the back of your hand when you’re caught passing notes in class.
Uranus is the leader of the rebellion. Uranus is the Frankenstein genius who comes up with something new and brilliant and maybe a little scary. Saturn makes sure you’ve got clean underwear on when you go out, but Uranus puts them over his head and walks down the street yelling HEY LOOK AT MY NEW HAT IT’S AWESOME! and somehow ends up making a fortune as the founder of a new fashion trend.
Saturn and Uranus, in other words, couldn’t be more unalike. And it doesn’t help that they are now joined by a quincunx (or “inconjunct” if you prefer slightly-less dirty sounding terminology). A quincunx is an aspect of 150 degrees, connecting two planets in two Signs the way a trine or a square or a sextile would… except that with a quincunx, those two Signs have nothing in common. The quincunx is often considered to be a “minor” aspect, but it is often a major nuisance. And just to make things weirder: both planets are slowing down in their orbits and becoming more powerful: Saturn stops its retrograde at 16 Scorpio on July 20th, and Uranus stops and turns retrograde at 16 degrees Aries on the 21st.
In the case of Saturn and Uranus this month, there is a special consideration: the Signs they are in — Scorpio and Aries — are both traditionally ruled by Mars. On the one hand, this could make things particularly edgy for you. But on the other hand, it presents the possibility of an outlet for your quincunx-induced frustrations… ideally, shouting.
If you have any important placements in your birth chart around 16 degrees of any Sign, here’s Sofia Vergara… who has her Sun, Venus, Saturn and Uranus all close to 16 degrees of their respective Signs… with a dramatic interpretation of what the next month or so could be like for you.
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Think back to where the wheels were falling off the wagon of your life (or where you were being presented with interesting new possibilities) back in April and May, because that’s when Uranus was being agitated at similar degree by the Cardinal Grand Cross. Then think back to November-December 2013, which was the last time Saturn passed through 16 degrees Scorpio, and what things in your life were being stomped or strengthened then. Put those two circumstances together, take out two-thirds of the trauma and double the confusion, and that ought to give you some idea of what to expect in July and August during the Saturn-Uranus quincunx.
The good news is that, like Hanrahan and Zork, if you can make those two very different energies work together in common cause to make your life a better place, you’ll get great results… hopefully without too many car chases.
These circumstances will require that you spend a good portion of the summer flying by the seat of your pants. The trick here is to just make sure you’ve got your pants on.
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