I’m currently researching return charts and I recently had my Venus Return for the year. I’ve learned that when a planet returns to its natal position in a chart, there can be a subtle change in our expression of that planet’s energy. However, I wanted to start with the outer planets before going deeper into this aspect.
Most people will witness a return of all of their natal planets expect for the three outermost planets. The orbits of Pluto and Neptune are too long for a human to witness. However, Uranus is in a gray area because its complete orbit through the zodiac is about every 84 years. So definitely a once-in-a-lifetime event for those who live long enough to experience it.
I think with these outer planets, it’s best to look at historical events during the last time these planets were in their respective signs as of January 2023: Pluto in Capricorn, Neptune in Pisces, and Uranus in Taurus. For this blog post, I want to start with Pluto. This will also give us clues to how Pluto in Aquarius may look like.
Pluto in Capricorn
Pluto is the planet of transformation and rebirth. It’s actually one of my favorite planets to study in astrology. I’ll do another post of Pluto traveling through the houses on a transit and natal chart, but for this post I want to focus on where Pluto is during this writing and what it might mean for Pluto going to Aquarius in 2024 (it will dip into the sign in 2023, but will retrograde back to Capricorn shortly after. So we’ll only get a taste before we feel the full force a year later).
Pluto first entered the sign of Capricorn back in 2008. But I think it’s more helpful to understand its effect by looking at the last time it entered this sign. Now Pluto takes over 200 years to circle the zodiac, meaning it spends many years in one sign, even longer due to retrogrades. Because of this very slow transit, it affects us on a societal level rather than simply personal like the sun. That’s why its effects can be seen on a more broad level of reconstruction within society while also highlighting the shadow side of humanity. Pluto asks us to dig deep and transform areas of our lives, or be forced to rally against the change, which only leads to more anguish and depression. Change is inevitable. The only course to take is to adapt.
Pluto in Capricorn represents restructure in government and authoritative structures. This can represent a transformation in religion, finance, political and legal systems, any area in which there is a hierarchy ruling over an area of life. Think preachers, presidents, and powerful companies. We’ve seen this happen with the pandemic that forced governments to shut down and restructure their infrastructure to accommodate the health of its citizens. We’ve seen people break away from organized religion to discover their own means of spirituality. I’ve seen people on social media uncover dark truth and hidden secrets in our government and political leaders. People have quit their jobs (the Great Resignation of 2021, as many business and economic publications called it) in order to seek better employment and career opportunities. This was a transformation in societal and economic structures, which I believe will solidify when Pluto enters the innovative sign of Aquarius.
But let’s go back to 1762, when Pluto was last in Capricorn. Its transit continued until 1778, when it entered Aquarius. This article lists out some events that represented this energy. During that time, the US broke away from the restrictive control of Great Britain, leading to the nation being independent. Great Britain was the most powerful country, taking control of India and having a powerful influence over Spain as well. But it lost much of that influence, power, and financial control during Pluto’s transit into Capricorn. It’s important to note that this transformation of the US also forced immense transformation for the native Americans as well, as these foreigners transformed the country into their own version of a free nation with little consideration of the natives already here. Since this happened in 1776, you could say the internal transformation of the country is more of an Aquarius influence, starting from scratch and innovation.
The thing is, we can see history repeating itself as the US waged war in the Middle East and then scurried to try and find a source for more oil. This blog post by mystic writer and author Jessica Davidson explains it:
“The social structures we have built are collapsing because they’re based on values and ideas that no longer work for the mass of humanity.”
I love this because it accurately describes what Pluto energy is, a reformation on a mass level. Remember this was written in 2017, before Pluto conjunct Saturn in 2020, right when the pandemic exploded globally. Talk about restructuring society on a mass level. She also describes the US as “[becoming] the monster it once despised”. This is regarding how America at the time saw Britain as too controlling and authoritative, and great transformation was needed to gain a sense of freedom.
We can say that recently many events have mirrored this sentiment. The pandemic, the Trump presidency, Russia’s war on Ukraine, the Supreme Court’s overturn of abortion rights. It’s harrowing to witness the powerful leaders dig in their heels and try to keep people controlled because of some outdated beliefs and methods. So again, I’m excited to see how some of this becomes rectified next year and then for good in 2024. Keep in mind however that there’s a dark side of Aquarius, which I’ll discuss next.
Pluto in Aquarius
Pluto will transit to the sign of Aquarius in 2024 and will stay there until roughly 2044 roughly. When we talk about the transition from Capricorn to Aquarius, we see the structures that fell apart being rebuilt in a new and innovative way that better serves the greater whole. Capricorn is about authority, whereas Aquarius is about community development in a way that encourages freedom and individuality. I feel like we’re already seeing these effects as people get more in tuned to their own personal power and not blindly accepting what leaders and authorities tell us to believe. Yes, that means we see the wacky and delusional come out, but it’s not held by these outdated methods and beliefs, but imagination and innovation to counteract the dark secrets that were uncovered with Pluto in Capricorn. Keep in mind that as of this writing, Neptune is in Pisces, which adds another layer to this transit. So, although people are more spiritual and imaginative, we also see these delusions more prominently. I’ll explain more when I write about Neptune. But for now, let’s go back to what happened last time Pluto was in the sign of freedom, technology, and innovation.
Pluto was last in Aquarius approximately 1778-1797. This was a period of enlightenment for much of the world. The French Revolution was from 1789 to 1799 and brought radical changes to that society. The relationship between the ruling class and the rest of society was disrupted and resulted in many massacres, including Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, the last monarchs of France.
In America, the industrial revolution took off, a period of innovation and technology. Many philosophy writers came to prominence and there were serious discussion about change from societal norms such as the slave trade. Many colonies abolished slavery, although we wouldn’t see states start make laws against it until the 1880s, when Pluto crossed into Pisces.
Now let’s speed up to today. Many astrologers are predicting the same type of radical societal changes indicative of the past. We’ll see reformation of the government and political structures, more so than we have with Pluto in Capricorn. We’ll see more cultural movements for independence, more freedom of expression, and radical ideas in philosophy. Many sites I’ve looked at will say how we’ll collectively grow into our independence and embrace great changes in technology.
However, with any of the astrological signs, there is a shadow side. And the shadow side of Aquarius is adopting a hive mind that does more harm than good. People can become so attached to their ideals that they plunge into stubborn delusions, demanding everyone adopt their way of life because it is more enlightened and freeing. I’m thinking of the fat acceptance movement, in which many young people, to break away from harmful and restrictive practices promoted in diet culture, have done a 180 and claimed that being obese is okay. The people of this movement therefore reject any medical advice and scientific studies that prove otherwise. And I believe this is an example that we’ll see. To further break away from the corruption discovered during Pluto in Capricorn, we’ll swing in the opposite direction and adopt views that, while at first feeling liberating, will actually bring about another distortion and more problems. The key is balance, something that many people aren’t the best at.
Another hint at Pluto in Aquarius’ energy that I can sense is the discussion around AI (artificial intelligence). I’ve seen increased discussion about the fear of it, how the robots are going to continue stealing our jobs and replacing original intellectual property created by humans, such as artists and writers. Others argue we should embrace the change. I don’t believe that technology will advance so far that robots will become sentient beings or force us to colonize Mars. However, I believe that those who are fearful of AI will be forced to face those fears and adapt. But AI isn’t the answer to our prayers for change and innovation. In some ways, it’s helpful, even if there will be flaws and concerns as with any invention. But I don’t think it’ll take over the world. Us humans again aren’t that accepting of change and when change comes, there’s a lot of panic before real solutions and beneficial discussions take place. But again, this is the energy of Aquarius, with Pluto forcing us to come to terms with our humanity, the ugly as well as the empowering. Sure, the industrial revolution brought many technology changes. But since then we’ve written better workplace laws to curb much of the harrowing and toxic environments that many were forced to work in during the 1880s.
Conclusion
As I’ve said, Pluto is about adapting to change. It’s about going through deep transformation and shedding beliefs and ways of life that no longer work for us. It’s about tapping into our own personal power to both weather the storms of society but also carry out the change that we believe society needs. We’ll see what happens as society continues to morph and adapt the new and ever-changing energy of the world.
Merwin Astro 