In a world teeming with uncertainty, our impulse is often to reach for control. We may seek to control a process, an outcome, other people, a narrative. Control makes us feel secure. It gives us a feeling of power over a situation or other people. And that power makes us feel certain and strong.
But it’s an illusion.
The truth is that the things that we seek to control actually control us. The more we strive to attain power, the more powerless we feel. When we are fixated on control and power, we give up our agency to act in true alignment with our best interests and highest values.
On Saturday, April 26 (9:05 pm ET), Mars at 3º48’ Leo opposes Pluto at 3º48’ Aquarius, revealing the power dynamics and control issues that might be holding us back.
This opposition marks both an ending and a beginning.
The Ending: The Last Chapter of a 3-Part Story
This opposition marks the end of an extended 6-month tension between Mars and Pluto in which they formed three exact oppositions, thanks to Mars’ retrograde through Leo and Cancer.
- November 3, 2024: Mars (direct) at 29º45’ Cancer opposing Pluto in Capricorn
- January 2, 2025: Mars (retrograde) at 1º08’ Leo opposing Pluto in Aquarius
- April 26, 2025: Mars (direct) at 3º48’ Leo opposing Pluto in Aquarius
Mars and Pluto Significations: Combative and Combustive
In mythology, Mars is the God of War and Pluto is the God of the Underworld.
Mars represents our ambition, desire, anger, and how we take action.
Pluto is the planet of power, control, wealth, depth, and intensity. It unearths what’s beneath the surface; it digs to the bottom of things. It rules loss and endings; the force of destruction as the means to creation.
When these planets meet up in a hard aspect like a square or opposition, it often brings up things that were simmering below the surface in ways that are combative, combustive, and explosive.
Mars opposite Pluto can reveal intense passions, control dynamics, passionate disagreements, discord. It’s a tug of war where neither side wants to yield. It’s a build-up of intense energy that wants to be expressed toward something and perhaps feels frustrated to manifesting that expression.
Think of an underground steam pipe or a land mine.
This is Mars/Pluto at its worst: The build-up of steam that has no place to go eventually tears a hole in the street in a violent manner. The land-mine that triggers from the lightest movement that kills dozens.
A Path to Healing Entrenched Patterns
But it doesn’t have to look like this. In fact, a Mars/Pluto opposition can be a potent catalyst for growth and healing.
When we pause to notice the steam building up and sit with the discomfort of the tension, instead of unleashing it, we have the capacity to heal within ourselves.
The story arising here isn’t new; it’s something that has been brewing and building since late October, and that came to a head in November and January.
This final opposition is the opportunity to confront it within yourself. Pluto encourages us to dig to the bottom, to get to the heart of the matter.
- Where is it coming from?
- What’s the real issue here?
- How do I typically react in this situation?
- How is this thing driving my thoughts and actions?
Mars is the Warrior, and it always wants to fight, but sometimes “fight” looks like standing firm in the middle of the chaos and holding space. As I remind my yoga students, the warrior poses in yoga are not about fighting at all; they about holding ground — the leg work.
Astrologer Kelly Surtees also points out that Mars/Pluto combinations can also activate an intense concentration and effort. Mars wields its sword to cut away distractions, helping us focus intensely on the one thing that we are passionate and determined to get done.
Determination and Persistence
With Mars and Pluto in the fixed signs of Leo and Aquarius, there’s an energy of determination, perseverance, and stubbornness here. Your obsessions and fixations aren’t necessarily bad things — if you’re aware of what your obsession is and how you fixate on it.
Mars/Pluto can show you where you are determined, what you want to fight for, and where you are naturally persistent in your efforts.
It can also show your entrenched patterns regarding anger, assertiveness, autonomy, and agency.
The Beginning: The Long Road of Healing
Mars and Pluto form an opposition approximately every 2 years, which is the length of Mars’ cycle.
With Pluto at the early stages of its 20-year transit through Aquarius, we know we will have approximately 10 more Mars/Pluto oppositions on the Leo/Aquarius axis over the next two decades.
In that respect, this opposition marks the beginning of a longer story that will unfold.
Healing our deeply entrenched patterns is not a one-time deal; it requires coming back to them repeatedly. Each time we come back is an opportunity to chip away a little more.
The first opposition of Mars in Leo vs Pluto in Aquarius actually occurred in May 2023, when Pluto had briefly dipped into Aquarius. You can look back to that time to see what themes were percolating; it may have been a preview of what you can expect over the next two decades.
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