Pluto’s Last Gasp in Capricorn

Pluto is the planet which represents POWER, with its transits affecting both our individual lives, and the collective reality.

It is an ‘outer planet’, with a much slower transit time of around 20 years through a single sign, and therefore with far-reaching, slow moving, deeply powerful manifestations. While a quick-moving, personal planet such as Mercury’s transits are felt immediately and on the surface of our lives, Pluto’s transits are the opposite. We might not even notice it’s deep, permanent affect until it has already happened.

Pluto has been transitting through Capricorn since 2008, and here, power has desired STRUCTURE, as it has been expressing itself through Capricorn’s filter. As a result, both collective and personal expressions of power have revolved around creating or retaining solid, hierarchical structures. Pluto’s expression in Capricorn feels like the iron fist. It’s effects feel permanent and immovable.

Whichever house Capricorn rules in your natal chart is the area of life Pluto has been moving through since 2008.

In my case, Capricorn rules my 4th house, which is all about your ROOTS. We feel and create our roots in many ways, but fundamentally this is to do with the people, places, things, and ways of being that form the bedrock of who we are. It is often to do with the immediate family you were raised within, your ancestry, your emotional foundations and early beginnings. As Capricorn rules this house, I have a deep need for stability when it comes to my family unit, my home, and my closest relationships.

Like all things, Pluto has both positive and negative expressions. Its benevolent expressions are the power of transformation and the creation of something new, while it’s more malevolent expression lies in destructive power. When Pluto transits a house, he asks us how we relate to the themes of power, control, and transformation and change in this area of our life, in both its positive and negative manifestations.

In my case, my need for stability in the 4th house means I have a great capacity to form very solid foundations within my life, which serves me well for building and growth. On the other side of the coin, the nature of relationships being changeable scares me, and I do whatever I can to ensure I can’t lose the people I love. I will bend and shape myself to try to force things to stay the same, relinquishing my personal power in the process.

With Pluto now only having 5 weeks left in Capricorn, he is asking us to be honest with ourselves, so that we can learn the lessons we need from this transit before he moves on. Where we aren’t willing to take a look, we may be forced to. He won’t be coming back to Capricorn for another 200 years, so this is our final opportunity to work with this specific energy in this lifetime. It can feel confronting or uncomfortable, but it is all for your highest good - so you can unshackle yourself from all that is holding you back.

So ask yourself:

Where are you behaving in ways to stay in control, that actually undermine your peace and happiness?

Where are you always in the driver’s seat, and how might this actually be getting in the way of yourself and other people?

Have you noticed any ways you try to ‘stay in control’ in a situation, and how might this actually be unhelpful?

Why does the idea of relinquishing this control scare you, and how can you be brave?

How might your life look better for relinquishing this way of behaving?

How might releasing control actually allow you MORE personal power?

Where have you been shrinking from your power?

Why does the thought of taking control of those dynamics/situations scare you, and how can you be brave?

In this 5 week period, I’m expecting tests and triggers, asking me if I can step into my power in the areas that I shrink from, and if I can release my control in areas where this is no longer helpful.

Get clear on what this transit has shown you, so that you can do the same. This is a POWERFUL energy for our evolution, and one where truly the only way through is to surrender to it, and accept the truths it shows you.