The Great Conjunction, Twin Peaks, and Dune (original) (raw)

Among the distinguishing characteristics of 2020/1442 is the astronomical event known as the "great conjunction," that is, the celestial meeting of Saturn and Jupiter. Knowledge relating to this event was inherited by Western sky watchers 1 from savants in Islam, and in particular from Abu Ma`shar al-Balkhi ("Albumasar"), who in turn had access to even older sources. The traditional study of the heavens proceeded on the basis of correspondences between what was above and what was in the world below, and not on the notion that in the skies could be found the mechanistic causes of worldly fortune. According to this study, the meeting of Saturn and Jupiter was recognized as among the greatest of celestial portents; and despite the modern relegation of this shared traditional perspective to ignorant superstition, the most recent great conjunctions have been preceded by extreme examples of modern insecurity. The arrival of the year 2000 was marked by the apprehension of the "Y2K" phenomenon, while the declaring of a pandemic has brought profound societal disruption this year. These examples are perhaps reason enough to briefly consider certain aspects of the symbolism, if not all the scientific details or implications, of this conjunction. 2 The meeting of Saturn and Jupiter occurs in cycles of various duration, depending on the position of that meeting in relation to the stars. Even though the planets come together every 20 years, the most basic cycle of this event is of 60 years that accounts for the movement of these conjunctions through the wheel of the zodiac. More precisely, the planets meet in 3 different houses during this cycle that are in a trigonal relationship to each other, and so the geometry of the triangle becomes apparent: This year the planets meet in the house of Aquarius; however, due to equinoctial precession, the conjunction appears in the constellation of Capricorn. What is remarkable 1 I use the term "sky watchers" deliberately to avoid the distinction between astronomy and astrology, a distinction that did not exist in the traditional sciences. 2 It may at least be noted that the conjunction of 2000 was not easily observable, which is certainly not the case this year, and that the meeting of Saturn and Jupiter in 2020 is to be their closest conjunction since 1623.