Reflections on the Jupiter-Neptune Conjunction (Part II)
This article is the second, and probably final, part of my reflection on the recent Jupiter-Neptune conjunction, the first part can be read here:
Zelenskyy
Beyond the glare of garish celebrity scandals, the archetypal dynamics of the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction have been emerging in much more consequential ways for the people of Ukraine, who last year found themselves defending their country from an invasion by Russia.
The invasion was initiated in late February during the Mars-Pluto conjunction of early 2022, and in most respects, the bloody events that have followed are an expression of the volcanic and aggressive Mars-Pluto energies that were unleashed during that conjunction. But if we take a wider view of the situation, the ongoing violence can be situated in an archetypal context that is better understood in terms of the outer planet alignments that have prevailed since the invasion began, and the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction is certainly relevant to many aspects of the war.
The leadership (Jupiter) of president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been very prominent in the media’s coverage of the invasion, and his bold stance against Russia has positioned him as a receptacle for the hopes and aspirations (Neptune) of the liberal West—contested though that claim to liberalism is—in the face of Russian authoritarianism and aggression.
Prior to becoming president, Zelenskyy was a comic actor and was well known for having played the part of the Ukrainian president in a popular television show. This strange blurring of reality and fiction adds a somewhat surreal character to Zelenskyy's leadership in a way that is strikingly appropriate to the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction, with its archetypal merging of the leadership principle (Jupiter) with the archetype of fantasy and idealism (Neptune).
Zelenskyy’s knack for showbiz seems to have spilled over into his public relations, which have been extremely well managed, and very effective at keeping Ukraine in the headlines. His media blitz has included giving speeches to the Grammys and the Golden Globes, a glossy photo shoot for Vogue magazine, an appearance on David Letterman, as well as hosting a U2 concert in one of Kyiv’s subway stations.
Keen to get in on the action, Hollywood luminaries including Ben Stiller, Jessica Chastain, and Sean Penn have all made a point of publicly meeting with the president, with Penn even going so far as to lend one of his Oscar statuettes to the embattled leader as a “symbol of faith” in Ukraine’s victory.
This glitzy spectacle suggests a strange meeting of worlds; an intersection of the Jupiterian domain of leadership and international affairs with Neptune’s realm of Hollywood illusion and misty-eyed enchantment. Perhaps this type of publicity is a necessary part of warfare in the social media age, but it has raised uneasy questions about the relationship between Hollywood spin and America’s already bloated military spending (Ukraine was the recipient of nearly $50 billion of military aid in 2022), not to mention the inherent risk of nuclear escalation that comes with US involvement.
True to the multivalent nature of the planetary archetypes, another side of the Jupiter-Neptune complex has been apparent in Zelenskyy's political ideals, which include greater integration between Ukraine and its European neighbors. Accordingly, Zelenskyy has been pushing for Ukraine to become a full-fledged member of the European Union (a project which has reflected the unitive impulse of Neptune from its inception). Jupiter, commensurate with its grand size, seems to correlate with matters that are international in scope; Zelenskyy’s call for international unity and peace is thus reflective of Neptune's unitive and boundary dissolving influence being manifested on the world stage, as are the widespread feelings of solidarity and kinship with Ukraine that have been expressed across Europe.
A parallel expression of this dynamic can be discerned in the brutal displacement of around 8 million Ukrainians and the resulting refugee crisis across Europe. The influx of Ukrainians into neighboring countries is a reminder that nationhood (Jupiter) is, to some extent, an elaborate fiction (Neptune) that we all participate in, and that national borders are invisible, porous, and liable to dissolve at a moment’s notice. This massive displacement echoes the Syrian refugee crisis that occurred during the Jupiter-Neptune opposition of 2015. Jupiter-Neptune alignments seem to call upon us to extend our compassion (Neptune) to people from distant lands and diverse cultural backgrounds (Jupiter) in a spirit of global unity.
Nord Stream
On the more negative side of the spectrum of possibilities represented by the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction has been a tendency to overlook important details relating to the historical context of this conflict, namely the provocative expansion of NATO towards the borders of the old Soviet Union, into territories that were previously regarded as off-limits. NATO skeptics view its eastward expansion as an insidious form of encroachment that threatens the security of Russia. The tendency of western media to view NATO in an uncritical light could be interpreted as a form of deception, or at least naivete, that provides cover to an imperialist agenda.
This blind spot was made abundantly clear by the deafening silence that greeted the publication of a recent article by the renowned investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, in which Hersh alleged that the US was behind the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline that occurred in September. At the time of the attack, most media commentators were keen to place the blame on Russia, despite the lack of any apparent motive.
According to Hersh, the covert bombing of the pipeline, which transports Russian oil through the Baltic Sea to Germany, was perpetrated by an elite US team of deep-water divers who were working under the direct supervision of president Biden; the attack was allegedly executed in close collaboration with Norway, and planned months in advance of the invasion. If what Hersh claims is true, then many of the narratives about NATOs defensive role in the world seem dubious at best, as this attack amounts to an act of war against vital European infrastructure. This is to say nothing of the catastrophic environmental effects of spilling an estimated 14.6 million tons of methane into the ocean.
In astrological terms, the timeline that Hersh alleges coincides with the successive hard aspect alignments of Mars—the archetypal warrior—with the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction. The planting of the explosives is said to have occurred in June during a widely publicized NATO exercise, known as BALLTOPS 22, that coincided with the triple conjunction of Mars, Jupiter and Neptune. According to Hersh, the explosives were attached to a device that could be triggered remotely at a time of the president’s choosing, and that this method was chosen to obscure the connection between BALLTOPS 22 and the Nord Stream bombing.
In this version of events, the explosions on September 26 were triggered by a sonar buoy that was airdropped into the vicinity following an order by the president. The explosions coincided with the beginning of a sustained square aspect between Mars and the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction.
Although conclusive evidence of the US or Norway’s culpability has yet to emerge, the concurrence of these events with the successive alignments of the Mars-Jupiter-Neptune cycle is highly suggestive of an event that combined aggression (Mars) with elements of subterfuge (Neptune) and international commerce (Jupiter). An American-Norwegian conspiracy to commit an underwater attack would certainly fit the bill, especially as both countries stand to make big economic gains (Jupiter) from the destruction of Nord Stream. Events such as this highlight the archetypal thread that connects the ocean with currents of secrecy, deception and mystery—hallmarks of the Neptune archetype.
This event has an historical precedent in Operation Ivy Bells—a joint mission undertaken by the US Navy, CIA and NSA to place wiretaps on Soviet underwater communication lines during the Cold War—which was initiated in October 1971 during an alignment of Mars, Jupiter and Neptune that was identical to the one that marked the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage.
It is important to note that Hersh’s claims originate from a single anonymous source and that astrological correlations, however suggestive they may be, do not amount to evidence of wrongdoing. We may never know who the real culprit was. Perhaps it was Russia after all, or, maybe it was the Sea-God himself who—in a moment of hubris—struck the pipeline with his mighty trident.
Wartime dynamics of the Saturn-Uranus square
If we look beyond the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction to the square between Saturn and Uranus, and its corresponding archetypal complex, we can illuminate additional dimensions of this conflict and hopefully gain a sense for how these simultaneous alignments have cohered over the past year or so.
The tension between limitation and freedom is at the heart of the Saturn-Uranus complex. This square has represented a challenge to the established order by the cosmic trickster archetype in its eternal movement towards change, liberation and progress; at the same time, it has also symbolized the Saturnian impulse to constrain and punish such challenges in an effort to maintain traditional modes of being.
In the eyes of most onlookers, Ukraine is carrying the torch for freedom in Europe in the face of an authoritarian dictatorship that holds the values of democracy and tolerance in contempt. In his public pronouncements, Russian president Vladimir Putin has identified himself as an upholder of “traditional values” and sought to portray himself as a bastion of conservative morality, standing in resistance to the rising tides of multiculturalism, radical feminism and LGBT rights across the world. Whether this position is the result of sincere conviction or political expediency is unclear, but as far as outward appearances are concerned, Putin is the world leader who can most readily be identified with the Saturn archetype, which tends towards strict, patriarchal authority and resistance to change.
Considering that Saturn is supposed to be the archetype of stability and restraint, it is legitimate to ask why Putin’s behaviour has been so erratic and unpredictable over the past year. In astrological terms, the square between Saturn and Uranus suggests a period of instability and breakdown (Uranus) for established authority, and while this often comes from without, it can also arise from within, as seems to have been the case with Putin. His numerous blunders, strategic errors and bizarre behaviours have led to widespread speculation about his mental and physical health, although it should be noted that Putin has always had a streak of contrarianism in his nature (appropriate to the exact Saturn-Uranus square in his natal chart). Aside from Putin’s personal eccentricities, the Saturn-Uranus complex has also been apparent in the weaknesses of the Russian army, from issues with outdated military hardware to serious problems maintaining discipline and morale.
Another, more noble, expression of the Saturn-Uranus complex has been apparent in the Ukrainian resistance, which, despite the extreme asymmetry of the conflict, has effectively deterred the Russian advance on some key battle fronts.
The Ukrainians tactical innovations have included the development of a strike drone with an astonishing 1,000km range that has enabled them to strike into Russian territory. Closer to home, Ukrainian engineers have devised ingenious ways of rerouting electricity supplies in response to Russian strikes that have targeted energy infrastructure. As a result of these rerouting schemes, the blackouts caused by Russian attacks have typically lasted for less than a day.
The astute resourcefulness of the Ukrainian people has helped them to defy the odds; their perseverance and ingenuity in the face of the Russian onslaught has reflected the combined qualities of Saturn and Uranus. In the words of Andriy Sadovyi, the mayor of Lviv: “We have discovered we’re coded to be ingenious, to improvise, to come up with solutions, to use what’s available and what’s at hand.”