From a popular viewpoint, it is obvious that cultures have undergone significant reformations and revolutions through time—the Scientific Revolution, the Protestant Reformation, the Glorious Revolution, the French Revolution. From this same vantage point, it would be obvious to see that cultures and institutions do indeed experience and endure sweeping overhauls from time to time, but this perspective would assume these revolutions are as arbitrary as they are random. That is, this popular viewpoint suggests that there is no real reason, logic, or intrinsic patterning for societal revolutions; it is simply a phenomenon that must be noted, but otherwise it is completely contingent upon haphazard historical forces.

Astrology suggests otherwise. From an astrological perspective, revolutions and the need for cultural reinvention is as much an intrinsic need and desire as it is a patterned and cyclical phenomenon. This desire and motivation for cultural change and reinvention is associated with the planet of Uranus. Since the cultural re-conditioning associated with Uranus is a collectively owned impulse, we might classify Uranus as a transpersonal drive or instinct. That is, Uranus symbolizes a set of characteristics and desires that are most easily seen in the collective than in individuals. We might classify Uranus’s manifestation in the collective as a desire for sweeping cultural change, the overthrow of oppressive cultural structures, the sudden emergence of new freedoms and liberties, the search for heightened awareness and truth, the need to agitate, and the continual desire for exciting horizons and creativity.

Although Uranus is a collectively owned, transpersonal force, it needs to be harnessed by the people in order for it to be truly revolutionary. Typically, individuals with Sun-Uranus aspects and midpoints in the birth chart are the ones more often than not that carry the flames of revolutionary desire deep within their being. Uranus needs expression through the Sun, the astrological symbol of creative will and self-expression. Without the Sun, there would be no appropriate outlet for the collective impulses of Uranus to express itself. The Sun gives focus, energy, drive, and will to Uranus’s incendiary, revitalizing and rebellious inclinations.

More likely than not, it is the Sun-Uranus individual who bravely navigates a course of action that the rest of humanity will follow in time. These are trailblazers that intuitively search for new answers to old problems; that are inspired by new visions of what could be; and feel the oppressiveness, boredom, and stultifying nature of the traditions they inherit to a far greater degree than most. At times brilliant, always curious, and usually courageous, the Sun-Uranus individual may be misunderstood in the times that he or she lives within. The Sun-Uranus individual intuitively picks up impressions and signals of the next big “thing” and for that he or she will be as easily marginalized and misunderstood. Through time, many Sun-Uranus individuals—victimized in their own time—become the cultural heroes that are valorized in the generations that follow them. Without the trailblazing courage of the Sun-Uranus individual, generations young and old would not be able to take part in the freedoms, creativity, and ideas that make their life what it is.

Sun-Uranus individuals are the types most likely—and eagerly—to take steps which most would see as career suicide. The intrinsic needs of being alive, aware, and conscious are a much greater priority to the Sun-Uranus individual than the steady, but stultifying security of the status quo. They would much rather take the hit-or-miss experimental path than the one of repetition and safety in numbers. Often this need for experimentation in the Sun-Uranus individual makes for an exciting and interesting life. Other times it leads to something truly revolutionary and groundbreaking. When something is groundbreaking, it implies the smashing of that which is foundational—the very shattering of the earth beneath our feet. When the timing is right and the collective consciousness is ready for it, the Sun-Uranus individual breaks new ground and rattles status quo foundations to such an extent that society is indeed truly revolutionized.

*****

It is currently in vogue to call revolutionary currents in contemporary society “the new paradigm.” The word “paradigm” is an overused, abused term first popularized by the philosopher of science, Thomas Kuhn. Kuhn suggested that paradigms—the sum total of beliefs, practices, and conventions concerning the nature of reality—steadily go about their course until too much “data” (or experience, evidence, and “facts”) contradict the root assumption of a paradigm. A “paradigm shift” occurs when the established structures are either overthrown or are able to accommodate for the new experiences being produced. The much ballyhooed “new paradigm” may be conceptualized as a long and difficult shift away from the assumptions of classical science into a wholly new world of experiences, practices, and ideas concerning the nature of reality. As Kuhn noted, paradigms do not change overnight but are very slow to change; the new paradigm, then, is not an overnight phenomenon but a revolution in fits and starts, triumphs and setbacks, acceptance and rejection.

Astrology suggests an alternative to the accepted hypothesis of how new paradigms come into being. Thomas Kuhn has suggested that only when too many anomalies build up in a system will the theoretical constructs change. Astrology, however, suggests that there are those that are innately predisposed to break down, deconstruct, change, and revolutionize the paradigms they are born within. In other words, from the vantage point of astrology, personalities are born that desire change and deeply want to revolutionize the worlds they inherit. Kuhn implies that it is the data and evidence—not the innate predisposition of the individuals themselves—that changes the paradigm. However, astrology would intimate that Sun-Uranus individuals, for example, will be the ones with the will, vision, brilliance, and desire to ultimately break new ground and liberate humanity into an altogether new mode of being.

With all the new ideas and theories that have been buzzing around for the last several decades, it is difficult to understand what is at the core of the emerging new paradigm. Just what are the central beliefs, ideas, and hypotheses that are vying for acceptance as the new version of reality? Although it may be impossible to distill the emerging new paradigm into an easily consumable summary, the following are at least some core features of the new paradigm: one, the emphasis on interconnectivity and wholeness over separation and finiteness; and two, an emphasis on the invisible realm—the realm of the quantum and the realm of the unconscious—as non-derived from matter (yet something which participates and informs material reality).

As the list below demonstrates, the core features of the burgeoning new paradigm have been most strikingly brought forth by Sun-Uranus individuals. This is not to suggest that the cultural heroes that bring in the new paradigm are Sun-Uranus types—that would simply be reductionistic and untrue. As astrology is a multi-faceted, complex methodology, one cannot simply state things in linear, black-and-white absolutes. However, astrology would suggest that the Sun-Uranus individual harnesses the transpersonal impetus for cultural change and revisioning to a more heightened degree than others. The following is a list of Sun-Uranus individuals who are not only fundamental in bringing in the new paradigm, but who exemplify the archetypal traits of this striking combination: defiance in the face of tradition, the urge to experiment or to boldly strike into new cultural terrain, the ability to withstand cultural marginalization for the sake of a greater ideal, the indefatigable search for truth, and the inability to accept conventional answers to age-old questions.

*****

Fritjof Capra (Uranus Rising; Uranus in square aspect to the Sun)

Probably no other writer and scientist has been affiliated with the new paradigm as much as Fritjof Capra. With The Tao of Physics and The Turning Point, Capra was one of the first scientists of the post-1960’s era to integrate cutting-edge physics research with Eastern mysticism, to merge contemporary findings of science with the timeless, perennial wisdom of religion. Although there are currently several volumes released every month integrating science and spirituality, Capra was the pioneer and trendsetter in this arena. Capra drew the ire of traditional scientists who saw him as a woolly-minded mystic parading around as a theoretical physicist. However, from those who had stood under the oppressive, monotheistic doctrine of scientism for too long, Capra’s popularization of science research was (and still is) a breath of liberating, fresh air.

Through his work in theoretical physics, systems sciences, and ecology, Capra has essentially revised the entire mechanistic, reductionistic paradigm. Studying to be a scientist in the rush and madness that was the late 1960’s, Capra was introduced to new ideas, creativity, and possibilities that often clashed with the more traditional modes of his formal education. As Sun-Uranus individuals are often brilliant synthesizers, Capra merged his dabbling in countercultural modes of experience and Eastern religion with his academic training to create a stunning (and for some, shocking and unorthodox) new vision.

Rupert Sheldrake (Sun=Uranus/Mars midpoint)

Sheldrake is to biology what Capra has been to physics and systems theory. Sheldrake’s theory of formative causation and morphic resonance has arguably been the greatest and boldest challenge to Darwin’s monolithic theory of biological evolution. Sheldrake has turned the most foundational assumptions of classical science on their head. Whereas most biologists adhere to evolution as due to the blind and dumb clashing of natural selection, Sheldrake suggests that a more comprehensive vision of evolution calls for information fields that shape the course of the development of species. These morphogenetic fields, suggests Sheldrake, account for many biological traits that cannot be explained by DNA.

Sheldrake is the archetypal Sun-Uranus scientist. To the establishment, Sheldrake is a crackpot that has unhinged himself from the discourse and mode of normal science. However, Sheldrake would rather transcend this herd mentality if it means harnessing the creative fire of a new theory of life. As Sheldrake suggests, “What upsets me most about science is the closed-minded dogmatism that is all too common, which makes a lot of scientists timid and afraid to go beyond convention.” (1)

Shirley Maclaine (Uranus, Mars, Sun triple conjunction)

Maclaine’s bold Out on a Limb miniseries seemed as much an aberration at the time it was released as it does now. As much as any artifact of popular culture, Maclaine ushered in New Age phenomena into the living rooms of mainstream America. Channeling, UFO’s, reincarnation, and co-creation stimulated, confused, shocked, and upset many a television viewer in the late 1980’s. In a style typical of Uranus, Maclaine's Out on a Limb—with its talk of the meaning of human existence and religious pilgrimage—was a shocking juxtaposition to the more prosaic television diet of sitcoms, soaps, and docudramas. Through its premiere, the miniseries allowed closeted metaphysicians across the nation to feel more comfortable to disclose their private encounters with the paranormal and religious dimensions of life.

Out on a Limb drew the typical backfire that a Uranus-Sun individual can receive: ostracizing, ridicule, parody, lampooning, and satire. However, Out on a Limb was just the beginning of Maclaine’s bold foray into the metaphysical. Since the late-1980’s miniseries, Maclaine has written several more books about New Age phenomena, and, probably more than any other celebrity, has helped to pave the bold path into new metaphysical horizons. On her website, Maclaine states, “For me the search for Truth is paramount...”(2) Could there be a more apt statement from a Sun-Uranus individual?

Ilya Prigogine (Uranus, Mars, Sun triple conjunction)

Although Prigogine may not be the household name as others on this list are, his pioneering work in chemistry paved the way for an entire new set of life sciences. Winner of the 1977 Nobel Prize, Prigogine’s work challenged the long standing notion of Newtonian science that nature is completely deterministic, mechanistic, and lawful. Prigogine’s work suggested that natural systems may indeed be much more alive and consciousness than the blind and mechanical machines we assumed them to be. Prigogine’s work not only reversed centuries old assumptions about nature and our models of physical systems, but he also helped to initiate the sciences of chaos and complexity.

As Prigogine entered science as a beginning chemist, he was already pegged as a bit of a rebel. When Omni Magazine asked him, “You were a nonconformist, a dissident. How did you muster up the conviction to go against the prevailing ideology?” Prigogine responded, “I would say, again, this probably corresponds to a deep psychological element that isn't easy to make explicit.” (3) We might say that this deep psychological need stems from the archetype of Uranus.

Karl Pribram (Sun, Uranus, Mercury Triple conjunction)

Pribham’s work in neuropsychology is about as important to new paradigm thought as any researcher. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, Pribram created a new model of the mind which suggested that mental states are distributed in interference pattern, not in localized parts of the brain—the prevailing theory of his day. His model, the holographic or holonomic model of the brain, has brought up profound questions concerning the mind in its relationship to the body: Is the mind a by-product of the brain, or do they merely interact? Is the brain more of a receptor of consciousness than it is a generator of consciousness? Where does consciousness come from, and what is consciousness, really?

The holographic model has been a rallying cry for many advancers and researchers in the frontiers of the new paradigm. For some, Pribram’s model of the brain is evidence that the assumptions of esoteric thinkers were indeed correct—that “parts” of reality contain the “whole” of reality. That is, information of large-scale systems—the cosmos, for instance—are contained with the parts of the system—the individuals like you and me.

Jean Houston (Sun Uranus Grand Trine with Neptune and Mars)

Houston describes her self as only a Sun-Uranus individual could: "A leading pioneer in the exploration of human potentials and human consciousness.” This guru to senator Hillary Clinton and author of several new paradigm titles is undeniably one of the leading figures in the New Age. A rebel against the confines of her Christian Science upbringing (but nonetheless highly influenced by these ideas as a youth), Houston has popularized the use of altered states of consciousness as a means of evolving and transforming humanity.

Houston is the archetypal Sun-Uranus individual nonpareil. A synthesizer, experimenter, trickster, futurist, and rebel, Houston displays all the classic traits of an individual whose essential identity has been asked to carry the flames of mental creativity for all humanity. Every bit the unbounded Renaissance woman, Houston’s only limitations may be the public’s thirst for perennial wisdom wedded with New Age experimentalism.

*****

Sun-Uranus individuals are scientists, not in the sense of a white smock nerds working in a laboratory but in the expanded sense of seekers of truth and seekers of what will improve the condition of humanity. Sun-Uranus individuals actively and boldly seek out the secrets of heaven and earth through esoteric systems, through metaphysics, through religion—anything that will give them a glimpse of the fire of truth in this world that is so often veiled from authenticity and essence. Science, in its truest sense, is any form of knowledge that liberates and advances the human condition. From this vantage point, the new paradigm thinkers are scientists rebelling against the limiting structures of a paradigm that no longer excites, stimulates, or asks the right questions. The open-mindedness, tolerance, inquisitiveness, and, most importantly, the desire for truth drives the Sun-Uranus individual to harness more profound answers to tougher questions for the sake of culture and humanity.

Notes:

(1) Sheldrake.org: Frequently Asked Questions
(2) Shirley Maclaine’s website, shirleymaclaine.com/bio.html
(3) Omni Magazine, 1983, “The Wizard of Time”
(4) Michael Talbot, “The Holographic Universe” Harper Collins: New York p.4

Data:

Fritjof Capra:
February 1 1939
10:55 AM
Vienna Austria
From: Cyberworld Chaldea; Michael R. Meyer
Collection

Rupert Sheldrake:
June 28 1942
Great Britain
From: Internet Movie Database and Mystic Fire
Video

Shirley Maclaine:
April 24 1934
Richmond, Virginia
From: Internet Movie Database and various other sources

Ilya Prigogine:
January 25 1917
Moscow, Russia
From: Ilya Prigogine Center for Studies in
Statistical Mechanics and Complex Systems

Karl Pribram:
February 19 1919
Vienna, Austria
From: worldhistory.com; wikipedia.com

Jean Houston:
May 10, 1939
Brooklyn NY
2:15 PM
From: Rodden, Lois. Profiles of Women, 1979. (D= A)