Pluto in Aquarius: a Fundamental Shift

 This post, first written in September 2023, has been updated as of November 2024, to include Pluto transits 2025. 

When Pluto first moved into Aquarius in March 2023, it signaled a huge, generational shift of energy.  

This will be followed by more major shifts in 2025-2026, as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune will all change signs! With Uranus and Neptune, in particular, it's a very big energy refresh. 

The world is heading into an important period that may feel like a new era. 

Let's start with Pluto (and I will write another post on Neptune and Uranus at a later time).

Pluto's Role in Astrology:

Well my friends, Pluto's energy is not easy.  It's about deep transformation that comes under a considerable upheaval. Think the "phoenix rising from the ashes" experience.

Pluto clears what's become outdated and stagnant, to pave the way for a new wave of societal change. And when I say "clears",  what I see is a powerful hurricane tearing through and uprooting everything in its path. That's Pluto alright. 

One thing is for certain - when Pluto changes signs, we can go through a tumultuous experience collectively, and our lives and society as a whole can change in unprecedent ways.

But, after the initial shock and turbulence passes, a new paradigm usually emerges.

Pluto Will Be in Aquarius for a Good Long Time...

Owing to Pluto’s elliptical orbit, these big and societally important periods can span between 13 to 33 years. It moves very slowly and only advances 1-3 degrees a year, depending on the sign.

Pluto dipped its toes into Aquarius in 2023, visiting it from March 23 to June 11 2023. It then retrograded back into Capricorn, and kept moving between these two signs in 2023 and 2024. 

Well, it's about to move back into Aquarius for good, on November 19 2024!  Or I should say, until March 8 2043 - a good long time. So we better understand what Pluto in Aquarius means, because this energy will be with us for close to 21 years.

Pluto will flirt with Pisces between March 8 to Sept. 1 2043, and return Aquarius for one final hurrah, until Jan. 19 2044.

When a planet is changing signs, we feel its energy very strongly. It's like, it wants to make its presence known when it first enters the sign. And when it's about to leave the sign, it's as if it rushes to complete any unfinished business.

As Pluto is About to Leave Capricorn...

Pluto first moved into Capricorn in 2008, it brought a financial crisis. And its exit was accompanied by the prolonged stock market turmoil, that finally started lifting in November 2023.  The Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in April 2024 was good for the market, but this post is not about financial astrology, so I'll move on to the next big Pluto issue.

Governing structures and governments are another area that can be shaken up by Pluto's exit from Capricorn.  There can be one last, desperate bid for control and power. 

This was my prediction in September 2023:  "There may be some big political reversals experienced by the governments in power in some countries, in the coming years".

And hasn't this been true, all over the world! A shift of power to the Republicans in the USA.  The current government in Canada - the Liberals - becoming hugely unpopular after 9 years in power.  Government shifts happening in Europe.

We're gripped, collectively, by the powerful desire of tearing down the status quo.

Now,  you might be asking, isn't  Pluto in Aquarius supposed to bring power that is progressive and liberating? Read on...

Pluto in Aquarius: a Retrospective

Pluto takes 248 years to go around the Sun. The last time Pluto was in Aquarius was between 1778 and 1798, a period of massive change all over the world.

A big part of Aquarian energy is about revolutions and "power to the people". And so the last time Pluto was in Aquarius, we had the French Revolution and the last years of the American Revolution. 

248 years have passed, and a revolution these days doesn't need to be violent (although it could go that way). The important thing is, there can be a collective desire and drive to overthrow something that no longer works and feels oppressive. It's not always about ideology, either.  It can be as simple as "it's the economy, stupid!" - people getting tired of their taxpayer dollars being used by governments for something they have no say in. And that can take us on a detour from the egalitarian quality of Aquarius.  Remember - collectively, we have a lot of power! 

And, before we experience - or tap into! - the "power-to-the-people" energy of Pluto in Aquarius, the geopolitical and societal landscape can put us through a big test, the feeling of being disempowered. It's that phoenix-burning-down-and-rising-from-the-ashes experience. 

Innovation and Scientific Breakthroughs

Another big Aquarian theme is innovation and scientific breakthroughs.

A radical overhaul of the map of the solar system happened when Pluto was also in Aquarius. In 1543 Copernicus first set down his findings that the Sun and not the Earth was the center of the solar system.

Some of the other notable events included development of the smallpox vaccine - the first successful vaccine; development of the telegraph; and invention of the first dental drill. 

This is not to go into an exhaustive review of the previous Pluto cycles in Aquarius, but to give you a flavour of its energy.

Pluto in Aquarius: Going Forward

Paving the way for Pluto's entry into Aquarius, Jupiter and Saturn both visited the water-bearer sign between December 2020-December 2021 (Jupiter) and December 2020- March 2023 (Saturn). 

True to form, when Jupiter and Saturn both moved into Aquarius in December 2020, the COVID vaccine was approved.  See? When a planet moves into sign, and especially when two planets join forces, we can really feel their impacts.

And, as I mentioned, technology and scientific discovery are two big Aquarian themes.

All things technology soared (predictably) when Jupiter was in Aquarius. Zoom became a household name during the pandemic. It was technology that was connecting us all, quarantined in our homes and going stir-crazy.

And, just before Pluto moved into Aquarius in 2023, Chat GPT became a household name, and AI (artificial intelligence) started to gain prominence. 

In April 2024, we experienced another big celestial energy that often coincides with technological and scientific advances: a Jupiter-Uranus conjunction.  

Co-Pilot is now widely used by many organizations.  There is a huge interest and investment into AI.   I just attended a session that demoed a powerful forecasting software, AI driven (of course) for financial forecasts. 

And in 2024, we experienced another energy that can kick off some major innovation and breakthroughs. Jupiter and Uranus came together at 21° Taurus, on April 20.   

So...what's next? 

Some Possibilities:

Here are some possibilities that Pluto's move into Aquarius can bring. What I've been noticing over the years is that just a couple of themes play out when the planet is visiting a specific sign - but they play out big time.

So, in addition to AI and technological advances, here are some possible scenarios:

• Political revolutions
• New political parties emerging and becoming mainstream
• The next industrial revolution
• Big changes around the way information is disseminated. It's hard to imagine our life before Internet and social media now. Perhaps some new developments that we can't even fathom just yet will arrive.
• Big technological shifts. Perhaps AI will develop in the ways we can't fathom now. And, will the machines take over the world? I guess we'll find out in 2043-2044, when Pluto is getting ready to leave Aquarius 🤖
• Increased use of technology and social medial for manipulation (think AI-driven deep fakes, dissemination of fake news). 
• Increased use of technology to gain power.  Those associated with technology (for example, Big Tech) coming to power or political prominence.
• Significant developments related to outer space
• And other technological breakthroughs that we might not be able to envision yet! 

We Are All Connected:

Aquarius is egalitarian. It connects groups of people and flattens hierarchical structures. It brings greater equality. 

But...I'm curious about the talk of de-globalization, following the pandemic years of supply-chain disruptions, that highlighted just how fragile the world's interdependence can be. 

Will we be experiencing the shift to a greater interconnectedness of the world, or will we be moving in the opposite direction? Or doing some zig-sags? 

Pluto Aspects 2023-2025:

• In 2023, Pluto squared Jupiter, and we had a banking mini-crisis in the US. For a few weeks, it looked like it could have a global impact (but thankfully, it didn't).

Pluto-Jupiter aspects are the energy of wealth. Depending on the aspect, they can bring a downturn or a huge upswing.

• In June 2024, Jupiter and Pluto formed a trine. My prediction was for financially beneficial developments. The stock market experienced significant gains in the spring and early summer of 2024. 
  
  
• In September 2024 and September-October 2025, Uranus and Pluto will be forming a trine, although it won't become exact.  It's the energy of transformation and change on a big scale!  It won't be until June 15 2027 that these planets will form an exact trine (6 deg. Gemini - Uranus, and 6 deg. Aquarius - Pluto).  

The last time we experienced a Uranus-Pluto trine was in 1921-1922.  That's when we had the rise of extreme political ideologies such as communism and fascism, and many leaders (unfortunately not of a good variety) started emerging, such as Hitler and Mussolini.  Not saying that the same extremist scenarios will be playing out!  As far as astrology goes, history doesn't repeat, but it rhymes. 

And, if a Uranus-Pluto trine connects with your natal chart, you may experience a huge (and usually positive) transformation.  A client of mine got a major career breakthrough under that energy, in 2024. 

• Saturn-Pluto and Neptune-Pluto sextiles will also be within orb, in June-September 2025, but they won't become exact. 

So Much More to Share with You! 

So much more to share with you in my forecasting webinar, "Navigating 2025"! , Global trends. Impacts on your sign. Practical tips to navigate your year ahead - including the energy of Pluto in Aquarius.

90 minutes of insights. Practical tips from this astrologer who's done over 5,500 professional readings to date. 

And many extras, including a calendar "Best Dates for...". This will help you identify auspicious dates throughout the year for career, love matters, increased opportunities etc.

Available at an Early Bird price until Nov. 30.  Released in short easy-to-view chapters that will be added between Dec. 1 2024 and Jan. 4 2025.