Jim Carrey
Comedians come into being out of a desperate need for attention. We envision a child with too many siblings or neglectful parents, who needs to be the class clown to get the recognition she craves.
One comedy narrative that has stood the test of time involves a protagonist who loses everything and responds outrageously to his (because typically he is a male) plight. Humor comes from watching him fall from the top; there is some pleasure in his fall, some schadenfreude, because at the start he is somewhat unlikeable and arrogant, or at least he is clueless and he takes his success for granted. However, through his loss he gains humility, comes to learn his lesson, and becomes a better person.
This archetypal journey is a good summation of the Capricorn experience. This sign concerns the yearning for the security afforded by worldly success. As the Capricorn has a reputation to protect, he tends to be conservative. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, the planet of loss and struggle, success through hard work, and wisdom learned through difficult experience.
Jim Carrey seems an unlikely Capricorn, as he is anything but serious, although he has certainly put in some good work as a dramatic actor. But looking at the influence of Saturn, we can see that he has built a reputation as an attention-hog, literally twisting himself into shapes to earn the audience's love. He was born with his Capricorn Sun right next to (conjunct) Saturn. This is like a double-whammy, due to Saturn's rulership of his Sun sign. The Sun wants to shine, to be seen and validated. Saturn typically restricts the Sun's ability to do this. Saturn is the judge; the harsh, critical father. People with Sun conjunct Saturn often grow up with low self-esteem, and have to work extra hard to find a way to shine. In other words, these people overcompensate (or go overboard, in Carrey's example) to build up their self-worth. Carrey will go the extra mile to be in the spotlight.
The plot of his current film Fun with Dick & Jane is an appropriate expression of the Saturn/Capricorn archetype. He plays Dick, who has just been promoted to Vice President of an Enron-type company that goes bust because CEO Alec Baldwin has been stealing from the coffers. Climbing the corporate ladder and the Corporation itself are under Saturn's domain. Dick and his family's comfortable lifestyle deteriorates, and he and his wife Jane (Tea Leoni) try to cope with their successive losses, eventually turning to a life of crime after more straightforward means do not work. During difficult Saturn transits, we face the consequences of our past decisions; if we have not chosen a path that is true to our psychospiritual growth, Saturn puts up obstacles and delays to force us to realign our lives with our values.
In Carrey's better dramatic work, we can see him putting his Saturn influence to good use. In The Truman Show, he plays a man who grew up in a 24/7 reality show, in which he did not realize that he was on television and that all of his friends and loved ones were actors. When he does find out the harsh reality (Saturn) of his situation, he tries to escape and comes up against a whole system that tries to restrict (Saturn) him.
Carrey has Mercury, his communication planet, in unconventional and independent Aquarius. Mercury is also associated with how we move; the body talks as much as words do. In eccentric Aquarius, Carrey has, if anything, a unique way of moving his body. Additionally, Mercury is conjunct Jupiter, the planet of expansion and optimism. Jupiter exaggerates Carrey's movements and speaking, and also lends that high-spirited manic quality we associate with him.
These planets are in stressful aspect to Neptune, the planet of deception and confusion, as well as the dissolution of ego and boundaries. The conflict with Neptune plays out in the above films. The Enron debacle was certainly about Ken Lay's deception to the public, and the Truman Show was one big lie. Other films also express the conflict between Mercury and Neptune. In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Carrey's character erases his memory to forget about his ex-girlfriend (Kate Winslet): this involves a dissolving (Neptune) of thoughts (Mercury). Liar Liar is, of course, about deceptive (Neptune) communication (Mercury).
Transiting Saturn in Leo will be opposing Carrey's Mercury and Jupiter in Aquarius, so we should be seeing a maturing of his comedic instincts, as well as a bit more groundedness. Saturn will also be squaring his Neptune, which often brings challenges manifesting one's dreams. The square between these two planets also represents the conflict between reality and fantasy, which has been a recurring theme in some of his best work. In Eternal Sunshine, he tries to erase reality; in Truman, what he thought was reality was in fact the opposite. Let's look forward to more films that play out this universal dialectic.
This essay originally appeared in the Capricorn 2005 issue of Constellation magazine. This innovative, subscription-based online astrology magazine offers the first month for free, and you get an additional month for free every time you refer a friend to sign up.
One comedy narrative that has stood the test of time involves a protagonist who loses everything and responds outrageously to his (because typically he is a male) plight. Humor comes from watching him fall from the top; there is some pleasure in his fall, some schadenfreude, because at the start he is somewhat unlikeable and arrogant, or at least he is clueless and he takes his success for granted. However, through his loss he gains humility, comes to learn his lesson, and becomes a better person.
This archetypal journey is a good summation of the Capricorn experience. This sign concerns the yearning for the security afforded by worldly success. As the Capricorn has a reputation to protect, he tends to be conservative. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, the planet of loss and struggle, success through hard work, and wisdom learned through difficult experience.
Jim Carrey seems an unlikely Capricorn, as he is anything but serious, although he has certainly put in some good work as a dramatic actor. But looking at the influence of Saturn, we can see that he has built a reputation as an attention-hog, literally twisting himself into shapes to earn the audience's love. He was born with his Capricorn Sun right next to (conjunct) Saturn. This is like a double-whammy, due to Saturn's rulership of his Sun sign. The Sun wants to shine, to be seen and validated. Saturn typically restricts the Sun's ability to do this. Saturn is the judge; the harsh, critical father. People with Sun conjunct Saturn often grow up with low self-esteem, and have to work extra hard to find a way to shine. In other words, these people overcompensate (or go overboard, in Carrey's example) to build up their self-worth. Carrey will go the extra mile to be in the spotlight.
The plot of his current film Fun with Dick & Jane is an appropriate expression of the Saturn/Capricorn archetype. He plays Dick, who has just been promoted to Vice President of an Enron-type company that goes bust because CEO Alec Baldwin has been stealing from the coffers. Climbing the corporate ladder and the Corporation itself are under Saturn's domain. Dick and his family's comfortable lifestyle deteriorates, and he and his wife Jane (Tea Leoni) try to cope with their successive losses, eventually turning to a life of crime after more straightforward means do not work. During difficult Saturn transits, we face the consequences of our past decisions; if we have not chosen a path that is true to our psychospiritual growth, Saturn puts up obstacles and delays to force us to realign our lives with our values.
In Carrey's better dramatic work, we can see him putting his Saturn influence to good use. In The Truman Show, he plays a man who grew up in a 24/7 reality show, in which he did not realize that he was on television and that all of his friends and loved ones were actors. When he does find out the harsh reality (Saturn) of his situation, he tries to escape and comes up against a whole system that tries to restrict (Saturn) him.
Carrey has Mercury, his communication planet, in unconventional and independent Aquarius. Mercury is also associated with how we move; the body talks as much as words do. In eccentric Aquarius, Carrey has, if anything, a unique way of moving his body. Additionally, Mercury is conjunct Jupiter, the planet of expansion and optimism. Jupiter exaggerates Carrey's movements and speaking, and also lends that high-spirited manic quality we associate with him.
These planets are in stressful aspect to Neptune, the planet of deception and confusion, as well as the dissolution of ego and boundaries. The conflict with Neptune plays out in the above films. The Enron debacle was certainly about Ken Lay's deception to the public, and the Truman Show was one big lie. Other films also express the conflict between Mercury and Neptune. In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Carrey's character erases his memory to forget about his ex-girlfriend (Kate Winslet): this involves a dissolving (Neptune) of thoughts (Mercury). Liar Liar is, of course, about deceptive (Neptune) communication (Mercury).
Transiting Saturn in Leo will be opposing Carrey's Mercury and Jupiter in Aquarius, so we should be seeing a maturing of his comedic instincts, as well as a bit more groundedness. Saturn will also be squaring his Neptune, which often brings challenges manifesting one's dreams. The square between these two planets also represents the conflict between reality and fantasy, which has been a recurring theme in some of his best work. In Eternal Sunshine, he tries to erase reality; in Truman, what he thought was reality was in fact the opposite. Let's look forward to more films that play out this universal dialectic.
This essay originally appeared in the Capricorn 2005 issue of Constellation magazine. This innovative, subscription-based online astrology magazine offers the first month for free, and you get an additional month for free every time you refer a friend to sign up.
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