October 10th ~ 17th
“Psyche opening the door on to Cupid’s Garden” by John William Waterhouse
There are two sets of principles. They are the principles of power and privilege and the principles of truth and justice. If you pursue truth and justice it will always mean a diminution of power and privilege. If you pursue power and privilege it will always be at the expense of truth and justice. ~ Noam Chomsky
On Monday, October 13th (or Tuesday, depending on where you are in the world) Pluto will station, ending its 5-month retrograde phase. Although Pluto has been in Aquarius for over a year now, this is the first time that it stations direct while still in Aquarius. There is a certain gravitas that Pluto gains in this sign by stationing direct in the sign of universal brotherhood, freedom and equality. Aquarius is a sign of the people, and as Pluto gains its foothold here, it’s aim is to shore up the power, not at the top, but at the base, with the people at large.
It is a profound concept, and one that is likely to gain even more traction next year, in 2026, when the Nodes of the Moon move back to Aquarius and Leo. For that is when the fates, as it were, are able to step in, tilt their hand, and leverage things in a certain way that will help to facilitate the process. The South Node of the Moon in Leo is sometimes associated with the idea of a Fall from power of those at the top (kings), and then restoring the power to the people with the North Node in Aquarius.
But even now there is a lot of support for this. With a trine to Aquarius-ruler, Uranus, a sextile to Neptune and a trine to Venus newly entering Libra, we see a Grand Trine in Air, and then creating a Kite with Neptune in Aries. This is a configuration of great and powerful potential. Almost like a silent and peaceful coup, alliances are forming and being drawn together within a framework towards fulfilling shared revolutionary ideals. Trines are not aggressive and competitive. It’s as if they already exist, and are just needing the right sort of catalyst to get the ball rolling.
On Monday, just hours before the Pluto station, Venus enters the sign of Libra, forming that Grand Air trine, and making all this a little more personal. Whether that’s through a personal obsession, a mad crush or an irresistible longing, Venus navigates the giants at the outer fringes of our solar system, and channels their power down into our daily lives and personal concerns. And in the process, Venus aims to restore the balance, in her own way, and in her own time. That may mean drawing some people together with a shared purpose, while parting others. It may mean drawing attention to issues surrounding fairness and equality. This could prove to be a great time for all things Venus: Love, marriage, partnerships, justice, reaching agreements with others, achieving harmony, and making peaceful negotiations.
However, planets tend to be really strong when they station. And when Pluto, the Lord of the Underworld stations, he digs even deeper than he normally does, unearthing and revealing all that has been lurking below the surface. What is disclosed are often things that we had hoped would stay buried forever: our fears, cravings, obsessions, the wraiths and demons that possess our souls. The things that we want to avoid because we don’t want to ever have to deal with them, or have them revealed to others. They make us feel uncomfortable, disempowered, fearful, ashamed, wounded, vulnerable and weak. These are the things that need purging. The things we most fear. It demands honesty, truth, a lot of courage and humility and even some heart-wrenching pain in the process.
At these stations of Pluto we are being asked, even in the face of extraordinary odds, even in the face of our own fear, even at the risk of humiliation, we are being asked to take our power back, where and however we can. No more avoiding the elephant in the room. No more placating or ignoring meanness, injustice and cruelty. It is time to confront that which is undermining our well-being as a society, our confidence and our own agency and effectiveness in the world.
And what is holding us back, are our own fears, our own insecurities and assumptions that convince us that we are incapable and unworthy of making any sort of effective change. And yet transformative change is what Pluto cycles are all about. Pluto is always much deeper than at first realized, uncovering layers beneath the surface, unfolding our karmic destiny, and revealing our life’s purpose.
Some ultimate outcomes from Pluto transits:
Healing, Rehabilitation and/or Renewal
Discovering something about your Purpose that will bring deeper meaning to your life
Intensely deep relationships
Insights and Understanding that completely changes your whole perspective
Self-empowerment and discovering what taking control over your own life and destiny feels like.
Karmic beginnings and serendipitous meetings.
The absolute determination to rebuild your life (and your reputation) all over again. Even if you need to begin from scratch.
You have the freedom to choose, but you’re not free from the consequences of those choices. ~ Frank Sonnenberg (Listen to your Conscience: That’s why you have one)
For the Pluto station for your sign, click through to the Horoscopes page: