Pluto sign changeovers are spotlighted in Russian history again and again, and regrettably in significant wars elsewhere as well.
Catherine the Great took over the Russian throne in 1762 when Pluto was in final degree Sagittarius and ruled to powerful effect through Pluto in Capricorn and Aquarius, dying as Pluto was poised to moved into Pisces in 1797.
In 1853 as Pluto moved into Taurus the Crimea War broke out between Russia and a coalition of UK, France and the Ottoman Empire. In 1881 Alexander 11 of Russia (liberator of serfs) was killed by a bomb as Pluto prepared to exit Taurus for Gemini the following year.
1914 as Pluto moved into Cancer was the start of World War 1 which saw Austria-Hungary invade Russia. The next shift in 1938 of Pluto into Leo saw the build up to World War 11. In 1956 the Pluto move into Virgo coincided with the Soviet invasion of Hungary to quell the revolution there. Krushchev denounced Stalin.
There’s not much obvious for Pluto into Libra in 1971 and into Scorpio in 1983. But Pluto into Sagittarius in 1995 saw the First Chechen War, starting the year before. Wiki: ‘Despite Russia’s overwhelming advantages in firepower, manpower, weaponry, artillery, combat vehicles, airstrikes and air support, the resulting widespread demoralization of federal forces and the almost universal opposition of the Russian public to the conflict led Boris Yeltsin’s government to declare a ceasefire with the Chechens in 1996.’
In 2008 as Pluto entered Capricorn, the Russian-Georgia War erupted over South Ossettia, regarded as the first European war of the 21st century.
Looking back over two centuries of Pluto changeovers is a blitzing experience since the world appears to be in constant conflict somewhere with wars, disasters and mayhem on a monthly basis. Extrapolating a pattern and not drowning in noise isn’t easy. But I’m not sure how we were lulled into a sense of false security in thinking that wars were in the past, never to be repeated.
Pluto into Aquarius 1778. The American War of Independence (1775 – 1783). The Anglo-French War (1778 to 1783), European super powers squabbling over colonial territories, aided the US, brought an end to the First British Empire.
Pluto into Pisces 1797. The 1790s were anti-imperialist as new American and French democracies flourished. Napoleon Bonaparte was on military campaigns aiming for First Consul of France from 1799.
Pluto into Aries 1823. Napoleon dies in 1821 – what rises on one often falls on the next or the one after that in the case of Catherine. 1823 also saw the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire.
Pluto into Taurus 1853. The 2nd French Empire, with Napoleon 111 becoming French Emperor. Rebellions in China. The Crimea War (1854 to 1856.)
Pluto into Gemini 1882. The Anglo-Egyptian War with Britain seizing the Suez Canal and Egypt becoming a Brit protectorate
Pluto into Gemini 1881. Alexander 11 of Russia killed by bomb.
Pluto into Cancer 1914. World War 1. Austria-Hungary invades Russia.
Pluto into Leo 1938. Spanish Civil War running since 1936, build up to World War 11. Sino-Japanese War 1937 to 45.
Pluto into Virgo 1956. Suez Crisis – UK and France bomb Egypt and have to withdraw in humiliation after international outrage. Israel invades Sinai. Soviet Red Army troops invade Hungary. Vietnam War starts. The EEC founded 1957.
Pluto into Libra 1971. India-Pakistan War. Northern Ireland Troubles – 1972 Bloody Sunday. Vietnam winding down. Watergate
Pluto into Scorpio 1983 Beginning of the internet.
Falklands War 1982. Lebanon War, Israel invades.
Pluto into Sagittarius 1995. First Chechen War. The Srebrenica massacre in the Bosnian War (1992 to 1995)led to the NATO bombing campaign against Bosnian Serb artillery positions. The Dayton Agreement brings it to an end in December 1995.
Pluto into Capricorn 2008. The financial crash. Gaza War. The Russo-Georgian War over South Ossettia.
The final degrees of Pluto in a sign, far from overseeing stagnation appear to trigger major conflicts – with some countries more susceptible than others. After a rapid skim through, in addition to Russia – Egypt, Pakistan, Bangladesh and France as well as the UK appear to be more prone than most to be involved in scraps.
See also post on how Pluto highlights the flavour of each sign with additional events connected, November 22 2021.
And post September 11 2021 for previous Pluto in Aquarius.
Pluto is also connected with riches and there’s a noticeable symmetry with Pluto’s entry into Capricorn in 2008 coinciding with the global financial crash and currently as it approaches its exit, the extent to which western financial capitals and in particular London (otherwise known as Moscow-Upon-Thames/London Laundromat, etc) have been used to hide dirty money.
The nodal axis lies across the financial signs and the North Node, now conjunct Algol in Taurus may be working against the Russian Oligarchs — much medusa-like talk of ‘freezing’ assets, etc.
Yes, VF, I agree – and it’s not only Moscow-on-Thames either is it? From Moscow sur Mer in the S of France, to Moscow by the Sea in Florida….and from personal observation, parts of India and Thailand too. A friend told me today there’s a lot of Russian money in S. Africa too.
Re the 26 Scorpio/Taurus axis and much else, I came across something that could be useful in our hunt for patterns and meaning in all of this horror and chaos.
In the Book of World Horoscopes, Nick Campion has three charts for the end of the Cold War. He says “these horoscopes, I suggest are not merely descriptive of the events for which they are set, but for the entire history of post-cold-war Europe.”
I then noticed that The Paris Treaty, signed 19th November 1990 by all the members of the Warsaw Pact and NATO, has Sun at 26 Scorpio connecting with our current nodes/Algol/Pluto/ November and May eclipses.
Transiting Saturn in Aquarius is now square the Treaty’s Pluto at 18 Scorpio. Venus and Mars in Capricorn, on the day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, were conjunct the Treaty’s Saturn at 21 Capricorn – echoing 2020’s Pluto/Saturn conjunction. Tr Pluto, meantime, approaches a conjunction with the Treaty’s NN at 29 Capricorn, which is surely significant for lessons learned or not learned in the years since 1990.
The Moon was in idealistic/idealogical Sagittarius for both these charts.
The Treaty’s retrograde Mars at 8 Gemini aligns with fixed star Aldebaran (9 Gemini) in Taurus. This potent star is called the Watcher of the East. As I posted elsewhere here, Mars turns direct in Gemini in January at that degree 8 Gemini. If you do the ‘shadow’ thing (I am never certain about this) then Mars’ shadow pre retrograde phase begins at 8 Gemini this autumn. So this would seem to be pretty significant to me.
I haven’t done a full test of all of this. But for the Russo-Georgian War in August 2008, tr Saturn squared the Treaty’s Mars, and the Nodes squared Pluto. For 2014’s invasion of Crimea, the transiting nodes in Libra/Aries made a Grand Cross with the Treaty’s Nodes in Capricorn/Cancer. Venus was again at 21 Capricorn. Pluto was exactly conjunct the Treaty’s Neptune at 12 Capricorn – “fog of war”, and Saturn was 3 degrees off a conjunction to the Sun at 26 Scorpio – repression….
Fascinating Jane, thank you. Particularly those chilling transits to the Paris Treaty and your mention of “The Watcher of the East”.
We’ll see what Pluto’s ingress in 2023 and 2024 brings!
Surely the last Aqua ingress is the most relevant precedent here. US and French revolutions, new era, start of the industrial revolution, new technology etc. We’re surely looking at a new world order, a sparkier age, the start of the end of the combustion economy. It already looks like that’s one of the direct outcomes of this convulsion; Europe seriously de-carbonising at last, in order to free itself from its authoritarian fuel supplier. Pluto returns for both the US and the French Republic; as its Pluto its never going to be sweetness and light, but there will be some sort of Phoenix after the fires. That’s what it do.
On a shorter time scale others have written well about this being the end of the post war certainties in Europe of a introverted Germany still in the shadow of WWII. That is already gone. And the real integration of mitteleuropa into the west. Maybe, dear we hope for it, the integration, ultimately, of a post-oligarch Russia that way too. Peter the Great’s great dream of sophisticated western oriented Russia. We know the people can do it, if only they can shake off their oppressors?
That last ingress ushered in new more democratic forms of government, can it go further. And what of the US itself? A bit test for its revolution and constitution clearly; what will get blown away in Pluto’s chill wind, to clear the ground for the new?
On Germany’s abrupt invasion caused turn, departure from post-war consensus:
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2022/03/germany-putin-ukraine-invasion/623322/
I never thought wars could not happen again and I knew Russia resented the downfall of the USSR and there would be pay back and attempts to get ex state back under Russian control, what surprised me is how long it took.
In 1983 the world very nearly entered into mutual destruction – involving USSR and NATO. Look up Able Archer. It happened just 3 weeks after the shooting down of a South Korean airliner.
The ingress of Pluto into Scorpio was the peak of the second phase of the Cold War. Throughout 1982 and 1983 tension between East and West rose. President Reagan gave his “evil empire” speech against the Soviet Union on 8 March 1983. The US announced the deployment of Pershing II intermediate range missiles in Europe in response to Soviet SS-20 missile deployment. Soviet fighter planes shot down Korean Airlines flight KAL006 on 1 September 1983. NATO ran major military exercises in Europe in October and November 1983, including Able Archer, a test of readiness to launch conventional and nuclear missiles. Pluto entered Scorpio on 6 November 1983. Able Archer began on 7 November. Soviet intelligence interpreted the pattern of NATO actions as indicative of an imminent nuclear first strike and put nuclear forces on high alert on 8 November 1983. Able Archer ended on 11 November and the Soviet Union stood down its nuclear forces. The spy Oleg Gordievsky subsequently warned the British how close the world had come to nuclear war and triggered moves by both Thatcher and Reagan to improve relations with the Soviet Union.
@Keith, exactly! I was a child, but could see the difference.
Brehznev died in November 1982 – which was pretty the same day as the Saturn-Pluto conjunction at 27Libra or thereabouts. It all links to points made by Keith about the Pluto in Scorpio ingress.
Really interesting!
Pluto into Scorpio – onset of HIV / AIDS globally? Which would fit I think.
Se post Nov 22 for that.
Thank you. What a fascinating and informative post. Pluto the tiny planet with a big punch! If Pluto is the ruler of Scorpio, then money, politics and sex, is the force behind confrontation. As money is power and the political world thrives on it. Marjorie would you please look at the Conservative Party’s future.. As the whole party appears to be caught up in his web. The Times have being printing extracts from the book about Putin’s power and his devious ways. He certainly has been active in Britain. I feel they have something on Boris Johnson, especially as he gave his protection men the slip to visit an Oligarch secretly in Italy, when he was Foreign Secretary. Unbelievable! Pluto moving into Aquarius could leave us needing friends. Our Government is ignoring Europe and moving East for trade and power.
Another one for Pluto in Taurus: “Bleeding Kansas,” a.k.a. the Kansas Border War, 1854-1859 in the United States, in which pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces fought to determine the fate of the new state of Kansas; and John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry, W. Va., in 1859 (he was an abolitionist and a veteran of the border war)–percursors to, or inciting incidents for, the American Civil War, 1861-1865.