What does Pluto mean in astrology? Your guide to the little power planet

Come along to the underworld, folks – we’re talking about Pluto.

The small but powerful planet Pluto, named after the virgin, shadow-dwelling god of the underworld, is associated with destruction, subversion, depth, intensity, primal urges, the taboo, the criminal, the subterranean, subconscious forces and darkness dangerous heart that beats beneath the facade of civilization and the earth’s crust itself.

Sunny stuff, that’s not it.

Planet Pluto in astrology

Pluto is delicate but powerful and was discovered in 1930.

As the last planet in our solar system, Pluto is rightly associated with doom and gloom. As master of ceremonies for death, Pluto teaches us that destruction is the grease of creation.

In this context, Pluto is the planetary ruler of the solid waters of Scorpio, a sign associated with transformative trauma, shadow work, mind control, power struggles, and other people’s resources.

Since Pluto is the furthest planet from the Sun, its orbit is arduously long as the planet changes sign every 12 to 30 years. For this reason, Pluto is considered an outer planet, whose signature through the signs of the zodiac represents the ideals and energies of an entire generation.

Meaning of Pluto

The discovery of Pluto coincided with the planet’s movement through the maternal sign of Cancer and with it the birth of nuclear power, fascism and prohibition – all forces that express a kind of civic “care” that is ultimately a dark form of control is.

Prohibition specifically launched a new type of criminal archetype and an illegal underworld that continues to shape our country and feed and satisfy our illegal needs. This era also saw the emergence of psychology, and particularly psychoanalysis, as a means of accessing the subconscious.

Thematically, Pluto is related to the Hindu deity Kali, the mother goddess of nature and destruction, and this overlap is never more evident than in the sign of Cancer.

Pluto transits

Regarding Pluto as a signature of a generation and as the brilliant astrologer David Odyssey states: “The baby boomers were born with Pluto in Leo (1939–1958), signifying the rise of deified world leaders and the lofty ideal of so-called American “greatness.”

Pluto in Virgo from 1958 to 1971 is the hallmark of early Generation X. Virgo is the sign of ritual purification, and this generation values ​​authenticity by identifying and denigrating the concept of “selling out.” Virgo is associated with agriculture, and this period saw the rise of over-cultivation, factory farming, and tabletop microwaves, creating a general culture of convenience and profit over substance

“Pluto in Libra (1971 to 1983) gave birth to Generation X, which sought to tear down the Libra ideal of suburban stucco bliss; “Millennials came to life during Pluto’s transit through Scorpio (1983 to 1995), a time when AIDS sparked conservative cruelty and an activist revolution, VHS pornography forever changed gender, and nuclear terror opened up new possibilities for liberation,” Odyssey continues . “Of course, Generation Z could only be born under the zodiac sign Sagittarius (1995 to 2009), the daughter of Pluto, and will continue to reckon with the sign’s extreme ideals, spiritual curiosity and conspiratorial thinking for many years to come.”

Pluto planet

When lucky duck planet Jupiter expands everything it touches, Pluto amplifies the force, intensifying it and pushing it to shocking extremes. If Jupiter is Midas, Pluto is the Grim Reaper when it comes to his pound of flesh.

Think of Khalesi at the stake and other fiery trials, feeling alive because he is touched by death, revolution, turmoil, and the kind of cultural catharsis that comes from righteous, karmic retribution.

And just because Pluto is devastating doesn’t mean it’s nefarious. When it comes to Pluto, destruction occurs only in the name of evolution, and the planet often tests the courage of its children to drive out what is holding them back.

Through Pluto, what dies becomes the necessary compost for new things, and what was banished is exhumed.

In terms of cinematic archetypes, Pluto is Professor Snape, whose brutal methods belie benevolent intentions.

How to find your Pluto sign

Use a birth chart calculator like this one to find your Pluto sign. Once you add your information, your Pluto sign will appear on the zodiac wheel.

The symbol for Pluto is a circle over a crescent and a cross; According to Cafe Astrology, the symbol represents the rise of the psyche over the material: “This glyph suggests spiritual receptivity…or the superconsciousness that stands above the physical world.”

Due to the planet’s slow movement, the sign Pluto falls in is shared by others of the same generation. On a more personal level, Pluto’s house position in the natal chart indicates the areas of life in which deeper meaning is sought.

Pluto’s position can also reflect where change, power struggles, control, obsession, secrets and turmoil abound – or are bound to rise.

Pluto direct in Capricorn 2024

Pluto has spent the last 15 years in the harsh sign of Capricorn, where he has dabbled in the dark arts and showcased the underbelly of financial systems, patriarchal structures, capitalism, racial inequality, abusive power dynamics, and authority figures.

It is no coincidence that both the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements came to light and gained power during this transit and that HRH Britney Spears was freed from her paternal overlord.

This final push, which will take place over the next few weeks, marks the end of an era for Pluto.

At the 29th degree of Capricorn, Pluto is at the final or anaretic degree of the sign, the point of ultimate expression of its energy. At this level, Pluto can’t help but push the button, scream the truth, force a deathbed confession, and light the match that lights the powder keg.

Interestingly, Capricorn is represented in the Major Arcana of the Tarot by the Devil card, and Pluto is of course named after the overlord of the underworld.

At the same time, we can view this transit as the highway to hell for those who deserve the commute.

When does Pluto enter Aquarius?

Starting November 19, 2024, Pluto will settle in Aquarius, where it will remain until March 8, 2043.

The last time the planet Pluto transited Aquarius was 1778 to 1798, a period that saw the French, American, Haitian and Industrial Revolutions, as well as the Age of Enlightenment, which in true Aquarius form favored reason over reaction and Preferred abstraction over intimacy.

Inventions of this period include the hot air balloon, the sewing machine, the smallpox vaccine and the parachute.

The final orbit of Pluto in Aquarius involved the dismantling of social hierarchies, resistance to the powerful, the revaluation of work, violent responses to economic inequality, and the wild use of imagination that led to technological breakthroughs.

These themes will undoubtedly resurface as Pluto returns to the visionary vapors of Aquarius.

The old structures and elites will be viewed with new contempt and the “good for some of us” modality of capitalism will no longer be sufficient.

The ultimate lesson from Pluto? It’s painful to let go, but impossible to hold on.

Change is coming, folks, and while rebirth is miraculous, it is also violent and volatile, and the moments that precede it are profound, dark, and frightening.

To the ashes – and the consequences.

Astrology 101: Your Guide to the Star

Astrologer Reda Wigle irreverently explores and reports on planetary configurations and their effects on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experiences. To book a reading, visit her website.