Reflections on Pluto in Capricorn

Deconstructing and Reconstructing What Integrity Looks Like

As the slowest moving planet in astrology, Pluto spends the most time in each sign. As it does, it invokes a deeply-seated transformation in the realms associated with the zodiacal sign it tenants, forging the backdrop of generational and zeitgeist shifts.

Pluto has been in Capricorn since 2008. This year, it’s set to formally move into Aquarius, after having a short stint there in 2023 (March 23 - June 11). It will so do on January 20, and then do a quick revisit of Capricorn from September 1 through November 19, until it finally bounds into Aquarius for its extended stay (through 2043).

Given that 2024 is the final swan song of Pluto residing in Capricorn (at least for our lifetimes), I thought to write this short overview on what it may have signaled and offered.

A Pluto Review

When a planet tenants a sign, it applies its archetypal invitations to the realms of life related to that zodiacal sphere. Astrologically, Pluto is related to death and rebirth, to a deconstruction that leads to an ideally more holistic reconstruction. It may expose the decay and the sh*t, and and tear down that which has reached its expiration date and no longer has vitality. It can be a volcanic force that reveals; it points us towards facts that have been shrouded and kept from view. It exhumes that which is buried, with an uncovering that can lead to a recovering that can be generative.

This reveal can be of the things, principles, and beliefs we’ve kept in the dark, to our shadow material, whether individual or collective. And while the shadow can be kept at bay, it isn’t ever extinguished, and instead of being understood and experienced consciously, it can express itself rather loudly and unconsciously. And so, while Pluto’s pull to bring our attention to that shadow can be challenging, invariably it can lead to a deeper level of reconciliation and healing.

Pluto points us towards the concepts of power and control—who has it, who doesn’t (and helps us to understand what it actually is). It lifts the veils, pulls apart the curtains, so we can see where power and control have been amassed, seeing whether that yields life-affirming or life-depleting outcomes. Pluto connects us to the experience of surviving and thriving, and may help us to discern the difference.

Pluto in Capricorn

Let’s shift our attention now to Capricorn to understand the last decade-plus through seeing it through the lens of Pluto’s sojourn here. Capricorn is an earth sign, one that encompasses qualities such as productive, efficient, hardworking, ambitious, disciplined, loyal, and dedicated. Capricorn is conservative. It honors time and reveres the long game.

It governs the structures, infrastructure, and organizing principles, the skeletal system around which society centers itself. This includes the economy, governments, businesses, institutions, architecture, and real estate. It also embraces traditional approaches, those that have been woven through history. Related to the body, it rules the bones, joints, and skin. And, Capricorn, as ruled by Saturn, is a sign that is connected to the father and the patriarchy.

And so here’s let’s-reveal-what’s-hidden Pluto moving through Capricorn, and what do we experience? A from-the-bones shift in many of those realms.

First off, just as it entered Capricorn in 2008, we were in the throes of the financial crisis, with semi-meltdowns of economic markets, mortgage defaults, and the failure of seeming standard bearers such as Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual, and others. The economic foundations were shocked, and we saw the unsustainability of (and damage caused by) the systemic economic structures. Pluto ‘revealed’ that houses of cards cannot stand forever and eventually crumble if their foundations are not integral.

During this period, we’ve been questioning our collective infrastructure. This included the roads, railroad systems, electric grids, and other structures that make up the tangible groundwork of how a society moves about and powers their lives.

Faced with a pandemic, we’ve seen the integrity (or lack of) of the healthcare system. COVID-19 also inspired a re-arrangement of priorities, with many people no longer wanting to just accept the traditional ways by which they were living; many moved from cities and created new lifestyle frameworks. This re-arrangement shook up traditional labor markets and how businesses operate. And, of course, there was the impact of the work-from-home movement which has sent shudders through the traditional real estate market

There’s been a shift in how the patriarchy is seen, with a wave of calling it out for the inequity in which it steeped and of which it propagates. There’s been greater questioning of why power is concentrated in the hands of those who have had it for eons, based solely upon gender. And, of course, let’s not forget about the #MeToo movement, which pulled back the curtain more publicly on sexual harassment occurring in the workplace.

The U.S. Declaration of Independence was published in 1776, when Pluto was at 27 degrees Capricorn. As such, over the last years, this country has experienced its Pluto Return. Another evocation of this astrological factor is an even deeper realization of how racism colors our collective lens. As we grapple with this ugliness and our collective shadow, may this realization spark a deeply transformative shift in the constitution of our beliefs, so that we actually embrace what liberty and justice for all truly means (perhaps this will occur more deeply with Pluto in Aquarius).

Also, during Pluto’s final throes in Capricorn, and reflecting back to its 18th century passage, we are also seeing whether the deep foundations of our national structure will be eroded or will be renewed as the democratic principle upon which this country was founded faces an existential threat. (The 2024 elections take place with Pluto at 29 degrees Capricorn, where it is this week of January 15, as I am writing this article.)

And finally, speaking of existential threats and Pluto in Capricorn, during this past decade-plus, there has been more and more alarm bells sounded regarding the survival of the planet. May the hard Plutonian truths that we have come to understand shift the collective infrastructure of not only our society but our orientation so that we and the natural world may thrive collectively.

I share all this with you not only as a reflection of the past years but also as themes to look for this year. Perhaps not only to inquire about but also to see how we can each play a role in galvanizing our own inner power and taking control to advocate for a more sustainable and integrity-oriented world. May that be Pluto in Capricorn’s gift to us.

Photos: Waranont Joe, Armando Castillejos, and Joakim Nadell