Promethean Fire: The Axial Alignments of the Mars-Uranus Cycle
The Prometheus of Greek myth was a "cosmic trickster"; a champion of humankind who was known for his intelligence and originality; the progenitor of art, science, and civilisation. According to myth, the cunning Prometheus stole fire from the heavens in order to liberate humans from their bondage to the gods, and through this brave and brilliant act of defiance, Prometheus overturned the established structure of the cosmos, enraging the Olympian pantheon.
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| Prometheus Brings Fire by Heinrich Friedrich Füger |
Fire is a potent symbol for human civilisation and its centrality to the myth of Prometheus is no coincidence. Intrinsic to this myth is a recognition of the liberating power of fire; of the affinity between fire and innovation; and of the emancipating effects of technology upon humankind. The powerful dynamism which underlies this myth is of an archetypal nature, it reveals a perennial truth which has expressed itself in many different forms throughout human history. Even today, the myth continues to reverberate throughout the scientific, cultural, and political realms. Far from being a dead symbol, this myth reflects the workings of our living cosmos, and is rich with astrological associations. It is particularly relevant to the astrological archetypes associated with the planets Mars and Uranus.
Fire, and everything that it typically represents -- passion, heat, desire, anger -- is essential to the astrological symbolism of Mars. Conceived more broadly, Mars is the principle of courage, forthrightness, and assertiveness; it tends towards bold and decisive action. The daring theft of heavenly fire that so enraged the gods was as clear an expression of Martian bravery as exists in Greek mythology. This provocative act, which might seem reckless when considering the fate of Prometheus, was not, however, undertaken for bragging rights. The courage displayed by Prometheus was always in service of a higher principle: an archetypal impulse towards change, freedom, innovation, and revolution. These qualities, which are essential to the character of Prometheus, and which inform the myth at a deep level, are all associated with the astrological meaning ascribed to the planet Uranus. In Cosmos and Psyche, Richard Tarnas contends that the Prometheus myth reflects the archetypal meaning of the planet Uranus with far greater precision than the myth of Ouranos, from whom the planet takes its name.
Given the profound dynamism between the two astrological archetypes that is suggested by the myth, an astrological investigation of the Mars-Uranus cycle could provide unique insight into the archetypal dynamics of our present time. Herein lies the purpose of this essay, which will take a tentative step in that direction through an analysis of the two most recent axial alignments of the Mars-Uranus cycle, namely: the conjunction that reached exactitude in February 2019, and the opposition that reached exactitude in November 2019. Before we proceed, I feel it is necessary to provide a brief overview of the distinct archetypes associated with the planets Mars and Uranus that can be referred back to when necessary.
Uranus signifies the acceleration principle; it is oriented towards the future. The frantic pace of modern life with all of its high tech accoutrements is an expression of the Promethean impulse towards ever greater speed and convenience. The electrifying Uranus archetype is the essence of all modern technology. The symbolic resonance of electricity is instructive to understanding the wide spectrum of meanings which are signified by the planet: Uranus is the idiomatic "bolt from the blue", the sudden lightning strike or unexpected event which disrupts normality and awakens the mind and body to new realities; it is the "light bulb moment" of sudden intellectual insight: the flash of inspiration that leads to a novel idea or breakthrough; it is the "bright spark" of ingenuity that lives in the heart of all inventors.
Whilst Uranus is rightly associated with the peaks of human ingenuity, it is also associated with states of chaotic instability, experimental errors, and maladaptive mutations. Whether Uranus is experienced as enlivening and liberating, or jarring and disruptive, depends on the historical and biographical context in which it is encountered. By transit, Uranus tends to stimulate and excite the other planetary archetypes towards novel and surprising modes of expression.
Fire, and everything that it typically represents -- passion, heat, desire, anger -- is essential to the astrological symbolism of Mars. Conceived more broadly, Mars is the principle of courage, forthrightness, and assertiveness; it tends towards bold and decisive action. The daring theft of heavenly fire that so enraged the gods was as clear an expression of Martian bravery as exists in Greek mythology. This provocative act, which might seem reckless when considering the fate of Prometheus, was not, however, undertaken for bragging rights. The courage displayed by Prometheus was always in service of a higher principle: an archetypal impulse towards change, freedom, innovation, and revolution. These qualities, which are essential to the character of Prometheus, and which inform the myth at a deep level, are all associated with the astrological meaning ascribed to the planet Uranus. In Cosmos and Psyche, Richard Tarnas contends that the Prometheus myth reflects the archetypal meaning of the planet Uranus with far greater precision than the myth of Ouranos, from whom the planet takes its name.
Given the profound dynamism between the two astrological archetypes that is suggested by the myth, an astrological investigation of the Mars-Uranus cycle could provide unique insight into the archetypal dynamics of our present time. Herein lies the purpose of this essay, which will take a tentative step in that direction through an analysis of the two most recent axial alignments of the Mars-Uranus cycle, namely: the conjunction that reached exactitude in February 2019, and the opposition that reached exactitude in November 2019. Before we proceed, I feel it is necessary to provide a brief overview of the distinct archetypes associated with the planets Mars and Uranus that can be referred back to when necessary.
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The planet Mars (♂︎) is associated with the archetype of the warrior; its element is fire. Mars is passion, heat, desire, anger, offensiveness, sharpness, and drive. It is the principle of vitality, vigour, and force. It is connected to men and masculinity. Mars is energetic activity that is often expressed through motion, physicality, combat, and sex. Mars, when expressed positively, is admirably courageous and assertive, however, its more negative expressions can include vulgarity, rudeness, recklessness, aggression, and hostility. The shadow of Mars is brutality, violence, and war. When Mars forms a major aspect to another planet, it tends to energise and antagonise the other planetary archetype, often provoking some kind of action or conflict. |
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The planet Uranus (♅) is associated with progress and originality, reform and revolution, freedom, excitement, and individuality. It signifies the impulse to break with tradition and begin something new. It favours novelty and risk over caution and conformity. Its influence tends to disrupt the status quo in manifold ways, and to awaken the dormant potential in whatever it touches. It has a natural connection to youth, particularly to the exciting and rebellious tendencies of adolescence. It seeks liberation from all that is rigid and confining. It seeks to break free from gravitational constraints, both literally in the form of flight, and metaphorically in the desire for freedom across all realms of experience. |
Uranus signifies the acceleration principle; it is oriented towards the future. The frantic pace of modern life with all of its high tech accoutrements is an expression of the Promethean impulse towards ever greater speed and convenience. The electrifying Uranus archetype is the essence of all modern technology. The symbolic resonance of electricity is instructive to understanding the wide spectrum of meanings which are signified by the planet: Uranus is the idiomatic "bolt from the blue", the sudden lightning strike or unexpected event which disrupts normality and awakens the mind and body to new realities; it is the "light bulb moment" of sudden intellectual insight: the flash of inspiration that leads to a novel idea or breakthrough; it is the "bright spark" of ingenuity that lives in the heart of all inventors.
Whilst Uranus is rightly associated with the peaks of human ingenuity, it is also associated with states of chaotic instability, experimental errors, and maladaptive mutations. Whether Uranus is experienced as enlivening and liberating, or jarring and disruptive, depends on the historical and biographical context in which it is encountered. By transit, Uranus tends to stimulate and excite the other planetary archetypes towards novel and surprising modes of expression.
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The Mars-Uranus cycle, from conjunction to conjunction, lasts approximately two years, as the faster moving Mars runs laps around Uranus (which takes 84 years to complete a single orbit of the Sun). The cycle is punctuated by periodic alignments of the two planets as defined by the major aspects of astrology (conjunction, sextile, square, trine, opposition). During these alignments, the archetypal energies that are signified by the planets Mars and Uranus come into relationship with each other though a process of mutual activation. The axial alignments (conjunction and opposition) represent the climaxes of this cycle; periods which entail an especially potent interaction of the Mars and Uranus archetypes, during which it is more likely that concrete events will occur that reflect their combined meaning. My research indicates that relevant archetypal phenomena can be discerned when the planets are within a 15° orb, however, the most vivid manifestations tend to occur within a more narrow orb of around 10°. For the sake of brevity and salience, I have limited my analysis to the 10° range, and this is reflected in the date ranges provided for each alignment.
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The Mars-Uranus complex has an acutely volatile and combustible quality; it is an impassioned, restless and unpredictable pairing. Uranus is the spark that can ignite the fiery Mars into a brilliant blaze. The term "flash fire" is distinctly evocative of the Mars-Uranus combination; the Martian fire that spreads with unusual rapidity and suddenness. This combination can signify a temperamental outburst, or a short-lived explosion that is over before it begins; the proverbial "flash-in-the-pan". The tendency of Mars-Uranus is to burn out, rather than to fade away. The Uranus archetype tends to liberate the energetic force associated with the Mars archetype in ways that are shocking and disruptive, whilst the Mars archetype tends to energise and enrage the rebellious tendencies of the Uranus archetype. Typical occurrences include the aforementioned flash-fire, alongside the surprise attack, the shocking sex scandal, and the sudden eruption of conflict.
Alongside such occurrences, the Mars-Uranus complex seems to be associated with certain thematic constellations that reflect the archetypal combination of Mars and Uranus, these include: the elemental interaction of fire and electricity; the archetypal synthesis of the warrior and the trickster; the intersection of violence and technology; the tension between incivility and liberty; and the dynamic interplay between the principles of competition and ingenuity.
The Mars-Uranus conjunction of 2019 ♂︎☌♅ (January 28 -- February 28)
The Mars-Uranus conjunction moved into the 10° orb on January 28, 2019, it reached exactitude on February 13, and moved out of orb on February 28.Whilst the fiery language used to evoke the Mars-Uranus complex has numerous symbolic applications, it would be an oversight not to mention the conspicuous amount of literal fires which accompanied the 2019 conjunction. A cursory glance at news headlines from the period reveals a spate of major fires occurred around the world within short succession of each other, the details of each fire expressing the specific archetypal qualities associated with the two planets in combination: on February 5, an arsonist set a 9 storey apartment complex alight in Paris, the fire spread rapidly and killed 10 people; on February 7, protesters in Haiti burnt down a marketplace and enabled the escape of 78 inmates from a nearby prison, the combination of fire and freedom reflecting a combined Mars-Uranus influence; on February 12, a suspected electrical malfunction in a Delhi hotel caused fire to spread rapidly, killing 17 people; on February 17, a fire swept through more than 200 slum dwellings in the Bangladeshi city of Chittagong and killed at least 9 people, suspected to be caused by a short circuit; three days later, another fire broke out in Bangladesh which caused an electrical transformer to explode, killing at least 80 people; on February 27, a high-speed train crash sparked a large fire at Cairo's main railway station and killed 25 people, the train was unmanned because the driver was involved in a fight with another train driver. In all of the examples just cited, alongside the more obvious presence of the fiery Mars archetype, it is possible to discern various inflections of the Uranus archetype, such as: speed, suddenness, electricity, and, in the case of the Haiti protests, the liberation of men.
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The Mars-Uranus complex spans a wide range of potential manifestations. The electrifying tendency of Uranus can modulate the aggressive Mars archetype in the form of technologically augmented violence; characteristic expressions include cyber warfare, mechanised battles, and online attacks. On February 10, when the conjunction was very close to exact, the main political parties and the parliament of Australia were subjected to a cyber attack by a sophisticated state actor. These attacks can be viewed as expressions of Martian aggression within the techno-electronic domain of Uranus.
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| Alita: Battle Angel (20th Century Fox) |
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The Promethean quest to transcend gravity and fly through the air is a definitive expression of the Uranus archetype; the technological innovation which underpins flight and aviation is a selfsame expression of this archetypal impulse. It is the impulse towards speed, agility, ingenuity, and freedom; its abode is the unlimited sky. When Mars and Uranus align, the warlike Mars receives an infusion of Promethean energy, it is temporarily endowed with wings, allowing it to become airborne; the warrior takes flight, and the sky becomes a theatre of war. Accordingly, aerial warfare is a signature expression of the Mars-Uranus complex. Dog fights, air raids, and air strikes are all characteristic occurrences during Mars-Uranus alignments. In addition to their airborne aspect, these sorts of attacks reflect the Uranus archetype in their rapidity, abruptness, and unpredictability.
In the category of aerial combat, the 2019 conjunction period coincided with a dramatic wave of airstrikes in several different countries. On February 9, when the conjunction moved to within 3° of exactitude, a major battle erupted within the context of the ongoing Syrian civil war. The Battle of Baghuz Fawqani entailed an offensive by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, assisted by American-led coalition airstrikes. Unfolding near the Iraq-Syria border, the battle marked the territorial last stand of the Islamic State in eastern Syria. During the opening assault, Syrian state media reported numerous casualties resulting from an airstrike on a densely populated settlement. Eyewitnesses described a sky full of helicopters, missiles, and warplanes. According to coalition sources, they conducted a total of 186 strikes between February 10--23. The battle marked a decisive defeat for IS that came at great human cost. The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights estimated that coalition airstrikes resulted in more than 200 civilian deaths.
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| Prakash Singh/AFP/Getty Images |
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Another category of phenomena related to the Mars-Uranus cycle is that of sudden scandals; events which trigger mass shock and outrage, with sexual misconduct (Mars) being an especially common theme. In coincidence with the Mars-Uranus conjunction, a truly uncanny sequence of scandals -- which all occurred over the course of one week whilst the conjunction was within 10° of exactitude -- engulfed the executive branch of the government of Virginia, which is controlled by the Democratic Party. This improbable chain of events began on January 30 when Governor Ralph Northam made a highly controversial (Uranus) statement about abortion that some commentators interpreted as an endorsement of infanticide, engendering much outrage (Mars) within conservative circles.
Two days after these comments were made, photographs of Northam in blackface, dating from his years in medical school, were published online and resulted in widespread calls for his resignation, including calls from Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax. In response to this, Northam held a disastrous press conference which served to compound his issues further and did nothing to abate the calls for his resignation. The day after that, Fairfax -- who was preparing to replace Northam as governor -- was publicly accused of sexual assault and also faced calls for his resignation. Then, three days after that, Attorney General Mark Herring, who was next in line of succession and who had previously called for Northam's resignation, was himself embroiled in controversy after confessing to have also dressed in blackface during his student days. Finally, on February 8, when the conjunction reached 3° of exactitude, a second accusation of sexual assault was levelled at Fairfax. This extraordinary confluence of events led to a crisis for the Democratic Party who, whilst outwardly condemning the alleged transgressions of the officials, did not wish to cede control to a Republican governor.
Simultaneous to the events in Virginia, two other major sexual abuse scandals were brought to international attention: on February 10, when the conjunction was almost precisely exact, the Houston Chronicle published an explosive report into widespread abuse within member churches of the Southern Baptist Convention; and on February 22, when the conjunction was still within 5° of alignment, the American musician R. Kelly was charged with 10 counts of sexual abuse.
Sudden revelations of outrageous and offensive behaviour, especially in relation to men, are typical of Mars-Uranus alignments. Sexual violence is part of the problematic shadow of masculinity, which is itself bound up with the more negative expressions of the Mars archetype: instances of crude, inconsiderate, and aggressive behaviour often become focal points during alignments which involve Mars. The presence of Uranus tends to add an element of unpredictability and shock to the expression of Mars; a destabilising and perversely comedic quality is often apparent during these alignments, it can seem as though an uncouth trickster were somehow orchestrating events from behind the scenes.
Another tendency of Mars-Uranus is towards men's rights activism; whereby the masculine Mars archetype is galvanised into asserting its liberation (Uranus) from social forces which may oppose the expression of masculine qualities, or otherwise impede the flourishing of the male sex. In this category, the conjunction period coincided with a landmark ruling by a US federal judge stating that male only draft laws are discriminatory and unconstitutional. This was in reference to the Military Selective Service Act, which states that American men aged 18 to 25 must register in case the country needs a military draft. The case was brought forward by the National Coalition For Men, an advocacy group committed to men's rights activism. According to the group: "forcing only males to register is an aspect of socially institutionalised male disposability". The ruling came as the federal government was considering the future of the draft system, and whether or not women should be required to register.
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| Promotional image for Mars One |
One of the most conspicuously symbolic events to occur during the Mars-Uranus conjunction was the announcement that the Mars One project had been declared bankrupt. Mars One was a costly and highly controversial private enterprise that was supposedly working towards the colonisation of Mars by human beings. The project had managed to attract millions of dollars from investors, despite wide ranging criticism from experts in the aerospace industry who believed the project was an unfeasible scam. Trading of Mars One shares was suspended on February 5, and its bankruptcy was revealed on February 11 when the Mars-Uranus conjunction was exact. Uranus is associated with unexpected events and structural instability; the sudden collapse of a bold and reckless enterprise is distinctly evocative of the Mars-Uranus archetypal complex, particularly as it relates to the literal planet Mars.
The Mars-Uranus opposition of 2019 ♂︎☍♅ (November 10 -- December 9)
The Mars-Uranus opposition alignment that followed the conjunction discussed above coincided with a similarly combustible period which saw a recurrence of much of the phenomena that accompanied the conjunction. The opposition moved into the 10° orb on November 10, reached exactitude on November 24, and moved out of orb on December 9.The Mar-Uranus tendency towards aerial warfare was readily apparent throughout the period of the opposition, with airborne violence unfolding in several different locations throughout the world. A significant clash erupted between Israel and Gaza when the Israeli Defence Forces orchestrated the targeted killing of Baha Abu al-Ata, a leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, by airstrike of his apartment in Gaza on November 12, when Mars had just moved to within 10° of opposition. Simultaneous to this, the IDF also ordered an airstrike in Damascus with the intent of killing Akram al-Ajouri, another leader of the Islamist group. The strike in Damascus failed to kill al-Ajouri and resulted in the death of two of his children. In the immediate aftermath of these events, the PIJ responded with rocket fire into Israel which caused injury to several civilians. The IDF responded with further airstrikes across Gaza in a clash that went on for 48 hours and resulted in at least 34 deaths. Shortly after this on November 20, when Mars was within 5° of opposition, the IDF conducted another round of airstrikes in Syria which killed at least 23 people, this time directed at Iranian targets.
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During this opposition alignment, a staggering number of protests occurred, throughout many different countries, in which fire and fury played a conspicuous role. These events reflect the dynamic synthesis of the fiery Mars archetype with the rebellious, impulsive, and disruptive tendencies of the Uranus archetype. In all of these protests, the participants were galvanised by a sense of collective anger against the perceived injustices of their society, this anger was then discharged through a sudden outburst of rebellious activity.
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| Fiery rebellion in Iran |
An even more shocking instance of this archetypal pattern occurred on November 29 in Tunisia, when 25 year old Abdelwahed Hablani died by setting himself on fire in protest of poverty and poor living conditions, this led to further protests in the region. Hablani's self immolation echoes that of Mohamed Bouazizi, whose self immolation occurred during the Mars-Uranus square which coincided with the tense alignment of outer planets that marked the beginning of the Arab Spring (a square between the simultaneous conjunctions of Jupiter-Uranus and Mars-Pluto).
In Hong Kong, where civil unrest has been raging for many months, a series of flash mobs broke out in response to the death of 22 year old student Alex Chow Tsz-lok. His death was blamed on police obstruction. Young demonstrators set fire to metro stations amidst a city-wide strike as an expression of their anger at the authorities. This was an especially combustible few weeks for the protest movement which seeks enhanced liberty and freedom (Uranus) from authoritarian Chinese influence. During the two week period that encompassed the exact opposition of Mars and Uranus, protesters took control of Hong Kong Polytechnic University where they engaged in a dramatic standoff with the authorities. Besieged in the confines of the university, the young protesters improvised weapons and defences through impressive mental acuity and the limited resources that were available to them. In their confrontation with armoured vehicles, rubber bullets, and tear gas, the protesters' arsenal included bows and arrows, Molotov cocktails, and catapults. As the sky filled with flames, these fiery projectiles functioned as living symbols of the combined Mars-Uranus influence. The fire and fury (Mars) of the protesters was executed by means of gravity defying innovation, agility, and speed (Uranus).
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| Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images |
In this dramatic unfolding we can discern the archetypal synthesis of the warrior (Mars) and the trickster (Uranus). Through a Promethean feat of ingenuity, the youthful rebels were able to engage the lumbering authorities in acts of highly unconventional warfare and cause unprecedented disruption to the existing social order. The Mars-Uranus complex was also visible in the many daring escapes that occurred during the course of the siege, many of which involved attempts to abseil from a bridge onto motorbikes that were waiting below. A more disturbing inflection of these same archetypal energies was enacted by a small group of protesters who doused a man in petrol and set him on fire, mirroring the immolation of Hablani in Tunisia.
This was probably the most surreal thing I have ever witnessed in the Hong Kong protests. Protesters just attempted a daring escape through a bridge at Polytechnic University. Volunteers on motorbikes came in drives to drive them out asap. Police fired teargas. #HongKongProtests pic.twitter.com/huhSo3Mxo9— Michael Zhang 張雨軒 (@YuxuanMichael) November 18, 2019
On a cultural level, the Mars-Uranus complex is associated with a range of tendencies which are broadly opposed to censorship, decorum, and political correctness. The liberal and freedom-loving Uranus archetype tends to liberate the Martian proclivity for offensive speech and action; this can entail a radical assertion of freedom of speech, and in particular the right to offend. On November 22, when the opposition reached exactitude, the right to offend was emphatically invoked by the UK prime minister Boris Johnson, who -- upon being confronted with his own past utterances that had caused deep offence to various minority groups -- remained unapologetic and steadfast in his "right to speak out". Johnson was born during a Mars-Uranus square and embodies many of the tendencies of this archetypal complex: his public persona combines bravado (Mars) with a form of calculated buffoonery that contains a strong element of the comic-trickster archetype (Uranus). He is known to have a highly competitive streak (Mars) and is prone to impulsive and risky behaviour (Uranus) that has resulted in numerous personal and political scandals. Since becoming prime minister, many racist and homophobic comments dating from Johnson's former career in journalism have resurfaced. It was in reference to these that Johnson asserted his right to offend.
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Many other tendencies of the Mars-Uranus complex were readily apparent throughout the opposition period. The tendency towards cyber warfare was demonstrated via a series of sophisticated cyber attacks on the digital platforms of the UK Labour party which occurred on November 12 in the run up to the national election. These cyber attacks echoed the ones that were inflicted on Australian political parties during the preceding Mars-Uranus conjunction.
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| Ford v Ferrari (20th Century Fox) |
The Mars-Uranus polarity is embodied in the central relationship between Miles and Shelby; the performances of the two lead actors work to personify the two planetary archetypes. Christian Bale (who was born with his natal Sun in a square aspect to Mars) depicts Miles as a living embodiment of the Mars archetype: he is competitive, courageous, uncouth, and temperamental. Matt Damon (who was born with his natal Sun in close conjunction with Uranus) portrays Shelby as a brilliant maverick who produces his best work when he is given the creative freedom to experiment with novel designs; a clear personification of the Uranus/Prometheus archetype. Through their volatile and dynamic relationship (opposition) they are able to combine their individual talents to achieve feats of technical ingenuity (Uranus) that enable them to surpass existing limitations and compete (Mars) at the highest level.
Motor racing is, in itself, an embodiment of the Mars-Uranus archetypal meaning: the fusion of energetic motion (Mars) with the principle of risk, speed, and acceleration (Uranus) is clearly related to the meaning of the two planets in combination. Both Shelby and Miles were born with major Mars-Uranus aspects, and it is striking that many of the most celebrated figures in motor-racing history, such as Ayrton Senna, Lewis Hamilton, Alain Prost, and Mario Andretti, were born with natal Mars and Uranus in hard aspect alignment.
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| The Mustang Mach-E |
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