Introducing Jupiter and Uranus conjunctions – through the broad brushstrokes of history…
Excitement is now building as we approach a major symbolic event in the astrological calendar: the most exciting, disruptive, dynamic planetary conjunction of the whole pantheon: the meeting of Jupiter and Uranus.
As we advance towards the conjunction on 21st April 2024, Jupiter/Uranus is now preparing to settle into a new 14-year cycle, continuing with its ancient symbolic task of seeing no limits as it challenges old frontiers and reveals startling new vistas of experience and discovery.
As a human community, we are beginning a new voyage into the Unknown. Comfort and security are never key features of such voyages….
However, we cannot fully begin to understand anything or anyone without placing it or them in an appropriate context , both in the present moment and within an historical perspective. This is just as true for planetary meetings as for anything else. Some years ago, I did just that, introducing readers to the essential meaning and significance of the combination of Jupiter and Uranus. I then went on to explain why I thought the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction in Aquarius of 16th February 1997 held particular significance for humanity and indeed for the very planet on which we all depend, providing many startling examples both from collective and individual lives to support my case.
I also surveyed the pattern of Jupiter/Uranus conjunctions through 500-year blocks of history from 500 BCE to 2500 CE, and came up with what I believe to be – in very broad brushstroke format – some telling perspectives regarding the impact of human restless, innovative brilliance on our past, present – and future.
Over the next few posts as we advance towards the conjunction date of 21st April, I aim to share extracts from my e-book ‘Jupiter Meets Uranus’ to enable readers to place the upcoming conjunction in its context of both core meaning and broad history. Just follow the links, those of you who’d like to buy and read the whole book.
As my colleague Victor Olliver, well-known astrologer, editor of the UK’s world-renowned The Astrological Journal, and respected author said recently:
‘The Taurus Jupiter/Uranus conjunction is the major astrological event of 2024 – and Anne Whitaker’s e-book (and blog) Jupiter Meets Uranus is by far the most authoritative guide to its meaning and significance, based on her original research and driven by her customary rigour and straightforward approach. Though the alignment occurs in the latter half of April, it has a longish build up and a longish ‘wake’ whose effects are sure to be clear and measurable in the world. A must-read for a better understanding of astrology and our times.‘
EXTRACT 1:
Presenting Jupiter and Uranus
Jupiter and Uranus form a conjunction in the heavens every fourteen years. Why should the prospect of such a meeting generate excitement, and anticipation of ‘fresh woods and pastures new’? 1 Before going on to explore in detail what exciting happenings their encounter in 1997 did indeed bring, it would be useful to return to first principles by way of introduction. How did astrological Jupiter and Uranus acquire their individual names and meanings? Why are their energies in combination regarded as being so dynamic, unusual, disruptive?
Background: Names and Meanings
When a child is born, the first thing we do is give him or her a name. The surname, coming from the father’s side of the family within traditional Western practice in earlier times than ours usually had some links with the family’s place in society, e.g., through occupation; Smith or Mason were linked with trades followed by the family stretching back generations. The child is thus placed in context.
Then observation gradually builds up a picture of how s/he generally behaves in response to a range of circumstances. By adulthood, that person is recognised in essence as being, for example, a cheerful, optimistic and expansive type, or a steady, dependable and well-organised type, or an unpredictable maverick, exciting to be around, but rather alarming in that you never quite know what s/he will do next.
Similarly, the planets as they appeared to humankind’s view very early in our history were given names, depending on the culture from which they were being observed. For example, the evening star was called Inanna by the Sumerians, Ishtar by the Egyptians, and Venus by the Romans. She was assigned the role of beautiful, powerful queen of the heavens in the myths of all three cultures, reflective perhaps of the observed dominance, brilliance and beauty of that planet in the evening sky at certain times of the year.
Our names and sexes for the planetary pantheon came from the Greek and Roman classical culture on which our Western civilisation is based. Within that context, the names of the planets were linked to gods and goddesses. Furthermore, their observable physical appearance and position initially lent weight to the choice of their names, and may in fact have led to it.
Jupiter is the largest and most brilliant planet, its mass from astronomical observation two and a half times greater than the rest of the planets combined. It was given the name of the king of the gods in Roman mythology, Zeus being the Greek equivalent. Over time, a whole range of mythical stories about the larger-than-life behaviour of this god came to be associated with the symbolism of astrological Jupiter.
Saturn was given its name from the logical premise that it was the next planet out from Jupiter; Saturn was Jupiter’s father in Roman mythology, Kronos being his Greek counterpart. From an astronomical point of view, Saturn was the farthest out and last planet visible to the naked eye. Defining the boundaries of the solar system in the ancient world, it was the ring-pass-not. Its physical location as the definer of limits and its place in both Roman and Greek myth as the stern old king, dispenser of strict justice, came to define its astrological meaning.
An Orderly System
Until the appearance of Uranus in 1781, the symbolic world of Western astrology was well ordered. The backdrop was the tropical zodiac, measured in a 360o great circle in the heavens from the first point of Aries. There were twelve signs, and seven planets. The Sun and Moon ruled a sign each, and the other five ruled two signs each. Very tidy.
There was also a long tradition of observation of the relationship between planetary alignments and human affairs. In Arthur Koestler’s memorable words: “Six thousand years ago, when the human mind was still half asleep, Chaldean priests were standing on their watch towers, scanning the stars.”2
Once planets have been named and placed in context, there is then unending work to do in empirical observation, which continues to enhance and reinforce the base upon which our tradition rests. As Richard Tarnas so elegantly puts it: “It is astrology’s extraordinary insight that these complex, multidimensional archetypes which govern the forms of human experience are intelligibly connected with the planets and their movements in the heavens, an association that is observable in a constant coincidence between specific planetary alignments and specific corresponding archetypal phenomena in human affairs.”3
To sum up: planets’ symbolic meanings have been derived over time from the astronomy of the planet which is linked to the name, from the mythology associated with the name of the relevant god or goddess, and from empirical observation of the links between planets’ movements by transit and corresponding manifestations at an individual and collective level of earthly life.
Jupiter
Thus, from a weave of the above factors, astrological Jupiter came to be known as “the great benefic,” the planet bringing opportunity, personal wealth, political prominence, high social position, professional success—“kingship” of various kinds as befitted mythological Jupiter’s role as king of the Olympian gods. As Charles Harvey puts it in Orpheus: “He was seen as the greatest good and his blessings were everywhere invoked. No one can doubt that his message of life, vitality, hope, growth, optimism, faith and the call to meaning are profoundly desirable.”4
Psychologically, all forms of over-confidence, inflated sense of one’s own importance, arrogance and hubris were assigned also to the realm of Jupiter. These represent the shadow side of Jupiter’s undoubted blessings of robust faith in life’s essential value and goodness, the longing to know and to grow in wisdom, and the ability to have fun and inspire other people.
Just as Jupiter the mythical king in Roman myth was the law giver, so Jupiter the planetary symbol came to relate to those laws, principles, perspectives and ethics which set a context for a larger vision of life than one would have without the prompting of this powerful, fiery force of nature. In its shadow face, those dimensions become distorted into that within human nature which imagines itself to be above the law, able to annexe God to its own side, always able to justify action no matter how dire and inhumane.
The restless drive to grow, to expand, to live a life rich in meaning, to push the boundaries of knowledge and experience as far as possible, lies at the core of astrological Jupiter. So does its shadow; restlessness which cannot and will not accept the limits set by age and time, the domain of Saturn. This can produce, for example, the kind of contemporary narcissism which has people in their fifties and beyond becoming undignified caricatures of their younger selves, shored up by plastic surgery and excesses of exercise and dieting.
All excess belongs to Jupiter’s realm, summed up in William Blake’s marvellous line: “The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.”5 Blake was clearly an optimist, when one considers the evidence both of history and contemporary life.
Uranus
Uranus appeared in 1781, seriously upsetting the orderly cosmic structure upon which astrology was predicated. William Herschel had not expected his exhaustive telescopic sweep of the heavens to yield another planet, but it did: the first to be discovered since prehistoric peoples began to scan the heavens. Various names were considered, and at first it was called Herschel after its discoverer. The name finally settled for from Roman myth was Uranus, following the same mythologic which had named Jupiter, then Saturn. Roman Uranus (Ouranos in Greek myth) was the father of Saturn/Kronos, corresponding to the new planet’s location beyond Saturn’s orbit. Perhaps the astronomy influencing the choice of name was that Uranus was now the farthest out planet. As such, it existed beyond the limits of temporal existence set by Saturn, taking us beyond the World to the realms of the starry heavens, ruled by Uranus/Ouranos in classical myth.
Divergence and Contradiction
Astrologers also adopted Uranus as the new name, but there is just one problem. Empirical observation, as already noted, is the third strand in the weave of confirming a planet’s symbolic meaning. However, as Richard Tarnas points out in his masterly essay, “Prometheus the Awakener,”6 there is a consensus among modern astrologers based on empirical observation since its discovery, regarding the core principles associated with the planet Uranus. However, the mythical figure most clearly evoked by those principles is not Uranus/Ouranos!
What are those core principles? Here I quote from Tarnas: “The clear consensus . . . is that the planet Uranus is empirically associated with the principle of change, rebellion, freedom, liberation, reform and revolution, and the unexpected break-up of structures; with excitement, sudden surprises, lightning-like flashes of insight, revelations and awakenings; and with intellectual brilliance, invention, creativity, originality, and individualism. In addition to the occurrence of sudden breakthroughs and liberating events, Uranus transits are linked to unpredictable and disruptive changes. . . . Uranus is regarded as signifying the individualist, the genius, and the rebel.”7
Tarnas points out that these observed qualities bear little resemblance to the mythic Uranus/Ouranos, there being nothing in his character to suggest rebellion, genius or the impulse for change. The schema of his myth is very different. The primordial god of the heavens as found in many mythologies, Ouranos’ relationship to Gaia, the Earth goddess, is a significant part of the Greek creation myth; but Ouranos, far from triggering change, resists it. Indeed, his progeny rebel against him and he is overthrown.
Astrological Uranus on the other hand is the very spirit of the opposite: it represents par excellence the rebel, the overthrower of systems. As Tarnas says, “. . . the mythological Ouranos not only diverges from but contradicts the meaning of the astrological Uranus.”8
It would seem from this that the logic which allocated to the new planet the name of the next god in the mythical pantheon, broke down when this particular planet’s behaviour was subjected to empirical observation. It seems rather apt, given its reputation for contrariness, that the planet should be Uranus!
Which mythic figure best expresses the core principles manifested by astrological Uranus? Tarnas links the planet clearly with Prometheus, a towering, unforgettable character from Greek myth. Prometheus was a Titan, descended from Ouranos, who rebelled against the gods, helped to overthrow the despot Kronos, tricked Zeus, and stole the divine fire of ultimate knowledge from Olympus in order to liberate humanity from the power and domination of the gods. I broadly agree with his observations, and would urge the reader to obtain ‘Prometheus the Awakener’, in order to give detailed consideration to the compelling case Richard Tarnas makes for assigning the Greek Prometheus myth to astrological Uranus.
Astrological Jupiter and Uranus Together – the Dream Team?
A first reaction to the combination of those two dynamic energies, fire and air, rulers of Sagittarius and Aquarius, tends to be positive and enthusiastic. Exploration and innovation, the quest for meaning allied with the drive for revolutionary change, are attractive facets of the human journey. What harm could come from them?
We certainly need the enthusiasm and exuberance of fire, and air’s spirit of enquiry. We need fun, adventure, learning, information and dialogue: life without them would be desperately dull and stagnant. But deeper investigation can lead to a degree of disquiet! Again, reflecting on the Greek mythology of Ouranos, Zeus and Prometheus can help to build a picture which has dark as well as bright shading.
The Mythic Picture
Ouranos, the starry heavens, was the divine progenitor of both Zeus and Prometheus. On the one hand this suggests the overarching urge for connection with the Big Picture which is a major backdrop to the action of Jupiter-Uranus aspects in astrology. There beckons the potential for the whole of creation to be revealed from a Divine source. All of existence is there for us to tap into, can we but find the tools to access it, and the optimism and positivity of spirit which goes with it.
On the other hand, Ouranos fathers many children on the earth goddess Gaia, and rejects them all. He finds them repulsive because, having taken on their mother’s earthiness, they are not perfect. In TS Eliot’s wise words: “Between the idea and the reality… falls the Shadow.”9
Zeus and Prometheus also make for an uneasy partnership. Prometheus created humans from clay. Athene, goddess of wisdom, was so charmed on seeing these little figures that she breathed life into them. Prometheus, wanting the best for his creations, wished to teach them all-knowledge. So he stole the gods’ divine fire and gave it to humanity for their benefit behind Zeus’ back.
Prometheus had been Zeus’ ally in the Titans’ uprising against Zeus’ father Kronos. But Zeus had a short memory for a favour, and showed no mercy towards Prometheus when the theft was discovered. He had him chained to a rock for eternity whilst a griffin pecked out his liver each night. Zeus’ harsh behaviour showed him to be more interested in maintaining his superior position, than in sharing what the gods had for the benefit of both gods and humankind.
Prometheus at first glance appears the more enlightened and progressive of the two. Yet he displayed considerable arrogance in deciding what would benefit humanity without, presumably, consulting a few of their representatives to see what the general feeling was! In concentrating on what humanity could become, he was too far up in the airy realms of theory to think of what the repercussions of human beings having godlike powers might be. Compassion for the impact of mind-expanding theories on the lives of ordinary individual mortals was no concern of his.
There are other rather unsavoury aspects to Zeus and Prometheus which it is well to bear in mind. Zeus, king of the Olympian gods, from his wisdom concerning basic truths about life set out laws and rules of conduct for humanity to follow. He was all too willing, though, to flout the laws pertaining to fairness, truth, decency and compassion for individual rights when it came to the pursuit of his own pleasures, a major one being the pursuit of women other than his long-suffering wife Hera. The saying, “Do as I say, not as I do,” probably originates here!
Being a king, presumably he felt that the laws governing ordinary mortals did not apply in his case, and that he was right in whatever he decided was the law. This type of approach to morality has given us amongst other human evils, the concentration camps.
Furthermore, Prometheus was so keen to expand humanity’s vision, with consequences we have already touched on, that he stole the Olympian fire behind Zeus’ back. The gift was already tainted by the way it was obtained.
To put it bluntly, the mythology shows us that we are in the company of two archetypal figures who between them have a sweeping and bright vision of how humanity should conduct itself and what it can achieve. At the same time, however, they are pre pared to be ideologues, hypocrites and thieves who can be motivated by greed and opportunism as well as idealism in the pursuit of their vision.
A Personal Note
It is as well for those of us possessed of that wonderful blend of energetic drives and gifts symbolised by astrological Jupiter and Uranus, also to look long and hard at the dark shadow which falls in its wake. Self-awareness and self-honesty do not change the equivocal nature of the gift; but they do bring the option of exercising moral restraint regarding the more unsavoury facets of the combination!
Bright Face in Summary
Together, astrological Jupiter and Uranus symbolise the best aspects of the human quest to become most fully “what we may be.” 10 They can bring faith, courage and an exploratory expansive spirit to the service of breaking down limited or partial vision, in order to reveal avenues towards which to direct the urge to create new forms for the ultimate benefit of humanity. They are productive of fun, joy, and a vital sense of connection with life as a meaningful and worthwhile experience. They carry with them ingenuity, creativity, imagination, and the ability to leap off the cliff like the Fool in the Tarot, trusting to life to bring them safely to land in new and exciting territory.
We need all of the above as core “boldly going” masculine components of living; without them we would stagnate, go nowhere.
Dark Face in Summary
But their combination can also produce dogmatic conviction of the rightness of their vision. This, as the driving force in challenging outmoded structures, can lead to the breaking down of old ways of organising human life without regard for the consequences. They can also jointly manifest a restless drive towards innovation or revolutionary change, which cannot leave things alone which may be working perfectly well just as they are. They can also operate together with hubristic arrogance, usually with destructive consequences.
The restraining but humanising facets of life are represented symbolically by earth and water. Those elements describe that “yin” consciousness which respects the body, the feelings, and the wisdom inherent in the great cycles of nature. Representing the forces which limit and contain human life, they offer a major challenge to the dynamic fire and air of astrological Jupiter combined with Uranus, whose symbolic function in enabling evolution is to see no limits.
Light and Shadow: Current Times
In the West at least, we have all benefitted from advances made possible by the restless brilliance of the human mind and spirit, that precious gift of divine fire symbolised in myth. The rapid development of our scientific and technological knowledge and expertise from the scientific revolution of the 17th century onwards has been particularly stunning. Interestingly, these advances greatly escalated from the appearance to our view of the planet named Uranus in the revolutionary decade of the 1780s, during a time known in Europe as the Enlightenment.
But the shadow side of that gift is becoming increasingly evident as our Earth becomes more and more obviously damaged by our drive to better ourselves. Further dangers now loom as our expertise in genetic engineering and cloning technology grows. We are increasingly able to take apart the very fabric of life, and weave it to a highly conjectural new pattern unknowable in its ultimate results.
There is also, always, the suspicion that lurking behind the stated laudable aims of using our rapidly advancing knowledge to improve the health and well-being of humanity, lies that ancient motivating force of mankind: greed and the drive for profit, the province of the shadow side of Jupiter. The fact that genes are being patented for commercial use as rapidly as they are being deciphered, tends to validate that suspicion.
Encore Prometheus
In concluding this section it seems appropriate once more to call forth the image of Prometheus, holding up the stolen fire of the gods.
That fire has surely illuminated our way as human beings. Since the end of the 18th century, we have been on an accelerated voyage of scientific and technological discovery which could not even have been dreamed of by our Neolithic ancestors. Their early scanning of the heavens represented humans’ very first attempts to gain some kind of control over Nature which to them must have seemed a savage and capricious force. Reality and myth entwine when we realise that it was their discovery of fire that led us out of dank caves, and eventually into the brave new world we now inhabit.
We have to be very careful, as the new millennium dawns, not to be so carried away by promethean hubris that we forget a vital fact. Nature created us, and will always be more powerful than we are. If we try to change Nature too much, it may well overthrow us.
As we will see from the examples provided from 1500 to 2000 AD, the Jupiter-Uranus planetary duo has been very much present at peak points in the never ending process of human development and discovery. However, when astrological Jupiter and Uranus meet, amidst their wonderful capacity for generating brilliance, joy in living, and the sheer excitement of challenging the established order to bring in that which is radical and new, they tend to forget something rather important.
The gods’ fire was stolen, not earned; ultimately it burns the hand that bears it. There is a price that humanity must pay for breaking through the limits set by Nature. We do not yet know how high it will prove to be; or, most importantly, whether it will be worth paying.
Endnotes
1.John Milton’s Lycidas (1638), line 192.
2.Arthur Koestler, The Sleepwalkers, Penguin Books, 1964, p. 20.
3.Richard Tarnas, Prometheus the Awakener, Auriel Press Oxford, 1993, p. 8.
4. Charles Harvey, from “War of the Worlds: Jupiter & Saturn,” Orpheus—Voices in Contemporary Astrology, Consider, 2000, pp. 103-4.
5. William Blake, from “Proverbs of Hell,” The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790-93).
6.Prometheus the Awakener, Auriel Press Oxford, 1993.
7.Prometheus the Awakener, Auriel Press Oxford, 1993, p. 11.
8. Ibid, p.11.
9.T.S. Eliot, The Hollow Men, 1925.
10.William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, activ, scene v, “Lord we know what we are, but know not what we may be.”
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4,000 words ©Anne Whitaker 2009, 2014, 2024
