PLUTO UPDATE – MOVING INTO AQUARIUS
Pluto stationed direct on October 12 and on November 19 he will finally move into Aquarius, where he will stay until 2043.
Before we carry on here, I want to clarify something basic about astrology: signs influence planets, not the other way around. The zodiac (Girdle) is the outermost edge of the system, with each sign vibrating at its own steady resonance. The planets (Travellers) represent the archetypes experienced in our lives and, they too, have their own vibrations. However, planets are constantly being affected by the larger vibrations of the signs they occupy. In physics, this is referred to as interference. Sometimes the interference creates harmonious or resonant vibrations (when a planet is in its sign of exaltation or its home), and sometimes it creates discordant or antiresonant vibrations (when a planet is in its sign of fall or exile).
Getting back to Pluto, as he moves into Aquarius, he moves into his sign of fall. This is a position of discord for Pluto meaning Pluto’s natural energies don’t work well under the interference of Aquarian vibrations. We can think of this as Pluto under new management. In some cases, a new boss supports and uplifts an employee, in other cases – like this one – the new boss becomes a micromanager and directs the employee in a completely different direction.
Let’s look at some specifics:
Pluto is about power, control, and wealth. Pluto likes to dive deep, investigate within, and thrives in darkness and death.
Aquarius is about the collective, the group, the big picture. Aquarius likes to idealize, envision, and thrives on freedom and affirming life.
You can probably already see the conflicts developing, so let’s take a quick look at where they actual relate.
Both of these energies vibrate with change. Pluto wants to do the deep dive of psychological transformation where Aquarius wants the revolution to start immediately, but at least they both agree change is needed.
Pluto’s archetype also includes things like mass media and propaganda (i.e. large scale connection) which works well with the Aquarian focus on the collective. However, where Aquarius is idealistic and visionary, Pluto is a master of seduction, obsession, and manipulation. So, while this is technically constructive interference in the vibrations, it does not translate into a helpful experience for humanity. Furthermore, Aquarian energy fuels AI which Pluto could use to amazingly problematic effect.
On that note, let’s dive into the conflicts, keeping in mind that conflicts for Pluto do not necessarily translate to conflicts for us.
Firstly, the most glaring dissonance is with power, control, and wealth. Despite being a transpersonal planet, Pluto has a very individual/personal/self focus (Pluto is the higher octave of Mars after all) just on a larger scale. Pluto is fine with sharing what belongs to others but does not like sharing what is his, specifically power, control, and wealth. Pluto’s new Aquarian management is going to try to spread Pluto’s power, control, and wealth around to the collective, to which Pluto says “power shared is power lost”. However, this is an area of destructive interference that has the potential to be beneficial for humanity…if we can learn to harness it effectively.
NB – The last time Pluto was in Aquarius we got the French Revolution, with uneven distribution of power and wealth being the catalyst. Of course, this also coincided with the discovery of Uranus – guide of Aquarius – which compounded the nature of the rebellion and revolution.
Another area of discord that stands out to me is between Pluto’s realm of occult mysteries and the Aquarian focus on science, technology and “enlightenment”. While I am very much in favour of progress, science, and technology, Aquarius likes this to carry on unchecked. Ethics aren’t high on the Aquarian list of priorities. Knowledge and enlightenment are always sought because Aquarian ideals presuppose that all enlightened beings are honourable and helpful. Aquarius loves the light especially when it is spread around. Pluto, on the other hand, is well acquainted with the harmful side of life and seeks in the dark for the alchemical secrets that transmute and balance that harm. However, under the management of Aquarius, exploration of the occult is denigrated in favour of en-light-enment and science. For many, this may be experienced as progress and a “good thing”, completely ignoring the fact that without death there can be no regeneration – both of which are Pluto’s realm. Hopefully, at some point during this transit Pluto will come to a place where the Aquarian vibrations become more constructive in this area if we are to truly evolve.
Finally, as mentioned in the previous update, Pluto unearths what lies beneath, which means he is the traveller with the power to expose the shadow side of a sign. In the case of Aquarius, its shadow is best summed up as hypocrisy or even irony. Despite being a sign mostly focused on the good of the group, the shadow side of Aquarius is detached, controlling, and oppressive (i.e. fighting for freedom but then defining exactly what that freedom looks like). While Aquarius genuinely seems unaware of this underbelly, Pluto will be sure to resonate with those vibrations, especially as Pluto works well with control . The manipulative energies of Pluto will also very much appreciate that light-focused Aquarius won’t even notice because it will all happen in the shadows.
To wrap this up, Pluto moving into Aquarius is going to be a challenge. Pluto will be very resistant to this new management but Aquarius revels in pushing against resistance. Of course, there are also the various interactions with the other travellers to consider as Pluto transits Aquarius, shifting the energies here and there, so it promises to be an interesting experience. Where traditional astrology approaches a traveller in fall as purely problematic, modern approaches tend to prefer to see the challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow. I vote for learn and grow… though, with Scorpio as my rising sign, I sure do enjoy watching the way Pluto can make the world squirm 😉