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Potential of Jupiter-Uranus Alignments
In Popular Culture

by Bill Streett

Copyright 2003. All Rights Reserved

Inside all of us is a little child that wonders, creates, experiments, provokes, and yearns to see the world anew. This part of us never dies. This whimsical, creative spirit remains latent or obscured perhaps, yet we all possess varying degrees of genius that desires for liberation and the chance to create.

Just as we independently possess a stroke of inventive brilliance, so too does the world soul possess a fraction of its being devoted to ingenious breakthroughs, dazzling heights of imaginative whimsy, and the sheer delight of creating something new. Similarly (and somewhat unfortunately), just as most of us are rarely allowed the opportunity to fully indulge our inner creative spirit, the world soul seldom concentrates on its extraordinary ability to invent, create, and play. However, when Jupiter and Uranus form significant alignments (and for the purposes of this essay I will be focusing solely on the conjunctions and oppositions), the whimsical, capricious wizardry and brilliance that is interwoven into the fabric of evolution is allowed to take center stage. Stated somewhat differently, Jupiter-Uranus alignments are a holographic mirror reflecting back to us that novelty, creative breakthroughs, and inventive free play rule the order of the day.

It is during Jupiter-Uranus alignments (approximately lasting an entire year) that the constant flux of novelty originating out of the Uranus archetype is amplified, uplifted, and granted success by the archetype of Jupiter. The physical planet of Jupiter mirrors its archetype: both are grand, big, and expansive. When Jupiter makes a significant angular relationship to another planet, it acts to increase the energy involved. Thus, Jupiter is the solar system's archetypal "magnifying glass;" it acts to swell another planet’s patterns and associated energies.

However, not only is Jupiter influencing Uranus, but Uranus is also acting to stimulate, excite, and liberate the potentials of Jupiter’s archetypal patterns. During these alignments, Jupiter’s associations—success, high culture, expansion, vision—are energized and infused with currents of high voltage and high octane libido. Like a magician waving its wand or a genie granting a wish, Uranus liberates the potentials of another planet’s symbolism in a fascinating, unpredictable, and exciting way.

To gain a greater appreciation and to understand these alignments in greater detail, it is important to look at case examples of these alignments in history. For the purposes of this article, we can understand the potentials of Jupiter-Uranus alignments to fall into one of three categories: (1) The liberation or initiation of some new cultural phenomenon; the birth and beginnings of new events or trends (2) Stunning, unpredictable success; unparalleled and phenomenal popularity (3) Brilliance; once-in-a-lifetime endowment of genius.

In each of these categories, individuals will be chosen to exemplify the manifestations of the Jupiter-Uranus alignments. These individuals may be thought of as conduits or carriers of the expression of these alignments. In all cases, Jupiter-Uranus alignments made highly significant angular relationships to the placement of the individual’s Sun in the astrological birth chart.

The Birth of New Cultural Trends

1) 1962’s Jupiter Uranus Opposition, Sean Connery, and James Bond

Producers looking to capitalize on Ian Fleming’s spy novels tapped a relative unknown Scot named Sean Connery to star in the first official James Bond movie, Dr. No. Combining sex appeal, gadgets, cheeky humor, and non-stop action, James Bond movies became a worldwide craze for forty years running and would redefine action movies. The Jupiter-Uranus opposition, within 1 degree of exactitude during the release of Dr. No, was within 2 degrees of Connery’s Sun in early Virgo.

2) 1983’s Jupiter Uranus conjunction, Sally Ride, and the first women in space

After reading a call for astronauts in a Stanford University paper, Sally Ride beat out some 8,000 applicants to join NASA. After extensive training and several years later, Ride became the first woman in space. The Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, within 3 degrees of exactitude at the time of Ride’s Challenger space flight, was in direct opposition to Ride’s Sun at four degrees Gemini.

3) 1962’s Jupiter Uranus Opposition, Bob Dylan’s debut album

Dylan’s eponymous debut album not only sounded a revolutionary note within several genres of music but was to be the harbinger of his own prophetic admonition, the times are a changin’. Granting poet’s the opportunity to sing, liberating a more politically edgy tenor to folk music, and allowing rock musician’s the ability to write introspective, personal songs, Dylan’s first albums would be enormously influential in nearly every countercultural pocket of his generation. Released in March of 1962, Dylan’s first album came when Uranus and Jupiter were within 2 degrees of exact opposition, making a square to his natal Sun in Gemini.

Stunning, Unpredictable Success

1) 1975-76’s Jupiter Uranus opposition, Peter Frampton and Frampton Comes Alive

Peter Frampton, a solid recording artist of his generation, had achieved moderate success with his solo recordings by the mid-seventies, and it would be no surprise that a double album showcasing his live act would do moderately well in sales. However—shockingly—Frampton Comes Alive is still the greatest selling live album of all time. The vibrancy, power, and electricity of the recording helps Frampton Comes Alive to remain an enduring classic. The Jupiter-Uranus opposition of 1976 was within six degrees of exact when Alive hit number one on the billboard charts, aligning over Frampton’s Sun in early Taurus.

2) 1982-1983’s Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, Michael Jackson, and Thriller

Having tremendous success with his earlier solo effort, Off the Wall, Jackson released Thriller in late 1982. The triumph of Thriller still remains unprecedented, selling an astronomical 50 million-plus copies worldwide to date. The album made Jackson arguably the single greatest pop star of the 1980’s, canonizing everything from dances, music videos, singles, clothing styles, and commercials that were trademark Michael Jackson. Throughout Thriller’s meteoric rise, the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in early Sagittarius formed a 90 degree square aspect to Jackson’s Sun in early Virgo.

Brilliance; Pinnacle of genius

1) 1975-76’s Jupiter-Uranus opposition, Jack Nicholson, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Six years after his breakout film Easy Rider, Jack Nicholson arguably gave the best performance of his career as Randle Patrick McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Well before critics and fans accused Nicholson of relying on cliché, hackneyed impersonations of the legend he had created—“Jack playing Jack”—Nicholson’s portrayal of a mental health patient in Cuckoo’s Nest was unforgettable, passionate, and remarkable. After receiving his fifth academy award nomination, Nicholson finally won his first Oscar for the performance. Jupiter and Uranus were within six degrees of exact opposition on the night of the Awards, aligning over his Sun in early Taurus.

2) 1934 Jupiter-Uranus opposition, Carl Jung, and Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious

Although years in formulation, this essay was to be the conscious articulation of cornerstones within Jung’s thought and analytic psychology. As the title implies, Jung expounds on the notions of archetype and collective unconscious, terms that are now used in popular discourse. At the time of publication, the Jupiter-Uranus opposition in early Scorpio and Taurus formed a t-square with Jung’s natal Sun in early Leo.

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