Paths of Glory and Glamour: Neptune in the chart of Stanley Kubrick: an overview of his life and work

This analysis of the astrology of Stanley Kubrick is over 10,000 words long. It goes into great depth and contextualises the astrology into the fabric of his biography and filmography, including the synastry between him and his actors, musicians and authors.

I am trying something new here. Much more extended writing and a subscriber system using Substack as the platform. This website will be reserved for free shorter items and articles.  Here is the introduction – a ‘Prologue’ -and the contents in 1-7 sections so you can get a flavour of what is included.

I have added some of the quotes and visuals here also to illustrate the range of topics.

From 2019 until now Proteus Astrology content has been free. I am not closing the doors but for lengthier pieces that take time and energy to write, these will be paid only. So the full extended essay itself is only available on Substack.

To read it means you are supporting my work for which I thank you ahead of time.

Prologue

Celebrated film director Stanley Kubrick’s was a Leo sun sign. His posthumous birthday rolls around on July 26^th. His name is synonymous with meticulous powerful story-telling, a multi-layered type of filmmaking where the styling of the imagery operates at a subliminal level leaving the message to resonate for years afterwards.

July 26^th in 2026 is the very same day that the Lunar Nodes shift into the Aquarius-Leo axis. The North node will be in Aquarius and the South Node in Leo. Saturn goes retrograde and Mercury goes forward. That’s something of a turning point. Jupiter is also in the sign of Leo for a year and will conjunct his natal Sun, almost at the midpoint between his Sun and Venus. This neatly aligns the King of the Gods to the King of the Zodiac. They make a regal pair. So that day will be both Kubrick’s solar return aligned with Jupiter and a fated pivot point moment that is well timed to reassess his astonishing career.

You know when you have seen a Kubrick film as it can teach you something about yourself. He was a director’s director, openly lauded by other directors who watched over and over to learn how he achieved his effects. He made only a few films, but each one had the impact worth of ten films. They are still being picked apart by critics and the tendency is for appreciation for their artistry to grow over time. He layered each film with clues to alternative meanings and clues for further interpretation. He may or may not have included these details to keep viewers and critics alike guessing or just because he could and he refused to explain any of them.

But here is where the astrology can offer discernment. What does his natal chart have to say about this man and his work? There are dozens of documentaries that offer analysis of the films and a few biographical tit-bits, but hardly any at all on his astrology.

My own article appeared in 2019 but I realised there was a lot more to say. So this article is a vastly extended Part 2. One exception says that even in the casting Eyes Wide Shut was designed with the zodiac in mind. Tom Cruise (Cancer) and Nicole Kidman (Gemini) were adjacent signs and that is a big shift from Mutable Air to Cardinal Water. The clash is not inevitable but requires a lot of adaptation. The question is whether they were deliberately cast to portray a battle between the mind and the heart that eventually lead to their divorce soon after the release of the film? Was Kubrick playing games? Kubrick was playing astrological chess perhaps?

But sun signs are only the most obvious marker of how people align. So, this article (10,000 words long) takes a step back to provide an overview of Kubrick’s work and uses astrology as its main investigative tool. with careful attention not allowing the technicalities of ‘astrology’ to overrule the general context and human picture.

It also takes an overview of his life and work posing him as the Sun surrounded by satellites, not just his immediate family, but all the actors he worked with, all the writers and all the musicians. It even covers his asteroid placements.

It will read better if you have already seen all the films and know what they are about. If not, what a treat you have in store, as watching each one of his films for the first time can be a revelation. Yet they bear several repeated viewings- just be aware of plot spoilers here. His films are layered thick with meaningful details and it is good that not everyone agrees on why he put them there. Your interpretation may be different to anyone else’s. He would have enjoyed all the arguments as it was a point of honour as an artist to remain tight lipped and never explain anything away.

CONTENTS

Prologue (above)

1. Kubrick’s Natal Chart (26/7/1928)
2. Did Kubrick use Astrology?
3. The Influence of Neptune in the Charts of Film Directors.
4. The Personal Odyssey of Stanley K: the Making of 2001.
5. The Sun and its Satellites: Kubrick’s Actors, Writers and Composers.

5:1 Actors

5:2 Writers

5:3 Composers

6: Kubrick’s Asteroid placements.

7: Finale

Please go to Substack for the full extended essay on Stanley Kubrick

Please go to Substack for the full extended essay on Stanley Kubrick.

© Kieron Devlin, Proteus Astrology, 25th July, 2026

(Written without the aid of AI)

Sources all given in the hyperlinks

References

Ager, R. (2020)  ‘2001: A Space Odyssey- Horror of the Void.’ Collative Learning. You Tube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcFuCfJMIZg (Accessed 15/6/2026),

Clarke. A. C. (1998) 2001: A Space Odyssey. London: Orbit

Greene, L. (2003) The Astrological Neptune and the Quest for Redemption. New York: Weiser Books.

LoBrutto, V. (1998) Stanley Kubrick, London: Faber and Faber.

Schnitzler, A.(1999) Dreamstory. London: Penguin.