Astro Tips and more

January 20, 2024

Linda Sprague

Pluto in Capricorn conjunct Sun in Capricorn

Pluto in Aquarius conjunct Sun in Aquarius

Today, January 20th, the Sun is in the last degree of Capricorn. Tomorrow, when the Sun moves into the sign of Aquarius, dwarf planet Pluto also will move into Aquarius. Interesting two days. Pluto brings intensity to whatever it touches. When it touches the Sun, we may experience increased empowerment. Our soul/sun responds to Pluto with an internal sense of strength.  After all we have just experienced fourteen years of Pluto tearing down and undermining all things Capricorn--our physical, orderly, dependable, reliable, life structures. Where did they go?  We have survived. That in itself is reason for feeling empowered. What exactly did we endure and what is on the other side of this endurance? We had these fourteen years of certain kinds of Saturnian lessons (Saturn is the ruler of Capricorn; therefore, our lessons have been in Saturn's cave).  That's where we go to learn patience when things don't go our way. How many of you have watched your daily Capricorn schedule go to hell in a hand-bag during these Pluto in Capricorn years?  How many of you have had to re-do your thinking around what is practical and what isn't? How many of you have had ups and downs financially? Who among us hasn't had test after test in the room called, Patience. The result of all this is hopefully a new sense of maturity and mastery in some area of life. This all goes back to 2008 when Pluto rolled into the sign of Capricorn. We have watched our own lives be upended for a variety of reasons. And we have witnessed our government wobble, our financial system experiment with the future (crypto what?), our financial system and overall social system favoring greed; our justice system compromised and our social order go crazy.  The fact is when we are going through something, we tend to hang on and do our best to adjust to the prevailing trends and to the upheavals we must endure. When rents and mortgages go up, we figure it out.  

My experience with important transits is this:  We keep on keeping on while it is happening and then, suddenly, it's over and we begin to experience the results of what just happened. For those willing to open their eyes and connect the dots, you will see where you've been and how things have changed. We tend to experience the real change on the other side of the transit. We are in a new, mature landscape and there is plenty to be done.

I asked a client if I could talk about her chart just to sum up this idea that Pluto in Capricorn in one sense is over AND in another sense, we will now get the result of Pluto in Capricorn.  Pluto in Aquarius will be a part of that process. 

So I will call this person, Candice. She was born with Venus in late Sagittarius followed by three planets in Capricorn (that includes her Sun in Capricorn), and then a Capricorn ascendant, and finally Saturn in the late degrees of Capricorn. This human being has been through major Pluto experiences since 2006. That is 18 years of one planet affecting five planets and her ascendant. She survived. She is on the other side.  She had to stay very sober and real. She was not allowed to indulge in escapists acts through drugs, alcohol or make-believe.  She came close to losing her vision. She came close to losing her career. Don't even mention relationship. Wherever Pluto sits, we tend to sit alone.  A Pluto transit over one planet is about five years. Think about eighteen years of sitting alone. Someone asked her how she managed to hang on all those years. She said, "I danced." She also wrote a novel and some other works that are now ready to be presented to the world.  She took up gardening and found joy in the dirt and colors that emerged from the dirt. Earthy Capricorn is a responsible work horse (or work goat!).  The highest vibration of Capricorn is a leader who does the job because it needs to be done, maybe for a school, for an important institution like our government, or for the world and most importantly for the self.  Candice chose the mountain goat path and is ready for her Capricorn work to roll into an Aquarius culture.

I share the story of Candice to remind us that a transit brings its rewards and it doesn't end. Previous transits of Pluto (through the signs of Scorpio and Sagittarius) are still with us. This is an ongoing job. We keep expanding in our transformation; we keep deepening in our understanding of the humane experience; we keep finding more and more passion to create a new age. We are now stepping into Pluto in Aquarius, complicated and full of potential enlightenment.

Pluto in Aquarius (2024-2044)

One of my favorite astrology books is Mythic Astrology by Ariel Guttman and Kenneth Johnson (Llewellyn Publications1998). This book will not give you twelve steps for reading a horoscope. It will teach you the underlying stories that belong to astrology. Here is what they say in their introduction to the sign of Aquarius: "To the ancient Egyptians, then, Aquarius represented the vital spiritual power which renews and fertilizes all things." (page 345) If you do not want to read any further, this can be your take away for Pluto in Aquarius....vital spiritual power comes to renew and fertilize all things. 

The constellation Aquarius shows us a picture of a water bearer, a heavenly being pouring heavenly waters down upon us. This never was literal water. It was energy. But human beings have called it The Holy Grail, and The Water of Life.  When the planet Uranus was discovered it was sitting in the sign of Aquarius. That was 1781 and The Age of Enlightenment that unfurled gave new meaning to the energy of Aquarius. Now Aquarius had a planet and the ancient meaning of the Water Bearer took on new meaning. The American and French Revolutions happened in the late 1700's. Benjamin Franklin had already experimented with the phenomenon of electricity. The institution of monarchy was challenged and brought about new social orders. Inventions brought ease of movement and communication and those inventions have not ceased. At the same time, interest in spirituality beyond/without religion took hold and has not let go. Words for Aquarius:  technology and inventions, space travel, astrology, revolution for the betterment of humanity (fairness/equality/freedom), and enlightenment. On a spiritual level I believe Aquarius teaches us that we are each unique but we are contained in a Unity or Oneness that we are yet to fully comprehend.  Most astrologers have mentioned that during their Pluto in Aquarius cycle, people will strive to express their uniqueness. That could be in the arts or technology or in political activism.  It could also be in spiritual revelation or teaching. Remember, Aquarius is an air sign. Here are few areas to watch: electricity and the high tech modalities, super high scientific thinking like Quantum Theory, communication in earth realm, communication in and with other dimensions, belief systems, revolution for the advancement of humanity. 

Pluto in Aquarius.  The good, the bad, the beautiful.

Let's start with the beautiful! Surely we will have continued spiritual ascension and enlightenment with Pluto in Aquarius.  Most religious systems are based on fear and control. Aquarius longs for freedom, so religious institutions that resist individual rights will have to change. Teacher/Intuitive Matt Kahn has stated on Youtube that all our spiritual work is now in place and we can live it now and connect on a Unity Time Line. He suggests that whatever unfolds in our 3-D world has its own life that must be lived out. Or it will just faze out because the majority of souls will be connecting on a different time line, speeding up the evolution of humanity. However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't particulate in the 3-D show. We might need to vote to help that fade out and speed up process. Is this the Age of Aquarius?  I guess we are in it, right? It's a long process though.  

The good news. Those of you who were born under the sign of Aquarius, have the Moon in Aquarius, have a rising sign in Aquarius, you have a big life ahead of you. Whether it is in technology or it is in the higher planes where you tune in to different galactic stations, you will be busy. Because Aquarius is a fixed sign, you may not want to change. You may resist some of the information flooding your psyche. Pluto will ask you to change if you need to. If you need a different career, it will happen. If you need to be totally free to follow your soul path, you might leave your home town and any ancient dysfunction that holds you back.  

Fixed signs in general (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio) will have challenges if they cling to the past. It's time for an upgrade in your hard drive. Get rid of old beliefs that hold you back and down. Tune in to intuition and trust it; find your faith. Believe in yourself.

Air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) will be able to smile and get with the Pluto/Aquarius program. you are in your element! Mental activity, communication, technology, avant garde creativity, uniqueness, it's yours.

Of course these are generalizations. To know how this Pluto in Aquarius affects you, please get a reading of your horoscope.

The bad news.  What is truth? Even the sky has a range of color depending on the season. When we are looking at the sky, we should be able to agree when it is blue, when it is red, when it is dark, when it has clouds. Right now we are living in a landscape that manipulates the color of the sky, or uses propaganda to convince you the sky is sunset red when it is actually a balmy blue day up there. This is the bad news. We are leaving the ground of Capricorn for the sky and air of Uranus. Uranus is named after the Greek deity Ouranos, priordial creator. Ouranus lacked groundedness. He didn't hang around the earth place. He was off in the sky with his ego and his ideas and his dreams of perfection. He was good with chaos and anarchy as long as he was in charge. He was the top guy. This is the bad news because we live here on Gaia, Earth Mama. We have to find ways to be inspired and live that inspiration here on earth. Of course Aquarius will also promote gender equality and color equality. Bosses and dictators cannot solve that part. Pluto pulls back the curtain and shows what has been hidden in the dark or in the ground (includes what is dead and buried). It's up to the collective body to understand what needs to change. Pluto in Aquarius will eventually bring down the charlatans, the frauds. There will be a fight though. It's not going to be easy to bring down those who want us to agree to something that simply isn't true. I guess what I'm saying is the patriarchy is under scrutiny. It could be confusing. There could twenty years of struggle and then when Pluto gets tired of Aquarius and steps into Pisces, we will finally see some progress.  Greed and Control are obstacles. The combination of greed, control, power and AI is not pretty to think about. However, maybe it won't take that long for vital spiritual power to rock our world, because we are dealing with a different form of energy now. We are beginning to tap in to a bigger field of manifestation. Manifestation from love may be bigger and faster than manifestation from greed and control. As Caroline Myss has said many times . . . "when the love of power becomes the power of love."

Pluto in Capricorn has thrown the punches at our lies, our messed up social systems and our political system that is off the track.  Democracy is for the people, for everyone. The shadow of Pluto in Capricorn (the shadow of the patriarchy) overturned Roe v Wade and took away fundamental rights that belong to women. Pluto in Aquarius will help restore those rights.  Meanwhile with all this Air stirred up and everybody talking, it's good to take time out and get pagan about the Earth. Keep feet on ground and thank the earth for having us here. We are everything and we are nothing. All it takes is one earthquake to bring us to that humble place. 

The Water Bearer has morphed from water of life, magic mushrooms and cacao, to the big Quantum Energy: the particle, the wave, the Field.  It has morphed to the awareness of Light and Sound and Movement and Love. It includes the appreciation of the body and somatic awareness. It has morphed to the place where we are co-creators with all that is unfolding.  Caroline Myss said this in her recent announcement about her new workshop on our sacred contract with creation: ". . . the most valuable resources we have as human beings are those we cannot see:  Creativity, love, trust, faith, compassion, imagination, endurance, determination, vision, courage."  Aquarius, the air sign. Pluto, the revealer of the hidden and the dark; the transformer into light. Pluto in Aquarius has a lot to teach us in the years ahead. Thanks for reading my Astro Tips. Comments and emails are always appreciated. Love and LIght as we enter this new era of transformation. Linda Sprague