We have investigated the polarization properties of photoluminescence and Raman scattering in strongly coupled organic microcavities containing cyanine dye J aggregates. The birefringence of radially aligned J aggregates results in a large energy splitting of polariton modes when the electric field of the incoming laser light is perpendicular or parallel to the alignment direction. This splitting allows the degree of polarization of doubly resonant Raman processes involving the vibrational modes of J aggregates to be controlled, where the ingoing and outgoing channels are in resonance with the lower polariton branch. As well as providing insight into the properties of polaritons in organic microcavities, these experiments are a sensitive probe of alignment effects arising during the spin-coating deposition process. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.