We’ve dealt with Pluto in the sign of work, structure, systems and materialism since January 2008. Now, with Pluto in Aquarius, we finally have a break.
Over the 16 years of Pluto in this sign, we experienced a rise in the empowerment of top-down structures and hierarchies, the wealth flowing to oligarchs and plutocrats, our banking and financial institutions dying and then given piles of money to stay alive, inflation, debt, small business closures and the cancerous takeover of monopolies of our homes and communities by hedge funds, a global pandemic—and the Kardashians.
Pluto empowered Saturn, enforcing rules, propping up dictators and showing us just how little power and control we have in our day-to-day lives. And because of this extreme abuse from just about everyone, we were forced to see the psychopathic society we live in and start to heal.
In its highest octave, Capricorn is the divine masculine—disciplined, focused, systematic, protective, the union of the dark and the light. In its lowest octave, it is the devil card in tarot, a captor, abuser, sadist, worshipping power and control over others.
We experienced the lowest octave of Capricorn these past 16 years.
With Capricorn opposing Cancer, empathy, compassion, and our ability to relate to and connect with our emotions were also centerstage. As the scapegoat, the protagonist and the only way we could make it out of this transit alive, Cancer was our safe haven from the harsh realities of Capricorn.
During this sixteen-year cycle, we saw protests after the bank failures, race wars, Metoo, and LGBTQ+ movements linked to our collective understanding that we have all been traumatized. Trauma was a new word for so many of us, and the daily harshness we faced created an opportunity for us to see what we’ve been through and say no finally.
For me personally, this was the most challenging period of my life. I started several businesses, but I also had to dig through personal and generational trauma and heal from a very abusive divorce. But I know I wasn’t alone—we were all grappling with our demons.
If you were doing the “work” during Pluto in Capricorn, hopefully, you were focused on healing your trauma. Now, with Pluto in Aquarius, we’ll start to see how this energy will affect us collectively, but pay attention to Leo as much as you do the sign Pluto currently holds hostage.
As groupthink grows in strength and force, maintain a strong connection to your heart and individuality and shine bright despite what anyone thinks of you or your ideas. It’s ok to be selfish.
From Jeffrey Wolf Green, Trauma and the Outer Planets: Because Capricorn is a cardinal archetype, there has been and is a need to go backwards, in the sense of recovering the inner child, by bringing to light the nature of the psychological and emotional imprinting that occurred in childhood.
This must occur to go forward through becoming free or liberated (Uranus) from these early conditioning (Saturn) patterns. What he’s talking about here is exactly what we’re all going through—the collective uncovering of our trauma, and now, as Pluto ingresses into Aquarius, we work through it, integrate it and let it go so we can experience something new.
Pluto in Aquarius
Pluto leaves Capricorn and enters Aquarius from January 20, 2024, through September 1, 2024, and November 19, 2024, through March 8, 2043.
Aquarius awakens, liberates, and accelerates. It is the archetype that shatters barriers and breaks records. The process is dual. It is destructive and constructive, ending and rebirthing at the same time. Ruled by two planets, Saturn is the structure which Uranus breaks down.
Pluto’s last journey through Aquarius occurred between 1778 and 1798, coinciding with significant historical events such as the American Revolution, the French Revolution, and the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Now, after more than two centuries, Pluto’s return to Aquarius heralds a new era of transformation in the realms of technology, innovation, and power structures.
Groundbreaking advancements and societal shifts occurred during Pluto’s previous transit through Aquarius. The invention of the smallpox vaccine, the discovery of the planet Uranus, and the Age of Enlightenment, characterized by reason and human rights, laid the foundation for democratic institutions.
The emergence of new technologies, such as the hot air balloon, expanded human possibilities and challenged traditional boundaries. These historical events provide a glimpse into the potential for societal progress and innovation during Pluto’s current journey through Aquarius.
As Aquarius rules technology, innovation, and the internet, Pluto’s transit through this sign will undoubtedly bring significant shifts in these areas. We can expect major scientific, medical, and technological breakthroughs, along with advancements in space exploration and the understanding of extraterrestrial life.
The outdated systems and power structures that hinder collective progress may face breakdown and transformation. The rise of artificial intelligence and its ethical implications may also come to the forefront, challenging us to redefine our relationship with technology and its impact on society.
How Pluto in Aquarius Will Affect You
Individually, the transit of Pluto in Aquarius offers a unique opportunity for personal growth and innovation. The energy of this alignment encourages independence, exploration, and pushing the boundaries of what is possible for yourself. Embody your rebellious spirit, seek creative and innovative paths unencumbered by societal expectations and discover what makes you unique.
Aquarius houses what Carl Jung called the individuated unconscious or what we now call the subconscious mind. Depending on your natal chart, the Pluto in Aquarius transit will unlock and revive content, such as memories or talents, that have been etched into consciousness from your past lives.
Your cellular memory is a resource-rich warehouse. A natural affinity, familiarity, or talent for something brand new to you is a clue to what is stored within your cellular memory. A time of reawakening is at hand for some. Typically, what surfaces into awareness happens in sudden and spontaneous realizations, snapshots, fragments, or a sense of deja vu.
Trauma keeps consciousness in a frozen, static, or immobilized state. For evolution to proceed, it is necessary to unlock or unblock whatever inhibits growth. The transit position of Pluto in Aquarius serves this purpose. Pluto’s process is metamorphic and alchemical. Gone are the days of Capricorn; it’s time to heal lifetimes and trauma and speed into the future.
The Pluto in Aquarius in transit through a natal house will describe the department of life slated for progress. This is where one will experience the most unblocking, awakening, and transformative growth.
The transit promotes individuation, liberation, reinvention, and self-actualization. It could present the opportunity of a lifetime. Elements of suddenness, instantaneous, synchronicity, surprise, the unexpected, and risk factors are typical of the Aquarius signature.
Evolution occurs with or without one’s conscious acceptance. Resistance to change and over-attachment to the status quo adds force to the evolutionary impulse, increasing the intensity of the experience.
Pluto in Aquarius can set the traumatic or cataclysmic into play. In general, Pluto’s contact with the natal chart by dynamic or hard aspect will describe the potential degree of resistance and intensity of the transit. The soft aspects facilitate evolution with greater ease. How one feels, responds, and experiences evolution depends on the chart as a whole.
Let me know how you’re experiencing it so far!
