For a small planet, Pluto packs a big punch. All the outer planets refer to generational change and Pluto describes transformation that is in some way cataclysmic. Violent destruction, death, explosions, and obliteration are among the experiences associated with the Lord of the Underworld. Modern astrologers understand that hidden in every death is a birth, which does not diminish the painful experience of a Pluto transit.
The earliest form of Hades - the Greek Underworld – was a shadow version of the earthly plane. It was a fearsome place, murky and dark. This was where souls went after death, condemned to wander forever with no hope of escape.
In the Egyptian pantheon, Pluto is Osiris, Lord of Regeneration. In the Osirian Mysteries, Osiris is killed by his brother, not once but twice. Out of his death a child is born – Horus, the Young King - who is the initiator of the New Aeon. The ancient Egyptians understood something the Greeks and Romans did not, that every ending is also a beginning.
March 23 will initiate a two-year transition of Pluto into Aquarius and the Shadow Lord will work his dark magic through our collective identity. Over the next 22 years, we will experience a sort of collective ego death with a corresponding rebirth into a new form. This transit aligns with the rising of the long-awaited Age of Aquarius. There will be innovations in science and technology that will rewrite our concept of what it means to be an Earthling. While much of this may be quite wonderful, there will be loss. To quote a song by REM, “It’s the end of the world as we know it.” And every death contains the seeds of new life.
Pluto in Aquarius: March 23 – June 11, 2023; January 20 – September 1, 2024; November 19, 2024 – January 19, 2044.
March 22, 2023, by Ruby Falconer. Available for chart readings.
