Last Updated on July 31, 2023
Only a few generations are lucky to witness once-in-a-lifetime occurrences, such as the dawn of a new millennium or a total solar eclipse in one given place. However, on Thursday, March 23, 2023, Pluto will move back into Aquarius for the first time in 225 years. To better appreciate the significance and rarity of this astrological shift, consider this: the last time the icy dwarf planet of destruction, death, and rebirth moved back to Aquarius was during the latter years of the American Revolution from 1778 – 1798.
Pluto makes lengthy stays in every zodiac sign, and these periods tend to shape history significantly. This time, the planet will do a brief initial lap through Aquarius until June 11, when it’ll retrograde back to Capricorn before returning to Aquarius in November 2024, where it will stay a full 19-and-a-half years.
So, what does Pluto’s move into Aquarius mean? Which Zodiac signs will be affected, and how can we ensure these shifts positively impact our lives and the planet? Let’s explore!
The Significance of Pluto’s Move into Aquarius
As we all know, Aquarius is the 11th zodiac sign, represented by the Water Bearer, which signifies nourishment to the Earth. Aquarians, whose elemental sign is Air, are self-reliant, optimistic, clear, and exceptional individuals who aren’t afraid to explore their creativity, even if it makes them strange or unorthodox to most people. On the other hand, Pluto is the god of destruction, death, and rebirth. When these two cosmological forces come together, drastic shifts and changes are bound to occur, which means the “death” of the conventional way of life as we know it.
If we go back in history and recount the major events that have occurred since Pluto last moved to Aquarius, we’ll discover that this astrological event is of great significance. During this time, the world witnessed the first successful smallpox vaccine, the discovery of the planet Uranus, The French Revolution, the Haitian Revolution, WWI, the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, and WWII. Pluto destroys and rebuilds, i.e., it tears down what’s begging to evolve, forcing humanity to rebuild it from the ashes. Groundbreaking innovations are born during these cycles but generally come at an expense, loss, grief, or crisis. Think of it like the phoenix bird that cyclically regenerates and rises back from the ashes.
Pluto in Aquarius will bring tremendous shifts in all aspects of life ruled by the Water Bearer: society, community, technology, and innovations. That shift will be accompanied by major discoveries in science and medicine and robust space exploration programs to facilitate a better understanding of life beyond our planet.
For the next 20 years, Pluto will reveal the shadow sign of Aquarius. Humans will discover that staying plugged into TVs and smart devices negatively impacts our health and wellness. Artificial Intelligence (AI) blew up last year, and it’s rapidly evolving. That’s only one sign of Pluto desecrating one of the mental, future-forward signs, Aquarius.
On a personal level, Pluto’s transit into Aquarius can spark a sense of newness that inspires one to seek more creative and innovative ways to advance their life. Remember, both Pluto and Aquarius are known rebels, so the energy emanated by this shift won’t give room for anything to hold you back from reinventing yourself.
Which Zodiac Signs Will Be Most Affected?
What will unfold in the next 20 years may evoke uncertainty and anxiety; here’s the upside: Two decades is a considerable amount of time, giving us plenty of opportunities to adapt and adjust. Nonetheless, Pluto transitioning to Aquarius will affect other zodiac signs, particularly the four discussed below.
Aquarius
As the god of destruction and rebirth spends the next two decades on your turf, you can expect to become a new version of yourself, Aquarius. During this period, Pluto will bring positive changes to your first house of self, and by the time it’s done, you’ll be a more powerful version of yourself, ready to show the world who you truly are. But to reach the other side, you’ll have to let go of the person you thought you were and the life you thought you’d lead. The process is as slow and daunting as it is exciting because once you come to your true self-realization, you’ll set trends, and the copy-cats will definitely know that you were the pioneer.
Taurus
If you’re a Taurus, Pluto moving into Aquarius will stir up your career and overall professional reputation. As such, you’ll find yourself giving up several career paths and dreams that haven’t worked out as expected. During that transition, you might encounter failures or abandon specific standards you’d initially set for yourself. Besides, Pluto destroys before it creates, and for it to position you for greatness, you may have to let go of what you once knew. While that might sound terrifying, it provides a gateway to a world of money, power, success, and glory.
Leo
If you’re a Leo or Leo rising, Pluto in Aquarius will empower you to face those fears that have prevented you from cultivating solid and personal relationships. As expected, this astrological change will have its ups and downs, particularly in your social life, love life, and one-on-one relationships. Expect to see your friends and foes in their true selves. By the time Pluto completes its time in Aquarius in 2043, you’ll feel confident about relationships, knowing that you’ve spent the last two decades nurturing the ones that mean most to you while learning and separating yourself from those that draw you back.
Scorpio
Scorpio, another Zodiac sign ruled by Pluto, symbolizes a fiery passion and power derived from the psychic, emotional realm. As a Scorpio, Pluto in Aquarius will force you to deal with family drama and conflicts associated with your emotional background. Nonetheless, to eventually create a dynamic and supportive home environment, you’ll first have to identify and shun the bad habits you picked from your family and heal from your traumatic childhood experiences. Facing these fears is challenging in many ways, but after 20 years, you’ll live life on your own terms. You won’t need your relatives for your personal life to make sense in order to experience the peace of home.
How to Ensure that Any Cosmic Shifts in Our Lives Are Positive
Pluto in Aquarius is only one of the cosmic shifts that occur after specific times, significantly influencing the energies in our lives, both on a collective or personal scale. But as we’ve mentioned, these shifts may sometimes bring complex energies that most of us might find challenging to reverse. However, practicing the following smart living tips can turn negative energies into positive outcomes.
Stick to Your Core Values
Whether it’s Pluto in Aquarius or Uranus entering a new seven-year Saturn cycle, it’s crucial to check in with your core values and live by them. People can only live lives on autopilot for so long, but to ensure a cosmic shift brings a positive change, we must live the most authentic versions of ourselves to recognize who we really are.
Let Go of What’s out of Alignment
For Pluto to transform your life, there must be destruction, which comes in many forms. That said, don’t have a negative attitude toward these shifts, and instead, use it as a catalyst to release what’s not in alignment with our authentic selves. You can do that through meditation, journaling, and then making the necessary adjustments.
Understand other People’s Perspectives
As Pluto moves into Aquarius, revolutionary changes are on the horizon. Technology, science, and medicine will see complete shifts in technology and innovation. But Pluto will have to collaborate with the Water Bearer’s creativity, self-reliance, and individuality to rebuild. As Pluto transits to Aquarius, we must embrace each other’s unique perspectives and ideas to uplift one another and work collaboratively to destroy obsolete systems and rebuild new, effective, and more advanced systems.