A Brief Look at Pluto

Pluto in the natal chart shows us the trail that leads to the release of past conditioning, at both ancestral and soul levels. Its position in the birth chart shows where we are stuck, reliving ideas, feelings, actions, and experiences that belong to an old self. At first, when we are very young, we do not realize what is happening… Without knowing it, our reactions arise from archetypal behaviors strongly linked to the astrological house where Pluto is located. Like a chrysalis that still surrounds us… the memory of “past lives” makes us follow parameters that are not really part of our present. And Pluto somehow acts as a bridge between the two worlds.

For me, the example of the caterpillar and the butterfly perfectly exemplify Pluto. The caterpillar does not disappear, it simply transforms inside the chrysalis. Although the forms change, the butterfly is still the caterpillar… although now it has wings and a new potential. With its transformed body, the butterfly is able to see the world of the caterpillar from a new perspective… a perimeter that, although it has been full of challenges and adventures, is smaller than the world that opens before her. In the birth chart, Pluto shows that although we are already a butterfly, we still somehow believe we are the caterpillar. Thus, we have not yet realized our present potential.

Of course, spreading our wings is not easy, since we do not know that we have them! Pluto pushes us to jump and fly… and that activates an alarm within us that awakens the survival instinct, which leads us to cling to what we know with all our might.

We can also see Pluto as the collector of the etheric garbage (or the chrysalis) that does not allow us to recognize our current state and that, for some reason, still surrounds us. Pluto is collecting what is no longer useful and taking it away. It is our attachment to what was and our desire not to lose it that creates the Plutonian crises.

Pluto’s transits are also activating these memories of the past and in my opinion, they assist the natal position of Pluto. However, transits activate other aspects of our reality, side by side with the Plutonian signature of birth. Although Pluto’s transits can be intense, they are also parallel to our initiation path, and for this reason, the elimination process is experienced in a more conscious way. It is easy to believe that Pluto’s natal position shows a personal trait and not a process of regeneration. Transits help us distinguish Plutonian energy, and by paying attention to our reactions during these transits, we can begin to recognize our natal Pluto.

Pluto Retrograde during 2023/2024

Pluto’s retrograde movement between Capricorn and Aquarius is undoubtedly a preparation for the next 20 years. We could say that this retrogradation is creating two very clear energy currents: those who seek to maintain the status quo and those who don’t. The retrogradation brings with it the potential for peaceful integration, where old social structures are renewed to give way to a new vision. But there is also the possibility of establishing rules that seek to maintain what is known and the consequent clash with those who seek progress.

On a personal level, Pluto’s retrograde motion will show to what extent we seek to “do our duty” or “do what we really want”. With “duty” I mean the submission to external authority rather than our own… keeping ourselves in an infant mode, without trusting our own sense of agency. We may feel that being different and independent turns us into outcasts and this terrifies us. As a consequence, we could unite with those who are like-minded, forming a collective that makes us feel “safer”. This may become an intransigent bloc…something that is, in a way, a replica of what we seek to eliminate, even though we are now living on our own terms. The Plutonian potential is to discover and embody our inner authority and begin to think for ourselves…and give space to others to do the same.

Pluto in Aquarius – Dates

This video can give you a guide to navigating the astrological energies of 2023.

The transit of Pluto in Capricorn in the 1st House – Capricorn and Aquarius Rising

In Capricorn, Pluto activates the internal authority in each one of us. Now the “fight” begins between getting out or staying inside the chrysalis. Staying inside means eternal childhood. Pluto becomes the external authority that exercises power over us and we comply with what this authority asks of us. As a result, and unconsciously, the most immature state of Cancer (the opposite sign of Capricorn) is activated within us: we become overly emotional, moody, insecure, and sometimes even demeaning in our dealings with others! Other times we feel trapped in obligations that do not really correspond to our personal interests, accumulating a great feeling of powerlessness… that often remains suppressed from our consciousness.

If we decide to come out of the chrysalis, we embark on regenerating internal authority, making our own decisions, and becoming the CEOs of our own lives. That’s the real personal power we develop when Pluto transits Capricorn. Step by step, we open our own path through self-discipline, which is always accompanied by the joy of following – with tenacity – the true goals of our Being.

How does this translate when Pluto in Capricorn transits the 1st House? In the 1st House, our evolutionary process seeks the regeneration of personal power. This means that we are going to experience everything that I have just mentioned in our own identity. We get personal power when we manage to connect with our internal authority. But not to rule or control others, but, as I said before, to become our own CEOs! The 1st House is completely – and correctly – individualistic. It is about oneself. Any challenge or experience of oppression we have been through has been aimed at discovering our inner strength. When Capricorn is our rising sign, the transit of Pluto leads us to incarnate those parts of the personality that have not been fully developed… like our responsibility, our commitment to achievement, and our ambition! But if we stay inside the chrysalis and hide our emotions, our motivations, and even our desires, the internal pain can become very strong and in the end, the excess poison that we carry inside is released to the outside… The advice is to associate with individuals who accept us as we are and, in this way, give us the space to express our authenticity.

When we begin to integrate that part of us that is industrious, serious, and ambitious, we will feel that we are more authentic, real, and stronger! And as if by magic, our evolutionary path, symbolized by the natal position of Pluto, also takes a step forward.

The transit of Pluto in Aquarius in the 1st house (and Capricorn in the 12th house)

In Aquarius, Pluto activates our individual uniqueness. Will we dare to be ourselves? Or will we seek to amalgamate with our peers? If we choose the latter, we are keeping ourselves inside the chrysalis. And we already know what happens when we stay inside too long… *if not, re-read “The evolutionary process of Pluto”. ↑

There’s a reason we don’t want to leave the chrysalis… Generally, these reasons come from unpleasant experiences that have inhibited our spontaneity. If Aquarius is our rising sign, then these inhibitions have to do with something that makes us different from the status quo. Pluto’s transit activates our essential geometry and with it, brings experiences that differentiate us even more from conventional reality. What hurts is not our sense of Self, but the artificial mask that we have created to hide it. That mask is cold, it doesn’t feel, and it can become so cerebral that it forgets the warmth of Life.

More: Pluto in Aquarius 2023-2044

If our Ascendant is in Capricorn, then we are already “used to” identity crises. Our mask is breaking apart and perhaps an internal light can already be seen through the cracks. Although now with Pluto in Aquarius we begin to feel an urgency to free ourselves from any foreign social convention that we still carry in our behavior, Pluto’s passage through Capricorn may have provided us with a method to do so. And if we still don’t find it, we still have 23 months to do it.

But… what happens if our rising sing is in the first degrees of Aquarius? In this case, Pluto comes from its passage through the 12th House, and… the good news is that we have survived it! The transit of Pluto in the 12th House awakens within us a deep feeling of grief. Irrational fears can lead us to self-sabotage. With Pluto transiting the 12th House for so many years, we’ve had the chance to take a long, deep look at our most terrifying fantasies…the ones that can include self-sacrifice born of duty. But… who says that they are really fantasies? The 12th House connects us with the collective unconscious. With Pluto in this position, we are able to connect with parallel realities that vibrate at the same frequency as us. But whatever we connect with, that dream world contains a lot of information for our own evolution.

Earlier I mentioned that Pluto in Capricorn activates our inner authority. In the 12th House, that inner authority makes us hyper-realistic when it comes to surrendering to the world of the unconscious. Capricorn in the 12th House provides us with the self-discipline necessary to walk pragmatically in the shadows. Having the god of the Underworld trigger our unconscious fears has given us the courage to address them in a constructive way. At least, that’s the gift of this Pluto transit!

So, during the next 23 months, as Pluto conjuncts our Ascendant in Aquarius, we are going to feel very strongly all the masks we have used to not stand out, not appear different, and be accepted by our community. But there is no need to worry so much… because the transit of Saturn through the 12th House has prepared you for this moment. The main thing is that you trust yourself and that you free yourself from any social convention that does not belong to your own nature.

Every time you feel the desire to fight or act cruelly with someone, before acting, listen to your emotions and dive into yourself, looking for what is the emotion, what is the memory, what is the trigger for this reaction. Generally, there is a frightened child who feels oppressed in a reality that does not understand him. Now is a good time for you to provide him with the validation he’s been longing for. When Aquarius rising is fully integrated, it doesn’t even say “I am what I am”… it just “is” – but not out of meaningless rebellion, but out of the conviction that their true self is much more interesting than a gray imitation born of social conventions. With this Pluto transit, the potential for individual genius is at your fingertips. Also, the natal position of your Pluto will thank you.

Pay attention when…

• When Pluto transits Capricorn in the 1st House: pay attention when you follow a tradition, a set of rules and morals that don’t really belong to you. The great fear that Pluto in Capricorn arouses lies in being irresponsible if one does not follow the “protocol”. Investigate within yourself where that belief comes from. You will see that it is the product of a subjective vision. In fact, you are the leader of your own reality.
• When Pluto transits Aquarius in the 1st House: pay attention when you become so cerebral that you can no longer connect with your passions. The great fear of Pluto in Aquarius is to become someone who has no social support. Listen to your inner voice and go your own way. You were born to be yourself… That will make you feel more alive than ever!

It may interest you: Pluto, in the 1st House Natal and Transit.

Pluto transiting Aquarius in the 1st House – Capricorn and Aquarius Rising – WATCH VIDEO