For the past thirteen years (yes, since before Pluto’s entrance in the sign of Capricorn in late 2008), my life has been one huge, ongoing, indistinct Pluto transit. Most of my placements — not to mention the four angles — are scattered in the four Cardinal signs, which means that Pluto in Capricorn has been conjoining, squaring opposing one sensitive spot after the other, year after year, day after day.
It started with my Saturn/Uranus conjunction in late Sagittarius. Then it was Mars. Then it was the Moon’s turn. Then Chiron. My Virgo Venus was also involved, although the aspect formed by transit was a trine, so it was less dramatic, but at that point it didn’t make much of a difference. Then Neptune. Then my MC/IC axis, and the Sun, and Mercury, and soon it will be my Ascendant and Descendant, falling in the very last degrees of Cancer and Capricorn respectively.
Surviving Pluto transits
Needless to say, my whole existence has been completely overturned, shattered, reconstructed, torn down yet again and rebuilt once more, countless times again and again, over the course of the past thirteen years. Was it terrible? Yes. More than terrible, it was a sheer nightmare at times — sometimes self-inflicted, due to my inability to ditch the self-defeating patterns I was so used to.
Yet, through all the turmoil, upheaval and disruption, I am still here. Not only that, but I found ways to thrive, too. This was possible because, throughout this long and grueling process, Pluto helped me tear down the barriers that separated me from my authentic Self, and thus from happiness. Yes, this is one of the positive and empowering outcomes of a Pluto transit, any Pluto transit: finding out who you truly are, beyond peer pressure, cultural conditioning, past trauma, and then being able to figure out what you really want and need.
But how does one get there?
The higher meaning of Pluto transits: what happens, why that happens, why to you
There is no getting around it: Pluto rules death. To meet Pluto is to feel powerless, at first (and notice how I said feel, not be), in the face of destruction. At the very least, a Pluto transit triggers a domino effect of thorough, coercive change that seems to trump our will and disregard our feelings. Pluto takes what he wants and doesn’t ask for our permission. Pluto doesn’t wait. Pluto doesn’t ask us if we’re ready: we almost never are — that’s a common denominator.
Make no mistake, though: a Pluto transit is not the same for everyone. It depends on how foreign the energy is to you or on the way you have been channeling it prior to the transit. Each one of us is an unique individual, with a celestial blueprint, our birth chart, which is unlike any other. If you know you’re about to experience a Pluto transit, start with examining your natal Pluto and what he is doing in your chart (you can generate your birth chart on AstroDienst).
For me, even though I have natal Pluto in Scorpio in my 4th, which makes me accustomed to depth, crisis and the darker side of human emotions, it was a pretty brutal experience at first, something not too far removed from an exorcism, because I was nowhere near where I was supposed to be. I had just turned 18, I was letting my trauma — and therefore, my dysfunctional coping strategies — get the best of me, and, in doing so, I was literally destroying myself. To this day I’m not sure I’ve ever met someone who is or has been as reckless and self-destructive as 18-years-old me (not that this is something to brag about).
In short, the encounter with Pluto doesn’t necessarily have to be a harrowing, Soul-crushing experience; much depends on our attitude and responses. If we are able to realize, right away, that the whole process is meant to take us in a better place than the one we’re stuck in, it becomes easier to acclimate to it and let it unfold.
Pluto transits are not meant to kill us. On the contrary, they are meant to aid us in reclaiming the lost fragments of the Self. Some parts of our psyche and Soul are hidden, and need to be brought to light; some other elements like habits, beliefs or connections have run their course, and need to be purged.
If there is venom infecting our system, poisoning our blood, numbing our will, it needs to be sucked out. Our inner demons need to be identified, named, tamed.
A Pluto transit is akin to a metaphorical tillage of our psychic territory, combined with a process of radical purification. Pluto’s mission is to search and destroy that which no longer support our growth or allow us to be in control of our narrative.
Sometimes, the enemy is within. Sometimes, that part of us which is trying to spare us further suffering, by lashing out, being defensive, or avoidant, or aggressive, or co-dependent to the extreme, is only doing us more harm than good. This was certainly the case for me, and if it’s the case for you, you will know right away once Pluto starts touching your planets.
Understanding that Plutonian crisis is for the greater good is the first step from caterpillar to butterfly, and the most important step for survival.
The mechanics of transformation
Now, for the specifics. The following scenarios are most likely to happen during a Pluto transit:
- being forced to face our worst fears;
- crisis and unresolved complexes coming to a boiling point until it’s no longer impossible to ignore them;
- deterioration of relationships that are not authentic or cannot keep up with our evolution;
- people’s real motives and hidden dynamics in our relationship with them being brought to light;
- finding ourselves in the middle of power struggles;
- depending on the houses or planets involved, sexual awakenings;
- being forced to uncover hidden resources we didn’t know we had in order to cope with all of the above.
Loneliness is a byproduct of Pluto transits; I would rather consider it a gift, because in the midst of life-altering circumstances, we benefit from the chance to process our feelings and reactions in solitude. Pluto-induced upheaval forces us to spend more time with ourselves in order to go deep within and identify the root causes of our detrimental tendencies.
Pluto is not just the Lord of Death; he rules the underworld in every possible sense of the word: the dimension of those who have crossed over, as well as our personal unconscious. Our ingrained patterns, unresolved issues, repressed trauma and trauma-based conditioning fall under Pluto’s domain, and Pluto’s proximity evokes them from the depths.
To experience a Pluto transit means to have all of this handed to us in such a way that we have no choice left but to face it. It’s like the Lord of the Underworld himself, of all things occult and deadly comes to our rescue in order to help us overcoming what is subtly — or not so subtly — undermining our own power and agency. The paradox of Pluto is such that we must feel powerless so that we can take our power back: first by accepting the metamorphosis, and then by initiating new beginnings.
Sometimes, though, we feel compelled to resist the process instead of going with the flow, because nothing is scarier than surrendering to the unknown.
Control vs. letting go
Among other things, Pluto also seems to awaken, simultaneously, an urge to dictate the order of things; one common side-effect of a Pluto transit are the frantic attempts to preserve the status quo and keep things as they are. Sometimes we are accustomed to what is toxic and dysfunctional, because it feels familiar.
Some of us are familiar with taking the abuse and coping in unhealthy ways; some of us are familiar with having their boundaries crossed; some of us are familiar with depending on others. The list could go on and on: destructive responses to triggers, imbalanced relationships, compulsive behaviours as coping mechanisms…
As painful as these things may be, we don’t want them to change. We don’t want to change. Pluto is meant to challenge this familiarity and push us out of our dark, dysfunctional comfort zones.
Whatever Pluto takes away, it was not meant to stay in the first place, no matter the strength of the attachment we feel. The presence of attachment doesn’t necessarily guarantee a healthy bond —more often than not, it signals the presence of an addiction.
Wherever strong attachment is present, there is probably a reliance on an external source to provide qualities we failed to develop within ourselves: confidence, emotional regulation, protection, strength, not to mention our sense of identity. This is why Pluto, at times, seems to target the very things that soothe us and provide the approval and shelter we are so desperate for, pulling the rug from under our feet.
The more we resist separation and cling on to these security blankets, the more difficult, painful and time-consuming it becomes to let go. The more we refuse change, the more change will be forced upon us.
At first, the fear of the unknown and the urge to resist change are stronger than the natural push towards growth. Depending on our level of attachment to whatever it is we are being asked to give up, tears and pain might ensue. Sometimes, Pluto drags us kicking and screaming. But sometimes there is relief, too.
The sooner we learn our lessons, the better. This might seem a cliché, but giving up resistance and control is key, which translates into being willing to face our fear. Fear of change, fear of loss, fear of the great unknown.
We are afraid, because we are unable to conceive that the death of what we know is not the end of our world. That there is nothing else beyond the boundaries of what we have lived and experienced. That everything starts and ends with and within the things we are familiar with.
It’s not true, and Pluto can truly disclose new ways of being and living, through his radical process of transmutation and transformation. Slowly but surely, if we stop resisting, we start to spot the beautiful opportunities in every mishap. We stop thinking in terms of catastrophe and start appreciating the renewal. Towards the tail-end of the transit, what we used to fear becomes the new normal.
Once we stop being conditioned and inhibited by fear, that’s when life begins.
Practical tips to survive a Pluto transit
THERAPY. I didn’t plan to go to therapy during my perennial Pluto transit; I didn’t plan to meet someone who was studying to become a therapist and fall in love and have this person handing me my ass, but it happened, some six years ago. It was the same person who wanted me to go to therapy because, according to their words, I needed to understand my own mental illness and come to terms with my dysfunctional behaviours.
This person, a mega-Capricorn with a huge stellium in the sign, was damn right. I followed the advice, and joined a group therapy circle for BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) patients.
While I have my problems with the BPD label (in spite of the fact that an inordinate number of men exhibit violent, impulsive and abusive behaviours, it’s almost always women who get diagnosed, while men’s destructive tendencies are not as pathologized) and with the western understanding of human psychology in general, therapy was a pivotal step in my healing journey and so was getting educated about my symptoms and their root causes.
I can’t deny that reading about studies and research helped me tracing my destructive tendencies back to the trauma I experienced as a child; afterwards, it became easier to keep those tendencies in check and develop greater insight into my needs, regardless of my thoughts about the whole concept of “being a borderline patient”.
Pluto pushes us towards introspection; you cannot navigate the muddy waters of this transit if you don’t make the effort to de-construct and analyse yourself.
If you’re going through a Pluto transit, therapy is a step you don’t want to skip. You don’t necessarily have to stay in therapy for years on end, but since Pluto is a force beyond our control, you will benefit from the perspective of a qualified psychopomp-like figure that has the dark zones of the human mind mapped out and can support you in exploring them, at least for a while.
NON-JUDGMENTAL AWARENESS OF YOUR FEELINGS. It’s okay to feel defeated, exhausted or furious during a Pluto transit; it’s okay to feel resentful, sad, clingy. Embracing the reality of your feelings is not going to make you weaker or less “enlightened” — if anything, it’s going to make you more authentic and teach you how to accept yourself as you are.
The New Age myth of “positive thought” conditioned us into feeling guilty for not being happy all the time, and few things are more detrimental to our health than suffocating something that naturally arises from within. Pluto is about confronting the shadow, not feeding it through repression.
Pluto helps us to make the unconscious, conscious, and keeping a forced positive outlook means going in the opposite direction. Listening to our feelings and uncovering the unspoken needs behind their surface is the most constructive choice (if you’re feeling depressed and/or suicidal, please seek help).
JOURNALING. Staying in touch with my own feelings was of paramount importance throughout the whole process; it helped me relieving the pressure as well as processing the events and tracking my own journey. Also, verbalizing your feelings is perhaps the most effective way to develop awareness of them. This is especially true if you have planets in your third house, in Gemini, or a prominent Mercury (I have all of these).
SELF-COMPASSION. You’re doing the best you can, with what you have, so please be easy on yourself. This is not a race or a contest, it’s your own journey and it will unfold at its own pace, which is different from anyone’s. You’re not doing it “right” or “wrong” —Pluto is not Saturn. If you feel you are being excessively self-critical, it’s a good idea, especially during a Pluto transit, to discover where does that tendency come from and what unconscious need or ingrained pattern is it trying to cater to (or who are you unconsciously replicating).
LIVE IN THE MOMENT. It’s easier to feel overwhelmed during a Pluto transit; this is a journey that’s best taken one step at a time. Sometimes even managing to make it through the day counts as a success.
TRUST THE PROCESS. The good things about transits is that they don’t last forever; planets move on — yes, even Pluto — and sooner than we know, the dust settles. Everything unfolds as it’s meant to, and, most importantly, crisis is not permanent.
How long do Pluto transits last?
On average, Pluto spends fifteen years transiting a house — I know this to be true since my mega-Pluto transit began with Pluto entering my 6th house in 2006 and will end with the planet crossing my Descendant in a year.
Transits from Pluto to a single natal planet or point can last up to a whole year, due to the fact that Pluto goes retrograde for several months every year and tends to go back and forth over the same spot. If you count in the period of time when the aspect is within orb of influence while not being exact, however, you can add one more year. Most people can feel a Pluto transit approaching well before the aspect formed to the personal planet is exact; normally, you have a build-up of intensity.
The duration of a Pluto transit can be prolonged if more natal planets are close to one another in the same sign.
What is the meaning of Pluto transits to personal planets/angles?
Every time Pluto transits a personal planet, the way we express the energy of that planet is bound to be radically altered. Here is a short recap of the purpose of Pluto transits to the various planets:
Pluto transits to the Sun: the defense mechanisms of our Ego are stripped away to reveal who we truly are; our sense of self is deconstructed through loss of identity in order to be rebuilt anew, and our self-image transforms accordingly.
Pluto transits to the Moon: we descend into our innermost emotional depths in order to unveil the events and influences that have shaped our responses and instinctive reactions. In the process, we also become aware of our true needs and learn how to express them.
Pluto transits to Mercury: our brains get re-wired. I have written extensively about my Pluto to Mercury transit in this post — Your Mind on Pluto.
Pluto transits to Venus: we uncover the hidden dynamics in our relationships, the power imbalances, the manipulative tendencies we might resort to or put up with in order to be liked and loved, and ultimately learn about true intimacy, trust and compatibility.
Pluto transits to Mars: we release the buried anger we repressed and held inside, perhaps as a result of feeling helpless and powerless in situations of mistreatment and injustice; as a consequence, we learn to be less passive, or less aggressive, or less passive-aggressive, and to harness Mars’ raw power in healthier, effective ways.
Pluto transits to Jupiter: our perspective and personal philosophy, are completely revolutionized in order to integrate the darker, less acceptable sides of life. The encounter with the unknown broadens our horizons in a radical way.
Pluto transits to Saturn: we are met with responsibilities, duties and obligations that force us to “level up” and uncover our hidden resources.
Pluto transits to Uranus: we experience a surge of individuality that pushes us to actualize our need for freedom.
Pluto transits to Neptune: we are given the opportunity to shatter the delusions that stunt our soul growth.
Pluto transits to Chiron: we are challenged to own our wounding, chronic pain and self-esteem issues and to integrate them on a conscious level.
Pluto transits to the MC/IC axis: our worldly and domestic aspirations crumble apart only to be replaced with goals and ambitions that are truer to who we are.
Pluto transits to the Asc/Desc axis: we are asked to redefine the ways in which we present ourselves, and to bring that renewed awareness and confidence in our relationships.
Conclusion
The fear of the unknown is quite possibly humanity’s fundamental fear. We’d rather anticipate consequences, we’d rather decide, we’d rather be free. But have we ever been?
When our responses and reactions are controlled and provoked by underlying memories of past suffering, are we free? When we break ourselves to fit in, dreading the thought of being rejected by people we love, are we free? Are we free, when we keep on choosing the same type of person as a partner so that we can re-enact the abuse and mistreatment we have suffered at the hands of our caretakers? Are we free, when our life choices are dictated by others’ opinion of us?
When we think we are being forced by external events to give up what we need, we are actually being liberated from the things that thwart our free will. Ultimately, Pluto sets us free from our bondages, drags us out from the gilded cages we grew so accustomed to and shows us how powerful we are, how resilient we can become, how to defeat — or perhaps become, in an empowering sense — the very death we fear.
Nothing is the same after a Pluto transit. We are not the same. The very things that fill us with dread become minor inconveniences. We uncover a whole universe of possibilities within us — strengths and qualities we no longer need to delegate to or project onto anyone. Only after Pluto teaches us how to die, we can finally live.
If you are about to or currently experiencing a Pluto transit and would like to know more, an astrological reading will allow you to obtain clarity and information about the timing, purpose and possibilities of your Pluto transit.
Want to learn how to develop your unique, intimate relationship with the planets and source your delineations from within? My brand new astrology program, ENSOUL THE UNSEEN, is now open for enrollment. Click here to know more or check out the course page.
Pictured: Image by Aphiwat Chuangchoem on Pexels.
![A huge part of being an artist/creatrix is giving shape to the shapeless— summoning, plucking swift feathered inklings from the aether, binding them to a world where forms, tones and hues beguile the senses.
We’re standing at the confluence of Venus and Mercury stationing in Saturn-ruled signs— Venus gearing up to resume her forward motion in Capricorn, and Mercury slowing to a crawl in Aquarius.
Whether you experience Saturn as a tenacious spaceholder / safeguarding container, or an uncongenial, insulating cell depends on a number of factors— sect being the main one. (The planet of structure, endurance and discipline tends to feel more supportive for folks with a day chart.)
And while Saturn is undoubtedly medicine for those who alchemize vision into form, the line of demarcation between medicament and poison is anything but sharp. How much discipline is too much? Rumination? Hesitation? How much of our prudent, diligent self-containment is actually self-denial?
Do you want your art to be impeccable, or do you want it to be RAW? ❤️🔥
Now’s the time to reckon with rules, boundaries, limitations, whether self-imposed or forced onto us from the outside. The gravity that holds us and carries us and holds us together vs the weight that pins us to the ground. Finding that dividing line, or drawing it ourselves.
What does balance between self-command and creative freedom look and feel like?
[Mercury stations retrograde at 10 degrees Aquarius on January 14; Venus stations direct on January 29, at 11 degrees Capricorn.]
Follow @zodiacpoetryastrology for more astro-tips for artists ❤️🔥](https://www.zodiacpoetryastrology.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
You are simply lovely! Thank you so much for this thoughtful and potent piece of writing. I shared with my friend who has a Cap stellium in the first house. As an Aquarius rising with lots of Leo planets, I’m patiently waiting for my Pluto turn :O
Thank you, Natalie, and so are you. 🙂 Judging from that tiny bit of info about your charts, you both seem forces to be reckoned with! Cardinal and Fixed types do struggle with the “surrender” part: control and stubborness are two defining traits of these modes. If you try to keep this in mind, I’m sure you will manage it. Sending you love!
Hi Cristina thanks for r super amazing explanation. From my experiences pluto erupt, destroyed/reborn exactly at 15degrees. My Sudden move to another country, Sexual identity realisation, Death of my 8yrs Long boyfriend and getting inheritance. Feels so powerless when i was younger but seems to meet less challenging people as i get older. Im at my 40yrs now and it seems like pluto is giving me Lots of intense sex, money and a load of loneliness. I feel emotionally destructive when pluto transit end of sign though.
Hey, Hayden! Thank you for your comment. It sounds like you might have very sensitive points around the degrees and ranges you have mentioned. Perhaps your encounters are getting less challenging, or perhaps you’re stepping more and more into your power. Sending you (and your late boyfriend, may his journey beyond be a safe one) lots of love.
My Pluto transit felt very lonely at times because so much of what is brought up feels shameful. Your courage in sharing your vulnerability is beautiful xx
Thank you so much, Faith. I can totally understand the feeling of shame. Indeed growth doesn’t always feel good – sometimes it means getting our hands dirty and feeling downright uncomfortable, but that’s how we become whole. <3
Thank-you for sharing your experiences and knowledge about Pluto. I can relate on all levels to your experience for I, too, am no stranger to the transformative powers of Pluto in my Natal chart. Your article provided additional insights and affirmation of what the past 30 years, out of 65 years of my life, have been like. Pluto is in my Natal Mid-heaven with Scorpio Rising, an Aries Sun and Moon in Aquarius. Lots of letting go with profound healing and transformation this time around. Daunting? Yes. Overwhelming? In the beginning of the process, I surely believed I would die. I am grateful for Faith, Grace and willingness. Here but for the Grace of Goddess am I.
Thank you for weighing in and sharing your experience, Patti. I am glad the article was somehow helpful and that you are still here after the difficult times you have successfully powered through in spite of the pain and distress. ♥
beautiful, Cristina! I’ve been meaning to pop in and read this article since Faith mentioned it in a post weeks ago … so glad I did!
I’m coming up on Pluto crossing my IC – squaring my Moon – and opposing my Sun. I can sense the lessons of necessary empowerment, and deep growth on the horizon within all things 4th, 7th and 10th houses! You describe your journey well and with much compassion and wisdom. Thank you for that! xo Sue
It’s great to hear from you, Sue. Thank you for stopping by! It’s definitely not easy by any means to handle transits like the one you are experiencing, and I do know that you are doing the right thing in allowing yourself time and room to process your feelings and center yourself. <3 Sending you a big hug.
What about Pluto transit Pluto? I’m currently having Pluto Square
Thanks!
Susan, Pluto square Pluto, which is the only major challenging aspect transiting Pluto can form to natal Pluto since this planet moves so slowly, is more of a “coming of age” moment. Not everybody is bound to have a Pluto to Sun transit in their lifetime, but everybody will, at some point, usually in their late 30s / early 40s. It’s one of the “mid-life transition” transits, like the Chiron return or the Uranus opposition to natal Uranus. Basically it’s about releasing what is not meant to support you during the next phase of your life, although the specifics may vary based on the natal Pluto placement by sign and house & other more personal transits happening at the same time.
Thank you for this post. I will have pluto square moon for 2020/21 in my empty sixth house . Is it less impact? My natal libra moon is in the 3rd house.
Lu, for hints of a lessen impact, I would rather look at what Pluto herself is doing in your chart: someone whose Pluto is prominent, supported and supportive may have a slightly different experience, compared to someone else whose Pluto is virtually unaspected, for instance. In the latter case, there might be more resistance on the native’s part, and a difficulty with integrating the energies of the transit. What does your natal Pluto look like?
Oh thank you for this post. I have pluto conjunct and saturn conjunt to my MC now and both of them in trine to my AC. Pluto 7th house Scorpio, Saturn 11th house Aquarius. And I have just quit my job today.. Since eight months I have been thinking about it constantly, that it is not right for me, but was not emotionally ready to take action. I don’t know what’s next. But freedom and artistic expression are on my mind. Thank you for sharing this big insight. Love <3
Julia, your story sounds a lot like mine. 🙂 Pluto and Saturn in my 6H, and I quit my job (which was taking a toll on me psychologically) to become self-employed. With Saturn and Pluto on your Midheaven, the times are ripe for a radical reinvention. I most certainly wish you all the best and the most fulfilling future of joy and abundance, wherever life will take you professionally, which I’m sure it will be a better and more rewarding place! The courage to listen to our gut feelings always pays off. Much Love to you. ♥
I just now became aware of your answer. Thank you so much for the very kind words. Doing something that is supported by our gut feels so beutifully liberating and I am experiencing the most wonderful creative flow right now. Radical reinvention ughhh I like that! Thank you!
This post is incredibly insightful! Thank you so much. Pluto is now exactly conjunct my 23 degree cancer ascendant / descendant axis! So much has eroded away leading up to this.. I feel empty handed. And I also recently broke my leg which was traumatic to say the least. Now working to get back to normal. One last physical health crisis before he moves into my 7th house.. haha. SO MUCH is being released and I’m stepping more into my authentic self- Pluto says “… ready or not, here I come!”
Lauren, thank you for being here! It sounds like you’re going through A LOT, but I can sense a combative spirit underneath it all. Prepare to become an unstoppable force. ♥ Sending you lots of love!
Only wanna say that this is extremely helpful, Thanks for taking your time to write this.
Thank you, Reid. I’m glad this was valuable to you.
Thank you for the wonderful and insightful post! It rings so true for me! Last spring I started to feel very unsettled with my life. Done some crazy things. Filed for divorce after 17 years in relationship. Took on number of long overdue personal projects. Fell madly, like never before, for someone unavailable, in the process ripping my heart out. Stopped sleeping and eating, just listening to music like a maniac and enjoying as many sports/activities, as I can. And sure enough, few days ago I discovered I have pluto sextile my Scorpio moon for over a year now! Still taking it one day at a time and sometimes questioning my existence, but I like to think that It’s getting more manageable, bit by bit. Thank you for the insight!
Tata, thank you so much for sharing your story! It TOTALLY gets more manageable with time. The first encounter with Pluto is the one that tends to have the most ‘unsettling’ impact. It seems that part is beyond you already, and that you’re growing into a stronger version of yourself. ♥
Hi Cristina,
Thank you for your post,. All kind of transition is huge inside work.
I was born 12th of July 1965. Budapest, Hungary, around pm 07.54. I will have a Pluto conjunctcion asc., within the next 1 -2 years.
My life has been very colorful, with periods of intense and deep change. So I am not afraid of this change, there are many opportunities and lot of challanges around me (and us:) Everything has been foggy in the last years, no clear direction.
Krisztina, thank you for your feedback! You’re definitely right — huge, at times downright exhausting work. I truly think that the feeling of directionlessness will pretty much subside once Pluto is done with your Ascendant, since the Asc is very much linked with the ability to impart a direction to our life. I’m rooting for you!
Hi, I just wanted to thank you about this article, I needed it right now and it gave me the necessary comfort and courage to survive the transit Pluto’s step on my 12th house cusp. It’s shaking all my conceptions about myself, my deep fears of rejection and loneliness and of how wrong I was wrong in all my life choices, yet I feel that the illusion stripping process is indeed something very valuable. I love the way you described the process and how one can endure it without labelling one’s experiences as right or wrong. I felt calm after reading all of this and I thank you 🙂
Vanya, thank you for your comment. I am definitely happy to know that the article had such a soothing effect on you. I really wish you all the best. ♥
I think I am going to get a reading from you. I am heavy in fixed fire energy (Leo Sun, Leo Rising and Sag Moon). I know I have Pluto, Jupiter and Saturn in my 6th house right now and out of they all scare me but Saturn and Pluto the most because of the fear of loss and because Pluto natally for me is in Scorpio in the 4th. So I am well aware of what it can do. I have felt these planets pushing me to become something different but I fear becoming a person I don’t want to be because I haven’t done the work, if that makes sense. It all feels inevitable and heavy and I’m fighting it because I don’t trust the outcome in the end to be any to be better than what I’ve already experienced. It’s like being beaten constantly in your own head by thoughts of how worthless you are.
I wonder if it’s normal to just feel completely out of hope and control during these transits. Certainly the events that go along with it do not help.
Marlee, thank you so much for sharing your experience. I would say it’s definitely normal — I remember going through this/these transits and feeling absolutely repulsive, unlovable and just downright hopeless. Pluto transits are the work. A work that more often than not involves confronting the dark places in our head where those thoughts come from. You’re not worthless. You’re not a burden. Don’t believe everything you think. Sending you love.
This is great interpretation and gives hope but I’m very worried because I will have Pluto square Sun next year. Both of them are in my second house. Can you tell me what I can aspect? Im very scared because this year i had Saturn square sun and some others bad aspects and it is very hard for me I thought i will not survive. Im very afraid about Pluto square sun. Greetings from Serbia!
Hey! I cannot formulate predictions without seeing the transit in the context of the whole chart, but I’m absolutely, completely, 100% sure that you will survive. Please never doubt that!
So much clarity here. Does Pluto in Cap in 12th house prevent job stability? I’m finding that to be impossible amongst everything else. Should I expect nothing solid until it hits my ascendant?
Thank you so much, Denise. No, I don’t necessarily think so — job stability is a specific issue that is not necessarily related to the 12H, so I think other factors should be taken into account as well.
Christina,
Thank you for this post, so much of what you write echos my experience. Since 1999 I have seen one Pluto transit/conjunction after another come and go. Pluto/Sun (8th house Sag), Pluto/Mercury/Mars(9th house Sag), Pluto/Venus (9th house Cap), Pluto/ MC in Cap with an opposition to Moon conjunct IC in Cancer….. With all that Sag optimism and ego it took a pretty heavy hand to jolt me out of my perpetual state of disassociation and denial but boy when it did, my world came crashing down in a big way! Now that Pluto is moving away from my MC/Moon opposition I’m beginning to see the light at the end of this very long tunnel and I truly am a changed person. When I look back over the past 20 years and see how much loss, death and dissolution I have endured I kinda marvel at my own strength and resilience. So, while I look forward to a little respite I also feel a bit like – bring it on bitch! What’s next….; ). I have only recently discovered astrology and I have to say it has been the key to unraveling the tangled mess of my childhood experience. Thank you Universe!
Annie,
my pleasure! Thank you for sharing your story and for being so open and honest. I am cheering and rooting for you!!!
Annie! (apologies Cristina for hijacking your comments), but Oh- we are almost the same. I have Sag 8th house, Mercury Sag 8th house, Cap Venus 9th house, Cap Moon 10th house, Libra Mars 6th house and I have had pluto conjunct them all! I am very over not feeling my old Sag self. I managed to keep the Sag optimism for all of the transits except this moon conjunct pluto (it has something to do with life blockages and stagnation). We have almost the same transits, except Pluto is currently transit conjunct my moon and transit conjunct my MC (yours was opposite). Did you feel a difference with the conjunct versus the opposition (I had asked Christina about that below and saw your post right after posting). Do you feel happy go lucky again – I miss it – that regular Sag. happy go lucky demeanor.
And Annie…..me too…all this time – “unraveling the tangled mess of my childhood”…
Hi, I currently have a Transit in Pluto in my 7th house. How do I find out from my chart when this began and when it will end? I can’t seem to find this info anywhere. Thank you!
Hi, Geannine! First off, it depends on the House division system you’re using — I use Whole Sign Houses, which means that I don’t work with intermediate house cusps. BUT. If you use Placidus, which is likely, you’d either need an ephemeris to see at which point does Pluto cross the Cusp of your Eighth House for good (which of course implies finding out the degree of Capricorn where your Eighth House cusp falls), or if you don’t have an ephemeris, you could do more or less the same thing using the Planetwatcher website or astro dot com’s free features.
Thank you for this detailed explanation! I truly appreciate it!
My pleasure, Geannine! Thank you for being here.
I have having Pluto conjunct moon at the moment. Not fun. Pretty gloomy right now. My question is do you think the conjunction transits are the most severe? Or the opposites? I have had Pluto conjunct all my personal planets and I am wondering if the experience is the same with square, opposition etc. Meaning is it as intense as conjunct?
You see….so gloomy I forgot to say Thanks for the Article and Greetings to you!
Maggie, no prob — happens a lot to me lately, as well! Interesting question. It depends — if we look at essential dignities/debilities, a Capricorn Moon is debilitated to begin with, so, in this case, a Pluto transit by conjunction would be very challenging to manage, because the natal placement in itself is complex and challenging. On the other hand, my Moon is in Libra, and Pluto squaring my Moon was pretty brutal. I think it depends on how supported is the planet in the natal chart, to begin with, which is something I didn’t mention in this post, because my love affair with traditional astrology (and therefore with planetary dignities) didn’t start until Spring of this year. 🙂
Thank you, Cristina, for this rivetting article. I am grateful also for the exchange between you and Magee about her Capricorn Moon. I have a Capricorn Moon too, in my 7th house. It is the apex of my yod (base Saturn and Jupiter).
Pluto crossed my Moon three times! That was the angriest, most frightening time of my life. Two extremely nasty men occupied the loft above my flat for their drug-dealing activities. They were determined to drive me out of my flat. (Both hold executive roles in our communally owned Victorian conversion that contains 20 flats in its four terrace houses.) At the time, I was the only occupant of my double-terrce house of 7 flats. Terrifying nocturnal noises woke me in fright over nearly a year, every night. No help was available from the police. One policewoman , presumably bribed, co-operated with them against me. The electrician who installed my CCTV cameras to survey my loft turned off the recorder when alerted to imminent activity in my loft. (He had illegally kept a copy of my CCTV software on his equipment.) Eventually, I had a minor stroke that nearly caused the loss of sight in my right eye. (I am 76 years old.)
The COV-19 elated lockdown began on 23 March this year. All harassment of me stopped that day, and has not resumed. But we are again on complete lockdown, having experienced somewhat lesser lockdowns between now and the first total lockdown. Perhaps it is due only to the lockdown that my enemies have backed off. Now, Pluto is quincunx the mid-point of my natal Saturn-Mars conjunction, and has 5 degrees to go to form a sextile aspect with my Sun, which is tightly square my ASC.
I apologise for taking so long to outline my Pluto situation. I just could not make a sensible brief statement of it. And I am very frightened of what might happen with the upcoming Pluto activity. Cristina, I shall be very grateful for any help you might offer me.
Sophie, thank you for sharing your experience with me. Being terrified is a very normal and valid response to Pluto transits — however, I also think it’s important to keep in mind that Pluto can be an invaluable ally in helping us move beyond fear (and fear of fear). Sending you love!
Thank you very much, your post is very helpful. I have Pluto in 9th, Libra conjunct Spica. Currently having the square aspect. I’m Capricorn rising and have Saturn conjunct Jupiter in 8th, also Libra. All retrograde. Feels like I have lots of work to do. 😀
Definitely sounds very intense, Andrei! Thanks for sharing your experience.
My DC is 23°55 capricorn. My sun 24°07 capricorn & venus 23°21 capricorn w/ 6h uruanus & Neptune. I also have 4th house pluto conj SN. 1° LibraIC/1°Aries MC. 5th house Mars in scorpio & saturn in sagittarius. 9th house pisces moon. 8h Jupiter in Aquarius.
I was googling pluto transits to dc/sun/venus & this was my first read tonight. How eerily similar our experiences & charts. This last transit is painful, I’m worried my heart won’t make it. I miss joy. I’ve been very pluto/saturn heavy (I’m 34) for years & I need mercy.
Nicole, I’m sorry about what you’re going through! You WILL make it, I promise. And you’ll be able to look back at this moment and appreciate your strength and resilience through all the pain.
Thank you for your insightful article! For me, having the knowledge of what to expect and reading how others have dealt with these intense energies is especially helpful ( as I often feel that I am on the verge of losing my mind lately! ) My Sun is 27 degrees and 56 minutes Capricorn. For what seems like an eternity Pluto has been making its way through my 6th, (Mercury,) 7th and now 8th house…where my Sun resides. So much upwelling of feelings of shame, guilt and former sadness from events in my childhood have been the bane of this long Pluto transit. I have been a student of Astrology for the past 52 years. I am grateful for that. Articles like yours and my basic astrological knowledge has really helped me sort through what would be terrifying for the unknowing mind. I look forward to the “unveiling” that I believing will be accompanying Pluto’s solar crossing. Thank you, again!
Thank YOU, Gene. And I concur — it feels neverending. I feel that Pluto operates at its own prehistoric, dinosaur-like pace. My DSC is at 26 degrees Cap, and I admit I’ve been downplaying Pluto’s passage over this specific point, but now I definitely know I’m not done with Pluto just yet!
This was an amazing article. I’ve been experiencing Pluto conjunct my natal Sun (in the 10th house) since last January and it’ll soon be ending (I am GLAD). It’s definitely been a tough time, but in hindsight I do feel more comfortable with my self-image. Thank you so much for writing this.
Lindsey, thank you for your comment. Heavy on the “GLAD” in capital letters — that’s how I felt throughout the last weeks of my transit, too. Like thanks Pluto but also BYE
Thank you for this insightful text, I just realized that I currently have a bunch of pluto transits, so I’m investigating. I’m justafraid that they can mean death. Any other problems are easier to survive. So if you have experience with these, would appreciate if you share it with me:
Pluto Opposition Ascendant
Pluto Trine Chiron
Pluto Square Pluto
Pluto Square Saturn
Pluto Square VENUS
Pluto is transiting my 6th house, and natal is in Libra in 4th house
Marina, very rarely do Pluto transits mean literal death. As an example, I had Pluto squaring most of my natal placements for years and nobody died, either in my family or in my circle of friends or anything. I did, however, cut off most of my family members. So metaphorical death is definitely a possibility, and it’s often for the better.
This was a very helpful article and I’m wondering your thoughts on Transiting Pluto conjunct the South Node? This transit wasn’t listed. I have a 29 degree Capricorn South Node and Pluto is currently transiting Capricorn at 26 degrees so it’s getting close! How long do I have until I feel this and to be honest I’m pretty terrified about this one.
Lori, thank you for your comment! I do usually address questions like this one in readings, but I’d say that unless Pluto is also aspecting other sensitive points/placements in your chart, the conjunction to your natal South Node is not necessarily something to be terrified about. I mean, it wouldn’t be in any case, but still!
i came across this because i was web searching how long pluto transits lasted; i stayed because i became genuinely interested in this post when i started reading it! it made me go and check where pluto is in my chart atm, and i just saw that it’s in my 4H and 2 degrees away from opposing my 27 degree cancer sun in 10H.
i’m intrigued because i’m 10 days away from turning 25 and in your post, you said in a reply that people usually have a sun-pluto transit in their 30s-40s. maybe i’m just not paying enough attention, but i feel like i’m not having much of a tough time with pluto so close to properly opposing my sun, though i do feel like i’m having a personal transformation/awakening due to the job i got in the middle of the pandemic. could this be because my natal pluto trines my sun? i would like to understand pluto more but everywhere i look, there’s really only vague and brief descriptions and i find that they don’t give me questions to ponder so i can figure it out myself
Tala, I just found the comment you’re speaking about, and apparently I forgot to type half of the sentence — I guess my brain was on energy saving mode that day! What I meant to say is, “Not everybody is bound to have a Pluto to Sun transit in their lifetime, but everybody will, at some point, usually in their late 30s / early 40s, have transiting Pluto squaring their natal Pluto“. That being said I do think that having Sun and Pluto aspecting each other natally can make a difference — in this case, the Plutonian energy might feel more familiar and easier to access, whereas lack of Sun/Pluto aspects natally would translate into somebody having their first exposure to the deep work Pluto requires via transit.
Luv that you wrote this article! Thank you!
I assumed I wasn’t the only brave, or idiotic, soul who picked this kind of chart.
We need a Pluto survivor support group. Seriously!
Pluto has been squaring 3 of my natal planets (Pluto, venus, Uranus in 2nd) for past 15 years & opposing natal saturn. And once in Aquarius he’ll start on another one.
You wrote Pluto makes you powerless so you can take your power back. Well, I just am not getting back up. I’ve got no fight left.
Any speculation as to the purpose of picking such a challenged chart? I checked out 6 or 7 friends’ charts … none of them had these non-stop Pluto squares. So … I have to wonder what or if there is a point to this suffering ‘n madness.
-Amy
Amy, thank you for your comment!
I’m not sure — I don’t personally look at the chart that way. I reckon that I don’t know enough about what happens to us before we’re born or after we die, so I don’t feel like confidently stating that we choose the details of our incarnation like our chart, our parents, and so on.
Thank you so much for expressing this so beautifully. I’ve been undergoing a Pluto transit to my moon for nearly 2 years, (squaring SN/NN). I’m also a 4th House Pluto. It’s been brutal to say the least, but your words have helped put things in perspective. Greatly appreciated.
Alex, and I appreciate your feedback, too. Thank you so much!
Reading the comments and questions made me feel less alone in this Pluto square moon transit that I’m supposed to endure until 2025. It started in November 2019 and my relationship crumbled like an oatmeal cookie. Everything since then has been challenge after challenge. Deep emotions are surfacing and I echo the other Sages in this thread, I want to feel my Sag self again! I don’t even know if I remember how to make myself happy again, I think for the last two years I have spent most of my time crying or angry. It feels unbearable at times, and the events that have unfold did not help. I can totally see the destruction time and rebirth, but I’m still in the shadows and scared of what the next three years will bring. I just want to go to sleep for three years and hide. I really appreciate the writing and the space to allow us to share our stories. It makes us feel less alone during this transit. I wish all of you much love and strength to endure these Pluto transits, they are not easy, but we are all in this together and we will come through, hopefully stronger.
Yanina, thank you for sharing your story and for this beautiful sentiment– I’m glad I could somehow provide a space where folks who are also experiencing this transit, which is, indeed, a particularly harrowing one, can feel less insulated and find a modicum of relief. I hope your situation improved since the time you posted this comment.♥
Thank you for this in depth article! It really helped me gain some perspective on what it happening with my pluto. I am a scorpio moon, but my ruling planet is pluto (20%) in scorpio, in the 8th house. So I have felt these effects starting. I know I am about to enter a rollercoaster of a ride. Right now my saturn is squaring pluto and my pluto is squaring jupiter. Its already been a rough 15 years, hoping my pluto creates a new for me. 🤎
Sam, I hope so, too! Thank you for sharing your experience with us. ♥
I am profoundly unhappy. I experienced a direct conjunction from transit Pluto to my Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Mercury, Venus, and the Sun in my 1st and 2nd houses all before I turned 30. I wish I could have seen what that little girl was supposed to be before she was destroyed by Pluto. I remember young, child me. I actually really liked myself. I have nothing but apathy now. I don’t care about love, frienship, building a house, finding a career, or anything other than never, ever returning to this god-forsaken planet ever again. This isn’t karma. This is some cosmic joke. This is purposeless sadism. I have nothing to be thankful for until the day my body finally dies and my soul is set free from this prison.
J, so sorry to hear you’ve been feeling this way. Please please please seek emotional and professional support– it’s never too late to ask for help and it doesn’t make you weak.
Oh I was so happy to see this article. I too, have been thru one Pluto transit after the next since late 2008, 8 of them actually. I’m mainly cardinal with a lil fixed and a splash of mutable.
I have gone from my Saturn return to Pluto beating the shit out of me for 12 years. I honestly wonder if I signed up for torture. Cuz what it has been.
I’d be hopeful but I have Pluto hitting my moon soon and when he goes into Aquarius, he’ll be conjunct my Jupiter while squaring my Mars.
Anyone else have 12-14 Pluto transits before 50?
I know you say Pluto transits last a year … but it’s more like 2-2.5 years each.
Let’s manifest a spaceship and blow up Pluto. Who’s game?
I wrote in google search : (Pluto Transit alchemy) so this post came out and I wanted to thank you . Pluto transited literally all my planets one after another (conjuncted my sun,Venus, mercury in Sagittarius 6th house, opposited my ascendant, conjuncted my Neptune,Uranus,Saturn in Capricorn 7th house; it is now in applying opposition to my natal retrograde Chiron in cancer 1st house(2 degrees away) and soon will conjunct my north node in 29 degrees Capricorn 7th house) . Total SOLITUDE is my state now , literally I don’t talk , just sitting alone reading and processing how INTENSE is all of this. And you are right about ( the fear of fear) especially because now Saturn is in my 8th so a double whammy! But deep inside I know I’m getting stronger . I named my self (the healing butterfly) so at the right timing I will be out of this caterpillar mode!
Thank you for this excellent guide! Looked and looked and this was the only truly profound and helpful information I have found on Pluto transits.
This is one of the most relatable posts I’ve read about Pluto transits.
I too have a Capricorn stellium. In 6H. With my 14 Sun, 26 Moon. Uranus and Neptune making 1 degree conjunctions to my sun, and N.Node making a 4 degree conjunction.
My sun Pluto transit was extremely hard in retrospect. Although at that time I had no idea I was going through it. My moon transit however, has been the most emotionally challenging experience of my life.
As of today pluto is 0 degrees conjunct my moon. This being the 3rd pass. The first being around February-August of 2020.
I was still with my then husband. Someone I truly believed to be my soulmate at the time. (Although I cringe at that thought now.)
In Feb of 2020 I met a man who I felt psychically connected to. The meeting this person began to make me question everything. Everything I thought I knew about “love”. And even myself. He became someone I couldn’t shake. He called out my toxic reactions in a way that didn’t make me feel judged. Things I had never noticed about myself before. This started my journey of self reflection. Everything about me started feeling like it was on the precipice of something huge. I could feel change coming in my bones.
Just as quickly I started to notice things about my husband that I had perhaps just never been able to admit were toxic. Like the Neptunian veil and pedestal I had put him on had been snatched away.
In March (as we all know), the pandemic had become official. And I was then forced to spend even more time with him. I started to see so clearly all of the ways he was really bad for me. Was holding me back. Not someone that would ever be able to support my growth. I could now barely stand him most of the time. Yet at the same time was scared of change and letting go. I tried several times. But couldn’t go through with it.
But. Pluto being Pluto I of course had no choice. In a very short time I became painfully aware of how much low vibration surrounded him. Things I never knew about him were popping up everywhere, until finally it became so bad that it was screaming at me. He had a shadow side that was literally no longer safe to keep in my life.
At the end of August, 2020, I abruptly kicked him out. Divorced him, and never saw him again.
Ever since then my growth has been something that is always at the forefront almost like a constant adrenaline rush. I feel like I’m in a speed racer car and everything around me is happening and all I can do is let go and try to make it through the waves.
My friend who I met at the beginning is still my closest male friend. Someone I definitely have an attachment to. But have learned and grown from that in a healthier way every single day. It’s forced me to grow. To ask myself questions about my feelings. I journal everyday and I now can’t even relate to the person I was a year ago.
After this transit I know I’ll no longer subconsciously choose partners that aren’t supportive of my growth. And even though Pluto has flipped my world upside down, I couldn’t be more grateful. It’s been the most emotionally exhausting things I’ve ever experienced… I’ve been on my floor in fetal position from the unbearable feeling of loneliness that feels like death. But it’s also given me so much energy and power. Because I made it through those times. I no longer rely on other people to feel powerful. I know I’m powerful. I know my value. And no one will ever take it away from me again.
I should mention that my Moon sextiles my Pluto (4H) at 4 degrees. Which may help me? I’m not sure.
It also makes a square to my midheaven in 9H. And Semi-sextiles to Mercury and Mars in 5H, all 0-2 degrees.