We are entering into a new era and the speed at which we are hurtling towards it is picking up pace at an exponential rate. Every day it seems something new and historic has occurred for better or worse. The world’s nations seem to be rallying against one another and forming clearly defined sides on which they stand.
The global economy is shakier than it was during the last financial crisis of 2008. Technology is ramping up at a rate we have never seen before with AI making leaps and bounds in its development. Environmental catastrophes and corporate greed seem to reaching an all time high. So what the hell is going on? To understand the change and turmoil currently happening in the world, we need to turn to the outer planets and their transits, specifically Pluto.
For the past 20 years, Pluto has been slowly plodding its way through Capricorn. If you watch the movement of Pluto transiting through the ecliptic, it has this slow back and forth motion as it stations direct and retrograde several times in the sign it is moving through. This is akin to a wrecking ball swinging back and forth slowly but with tremendous power of destruction. Like a wiping motion, back and forth, getting rid of the grit and grime on the surface you are cleaning. This is what Pluto does. It exposes what is rotten, digs it up, demolishes it, then buries the remnants so that something new can spring forth from the devastation. What Pluto touches is irreversibly changed. 
It is like the alchemical process of changing two metals into a completely new alloy. Once you create the new form, you cannot revert back to the previous ones. Pluto takes you away from your previous reality by force. It will thrust you into a new experience which will shape the next chapter in your life. This is all seen within the parable of Hades and Persephone where Persephone was forced into the Underworld but eventually returns to the surface world, symbolizing death and rebirth. This is what has been happening to the world at large focused through the lens of Capricorn for the last 15 years.
First lets talk about Capricorn and what that represents in a broad archetypal sense. Capricorn is a cardinal, feminine, nocturnal, earth sign ruled by Saturn. As cardinal earth ruled by Saturn, when we apply these concepts to the world we get a sense of that which is old and enduring, tradition, and the established structure of society. Pluto has been slowly moving through this and showing us what no longer works, exposing the corrupted parts and laying them to rest so that something more useful can be gained from its devastation.
Pluto has been moving through the final degrees of Capricorn over the last few years. These are the critical points within the sign, a time when change is poised to happen and the stage is being set for the future which can no longer be denied. I would argue that this process begins once a planet enters into the third Decan of the sign (20° – 29°59′) but is most evidently seen once it hits the 29°. We have just recently hit the anaretic degree at 29° which is why we’ve seen such atrocious examples of late stage capitalism as Pluto finally makes its first exit out of Capricorn on March 23, 2023. Think the Palestine industrial waste catastrophe and the SVB failure.
Pluto first entered Capricorn on Jan 0f 2008. I don’t think anyone needs to be reminded that 2008 was a time where the housing market collapsed in the United States and the world was sent into a global recession.
On January 26, 2008, the FOMC lowered the Federal Funds Rate essentially putting millions of Americans underwater on their mortgages as they had signed up with variable rates with low intro promos. These people thought they could sell before the rate went up but were unable to do so now. January saw 57% more foreclosures than there had been the entire year prior. The crisis began to worsen as Pluto began it’s opposition with Mars in March (everything bad always seems to happen in March) when the bailouts began and the Fed Fund is lowered yet again and this was just the first few months of Pluto’s ingress into Capricorn.
So what happened the last time Pluto entered into Aquarius? On January 21, 1778, the day that Pluto entered Aquarius, the Continental Congress ratified the first Treaty of Alliance with France, formalizing the French support of the American Revolution against Great Britain and the The British naval vessel HMS Solebay captured the American privateer ship Ranger, which was commanded by John Paul Jones.
Interestingly enough there always appears to be a massive earthquake during these ingresses by Pluto. The day Pluto entered Aquarius in 1778 a massive earthquake occurred in Lima, Peru, which destroyed much of the city and killed an estimated 10,000 people. The day Pluto entered Sagittarius in 1995 was when the Great Hanshin earthquake struck Japan killing 6,400 people causing extensive damage. And the day Pluto entered Capricorn in 2008 was when a 7.5 magnitude (only about 10-15 a year on average) earthquake hit several islands in Indonesia.
Back to Pluto in Aquarius though, major historical changes occurred during this transit. Pluto was last in Aquarius from January 21, 1778, to August 11, 1798. During this period, several significant events occurred. The United States declared its independence from Great Britain in 1776, and the war continued until 1783.
The French Revolution began in 1789 and continued until 1799, with significant political and social upheaval throughout the country. The revolution was characterized by radical changes in government, the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, and the overthrow of the monarchy.
The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain in the mid-18th century and continued throughout Pluto’s transit of Aquarius. This period saw significant advancements in technology, such as the invention of the steam engine and the development of textile manufacturing.
Several explorers made significant discoveries during Pluto’s transit of Aquarius. Captain James Cook explored the Pacific Ocean and discovered Hawaii in 1778, while Alessandro Malaspina led an expedition to the Pacific coast of North and South America in 1791. In 1787, the United States Constitution was drafted and signed, establishing the framework for the government of the United States. These events had far-reaching impacts on world history and shaped the course of politics, economics, and culture for centuries to come.
So what can we expect (besides a possible earthquake) with Pluto entering Aquarius? It’s hard to say especially with the rapid pace that technology is developing currently. I think we will definitely be seeing major developments in AI which is going to completely change the way our society operates. I’m thinking massive job loss in several sectors where automation totally takes off. We will likely see more destabilization in the markets which will garner more support for crypto currencies. Governments will likely try to push their own brand of crypto and universal incomes will likely be offered in developed nations where automation is causing widespread layoffs. Big technological changes will undoubtedly alter the way we live our daily lives and with Pluto this will likely give rise to fears and despair surrounding tech especially AI. We may even see a counter-tech movements take form. On the flip side you will see people fully embracing new technological advancements where human augmentation will become reality bringing us one step closer to the singularity. Pluto retrograding back into Capricorn later in 2023 may indicate a change to societal structure based on whatever sneak peak technological breakthrough we see in March. For reference, Pluto will go full force into Aquarius in November of 2024.
March 2023 is a special month not just because of Pluto ingressing into Aquarius (though this is the main event) but also for Saturn moving into Pisces (the first time since 2018 where it hasn’t been in its own sign) and Mars into Cancer after having an extended stay in Gemini since July of 2022. This is a big month. Lots has already happened, lots more will happen, and this is all setting the stage for what we can expect in the future over the next several years.
