Pluto finally moves into Aquarius for the long haul, having been retrograding across the cusp since last year and now stays permanently until 2043. At best Aquarius is about friendship, fostering social groups, is tolerant of difference and diversity, androgynous and unconcerned about binary gender distinctions, scientific, knowledgeable, interested in pushing back boundaries and exploring the distant past. Its downside can be stubbornness, lack of empathy, a tendency to analyze rather than feel, given to ideological extremes, oddly enough can be intolerant of those who hold different views, can be a hustler or money-grubbing, highly strung.
Below a pull together from previous posts:
Looking back to the last Pluto in Aquarius (1778 to 1799) from an economic standpoint there were several significant shifts. The American colonies revolted against Britain which was the world’s pre-eminent military and economic superpower of the time over taxation. In France the agricultural and climatic problems of the 1770s and 1780s led to great problems with a third of the population living in poverty. Wealth inequality led directly to the French Revolution (1792) during Pluto in Aquarius (opposition Uranus in Leo). In China the height of Qing glory and power had been reached and was slowly sinking into decline with corruption, court wastefulness and a stagnating civil society.
None of the above shifted the global balance of power immediately. Britain was increasingly prosperous with the Industrial revolution ongoing. China went into slow stagnation with next ruler post 1796 as Pluto moved into Pisces which coincided with a major downhill slide into chaos. In France it took a decade plus for the Pluto effect to produce results.
Previous Pluto in Aquarius phases:
1778 -1797: The USA had declared independence in 1776 so the British were in retreat, though elsewhere were fighting the French, Spanish, Dutch and Indians in different spats. The French Revolution of 1793 had a dramatic effect and not just in France, though this was partially due to Pluto being opposition Uranus. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing having got under way during Pluto in Capricorn. James Watts’ improved steam engine revolutionised production.
Aquarius is scientific, so no surprises there were major advances in chemistry. And, with perfect syncronicity, William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus, which rules Aquarius. Explorers, another Aquarian strength, were also out and about with Captains James Cook and William Bligh leading the way to ‘new’ lands.
It was a productive period for philosophical and social thinkers – Emmanuel Kant and Thomas Paine (Rights of Man); with cultural highpoints from Mozart and Scottish poet Robert Burns, who later established a global footprint.
1532 – 1552: Henry V111 declared himself head of the Church in 1531 and was excommunicated in 1533 by the Pope. The Roman Catholic versus Protestant schism got under way in earnest, which led to centuries of conflict.
1287 – 1307: Welsh Rebellion against the English. Edward 1 of England put John Balliol on Scottish throne with William Wallace rebellion following.
1041 – 1061: Macbeth succeeds to throne of Scotland. Great schism between the Western RC church and Eastern Orthodox churches.
796 – 816: Charlemagne becomes Holy Roman Emperor in 800. He unites most of Western Europe, laying the foundations for modern France and Germany. He dies just as Pluto is about to exit Aquarius.
551 – 572: Mohammed is born.
Hugh Fowler: The record shows Pluto ingresses into Aquarius in 1041 which was the year Edward the Confessor returned from exile in Normandy to become the heir to his half brother Harthacnut. The latter died in April 1042 and Edward became king almost precisely at the point of the Neptune ingresses into Aries in May 1042. Edward’s accession to the throne, his Norman upbringing and his failure to produce an heir set in train the series of events that would lead to the fall of the Anglo Saxon royal house of Wessex and its replacement by the Dukes of Normandy. Again the transition seems to fall at a deeply significant moment where a seemingly mundane event in the historical process kicks off changes that run very deep and last centuries. One final point it should be noted that however big the change Britain seems to always reset to old patterns. So while all the Norman and Angevin dynasties ruled for centuries by the end of the 13th century the kings of England were being titled Edward again.
Roman Britain essentially began in 43 CE when Pluto was in Capricorn and Neptune was in Pisces. The conquest was made permanent for the next four centuries when the Boudiccan revolt was crushed between 60 and 61 CE. That was when Pluto ingressed into Aquarius and Neptune into Aries. This transition does seem to echo down the centuries for the inhabitants of Britain.
Speedy: Ingress of Pluto to Aquarius.
306 CE Constantine becomes Roman Emperor and then adopts Christian religion, moves away from the City of Rome
560 CE Empires fall in both China and India; period after a great plague of Justinian ravages Europe,
798 CE Charlemange gets his empire together and is crowned in 800 CE
1043 CE Edward the Confessor crowned King of England and a reorientation of England from Scandinavia to Europe begins, start of moves towards Gregorian renaissance in Church matters
1293 CE Last not unsuccessful crusade to Palestine by western powers, Changes in Asian empires
1532 CE Reformation and its antithesis start to get into full swing
I’m interested in the previous Neptune in Aries/Pluto in Aquarius periods and how they relate to British history. The 1042 – 1043 shift is the one I can’t work out how to interpret. Either it’s England regaining independence from the Danes via the restoration of the Saxon line only for this resurgence to fall apart with Pluto’s entry into Pisces in the 1060s and the Norman Conquest, or it’s a shift in focus from England being Scandinavian influenced under Danish rule to being Norman/French influenced (since Edward the Confessor’s court was apparently this way) which then gets confirmed with Pluto’s entry into Pisces later on at the Conquest.
There’s also some ambiguity about the 16th century shifts. Ostensibly the whole period from 1530 – 1560 saw England (and the rest of Britain ultimately) reorient from being aligned with Catholic Europe to the Protestant European countries (German states, Netherlands, Scandinavia etc.), but again there are different ways to interpret it. While this time around the Reformation was undeniably an establishment of English religious/political independence, as soon as Pluto goes into Pisces you have the return to Catholicism under Mary I, only for that to also be reversed under Elizabeth I’s rule. However the Elizabethan religious settlement was a compromise that retained a lot of Catholic pre-Reformation religious traditions and ceremonial structure, as opposed to say Scotland which went fully Calvinist after 1560. Comparing this period to the Neptune in Aries/Pluto in Aquarius shifts of the 1040s – 1050s and the Pluto in Pisces period beyond that is not as easy as one might think, because it could be argued that in 1066 the counter-revolution was successful (England being subsumed into a wider European empire once again) but in the 1550s it wasn’t (since Elizabeth once more declared independence from Rome).
There’s also the early 60s (A.D.) period to consider, because that seemed to be British independence rising up but then being firmly put down by the Roman Empire and Britia becoming part of the Empire after that. So this time the energies played out differently.
One thing to add about 1290 in England was that Edward I and his Parliament passed a law Quia Emptores (which remains in force to this day) which prevented subinfeudination. This was the beginning of the end of feudal society and the start of an economy based on money. This King’s moves against the Jews whilst partly fuelled by prejudice were also a power grab for money, which we later see repeating with Henry VIII and the Roman church in the 1530’s.
So changes afoot.
I’m hopeful that as Pluto moves into the Aquarius area of everybody’s charts (see Marjorie’s other post), it will bring a more pervasive optimism and hope for each of us. Our area of focus may be difference but it will create a lighter energy as Aquarius is ruler of hopes and ideas. I said it elsewhere but I reckon by the time say 2027 rolls around with Uranus in Gemini and Saturn-Neptune in Aries many of today’s problems will be forgotten – although replaced by what?
I’m not rose-tinted about the future because while Aquarius is not pessimistic or grumpy, it can be bland and lacking creativity, it can think itself the smartest brain in the room and not care about individuals. Certainly I think the Pluto in Leo generation are in for a tough time with the opposition where they will find out how no-one thinks they’re special enough to be in need of special treatment.
AI has obviously been the big gamechanger with it appearing on the first ingress. As someone who likes things to be personal and authentic, I don’t look forward to the probable further use of technology and remote working to get stuff done. I’m reminded of the “Computer says No” sketch where it was impossible to get a decision made by a corporate because the operator was just following the script.
The points made above by Marjorie about resetting wealth inequality seem very important to me. When society is focused on how much wealth individuals can have, that becomes a significant driver of crime. People without want what others purely because they can either own it or sell it for the money they don’t have. The rich then starte to create gated communities, their own security patrols etc, etc and the cycle exacerbates. That exclusivity becomes the thing which drives further separation. What you have and own is not important for the Aquarian experience – no-one is special, only unique.
@GD: I presently live in Washington state, north of Seattle. Moved here in fall 1985 from Pennsy – and was stunned to see every house fenced in. Not chain link fencing but wood planking that blocks visibility outward …and visbility inward. A state of entitlement and isolation is created and fostered by “this is mine, go away!” A very few homes within the developments were usually prestige lots…for show and tell. One day, I overheard one neighbor kid yelling at his siblings, “He’s on my property!” at the top of his lungs. All over a faux tree house.
All of it reflects the cold and aloof nature of the region. Called, “the Seattle freeze”, making friends is very difficult. Even after 40 years, I have no friends from the region. People use meetup groups (meetup.com) to maintain an air of society but really, when the locals en masse in a meetup group turn their backs on a newcomer to the region, well, what can you say?
Walls that are built to protect are also walls that separate.
I’ve always tried to get on with my neighbours (but then I’ve got Cancer on my 3rd house cusp so I want to get on with them like family). I just think it’s sensible to try and get along with the people you live beside. I don’t want to go round for coffee every weekend but I want to feel I could call on people in an emergency.
I had trouble understanding this: People without want what others purely because they can either own it or sell it for the money they don’t have.
Oops … “others HAVE, purely”
Such wonderful historical-astrological information from both Marjorie and Hugh.
Rosy, utopian projections of the Aquarian Age have been made by many astrologers or would-be astrologers for a number of decades. In my long-term historical view, the Aquarian Age actually began at the same time as the discovery of Uranus in 1781. That year, the decisive battle of Yorktown, in Virginia, took place. This battle ensured that the American Republic announced by the Declaration of Independence in 1776 would survive. It was George Washongton’s greatest victory with the critical help of the French. The battle of Yorktown happened when Pluto had reached 5 Aquarius. There will soon be a Pluto return for this chart. To me, this Pluto return is of greater importance than the Pluto return in the Sibley chart.
In 2010, in the Kosovo case, the International Court of Justice ruled on the legality of unilateral declarations of independence (UDI), a controversial topic in international law. It stated that UDIs have been legal at least since 4 July 1776. However, it added that what followed, usually the use of force, is more important. UDIs remain ineffective if the facts on the ground turn against them. That is why the Yorktown chart will soon be historically relevant.
Israel of course followed the American model when it issued its own UDI. Palestine tried the same playbook in 1988 when the Palestinian national Council issued a UDI under Arafat’s leadership. This UDI is now recognized by approximately 150 of the world’s 200 sovereign states. Three European countries have recognized it this year, the first Western states to do so: Spain, Norway and Ireland. Ireland is the product of another UDI. Canada and the UK stated they would do so at the appropriate time. Taiwan wisely did not issue a UDI but created a sovereign state on the ground. If it ever appears, Palestine could be a Pluto in Aquarius country, or at this rate perhaps Pluto in Pisces.
There are two important lessons here, one legal and one astrological. The legal lesson is that UDIs do not create a state. I hope my Québec sovereigntist friends will take note. The astrological lesson is that astrologers place too much importance on the Sibley chart. American independence in 1776 was an aspiration that had not then been turned into reality.
The convergence of astrology and international law should be a field of study all by itself.
One note about Constantine. The transition between Pluto in Capricorn and Pluto in Aquarius appears to be of the highest importance for world history. Constantine is remembered for two things. He was the first Christian emperor of Rome. Although he officially converted only on his deathbed, he acted all his life under the influence of his Christian mother Helena, beginning at his posting in France where he rebelled and took power. At the decisive battle in Italy, under his mother’s prompting, his soldiers won by wearing the sign of the Cross. Helena is said to have risen from prostitution to sainthood. Constantine has been revered through the centuries by the Catholic Church as the foundation of its earthly power.
He is also remembered for moving the capital of the empire from Rome to Byzantium, also known as Constantinople and now Istanbul. I live in Montreal on Saint Zotique Street. Zoticus was the spiritual advisor to both Constantine and his mother. He followed them to the Near East and did charitable work for the lepers and the poor. He is an important figure in the Christian Orthodox relgiion. I also live quite near the Ukrainian Orthodox cathedral in Montreal, named in honor of Saint Michael, who threw Satan out of Heaven. Zoticus was martyred by Constantine’s successor, who later publicly regretted it.
‘1287 – 1307: Welsh Rebellion against the English. Edward 1 of England put John Balliol on Scottish throne with William Wallace rebellion following.’
Thank so much for these articles, Marjorie – fascinating stuff.
I was looking at the historical events around the above period (1287 as the year Pluto ingressed into Aquarius). There were a series of ingresses during this period into Fire and Air including Uranus’s ingress into Leo, which formed an opposition with Pluto in Aquarius as well as Neptune into Libra in October of that year. This period saw not only purges and violence aimed at the Jewish populations in Western Europe, but specifically the expulsion of the entire English Jewish population under Edward I. Jews in England had already suffered in previous times – the atrocities in York in 1190 for example (I have visited the site of the massacre in York), but this was a whole new level of oppression. From the National Archives website:
‘Edward, however, placed new emphasis on the status of Jews in England. The Statute of Jewry c. 1275 outlined that Jews had to live in specific areas of the king’s towns; those aged over seven had to wear a badge that visually identified them as being Jewish; all aged over twelve years were to pay a tax of 3 pence each Easter; and Jews could only sell property or negotiate debts with the king’s permission. New rules paired with heavy taxation and growing suspicions surrounding the coin-clipping events in the late 1270s led to mounting pressure on Christian-Jewish relations. By the late 1280s, Edward could only secure parliament’s grant of further taxation to aid his war with France by making sacrifices. The expulsion of the Jews was the price he agreed to pay.’
It would be interesting to see how the Uranus/Pluto opposition of 1287 impacted the 1066 or Edgar charts and what we can learn from it.
A rich and fascinating post, thanks Marjorie, and Hugh.
VF – thanks to you, too. I looked at 1287 with interest. I’d been thinking about the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction of 21 December 2020 in Aquarius because it was the beginning of a new cycle of Jupiter and Saturn’s Great Conjunctions aligning in Air signs for the next two hundred years. It happened during the Covid pandemic, when society was struggling with upheaval, loss, and financial chaos. Now Pluto also emphasises that degree – and has been around it on and off since last year. Something significant shifts in the collective, but as we know these things can be almost invisible at first. And although Aquarius is ‘for all mankind’, it is fixed and as Marjorie writes, prone to idealogical extremes too. The expulsion of the Jews you write about is possibly an example of the Aquarian collective rejecting what’s perceived as the ‘other’, personified by individuals (Leo)? I always consider the traditional rulership of Saturn for this sign, alongside revolutionary Uranus. Change for its own sake is not always welcome. With air, perhaps the winds of change will blow with extra vigour?! What is the effect on 5th house Leo – the Sun itself, children, the individual, loving heart?
1287 sits inside a previous Jupiter/Saturn cycle in Air, which began in 1186 – 1405 CE. In 1286 Jupiter and Saturn aligned at 8 Aquarius, with Venus joining them. Pluto was in late Capricorn, Neptune in late Virgo. So some similar mood music being played then?
Oh, thank you Jane that information is very helpful.
Similar mood – yes, that’s what I felt too.