Stellar Insights: March 20 - 26
Changing of the Guards: Vernal Equinox + Pluto Enters Aquarius
We’re about to experience a changing of the guards, on both a micro and macro level.
The micro level is related to the seasonal shift upon us. On Monday, the Vernal Equinox occurs and with this spring springs forth in the Northern Hemisphere and fall falls upon those in the Southern Hemisphere. This moment always coincides with the Sun swimming away from receptive Pisces and charging into initiating Aries. And with that, we may find ourselves with a flashier swing in our step and a desire to be in movement and charge into action.
Just a day after this the Aries New Moon arrives. With Aries the first sign of the zodiac and New Moons marking a moment of beginnings, there’s a strident sense of fresh and new that blazes in on Tuesday. For more insights on the Aries New Moon and the conjunction of Venus and the North Node that also occurs on Tuesday, see this article I shared this weekend. (Note that while the full article is accessible for paid subscribers, I have made the overview sections available to everyone.)
Regarding the changing of the guards on a macro level, we have a big movement this week, that of Pluto moving from Capricorn to Aquarius. The significance of this rests in the fact that Pluto, as the outermost planet, has the longest orbit, and therefore stays in a sign for quite a while. As such, when it takes up new residence, it’s quite noteworthy.
Pluto’s invitation is to strip things down to the core, to expose the underbelly, and exhume that which may be decayed that resides below the surface. It reveals what has reached its expiration date and accords with a deconstruction/death of that which is not life-affirming for there to be the possibility of a reconstruction/rebirth of what is. Additionally, Pluto is associated with power and control, who has it and who doesn’t, and just what these concepts themselves even mean. During Pluto’s sojourn in a sign, we may witness a deep transformation in the realms that that sign governs.
For example, in 2008 Pluto moved into Capricorn, the sign related to business, economics, finances, the patriarchy, architecture, and government. It was that same year that we experienced a significant financial crisis, with a sizeable economic contraction: a period that came to be known as The Great Recession.
It’s striking that as Pluto has gotten set to buzz into Aquarius, that as it has traversed the end of Capricorn, we have experienced another instance of the instability of financial institutions with the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and others. It’s interesting to see the parallels that occurred as Pluto began and ended its tenure in Capricorn, including for example this headline from the Seattle Times – How Silicon Valley Bank echoes WaMu and the Panic of 2008.
Whether we have learned anything about banking regulations and systemic financial protections during this period is yet to be seen. That said, note that Pluto is not done with its Capricorn residence as it will be back there from June 11, 2023 through January 20, 2024 and then again in 2024 from September 1 to November 19. We should keep an eye on how economic systems, governmental organizations, financial regulations, and other Capricornian arenas transform and retransform during this period.
Pluto in Aquarius
March 23, 2023 - June 11, 2023
January 20, 2024 - September 1, 2024
November 19, 2024 - March 25, 2043
OK, now let’s turn our attention to Pluto in Aquarius and what that may bring, what could occur when the planet of the deep dive is in the sign of futuristic visions. The first place to start is remembering that Aquarius is associated with technology and inventions. The bursting forth onto the scene of artificial intelligence applications (AI) like ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, Microsoft’s Sydney, and others over the last months feels like a preview of Pluto in Aquarius. AI applications have the capacity to revolutionize society in yet to be discovered ways. For certain, they will cause shifts in the labor market: which jobs are vulnerable to be replaced with machine learning devices and which are immune to its impacts will be something we may want to keep our eyes upon. What other impacts it will have and who will it be that amasses Plutonian power because of these shifts is something we will witness.
Additionally, Aquarius is also associated with science, logistics, space, social causes, the future and r/evolutions. How these realms may transmute, and how old outworn structures built within them may experience a reckoning, is something we will likely collectively experience.
The Last Two Pluto in Aquarius Transits
January 26, 1778 – December 27, 1798
February 2, 1532 – January 31, 1553 | October 3, 1553 – Dec 3, 1553
When we think about cultural invitations and trends related to astrology (what I called astrotrends), it’s always interesting to look back to the past so that we may get glimpses in to the future. Related to other cycles of technological breakthroughs, when Pluto was in Aquarius during the 16th century, there was the publishing of De humani corporis fabrica, which was a series of seven books that were key in progressing the world’s understanding of human anatomy. And then during its passage in the 18th century, there were numerous advances including the founding of the patent office in the U.S., the establishment of U.S. copyright law, the introduction of the metric system in France, and the administration of the first vaccine (the smallpox vaccine by Edward Jenner).
Reflecting that Aquarius is also the sign related to evolution and revolution, we see that during Pluto’s passage in this sign during the 16th century, there was the rise of Henry VIII and the English Reformation; this resulted in the Church of England’s breakaway from the Roman Church and papal authority as well as the establishment of the theory of the divine rights of kings to lead the church. In Pluto’s 18th century passage through Aquarius, the American Revolution occurred as did the establishment of the U.S. Constitution and the founding of the country. Other significant power-of-the-people movements that took place around this time included the French Revolution and the Irish Rebellion.
Another of the key realms related to Aquarius is that of space. Looking back to the last two times this astrological event occurred we can see the occurrence of some significant breakthroughs. During the 16thcentury transit, we had the publication by Copernicus of On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres; it was quite revolutionary given it shifted the understanding of the universe through its proposition of the heliocentric model, moving collective understanding away from thinking that the Earth was at its center. And then when Pluto was in Aquarius in the 18th Century, William Hershel discovered Uranus (which coincidentally is the modern-day ruler of Aquarius) and his sister Caroline became the first woman to ever discover a comet.
As Pluto is set to move into Aquarius, I thought it would be interesting to share some preliminary insights into what this changing of the guards may inspire for us collectively. I hope that it gives you a sense of foresight into what we may expect in the coming decades.
Wishing you a wonderful week,
As well as a Happy Equinox and New Moon,
xxStephanie
Astrological Highlights
March 20: Sun/Pluto Sextile; Sun enters Aries (Vernal Equinox)
March 21: Aries New Moon, Venus Conjunct North Node
March 23: Pluto enters Aquarius
March 25: Mars enters Cancer
March 26: Mercury/Chiron Conjunction
All days reflect Eastern Daylight Time (-4 hours GMT)
Photos: Carson Arias Dygt, Travis Essinger, This is Engineering, and Michael Dziedzic, all via Unsplash
Saturn in Pisces in the News
While I have noticed myself being really interested in Saturn moving through Pisces (hence the series of articles I’ve been crafting for Stellar Insights related to this planetary period and this resources page I created on my website), I’ve recently realized that it’s not just me. While astrologers and media outlets that feature insights on astrology have been focusing upon it, what’s fascinating to me is to see it in more popular culture outlets. It feels like yet another bellwether moment of astrology’s continued integration into our cultural language.
New York Magazine: For example, I just saw that in the current installation of New York Magazine’s Approval Matrix, they include a nod to it, noting “a destabilizing panic about Saturn purportedly entering Pisces may be foolish…” near other entries for such news as “French unions at war with Macron over raising the retirement age to when they are 64” and “Bob Fosse’s Dancing’ is back on Broadway after four decades.” Here’s where to view it (to see the Saturn in Pisces nod, look for the picture of the planet about halfway down the page and a bit to the right).
New Day Northwest: I have been on this wonderful Seattle lifestyle show numerous times speaking about astrology subjects such as the Moon and how astrology can give you insights about your character and temperament. Yet, I was surprised—and yet delighted—when the producer reached out to me to say that they were interested in doing a segment on Saturn in Pisces, given that I thought that the subject was quite niche for lay audiences. Suffice it to say with my fascination with Saturn in Pisces (perhaps because that’s my natal placement and I have lots of planets in the sign of the fish), I was thrilled to talk a bit about it. You can see the clip here.
If you’ve seen Saturn in Pisces mentioned in outlets that don’t necessarily focus on astrology, I’d love if you could share your sighting. You can email me or place the info in the comments section below.
Also, reflecting what I just noted about my strong interest in this planetary period, I’ve decided to offer several classes dedicated to it, the first of which will be on the Saturn Return. Stay tuned for details coming in next week’s newsletter.
Photo: Erda Estermera, via Unsplash
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