In Twin Peaks episode 2.021, Agent Cooper hypothesizes that “if the door to the Black Lodge does exist, it probably exists at a point in time.” Symbols from the Owl Cave petroglyph and a pocket book on planets lead him to conclude that the gateway opens when Jupiter and Saturn meet. This is known in astronomy as the “Great Conjunction” and it will next occur tonight, December 21, 2020. When this takes place, the two planets align and appear as one bright point in the night sky. Tonight’s conjunction will be the closest the two planets have come to one another in nearly 400 years.
IDENTIFYING THE STARS AND OUTER SPACE MADE EASY BOOK IN TWIN PEAKS
Back in Twin Peaks, Cooper uses a small book to decipher symbols that Andy mistakes as relating to the 4-H club.
“Stars & Outer Space Made Easy” is a beginner’s guide to the field of astronomy written by longtime San Francisco State professor Carlos S. Mundt.
Though the book was originally published in 1963, Cooper’s cover matches the 1974 revised edition. Both the front and back covers are visible, confirming a match.
STARS AND OUTER SPACE BOOK IN THE TWIN PEAKS EPISODE
Cooper appears to have gleaned from the book that “when Jupiter and Saturn are conjunct, there are enormous shifts in power and fortune. Jupiter being expansive in its influence, Saturn contractive.”
He continues, “Conjunction suggests a state of intensification, concentration. What this indicates to me is the potential for explosive change, good and bad.”
However, these concepts relate to astrology, not astronomy. No similar information can be found within this book.
REFERENCING THE STAR MAP
Another interesting detail is that when Cooper opens to pages 44 and 45, the star maps appear to be slightly altered by production.
Though the pairing of maps on the two pages is the only such spread in the book, some minor details appear different onscreen. Perhaps they did not have clearance to feature this copyrighted material.
Thankfully, these discrepancies lead me to believe we won’t have to worry about any doppelgängers escaping the Black Lodge during our own “Great Conjunction.”
