taken and changes made usually work out well in the long term if they are sensible and followed through with. Uranus returns Uranus takes about 84 years to complete a full return. However, one of its most important influences is felt when it reaches the halfway stage in its journey, at around age 42. The Uranus half-return is the origin of what for many people is the 'mid-life crisis'. Women, especially those with children growing up and leaving home, may feel that life has passed them by. A lot of women also begin the pre-menopause stage at this time, and many men experience the 'male menopause'. Permanent and successful long-term relationships may be unsettled or disrupted by casual flirtations and affairs. The Uranus half-return can be stressful and tense, but also energising. It is the ideal time for people to break out of routine lifestyles that they have been stuck in for years, and develop new interests. The full Uranus return takes place around age 84, and if the person is reasonably well and fit, it can herald a new and lively interest in life. For example, many creative people have completed great works after the age of 84 - Verdi composed his opera Falstaff, and Picasso painted many of his finest paintings late in life. References Technical factors of Western astrology