Pluto in Aquarius 2024 - 2043

I'm republishing this post which I wrote nearly a year ago, in May 2024. Quite a lot of water has flowed fast beneath the bridge since then, and things which I mentioned have moved on, and have become more prominent on a global scale. I shall follow this post up shortly, with some additional thoughts on Pluto in Aquarius, so watch this space.....

Pluto has entered Aquarius, and it's almost as if it quietly slipped in under the radar of global bad news about Ukraine, Gaza and Israel, along with the growing clamour of interest and concern about our climate emergency. All that rain...all those landslides, floods and heatwaves...all those devastating tornadoes....all those crops going rotten in the wet ground....

In view of the current volatile state of the world and the line up of dominant hard-right world leaders, plus the growing proliferation of AI, it's not entirely comforting to speculate on what might be around in the years ahead. Pluto moved from Capricorn into Aquarius in January 2024, and will hang around near the doorstep then drop back into Capricorn for a final last look around in September/October before taking residence more decisively in Aquarius, where it will stay until 2043. Then it begins to dither on the doorstep of Pisces.

But that's a long while off. And as 2024 to 2043 is one helluva long time, a lot could happen given where things are at now. For me, Pluto in Aquarius and the rapid development of AI seem to go hand im hand, not neccessarily in a good way. It depends who is using the AI, and how.

I'm not going to attempt to interpret what could happen - but I'll throw out a few suggestions of what the Pluto in Aquarius years might hold, based on key words and characteristics of Pluto's energies and Aquarius' traits. You can think about them, speculate and combine them for yourself. And please share them in feedback too.

Pluto

All the manifestations and energies of the planets can be viewed, experienced and expressed at different levels - asleep, waking and awake. 

Pluto asleep (unaware, at it's most basic) can be manipulative, power-driven, using personal will to dominate and control others (does that ring bells with certain world leaders...?). Waking and awake, there will be greater acknowledgement of power and it's uses and application - for the greater good to benefit humanity rather than for personal aggrandisement. Pluto energy is also about transforming, bringing about change by clearing out the dross and leaving behind what is no longer relevant or useful. This could be a tough call. What might fall by the wayside? Over to you reader, for thoughts and suggestions on this.

Aquarius

Qualities and traits for this sign are independence, freedom, "don't pin me down", new ideas/inventions which will ultimately make things easier for all, scientific advances (AI and all it's manifestations fall into the Aquarius arena), quirky thinking outside the box, a tendency towards fixity (fixed ideas - how might that work with Pluto asleep?), co-operation with like-minded people. How might some of these traits combine with Pluto at the different levels. Once again, over to you. Can you come up with some positive takes? The more negative ones could be scary.....

Yet on the plus side, it's really down to us as individuals to shape the way we want the world we live in to be, and we can only individually do this in small ways. And it's vitally important that we do it. That we use our power of one (Pluto on the personal level) to speak up/about/ for and against, vote for what we believe is right, not what is "expected" of us by anyone else, and that we participate in some way to express our feelings. 

This might be to write a letter to powers that be, be brave enough to take a stand, go on a demo or march, support a positive cause or movement - there are endless options that require a bit of energy which will combat any feelings of helplessness that might be around. 

These are just suggestions and a few rambling thoughts that have come up for me whilst considering Pluto in Aquarius. If you have thoughts on this too, feel free to share them.

 

Trashing the Transpersonals

Freedom....Compassion....Generosity....Love....Honesty....

Truth....Friendship....Goodwill....Trust....Responsibility....

Creativity....Service....Inclusiveness....Joy....Authenticity....

This list is just a few of the transpersonal qualities which everyone will recognise and will potentially aspire towards expressing in their everyday lives, because most people reading this are likely to have grown up in a society where these, and similar qualities, were encouraged and rewarded.

So what's happening? Where is the expression of these and other beneficient qualities in our everyday lives? They're all still there somewhere, they've not gone away. But you might be tempted to think otherwise in our fractured, needy world at the moment.

I have faith that they are there, but it seems that wherever we turn right now there's strife, hardship, inequality, war, disrespect and despoiling of the environment, and a general trashing and disregard for all that is held vital in keeping life on an even keel.

Here in the UK we have only to look at the current upheaval and dramatic scenes at Westminster as the government has unravelled under a weak leader who set out on a course to demolish any chance of comfort and prosperity for lots of people - unless, of course, they happen to be filthy rich. 

Things are progressing so fast that before I finished writing this, the UK Prime Minister, Liz Truss, had left office (following hot on the heels of her predecessor, the Dreaded Boris the Liar), hounded out by a crowd of her own disgruntled MPs who were involved last night in a brawl over voting in the House of Commons. Unprecedented and disgraceful.

A general trashing of the transpersonal qualities is a contributory factor and there seems to be a lot of it about. A fish rots from the head down. It comes from the top and the example set by leaders who seem to think they can get away with anything. Just because. Maybe because they think they're so important and invincible in their lofty positions of so-call power? Not part of the "hoi polloi" (aka common, ordinary people)?

Do they - those in power - actually care about the people of the country I wonder? Government ministers appear not to be doing their jobs (note, the word minister has embedded in its meaning the task of ministering to the needs of others - being caring, kind, offering service in their role as minister - to administrate).

From where I'm viewing it, there has been a whole lot of self-seeking and not a lot of inclusivity about for some time. Transpersonal qualities have been trashed in favour of lining pockets and filling off-shore bank accounts. Financial cuts have been made, almost as if they've been designed to create more hardship for those in need, while those with comfortaby lined pockets pick up bonuses.

Transpersonal energies and qualities (those beyond the personal "me" stuff and a part of the human collective) in astrological psychology are to be found in the planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. When all are operating on their highest level, through and via us and our expression of them, we have:

Uranus -  bringing change, being innovative, creative, thinking outside the box, and taking a scientific approach to making life easier....but of course, the old has to bow out and make way for the new, which can be resisted.

Neptune - helping us forge connections with all other living beings and with nature and the natural world, the environment, will be very concerned about our climate emergency and may draw on the innovation of Uranian thinking and research to help here. Neptune helps us identify with others, so altruistic action, for example,  contributing to food banks and helping out in the community in other ways in these trying times.

Pluto - encourages us to clean up and rid ourselves of old, often corrupted and outworn systems and ways of doing things. (now why does the UK Tory party, determined to hold on to power at all costs, come to mind here? It looks to me as if its time is up). With Pluto we have to move on, leave the old stuff behind and find new ways forward.

I've written about the positions of these three planets several times since 2008, when Pluto entered the sign of Capricorn and there was a global economic crisis. You can read about what I said here, but I encourage you to do your own search on this blog as I've written about the planetary movements of all three transpersonal planets as well as Saturn and Jupiter, which have joined the game from time to time.

Search for Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Saturn and Jupiter - there's quite a lot on all of these because Pluto will be sitting there in Capricorn until 2024, so there's a way to go yet. 

Right now, Uranus is making another square aspect to Pluto, which is a bit of a dead ringer for what's happening right now, so take a look at Uranus square Pluto in your search.

And last of all - remember to bring a touch of the transpersonals into your everyday life and interactions. The transpersonals shouldn't be trashed, they should be treasured and shared.

The Four-Fold Way

Some time back in the 1990s I came across the Four-Fold Way, which was referred to at a personal growth workshop I attended. The Four-Fold Way was attributed to anthropologist Angeles Arrien, and I was impressed by it’s four simple points of wisdom:

 

· Show up and choose to be present

· Pay attention to what has heart and meaning

· Tell the truth without blame of judgement

· Be open to outcome, not attached to outcome

 

This led me to read her book, entitled The Four-Fold Way - Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Teacher, Healer and Visionary. The book, its content and ethos have come back to mind right now. The times we are currently living in are full of change and divisions within society. Climate breakdown is not new, but the need to take on board and address the problems we're making for ourselves and future generations now have to urgently be addressed.

It's time for us all to start taking responsibility for ourselves and stop moaning.

Angeles Arrien suggests four paths we might take, and her opening sentence, way back in 1992 when the book was published, is pressingly relevant today. She says,

"Today it is imperative that we pay attention to ecological issues. Our planet, the house we live in, is in danger of becoming unliveable, due primarily to the neglect of our own industrialised society. It is clear we need to take action before it is too late."

She goes on to say that the word ecology comes from the Greek word oikos, which means house, in other words our "house", our planet.

The four ways she describes can be shown diagrammatically using the medicine wheel layout and includes the four points of the compass, and the four elements of fire, earth, air and water. Each Way has a single line description which more or less lays out what it's about.

The Way of the Warrior - Show up and choose to be present- the message here is to stip dillydallying about and do something, take action. The associated human resource is power, the way of living is right action.

The Way of the Healer - Pay attention to what has heart and meaning - this suggests don't allow yourself to get distracted (by smart phones, social media etc?) but remain in touch with what is really important and connected to your heart. The associated human resource is, unsurprisingly, love; the way of living is right speech.

The Way of the Visionary - Tell the truth without blame or judgement - here we have to remember to speak our own truth, be true to ourselves, and not take on board what others have tried to foist upon us. This can be a tough one as it's much easier to go along with things we don't really agree with in order to fit in, or keep the peace. And we have to remember not to blame or judge ourselves and others. The associated human resource here is vision, and the way of living, right placement.

The Way of the Teacher - Be open to outcome, not attached to outcome - the message is to stay open to the new and not have an end goal in mind. A good teacher will always be open to new ideas and viewpoints because so much fruitful material can come from staying open and learning more. Good teachers are always learning! The associated human resource is wisdom and the way of living is right timing.

Angeles Arrien’s work as an anthropologist, educator and facilitator of workshops aims to build a bridge between cultural anthropology, psychology and comparative religions, revealing how indigenous wisdoms are relevant to our families, professional lives and our relationship with the Earth itself. There is something in The Four-Fold Way for all who wish to develop themselves, their potential and their ability to live life creatively, and we need this approach more than ever right now, in our current times.

“Do all the good you can, with all the means you can, in all the ways you can, to all the people you can, as long as you can” - Angeles Arrien.

 

Billionaire Man and the Climate Emergency

Dead trees, parched earth, Lake Amistad, Texas

I'm reblogging this thought-provoking blog post from I Can't Believe it!, written by my other half. There's a question for you at the end - please feel free to comment and say what'd you'd do with a billion pounds.

 What would you do if you had a billion pounds?

Would you follow the technological dream of science and the colonial dream of new physical horizons, and fund a space program to take humanity another step down this road that has supposedly served us so well for hundreds of years – exploitation of supposedly virgin lands, ignorant of the life that is there? Become so convinced of the magnificence of your own ego and exceptionality, that you insist on being one of the first to go into space? Even model your spacecraft to resemble a large penis as you exhibit your contempt for lesser humans?

Or would you do something to help repair the earth and nature that has been ravaged by that technological/colonial dream, to the degree that our ecosystem is now under extreme threat, both in its loss of biodiversity, in its drowning in its own pollution, in the breakdown of its long-stable climate – all effects which have been made worse by you and your like, the rich and powerful extracting money from ‘the system’ to a degree that is surely obscene and has deprived the public purse everywhere of the means to ensure a decent life and environment for all, even undermining the democratic systems that of course put limits on your individual power.

Psychologically, the first path is chosen in humanity’s adolescence, the creation of ego that we all go through. Some appear to remain arrested at this increasingly narcissistic stage – ageing egos going in a circle of their multiple houses, yachts, private jets, exclusive parties, security obsession, separation from the masses. 

But modern psychological knowledge means we now know that this ego process is just the first stage of our development, as we grow to maturity, transcend our individual ego concerns and becoming co-operating adults and gradually becoming wiser and more spiritual. Our concern is wider than the individual; it is the good of the whole and all its parts.

Of course, this is also the perspective that will enable us to address all those problems that we have created in the world around us. Restoration of our living ecosystem becomes of paramount importance, the space ego trip seems somehow irrelevant. Not that we should not have more space programs, but that they are hardly today’s top priority.

So what would you do with your billion? And if you had more than one billion, why? What a weight of responsibility to have so much money, the weight of so much of the earth on your own shoulders? What on earth would you do, and why?

The ideas came to me after reading Prof Tim Jackson’s excellent post on The Billionaire space race; the ultimate symbol of capitalism’s flawed obsession with growth. Do read it.