Here Comes the Breakdown! Pluto in Aquarius
We’re firmly into Saturnʻs two-and-a-half year transit of the sign of Pisces this week. Any of you with strong mutable placements in your chart – have you felt a shift of energy yet? (If you missed my Saturn in Pisces rundown through all 12 rising signs, be sure to check that out.)
On Thursday, the planet of breakdown and breakthroughs, Pluto, makes a sign change for the first time since 2008. Now, as he enters the sign of the water bearer, he’ll only spend about three months here before retrograding back into his current sign, Capricorn, before eventually entering Aquarius for good next year. And while this represents just a brief taste of what Pluto’s 20+ year stay in Aquarius will feel like, it’s important to pay attention to this period from March to June as the opening salvo of a much longer narrative.
Wherever we find Pluto in a chart, we find the disintegration and breakdown of the structures surrounding that area of life. Eventually, Pluto’s impulses to destroy gives way to the building up of something new to take its place. Pluto is strongly related to the archetype of Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of creation and destruction. Creation cannot exist without death. Island of Hawaiʻi, sometimes called the Big Island, is home to an active volcano that often has a destructive element to surrounding communities. But that same volcano is also slowly creating a new island to add to Hawaiʻi’s island chain. Another way to think of Pluto is a fruit that falls from the tree and slowly decays on the ground. As it disintegrates, its releases the seeds that will eventually become new life.
Pluto is related to our most base human instincts. Often where Pluto is found in a chart, we rely on our more reptilian brain to approach those topics of life. We are impulsive, controlling, protective and defensive. But the changes that Pluto wants to bring are going to occur regardless if we put a fight or not. The quicker you embrace the breakdown in this area of life, the faster you’ll get to the breakthrough that this transit wants to bring about.
On the mundane level, Pluto in Aquarius can point toward the breakdown of our current structures. As Pluto transited Capricorn, we saw an obsession with authoritarian and traditional structures. The rise of Donald Trump in response to Barrack Obama is an example of this — people pining for the good ‘ole days in reaction to the advancement of minorities. Aquarius is focused on building societies that are more just and equal. It wants to upend and rebel against societal norms that hold people back. Pluto here can point toward major social change over the next 20+ years. In fact, the last time Pluto made his way through this sign, the world witnessed both the American and French revolutions, which were focused on restructuring authority and government. Everything in astrology is variations on a theme, so watch for ways in which governments are held accountable by the people and how power is redistributed to make for a more just society.
On Saturday, at long last, Mars ends his eight-month transit of Gemini to the relief of those of us with strong mutable placements everywhere. We’ve endured quite a lot with Mars in Gemini. His prolonged retrograde period led to major life shifts and transits in many people’s lives.
This is a great week to reflect on what has changed in your life since the summer of last year. For myself, I’ve moved homes twice and changed jobs. Others have had much more dramatic shifts, such as the ending of relationships and even the death of loved ones. With Mars leaving Gemini this week, we are likely in a much different place now than where we were when he first entered the sign. We may feel more stable and rooted in this new reality as Mars makes his shift.
Now, Mars will be moving into the sign of Cancer, traditionally seen as the location of his fall or exile. However, Mars is a ruler in the water triplicity, and with Cancer being a water sign, Mars does have room to operate and be productive here.
Wherever Mars lands in a chart is where we are being asked to show initiative. He represents how we assert ourselves and express our desires. Cancer represents the way we protect ourselves, nurture and care for our bodies, soothe and heal our emotions and mundane parts of life like the family, home and our friends. With Mars in Cancer until May 20, think about how you’re taking action to care for your physical health. Mars likes to have a goal that he’s working toward – without a strategy, he can be a bit erratic. If you’re on a fitness or weight loss journey, think about how you’re keeping yourself accountable, or what small goals you’re setting to keep yourself on track.
Cancer is often related to our relationships like family and friends. Mars here could be asking you to tend to the fire of these partnerships. Because Cancer is a highly protective sign, watch for ways in which you are defensive on behalf of relatives or close friends. Mars is not fully steady in Cancer, so his aggressive, defensive energy can come out sideways, leading to conflict.
Mental health is another Cancer signification, and Mars here could require you to take action on anxiety, depression, or other psychic distress that you’ve been neglecting. Think about how you can use Mars’ skill at taking initiative to tend to your mental hygiene. Everyone around you will thank you for it.
Okay, so there you have it. That’s your astro weather for the week ahead. As always, if you’re interested in diving deeper into these cycles, please head on over to malulaniastrology.com and book a session with me. Every Sunday morning is reserved as a donation-only period.
Enjoy the new astro landscape this week, and do let me know in the comments how you’re feeling the Pluto in Aquarius and Mars in Cancer energy in your lives.