The Uranus archetype represents our individuality and desire for freedom and new beginnings. It is the principle of change, sudden awakenings, genius and technological advances. Uranus is the ruler of Aquarius. The symbol is the cross of matter between two crescents of the soul, all above a tiny circle of the spirit.

Keywords for Uranus:

• Original
• Unpredictable
• Erratic
• Restless
• Trickster
• Revolutionary

Uranus Myths

In Greek mythology we have Ouranos, the primal god of heaven, better known by his Latin spelling: Uranus. With his mother/sister Gaia, Ouranos created the physical universe and the race of Titans, only to be overthrown by his son Kronos.

But there’s a better myth which represents the spirit of Uranus: that of one of the Titans themselves – Prometheus. Zeus wants to destroy mankind but Prometheus persuades him against the idea. After being duped in a ruse by Prometheus, Zeus takes revenge by denying mankind the gift of fire. So Prometheus steals a fragment of glowing charcoal from the sun and delivers the sacred flame to mankind. This really gets Zeus’ goat, so he punishes Prometheus by having him chained to a rock, where an eagle rips out his liver day after day.

Meanwhile, Zeus also punishes mankind by sending a gift to Prometheus’ brother, Epimetheus, in the form of a woman: Pandora. Epimetheus has a jar his brother warned him never to open. It contains all the troubles that stalk mankind: old age, labour, sickness, insanity, vice and passion. But Pandora, being a curious type, opens the jar, unleashing a nightmare, along with Delusive Hope, which prevents mankind from killing themselves as a result of all their problems.

Eventually Prometheus is set free from his torment on the rock by Hercules. Prometheus is seen as a redeemer of mankind, bringing civilisation and teaching the arts of mathematics, husbandry, agriculture, prophecy and architecture. In earlier versions of the myth he is said to have created man from clay and water, and then Athena breathed life into them. This is similar to the Talmudic creation story where Archangel Michael (Prometheus’ counterpart) made Adam from dust under command from Yahweh.

Uranus Myths on Film

The Prestige tells the story of duelling magicians, played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale. Their attempts to outdo each other become increasingly deadly, ultimately leading one to a terrible sacrifice and the other to transgress the laws of nature with a monstrous price.

Sunshine tells the story of a group of scientists on a mission to re-ignite the dying sun. As they approach the sun and prepare to fire a massive nuclear weapon into its heart, their mission begins to unravel. The crew discover what happened to a previous mission and have to fight to stop themselves succumbing to the same fate. Slowly losing their minds, they find themselves stalked by a man who shouldn’t have survived as long as he has in such close proximity to the sun. He has become a kind of mad god.

>Read the rest of the series here

Image: Prometheus