Pluto is the topic of conversation now, so it’s time for me to write about him. Since Pluto is the slowest planet in our solar system, it’s a very big event when he joins a planet in our chart. Pluto has an orbit of 248 years and is triggering off the chart of the United States now.
Let’s get to know Pluto a bit before we see what he’s doing now. Pluto is associated with Scorpio and has an intense style. The keyword phrase for Pluto is “Death and Rebirth.” Pluto transits occur during huge times of change in a person’s life. They happen when people are married, have children, graduate from college, retire or pass away. We are never the same after a Pluto transit. Transformation and a reawakening are assured. People don’t live to reach 248 years of age, but a country sure does.
Leading up to the Pluto return has brought us a world-wide pandemic, economic disaster, authoritarian dictators, race riots, a heated mid-term election season and demonstrations all over the globe. As I write this, Russia has invaded Ukraine and just bombed a maternity hospital where women and children died. It doesn’t get much more ruthless than that. The world, especially Europe, is in turmoil and wondering who will be invaded next.
Since the US was born in 1776, it is 247 years old now and is just begging to experience its Pluto return. A return happens when the transiting planet returns to the same degree as it is in the birth chart. As humans, we are used to Saturn returns, that occur every 29 years, but not Pluto returns. Collectively, we are all facing a Pluto return through the lens of the United States.
I want to look at the chart of the United States before we investigate the Pluto Return. The United States was born on July 4th, 1776, at 5:10 p.m. in Philadelphia, PA. The US has its Sun in the sign of Cancer, Moon in Aquarius with a Sagittarius rising. The Cancer Sun explains the US being the melting pot and why we feel like we need to take care of the world. The Aquarius Moon loves innovations and new beginnings. Since the US is a relatively young nation, it lends itself to being more future oriented. The Sagittarius Rising gives the US an enviable style with all of our citizens being immigrants. Only Native Americans are indigenous to the US.
Looking at the chart of the US, it is fairly positive with lots of harmonious blue lines. Remember the red lines are challenges and the blue lines are talents. The prominent part of this chart is the grouping of planets in the 7th house of relationships or allies and the 8th house of others’ money, which explains the focus on capitalism.
This chart has three red lines or challenges. One is from Neptune in the 10th square Mars in the 7th. Mars is often about war and aggression. Neptune shows confusion. Who started which wars? The US isn’t totally innocent when it comes to saber rattling. Neptune with this placement could indicate a population being vulnerable to being manipulated by fear.
The other two red lines address money issues. Even though the Sun in the 8th house shows success, it also indicates potential for indulgence and overspending. The Sun is square to Saturn, who is having to pay the piper for the carelessness of the Sun. America is now over 30 Trillion dollars in debt! The last red line is from Pluto in the 2nd house of money to Mercury in the 8th house of others’ money, which brings problems with creditors, inflation, trade wars and sanctions, the stock market and the national economy.
In summary of the red lines: The challenge of the US is to be transparent about money and resources.
Now let’s get to know the blue lines. Most of the blue lines are focused on Mars and Uranus on the right side of the chart. Uranus relates to inventions, computers and innovative technologies. Mars is action. So, the best America has to offer the world is a talent for innovative ideas. Uranus is also associated with freedom, so an important part of those new ideas is democracy. The US is an experiment in democracy, which is being challenged now. How do democracy and capitalism exist in a balanced way?
In summary of the blue lines: The best talent of the US is to bring new technology and democracy to the world.
Ok, it’s time to look at the Pluto Return. All the planets do retrograde motion, expect for the Sun and the Moon. So, Pluto will be moving past the birth Pluto of the US four times over the next two years. The dates of the Pluto Return will be February 2022, July 2022, December 2022 and will end on October 2023. We are in for a couple of years of turmoil. The US is entering the biggest time of change since its birth in 1776. Remember that this is a death and rebirth cycle. What the country no longer needs will remove itself to make fertile and place for new growth. This is a total rebirth for the country and nothing will be the same as a result.
The transits sheet I’m including shows the current positions of the planets and how they connect with the US birth chart. You can see the circle around Pluto outside of the 2nd house of money. Mars and Venus are exactly joining Pluto in the sky now for everyone, which is the perfect transit for bombing a Ukrainian maternity hospital. Mars is violence and Venus is innocent people and women and children. Even though events like these show in the placement of the planets, it’s still not easy to witness.
Although this article is about Pluto, but there is another important transit happening in the US chart. Jupiter is joining Neptune in April of 2022 and they are both opposing the Neptune in the US chart. Neptune is confusing and Jupiter just makes it more extreme. On the optimistic side, both Jupiter and Neptune have a positive, spiritual expression. We can only hope this will inspire a truce or a compromise in Ukraine.
The degree of Pluto in the US chart is 27 degrees Capricorn. After Pluto moves through these last three degrees of Capricorn, Pluto enters Aquarius on January 21, 2024. I’m named a transit through the last few degrees of a sign --- the sludge of that sign. Capricorn sludge would be exposing corporate greed, the lack of economic equity, irresponsible use of resources and authoritarianism.
When Pluto is in a sign, it’s like a backdrop to humanity. Pluto entered Capricorn in 2008 during a serious financial crisis. One of the defining moments was the 5-4 decision made by the Supreme Court on Citizens United, which “held that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidates elections cannot be limited.“ This of course gave unprecedented power to corporations. If Citizens United sees corporations are individuals, does that make individual commodities? Capricorn rules corporations, who have had control of our political choices since then. All this will change when Pluto enters Aquarius.
Since Pluto moves so slowly, he will be in Aquarius from January 2024 all the way until January 2044! That is a full 20 years and will open the door to the Aquarian Age. Keywords for Capricorn are conservative, controlling, hierarchy, the elite, regulations and mandates. Capricorn wants to maintain the status quo. In contrast, Aquarius keywords are revolutionary, inventive, future-oriented, independent, technologically savvy and globally connected. Aquarius is the rule breaker and wants to let go of the old and replace it with the future.
This is the last couple of years of authorities taking control. After that, the individual will want to be in charge. We are in the transition between one age and the next. The Ages change every 2,150+ years, which is a much larger cycle than a Pluto Return. Since the Pluto return happens at the same time as this transition of ages, it proves that the US is the beacon of democracy ringing in the Aquarian Age. It makes sense that the Aquarian Age would begin with an international revolution relating to personal freedoms.
We are experiencing the rare change of Ages, only to be triggered off with the Pluto Return of the US. It’s one of those evolutions that aren’t fun, but necessary. Astrology is always soothing and now is one of those times humanity needs to be soothed. This is all meant to be, folks. I say, bring it on!
