In this post, we are taking a deeper look at what changes and novelties Pluto in Aquarius might bring for the collective. Let me assure you that this will be a balanced post, not the doom and gloom that often accompanies the phrase "Pluto in Aquarius".
Covering the Basics
Pluto is the planet of psychoanalysis and depth psychology. It is about everything that is under the surface, hidden, secretive, basically - everything of importance. Everything important is a well-kept secret. People hide it to prevent others from accessing its power (hence Pluto's association with power struggles).
Pluto is named after the God of the Underworld but the Underworld in Ancient Greece was not like Hell in Christianity. It wasn't a place of fire, pain, screams and punishment. It was a place for moral lessons where people were given "punishments" intended to encourage moral reflection; a place for justice and the deep psychological transformation that comes with it. [More on Pluto]
Aquarius is associated with the myth of Gemedy. He was a simple sheperd but then one day Zeus laid eye on him and fell in love. He took Gemedy to live with him on Mount Olympus and entrusted him with the task of tasting his food to ensure it wasn't poisoned. Gemedy received what every mortal wanted - life on Olympus. He was the ordinary person plucked out of his ordinariness and allowed to dwell in the land of the Gods. But he wasn't that warmyl accepted there. He was given polite treatment but underneath it all he was never allowed to forget that he doesn't originally belong. In the present day in which we don't have a Mount Olympus, we associate Aquarius with the street leaders who rise to power thanks to the support they have from the masses. These are the people who mix up the pre-established order of things. They are the odd ones out, the rebels, the anti-establishments. [More on Aquarius]
So what would Pluto in Aquarius bring us?
The Cover Story
Previously, Pluto was in Aquarius between 1777 and 1797 and although many things happened in that time frame, the most life shattering event was the advent of democracy. The ordinary people rose against their traditional elites. The “dirty masses” won against the aristocracy. It was unimaginable up until then.
This is what makes many speculate that in the next 20 years, we will see even more “power to the people” and that mass societies will collapse into small self-governing communities.
I can’t see this happening.
First of all, Pluto in Aquarius will be a period of transformation but the world will not look altogether too different after it. I disagree with the people who describe the Earth after Pluto in Aquarius as the ultimate futuristic dystopia. That may be the essence of Pluto in Aquarius but it will take a few more rounds of Pluto through Aquarius to get there. It won’t all happen this time around. In the same way in which the world is changing constantly, it also somehow maintains its overall structure.
That said. I think the people predicting the collapse of societies and governments and return to self-sustainable communities, the whole “power to the people” movement, are missing the point.
History never repeats. But it often rhymes.
What I see happening is smaller countries rising up and winning against a powerful global governor. This is basically 1789 (the French and American Revolutions) relived but on the global stage, in a globalized society. This time the oppressed people will be oppressed nations and the tyrant they will rise against, and potentially win, is the global dominion.
The French/American Revolution is not only the story of the ordinary people gaining more control (if we assume this is what democracy did) but also the story of a leadership class that lost its power. Up until then it was unthinkable that the kings and the queens will lose their power. Just in the same way in which many people can’t conceive of a world in which the USA is not the ultimate shots-caller.
In 1789, no one thought that societies of small individuals can take control over their own destinies. Nobody even thought that these “dirty masses” can have the audacity to emancipate themselves. But it happened. In the same way in which now countries “like Russia and China” dare to question the established world order. We are going to see more democracy, yes, but it will be a democracy on the global stage (which right now is an autocracy if you think about it).
The other way that this can play out is that marginalised minorities (the underdogs) can take over the official majority. And we see this narrative in the West.
Either way, Pluto in Aqurarius will happen. The energy will look for a way to play itself out. The West wants to channel it in minorities vs white/cis majorities kind of way. The East wants to channel it in a Global South vs Former Colonisers kind of way.
The Other Headlines
A Turn Against Democracy
Pluto exposes the dark side of things and Aquarius is associated with democracy. Are we about to find out that democracy is not such a great idea after all? We like democracy because we believe it gives the control to the people but does it really? Or are we given the opportunity to elect our politicians simply because nothing really depends on them any more (they are in the hands of global corporations).
Opposing Leo
As Pluto enters Aquarius, it will start opposing Leo, the sign of the king, the ruler, the Rennaissance Man. The self-made man. The man who is sure of his or her own abilities. Are we going to find out that all self-made men we have been taught to admire so far have actually not been that self-made? Are we going to lose faith in the greatness of the individual (perhaps seeing how easy it is to manipulate ordinary people and play on their insecurities?)? Are we going to rediscover the power of the collective. Or the tyranny of the collective (woke mobs etc).
Pluto in Leo opened the Golden Age of Hollywood and ever since then Hollywood has embodied everything great and cool. As this Age begins its Pluto opposition a big trasnformation of Holliwood's status is in the cards. Are people going to stop adoring American culture? Is Holliwood going to lose its appeal? Is this the end of idolation and cult-like celebs? Also, many global institutions were established in the same time period, right after World War II. They will be challenged to transform or dissolve.
The Dark Side of Tech
Aquarius is associated with technology and Pluto, as mentioned earlier, exposes the dirt underneath. We are about to find out more about how technology is used to control people, censorship and mass manipulation. Technology, social media, AI will be the fields of major power struggles in the next 20 years.
Pluto intensifies - intensified use of technology in previously unthinkable spheres of our lives. People will be growing more and more suspicios of tech and asking more and more questions. There is probably going to be a backlash against tech worlds but it may be more in words than in deeds. When Uranus (science, technology, futurism) enters Gemini (social media, communication, information, education) in 2026 we will for sure see the launch of the Metaverse. But how successful and widely adopted will it be for real?
Pluto is power struggles. Aquarius is high technology. We already see how China, USA, Taiwan and South Korea is competing for chip dominance. In fact, it is Taiwan's powerful position in the semiconductors sector that is making the coutnry such a contentious piece of land for both global powers.
What is Going on in Space
Aquarius is associated with everything avant-garde and advanced including technology and futurism. The Age of Elon Musk so to speak. But wherever Pluto goes it first exposes some dirty secrets and then begins to transform. So we might soon find out what is it that Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, NASA, China and Russia are really doing in space? Is Elon Musk really working so hard to bring internet to poor African villages that have been left out of the regular internet infrastructure? I doubt it.
Another thing on my Pluto-in-Aquarius radar is the Artemis Records programme that the USA is running. It will come more and more into focus in the next 20 years.
On a separate note, the Pentagone already mentioned that they have encountered UFOs - we will be acquainted with more of their research in the coming years. By 2044, we will all know more about aliens and interplanetary life.
Laslty, space weapons will probably prove decisive in future military conflicts while the mineral resources of the space will decide future economic powerhouses.
NGOs and the Other Do-Gooders
Aquarius is linked to bottom-up approaches and group efforts directed towards humanitarian persuits. NGOs and other social justice organisations will probably be under Pluto's transformative beams for the next 20 years. Wherever Pluto goes it exposes a dirty secret. There are already some reports on NGOs being a cover for foreign government interference, will these increase?
Hippies
Aquarius is associated with the hippie movement. We are likely to see more and more people adopting a consumerism-free lifestyle. Lab-grown meat, no-meat diets, vegan clothes etc will have their day while Pluto is in Aquarius. Many people will turn away from the Leo flashiness of modern celebrity-advertised products and prefer to go back to more quiet and subdued consumption. I am curious to see if this will happen out of conviction or out of material decrease. I can easily imagine how as the West grows poorer vis-a-vis Asia, the global elites will tell people that they are not growing poorer they are just avant-garde and living in a post-consumerist societies. You will own only 2 pairs of grey clothing and you will be happy. You think it's poverty? No, it's next level closer-to-God values.
Science and its Objectivity
Pluto is power struggles. Aquarius is science. Are we about to see power struggles with/within the scientific community? Is science going to stop being objective and start being used for different political ends?
AI and "Her"
Aquarius is technology and AI. Pluto is psychoanalysis. Are we approaching the age where AI can be a functional compagnion? Can your next psychotherapist be a robot? How humanised will robots become? We will see more research into neuroscience - Aquarius is science, Pluto is the subconsious mind.
0 Aquarius and the Role of Saturn
Traditionally, Saturn (structure, limitation, conservatism) rules both Capricorn and Aquarius. With Pluto continuing its transit through a Saturn-ruled sign, we could expect some continuity between the two periods (Pluto in Cap and in Aquarius). Cap and Aquarius are both about the social contract. Cap takes the POV of the government, Aquarius takes the POV of the governed. As Pluto goes over 0 degrees of Aquarius the division will intensify.
Saturn's rulership over Aquarius highlights the need for masses to structure themselves, to self-organise. Or at least to have the illusion of self-organisation. We will see more and more people create their "family of frequency" i.e secret societies and groups of like-minded individuals.
Saturn in Cap is about maintaining and protecting the structure. Saturn in Aquarius is about building it from scratch and from the bottom up. Pluto will transform the way we relate to one another and the way social groups are formed.
The Silver Lining
Before I leave you to this new age, I want to take a moment to say a few words to those who feel frightened by this post. I understand that some of the things I wrote might feel uncomfortable but! ...
There will always be a brighter, sunnier side of world events. There will always be shallow romantic comedies, cute and fun stuff where you can escape from the deeper and darker side of our reality. Real world domineering, ruling the globe, deciding the destiny of humankind was never meant to be for the faint-hearted. This is a job for those with the strong stomach to digest the dirt underneath. It is no coincidence that most of the truly powerful people in the world either are Scorpios or have a strong Pluto in the chart.
If this material is not for you, you will be offered rosier worlds to escape into. After all, noone wants more people engaged in the true narrative that is unfolding.
But whenever you feel lost and like you don't understand why the world is the way it is - you can come back to get a new perspective. In all other times, I, too, will be enjoying the sunnier side of things :)