November 19 - Pluto Enters Aquarius

Pluto enters Aquarius on November 19, and will stay in that sign until 2043. Pluto's orbit is 248 years, so the planet will not return to the sign it occupied since 2008, Capricorn, during our lifetime. And, really, once is enough for one lifetime, when the planet so profoundly affects the world and our personal lives!

Likewise, this is our one shot at getting Aquarius right, so let's do it! If you have planets in the fixed signs of Scorpio, Taurus, Leo or Aquarius, this transit will be a critical period for your growth. Contact me for a reading or find a good on-line resource.

In many ways, the next zodiac sign corrects the excesses of the previous sign. Whereas Capricorn wanted the status quo, keeping its hierarchical power structure, Aquarius is all about the future, equality, and freedom. But we will have to slay some dragons to get there.

While Pluto was in Capricorn we saw Pluto expose "traditional" and longstanding cultural values of misogyny, homophobia, and zenophobia. The Dark Father (Capricorn) energy is very much in our conscious awareness now. As Shakespeare said, "Hell is empty. All the devils are here."

People ask me if Pluto in Aquarius is a good thing or a bad thing. It is more complex than that. There will be some easy things and some hard things. We recently came out of Pluto in Capricorn. We had the first Black President. We had the first woman to run for office. She won the popular vote, but not the electoral vote. Then came the backlash, which still reverberates. In the 2030's, America will not be majority white for the first time. Conservatives want to hold on to their power, even as Aquarius will shock the system with unexpected changes.

Pluto is the zodiac's garbage man. Pluto rakes up all the unconscious (and sometimes conscious) attitudes that hold us back from getting where we need to grow. So we see become conscious of our garbage. Then Pluto takes out the garbage, ready or not! Our growth points to independence, the freedom to be our own unique selves, to form and find supportive community. Aquarius is an air sign known for innovative ideas and technologies. There has been and will be plenty of to-do about A1. And space exploration, as well as a new seriousness about life on other planets are very likely.

Aquarius also covers the archetype of the exile - more people are on the move now than ever in human history due to war, famine and climate change. Aquarius does not care for the hierarchical structures of oligarchies - wealth inequality will keep getting more attention. It is said that a democracy cannot co-exist with wealth inequality. It skews power. I am guessing, but I hope the Citizens United court decision will be reviewed because of the corrupting influence of money in politics.

Aquarius is a sign of democracy. Pluto, on the other hand, is secretive and has ties, negatively, to Mafia-like behavior. Putting Pluto in Aquarius could question, as we have seen, whether democracy is our best form of government. Every flaw in the democratic system will be exposed and probably some strengths arise as a result. In mundane astrology, Aquarius is the sign of parliaments and Congress. Garbage man Pluto may dig deep and expose the Congressional underbelly. Once cleansed, Congress could rise like the Phoenix. Pluto shakes things up!

Pluto was most recently in Aquarius during the French Revolution, which was sparked by wealth disparity. Aquarius is a sign of revolution and equality. The people of France had had enough. From 1789 to 1794, there were cries for equality, fraternity and liberty. After 1794, the revolution became cold, brutal and dehumanizing. Coldness, dissociation and alienation are shadow sides of Aquarius.

Our country is right in the middle of Pluto return, when Pluto returns to the spot it occupied at our founding in 1776. And our precessed Pluto (taking into account time) is right here, right now. Pluto occupied the House of Money at our founding, so shake ups in the banking world are likely. Cryptocurrency seems to be changing the money scene. The South Node of the country is also in Aquarius. It is as though the country will have a replay of negative legacies of the past and an opportunity to behave differently this time.

As always, we will get some things right with Pluto in Aquarius and muff up others. It is human nature. And human choice. We do not all want the same things! Do we want liberty, independence, freedom enough to ignite a revolution for those things? Or do we want to plug into virtual reality on a toxic planet that coldly abandons compassion to our community? We ALL get to choose. We each have free will to make the best a reality or allow the worst to happen. Do we want to storm the Bastille or become a Robespierre? Our choice. Keep your love and kindness set to high, navigate the self worth of every person on the planet with respect and love. That is within your power at all times.