The essential dignity of Uranus should first be regarded by reference to the sign in which he is situated and to his aspects, before his influence in the house is investigated; for his nature must be modified by these circumstances. Ceteris paribus, however, he will be more influential in the Ascend· ant than most other planets for the reason that he is not tied down as they are by zodiacal considerations.
People who have him in this position are nearly always of an extremely independent and original turn of mind. Their point of view is almost always different and radically so from that of the mass of mankind. Such people are invariably what their friends call ‘characters’. But when this is at all accentuated or when the surroundings of the native are ultraconventional a certain antagonism may develop and he may be described as eccentric or even something stronger.
In any case, from the point of view of common sense, these criticisms are usually justified. In all ordinary circumstances, the best way to get on is to follow the line of least resistance, and if a person with Uranus in the Ascendant even does such an obvious thing as this, it does not strike him in that light at all. He regards it as a wonderful discovery of his super-subtle intelligence, and in any case is not likely to carry it out with any persistence. For the rule of the Uranian is above all to strike out a new line. He is in nearly every case a thoroughly emancipated thinker. Conventional ideas are quite beneath his notice; tradition has no weight with him; he always goes to the root of the matter, decides everything on first principles and even with regard to these principles is more inclined to idealism than to realism. To take a concrete example, it will appear quite obvious to him that the only possible way of running the world is by mutual forbearance and love. He is then apt to assume that it is so run. This quality is likely to be manifest whenever ‘Uranus acts upon the mental plane, so that in the third and ninth houses its effect is as conspicuous as when in the Ascendant.
The general effect of this tendency of Uranus is to make the native a solitary, not in the least as Saturn does, as it were by nature, but on the contrary entirely against nature. The Uranian detests solitude, seeks the sympathy and companionship of his fellows and his life is rendered only too often extremely unhappy by the failure of his contemporaries to sympathise with his ideas. It must not be supposed, however, that he is likely to find this sympathy even with other Uranians. He will like meeting such people and find their company for the time refreshing, because of the originality of their ideas, but those ideas will probably not be the same as his own and even where they are he will most probably be jealous. His striking personality is, however, likely to make him extremely attractive to the hero-worshipping type of individual and he will often find brief solace in their caresses. Yet all the time a serpent will be gnawing at his heart and he will say to himself that he is utterly lonely because even those who adore him do not understand him. In this he will be right, on the surface. His error arises from the fact that he is really out of touch with the spirit of his age. In fact he is sent into that age as one born out of season to implant in it the seeds or those ideas which may be good and generally accepted a hundred years later. He must learn to be content to plow a lonely furrow, for the benefit of those who are to follow. He must sow in tears that others may reap in joy.
Occasionally Uranus is sufficiently strong to overpower, at least temporarily, the spirit of the age itself. Where great executive ability is shown and where the general horoscope predicts greatness, the native may become supreme in his sect ion of the universe. Thus we find Cromwell overthrowing not only the king on behalf of Parliament, but Parliament itself as soon as it showed divergence from his own ideas. It may here be remarked that Uranus rising sometimes declares itself by facial characteristics. It is well known that Cromwell had warts on the nose. Another example of conspicuous success is Disraeli ; here the eccentricity shows itself by his fantastical dandyism, but the extreme power of the personality is demonstrated by the fact that it was only a few years before his elevation to the position of First Commoner in the British Empire flat the political disabilities of Jews had been removed.
In the case of Robert Louis Stevenson, the eccentricity shown by Uranus rising is modified to shyness and gentleness of character. This is readily explained by the fact that Uranus is trined by Venus. Herbert Spencer shows more the recluse in his nature; it will be remembered that he had plugs made for his ears, so that he should not be distracted by the conversation of people at the dinner-table.
In the case of Sir Isaac Newton, again, the reader will recall the fact that he would seek mental relaxation by endeavouring to balance peacock’s feathers upon his nose and that people who discovered him engaged in this manner described him as eccentric. One does not, however, remember the names of those people. In nearly all cases Uranus stamps the face with some subtle peculiarity of a kind that lends to inspire the average individual with a kind of dread.
Occasionally, as with Cromwell, Uranus takes a menacing and destructive turn. Add to his name those of Robespierre and Annie Besant, but these lacked Cromwell’s capacity, and the clement of destruction began to manifest itself almost as soon as the success of their revolutionary efforts. Cromwell’s influence at least lasted while his life did.
The student will note the very peculiar facial appearance of Mrs Besant, especially the lips, while in the cases of Robespierre, the nose is equally characteristic. The student is also referred to Carlyle’s account of his personal appearance and character.
Those persons with Uranus rising should never lose hope. They are inclined to pass from action to reaction with a strain of suddenness and periods of absolute despair may be the penalty which they pay for their exhilaration, but fortune for them is ever on the turn. When things are at the worst, they mend as suddenly as they collapsed. As a rule it is not good policy for such people to attempt to fit themselves in with their surroundings; failure is only too likely. It is a wiser policy to accentuate their unlikeness to the rest of mankind, so that they may achieve the toleration which is ultimately extended to all those who, while they are distrusted as being evidently not of the herd, are yet respected and feared by the sheep. The unknown animal may be a wolf or a lion!