What to Expect From Pluto in Aquarius

The dwarf planet Pluto takes 248 years to travel through all the signs of the zodiac. Because its orbit is irregular, it spends a different amount of time in each sign, ranging from 12–24 years.

This time period comes to define a generation.

• Pluto in Leo = Baby Boomers
• Pluto in Virgo = late boomers and the first wave of Gen X
• Pluto in Libra = second wave of Gen X
• Pluto in Scorpio = Millennials
• Pluto in Sagittarius = Gen X
• Pluto in Capricorn = Gen Z

After 16 years, Pluto is now in Aquarius for the next 20 years. Pluto’s transit through Aquarius will come to define the next generation. What will be in store for us through this transit?

Only time will tell, but we can get a sense of what to expect by looking to the significations of Pluto, the style of Aquarius, and the patterns exposed so far during Pluto’s two previous toe-dips into Aquarius that have occurred since March 2023. We can also look at previous transits of Pluto through Aquarius to see what themes were present then.

How Pluto Works

Understanding how Pluto moves and works lays the foundation for understanding its significations.

Pluto spends a long time on each degree of each sign. It is retrograde for approximately 7 months of each year, which means that it appears to be moving backward more than it moves forward.

Because of this, it travels back and forth over the same degree multiple times. It gives every point it touches a through working over. It is thorough and intense. By digging in the same spot repeatedly, it eventually unearths what is hidden beneath the surface.

Because of its slow nature, it takes time to fully appreciate the impact of Pluto. It works its magic and doles out its lessons over time. Typically we need the benefit of perspective to fully appreciate the lessons that Pluto is teaching and the impact it is having on us as individuals and in the collective.

Significations of Pluto

In the story of astrology, the planets are the Who. Every planet in the solar system is an archetype that plays a particular role.

Pluto is known as the Lord of the Underworld. It’s the Transformer.

Pluto is the planet of wealth, power, death, mystery, and shadow. This is the planet of secrets, what’s hidden beneath the surface, the deep subconscious.

It represents underworld journeys, unconscious, and our collective and individual shadow.

Pluto is known as an intense planet: it is thorough and it takes things to the extreme. Part of this relates to the fact that it’s the furthest planet from the Sun — literally at the extreme end of the solar system. It’s also extreme in how thorough it is in its journey.

Significations and Style of Aquarius

Aquarius is a fixed, masculine, air sign. As an air sign, it relates to ideas and thoughts. As a fixed sign, it can be stubborn and close-minded to new ideas or ways of thinking.

Like Capricorn, the sign Pluto is leaving, Aquarius is ruled by Saturn. Saturn is the planet of limitation and structure. This gives us some indication of what Pluto might be transforming.

Aquarius is the sign opposite Leo. Whereas Leo is a sign focused on the individual, Aquarius is a social sign that represents what we create in community. It is associated with collective movements, humanitarian causes, and “power to the people.”

It’s also associated with the future and technology: the internet, AI, social media, and electricity.

Aquarius energy is about breaking free from external and internal limitations, and reclaiming our uniqueness and individuality — a paradox with its collective vibe.

What to Expect from Pluto in Aquarius

Pluto in Aquarius 1777-1798

Pluto’s last transit through Aquarius, from 1777 to 1798, was a time of significant historical events that radically altered the world’s balance of power.

This period saw French and American revolutions, the Industrial Revolution, the discovery of the planet Uranus, ratification of the Bill of Rights, and various advances in science and technology.

Collective Impact

Pluto’s first toe-dips into Aquarius have already given some indication of what themes we can expect: the rise of AI and other technologies that will radically alter how we work, interact, and see the world.

Pluto’s job is to unearth the shadow and eliminate whatever stands in the way of realizing the highest potential of the sign that its in. While we might see big breakthroughs in AI, robots, and other technologies, we might also see the dark side of these advances.

Baby Boomers who were born with Pluto in Leo will see their Pluto opposition during this transit, bringing issues of power and control to a head. They might find themselves losing power to younger generations; we are already seeing this in how some older CEOs are starting to make succession plans for when they step down.

Personal Impact

On a personal level, Pluto in Aquarius will work over the area of your life associated with Aquarius. To know what this is, find the house associated with Aquarius in your birth chart.

On both the personal and collective level, expect to see radical transformations, but they will only be apparent when we look back. The process of getting there might be intense, uncomfortable, and possibly destructive. Pluto’s job is to show us what’s in the way of living the highest potential of the sign that it is in. It often shows us what needs to be destroyed in order to create something better.

Ultimately, Pluto requires patience. Just as the planet goes back and forth over the same degree multiple times, we must be willing to revisit the same issues repeatedly, each time digging a little deeper.

We’ll have to be patient to appreciate its impact.