Pluto in Aquarius

Pluto is a small planet with a justifiably big reputation, offering themes of obsession, crisis, manipulation, violation, compulsion, corruption, death, and rebirth. When you delve into Pluto you will confront deep, and often uncomfortable, truths.

Mythologically, Pluto is connected to Hades’ abduction of Persephone. He took her into the underworld against her will and plunged the world into an endless winter. If you’ve ever had a Pluto transit, you’ll recognise the feeling of not having a choice. With Pluto there’s a sense of inevitability, unavoidably facing ‘it’. Usually ‘it’ relates to death (of body or ego), obsession, and powerlessness. Despite what you consciously want, ‘it’ is happening. The only choice you have is whether to surrender to the inevitable and go willingly, or resist and go kicking and screaming. Either way, you’ll go.

Pluto is coming out of Capricorn (where he’s been since 2008) and is moving into Aquarius. Both signs are ruled by Saturn, so there will be some continuity of theme to take us through to 2043, but our elemental perspective on those Plutonian themes will change from Earth to Air.

Pluto is a ‘modern planet’, discovered in 1930, and borrows many of its significations from Saturn (e.g., death, darkness, the underworld, authority, mining). Although we’ve only known Pluto for less than 100 years, it seems that Pluto is comfortable in the Saturn-ruled signs. It is dark and familiar territory and Pluto knows what to do there – with an obsessive psychological twist.

DATA RICHES

Capricorn is an Earth sign and Aquarius is an Air sign. We will see the penetrating gaze of Pluto turn from the material world of commodities and corporations to exerting power through the control of information and communication. Warmed up by 2020’s Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in early Aquarius, we’re already experiencing manipulation of online content and violation of your digital data.

The new pathway to wealth and power is the collection of data and control of information. Hoarding, misuse, and theft of supposedly private user/consumer data will become an even bigger theme under Pluto in Aquarius.

The internet is no place for the naive and ignorant. And even if you are not naive or ignorant, you are still vulnerable to exploitation.

As an individual, educate yourself and take steps now to protect your privacy online now (e.g. two-factor authentication, use a VPN, limit what you share online). However, as this is a broad social trend, individual action won’t be enough. Governments, corporations, science, and academia, have a key role to play in this is a complex issue.

Pluto is a wealth planet and while data mining and selling is a lucrative industry, there are also costs to store, secure, and (one would hope) financial penalties for theft and breaches. As exchange of this data becomes more common, the cost – in both financial and human terms – will become increasingly apparent.

SCIENTIFIC SCANDALS AND CORRUPTION

The probing power of Pluto will expose the control and corruption of Aquarian knowledge and ideals.

With Aquarius’ interest in science and technology and Pluto known for uncovering what’s hidden, scientific scandals and corruption will be revealed. These revelations may relate to fossil fuels and the riches found underground, which are also associated with Pluto, but likely to extend into other academic disciplines. Don’t be surprised when the whistle is blown on companies and governments who’ve hid and suppressed research and development data for commerical reasons, to conceal the scale of the human cost, environmental damage, and impact on climate change. (Watch for the wave of silicosis diagnoses and other respiratory diseases caused by poor air quality.)

Aquarius is the sign of the outsider, the exile, and Pluto’s presence in this sign lends power to alternate points of view and sources of knowledge. Academia and scientific discourses tend to ignore unconventional ideas and perspectives that do not conform to the mainstream narrative. Consider Graham Hancock’s work and how it relates to archaeology. Alzheimer’s disease is commonly thought to be caused by plaques in the brain, yet scientists exploring the possiblity that viruses contribute to this illness do not get funding.

Pluto in Aquarius will also expose the sinister side of ‘artificial intelligence’ and how social power imbalances are being perpetuated in online spaces. The egalitarian ideals of Aquarian technological development will be corrupted by the shadow side of human nature (Pluto). More positively, Pluto also has the power to expose these biases and perversions.

CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Pluto’s transit through Aquarius will also highlight conspiracy theories and the release of hidden information. With the rise of technology and the ability to communicate more easily, suppressed information and alternative points of view are more accessible. Some conspiracy theories that were once dismissed as too bizarre could be proven true.

Pluto can be shady though. The distinction between legitimate outsiders, who seek to disrupt the status quo and bring about a more truthful and egalitarian approach, aren’t always easily distinguished from outlandish attention-seekers. During Pluto’s transit through Aquarius, there may be a sense of discontent and cynicism that makes it harder to separate fact from fiction.

Be open-minded and discerning, weighing the evidence carefully before coming to any conclusions.

SOCIAL HIERARCHIES CRUMBLE

Aquarius believes we are all equal and do not need to be protected from ourselves or told what to do by elites. Pluto’s arrival in Aquarius signals a shift in social power that pushes for more egalitarian access to knowledge and resources.

‘Power to the people’ is a catch cry for Pluto in Aquarius. Collective decision-making frameworks such as unionism and democracy, where everyone supposedly has a say, will be an arena of struggle.

There will be pressure on social elites (e.g., members of royal families, descendants of slave owners, colonising governments and corporations) to right the wrongs of the past. They will no longer be able to coast along benefitting from the long history of exploitation. Rules and hierarchies which benefit only a small group of people will face revolutions, rebellions, and reckoning.

The internet has helped suppressed histories come to light and many of us are ready to look at the truth of what happened, why it was hidden, and how our own wilful ignorance played a part in propping up the lies. It’s no longer easy to keep the masses distracted with ‘bread and circuses’ – perhaps the modern equivalent is funny social media videos? –  so that they won’t ask questions about the political hierarchy.

The blinkers will come off, and we will realize how we have been controlled and allowed ourselves to be controlled. Each of us will be forced to confront our complicity in the systems of oppression and make radical changes to the way we think, and how our communities function.

REVOLUTIONS

The last time Pluto was in Aquarius, there were significant global shifts in geopolitics and economies, such as the American Revolution, the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and Britain’s establishment of a penal colony in Australia. These were profound changes that affected geopolitics and economies across the globe. Similar revolutionary changes will occur again, albeit in somewhat different form.

While the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity are very Aquarian, the brutality of “off with their heads” is very Pluto. With Pluto in Aquarius lofty talk isn’t just talk. People are willing to get their hands dirty to manifest these ideals in the real world. Look at the human rights abuses happening in Iran as people risk their lives to speak out against the oppressive government. The USA is also experiencing it’s Pluto return bringing profound permanent changes with it.

This video is an extract from the 2023 Astrological Forecast with my friend, Sandra from Stellar Lee Astrology.

KEY DATES IN 2023

Here are some important dates regarding Pluto’s zodiacal position in 2023. If you have planets located around zero degrees of the fixed signs or late degrees of the cardinal signs in your birth chart, these dates may be significant for you.

Pluto will move into Aquarius in March, just weeks after Saturn’s ingress into Pisces. March is a pivotal month, but Pluto will only be in Aquarius for three months, before spending the second half of 2023 back in Capricorn.

In the middle of the year, Pluto makes a key aspect to Jupiter, and the zero degree is certainly a point to watch. Pluto’s retrograde cycle begins in May is at zero degrees Aquarius, which is where the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction occurred in 2020. Astrological events do not happen in isolation. The choices before us today are a result of yesterday’s decisions and will impact the options we have tomorrow.

During the second half of the year, Pluto will be back in Capricorn, retrograde, and he will not return to Aquarius until early 2024.

PS Book in for a personal natal consultation to find out how Pluto in Aquarius is interacting with your natal chart. For ongoing teaching and group coaching, join Magical Mentoring.