Pluto in Aquarius: the age of the Collective
The planet associated with power shifts and transformation enters the astrological sign ruler of the collective consciousness for the next two decades. What can you expect in technological advances, societal changes, and (oc)cultural shifts?
Disclosure: This blog is reader-supported, so that’s why this post contains affiliate links. I only recommend products I would use myself. I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. All opinions expressed here are my own.
Image Description: An animated illustration of a female figure drawn with turquoise colour and naked is seen holding a brown-coloured urn filled with water, whilst being poured into a larger body of water. Behind her there is the figure of a moon, drawn in yellow and with facial features highlighted in brown. To the forefront of this illustration, the words “original”, “independent”, and “dreamer” can be seen in lila. In the background to the upper center is the word “Aquarius”, and in the background middle center is the drawing of what resembles waves. The complete background of this illustration is made up by a pink square.
Astrological language credits an occultural shift to the current transition of Pluto, the planet that represents “global change in the balance of power”, previously placed in Capricorn, a fixed-earth astrological sign that “rules Kings, Queens, Presidents, Prime Ministers and Premiers”, into the next phase of its cosmical plutonian alignment, which has been positioned, starting on March 23rd, 2023, in the fixed-air astrological sign of Aquarius, the water bearer and mystical healer that “rules people power, the community, and a diverse population which shares control among itself”. What this means, quite literally, is a global shift from the era of plutocracies into the era of deep community-based societal change. The last time this transit from Pluto in Capricorn to Aquarius was seen historically, between 1762 and 1778, coincides with the creation of the modern configuration of the United States of America. Pluto in Aquarius’s 18th-century transit (between 1778–1798) is also in synchronicity with… “La Révolution”!
Image Description: A picture of the painting "La Liberté guidant le peuple (Liberty Leading the People)" by By Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863).
Pluto has made a quick excursion in Capricorn between September and mid-November 2024, but it has since November 20th of the same year moved back into Aquarius, and it won’t leave that sign permanently until the year 2044. There will be literally 20 years of Aquarian influence in our lives, in what will be a once in a lifetime cosmic event.
Aquarian times can be connected to a very egalitarian idea, one which nonetheless was also present at the birth of some of the most revolutionary social and cultural movements of the 18th century: liberation. If one can trace Pluto in Aquarius back to that specific historical epoch, not only the French Revolution, but also the Haitian Revolution, the US American Independence, as well as the foreground to what we now know as the First Wave of Feminism were all laid out between the years when this cosmic conjunction was last seen: 1778–1798. If we go even further back in time, however, to the Pluto in Aquarius transit happening around 60 CE, and observe the uprising of ancient British Iceni tribe warrior queen Boudicca (30 CE–61 CE) against the Roman Empire, liberation also takes a feminist meaning, despite that queen’s loss to a patriarchal rule. One could even speculate, that the commonly used figure to describe the symbology of Aquarius, through a woman kneeling down and pouring water from an urn or jug, is one that could have possibly been inspired by queen Boudicca herself.
Image Description: A picture of the painting "Boadicea Haranguing the Britons"by John Opie (1761–1807). Opie’s depiction of Boudicca, nevertheless, is an 18th century imagining of how she may have looked like, as the style of dress depicted in this painting is not representative of how ancient Briton women dressed.
Astrologers such as Chani Nicholas also credit this transit’s “breaking news” status to the fact that it coincides with massive shifts and disruptions brought up to the internet, to financial systems, as well as by the advent of new technologies connected to artificial intelligence. As a matter of fact, it seems like the development of AI might be one of the biggest themes for the two decades ahead ruled by Pluto in Aquarius, as the British astrologer Pam Gregory also discusses in one of her YouTube videos. Gregory also raises concern about some of the shadow aspects of the Aquarian influence, which can happen around addiction to smartphones, the development of forms of extremism and fanaticism, as well as control from the top gubernatorial powers of societies by the use of technology. According to her, the shift to digitisation, whilst beneficial, also needs to be a choice made wisely as to not give unrestricted and open access to a few individuals into controlling our everyday lives.
Likewise, astrologers Chris Brennan and Nick Dagan also stress how “the utilisation of technological advancements in order to have power and control” are themes previously explored in other Pluto in Aquarius cycles throughout history. Accordingly, the processes and methods with which technological advancements shaped societies in previous Aquarian periods can be discussed, for example, with the advent of paper, gunpowder, the printing press and how these influenced the diffusion of information, the conquest of civilisations, the reformation of religions, and the Age of Enlightenment, but also how other inventions such as the Cotton Gin made it possible for slavery to be created, developed and expanded on a scale never seen before. If you’d like a comprehensive historical overview of Pluto in Aquarius cycles that go back thousands of years, you can find that at astrologer Catherine Urban’s blog post.
Image Description: A diagram designed by astrologer Madeline DeCotes shows all transits of Pluto in Aquarius from 674 BCE until the year 2044.
Revolutionary, transformational, and deeply related to shifts and developments in technology, power and information. These seem to be some of the keywords that will be making headlines for the next two decades. Where that will lead us as a collective might be something to be better analysed in the near future, but for now, I do hope we take the previous examples of Pluto in Aquarius present in human history, in order to hone this transit’s best features into the betterment of humankind.
Until we see each other again, I wish you love and power.
