PLUTO IN CAPRICORN

Scientists may have downgraded it to “dwarf” status, but in Astrology Pluto remains a formidable energy. Discovered in 1930, the small planet was named for the Roman god of the underworld. The 1930s saw the Great Depression and a global economic downturn; the rise of fascism, and dictators, Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin; and Einstein’s development of the atomic bomb. Pluto has therefore become associated with obsession and power. Like the god of the underworld, Pluto probes deep beneath the surface to release deep subconscious forces in the collective and personal subconscious.

Initially destructive, Pluto purges what is useless so that it can renew and transform. Where it is active in the zodiac, Pluto brings crises which mark major endings and beginnings. In 1983, it entered Scorpio as the AIDS epidemic broke out. Pluto and its sign, Scorpio, rule secrets, sex, taboos, and matters of life and death.

In 1995 Pluto entered Sagittarius, ruled by expansive Jupiter. Sagittarius is a Fire sign and Jupiter is the eternal optimist. We saw the commercialization of the Internet; the “Dot.com” bubble; an overuse of credit; irresponsible mortgage lending; and the rise of the derivatives market. Curiously, the 2008 financial collapse occurred as Pluto moved into Capricorn, the sign ruled by conservative, frugal Saturn. The last time Pluto was in this sign, our country was being born.

Saturn and Capricorn are associated with organizational structures; order; governments; and institutions. As Pluto moved from expansive Sagittarius to constricting Capricorn, banks reduced credit, and many of them had to be bailed out by governments. Automaker GM would not have survived without government intervention. Millions of people lost their jobs; their homes; and their retirement savings.

Pluto is midway through Capricorn, and radical structural changes continue around the world. The UK will vote whether to remain in the European Union. The GOP may nominate a presidential candidate who embraces few of its traditional values. And Russia is quickly exhausting its financial reserves. In early 2022, Pluto will return to the zodiac degree it occupied when our nation’s founders declared independence. Our nation will examine its core principles and may transform itself for Pluto’s second cycle.