Colours of Astrology

A kitchen party with a mysterious WEIRDO in the living room

Looking forward into the first quarter of 2022, one might wonder: what do the stars have in store for us now? Over the past two years, we’ve already lived through a pandemic, widespread lockdowns, political unrest, refugee crises, fires, flooding, a global vaccination effort, supply chain disruptions, and a parade of billionaires—some in phallus-shaped rockets— giddily blasting themselves into space. What could possibly be next? And more importantly, how can you best work with the astrology of the new year?

Before I answer that, let me paint a picture for you. Imagine, if you will, an enjoyable, well- attended party with everyone congregating in the kitchen. Further, imagine that, alone in the living room, there is an errant guest—an unknown entity—peering at the party-goers but refusing to join them. Awkward. What’s more, this stranger’s behavior is inconsistent and bizarre. Sometimes he winks at the cute girl near the veggie tray; other times, he aggressively hurls rocks at the men conversing near the door. Who is this winking, rock-chucking weirdo, and what does he want?

That, dear readers, is the astrology of early 2022. All of the planets, except one, are grouped together in the sky, more or less getting along. Those planets are in the kitchen enjoying a party. The one that stands apart from the group is Uranus, a planet symbolizing intelligence, forward -thinking, flashes of insight, idealism, dissension, and counter-culture behavior.

Uranus, the brilliant rebel, is in the living room. From its position in the sky for the next three months, Uranus will be in harmonious relationship to some of the metaphorical kitchen planets but in discord with others. Hence, the winking, but also the rock hurling.

This sky setup is unsettling, yet also intriguing. There’s a nonconforming, disruptive, but perhaps innovative energy at a distance from the majority. It stands for advancement but also pushback. This energy, to use a phrase from the eighties, is not going to “take any guff.” It is best used for advancement of ideas, creativity, strategic movement forward, and idealistic but liberating actions. It represents a challenge to tired, outdated practices and promises something fresh and new.

In real life over the next three months, you’ll see this symbolism play out in a number of ways. People might creatively harness technology in an effort to improve things, similar to the way online creators, via #TeamSeas, came together at the end of last year in a massive $30 million effort to clean up the oceans. First quarter, 2022 is a time for innovation and ideas, both globally and personally.

URANUS the brilliant rebel

This energy, to use a phrase from the eighties, is not going to “take any guff.” It is best used for advancement of ideas, creativity, strategic movement forward, and idealistic but liberating actions.

In addition to that, the social and freedom drives will be high as the year gets underway. This means that people will be ready to fully immerse themselves in what used to be normal social activities. As you can imagine, this spells trouble for any nation attempting to reinstate strict pandemic measures. There will be little appetite for it, and, in some cases, it could spark violent backlash. On the upside, social events could be fervently attended, which can make for a heightened experience as long as the enthusiasm doesn’t get wildly out of control.

An easy way to work with this energy in your personal life is to overlay the kitchen party metaphor onto your own experience. Think of your life, for example, as containing two facets: the part of you that is conforming and perhaps more restrained in some area of your expression (that’s the part of you jammed in the kitchen with everyone else), and the part of you that has already broken free and is yearning for something exciting and different (that’s the part of you in the living room).

This symbolism suggests that it is time to grow past your previous restrictions and that this can be exhilarating while at the same time intimidating. Have you always told yourself that certain goals or dreams were beyond your reach? Throw a rock at that notion. Have you always wanted to express yourself more creatively, by perhaps starting a podcast, learning to sing, sew, dance, or paint?

Wink at that idea and any other that feels exciting and invigorating. Throw a rock at fear. Be a disrupter in your own life, and, when you do, challenge the restrictions that you blindly accepted when you were younger.

This time is about moving beyond constraints and away from outdated versions of your life and your abilities. As you do so, it’s important to be kind with yourself, remembering that the limits we previously accepted kept us safe before they kept us small.

As we approach the two-year mark of the pandemic, it is wise to take stock of how and where your priorities have changed. Perhaps the routines and goals of your pre-pandemic self no longer fit who you are and what you have grown to realize is important to you.

The message of the mysterious stranger in the living room is that it’s okay to do things differently—

differently from others and differently from who you were before. In fact, doing so might make you the most interesting person at the party.