(Astrobutterfly.com)
Pluto is in its last days in Capricorn. Soon – on Nov. 19th, 2024 – Pluto will enter Aquarius, marking the dawn of a new era.
Bye bye Pluto in Capricorn. Hello Pluto in Aquarius!
How will we navigate this monumental shift?
There is one transit that holds the KEY to this transformational process.
Mars Opposite Pluto – From Pluto in Capricorn to Pluto in Aquarius
That transit is Mars opposite Pluto.
Mars opposite Pluto is active throughout Pluto’s final stretch in Capricorn (Pluto at 29° Capricorn), up until April 2025, when Pluto reaches the 3rd degree of Aquarius.
This is a looong process. Normally Mars opposite Pluto is a 3-4 day transit – but because of the upcoming Mars retrogradation, the Mars-Pluto opposition will linger much longer.
Mars and Pluto will be locked in opposition for a record 6 months, with the first exact aspect occurring on November 3rd, 2024, and the final one on April 27th, 2025.
This tension has already been building since mid-October and will peak on November 3rd, 2024, when Mars (at 29° Cancer) directly opposes Pluto (at 29° Capricorn).
This opposition, occurring at a cardinal anaretic degree, promises to be especially intense and transformative.
Mars Opposite Pluto – The Birthing of the Age Of Aquarius
This is the final push, much like the climax of a birthing process.
The Mars-Pluto opposition might feel like a long, painful birth of Pluto in Aquarius. Nothing great comes easy, and this is no exception. It’s the universe’s way of making sure we are truly prepared. “Are you ready for this? Are you really ready for this?”
The Mars-Pluto opposition accompanying Pluto’s shift from Capricorn to Aquarius reminds me of the Judgement card in the Tarot deck.
The Judgement card symbolizes themes of rebirth and awakening. People are rising from their graves, called forth by the blowing of an angel’s trumpet.
When Pluto moves from Capricorn (earth) into Aquarius (air), it will urge us to leave behind what’s stagnant and heavy, shifting our awareness toward spiritual growth.
In the coming decades, the material, earth-bound approach will no longer be the default reality.
This is a pivotal moment in time. It’s a time to weigh the consequences of our choices and act with integrity and self-awareness.
But how do we make the leap from Pluto in Capricorn and give birth to the new age of Pluto in Aquarius?
Mars – The Courage to Break Free
Mars – as the personal planet in this aspect – will show us how to proceed.
On the outer level, this transition involves shifting societal structures (Capricorn to Aquarius); on an inner level, it’s about evolving from Cancer to Leo consciousness.
Cancer represents the infant in need of nurturing and support, while Leo symbolizes the empowered child who has become an individual, no longer requiring constant supervision.
To make the plunge into this new era, we must transform fear into courage, release any victim mentality, and stop playing small.
The ‘elite,’ the leaders, the patriarchy, or however we choose to define it (Capricorn), only exists in a world where people – consciously or not – accept submission and remain in a passive, child-like, subordinate state of consciousness.
Pluto In Aquarius – The Long Road to Freedom
In a world where the infant (Cancer) grows up and asserts themselves (Leo), the promise of freedom and self-sovereignty is naturally granted (Aquarius).
That’s not to say that Pluto in Aquarius will be all rainbows and unicorns – far from it (I will write more about Pluto in Aquarius in the coming weeks). However, this new Aquarian era will require a different operating model.
With Pluto, we need to be prepared, because if we don’t go there willingly, Pluto will come and get us, much like Hades seizing Persephone.
What needs to happen? There’s no safe journey to the underworld – no shortcuts or guarantees. To birth the new, we must first shred the old to pieces.
Mars Opposite Pluto – Birthing Pluto in Aquarius
The birth of Pluto in the Aquarius era, accompanied by the intense Mars-Pluto opposition, will feel at times much like an exorcism of the past.
Birthing is a difficult process. We shift from one state of being to another. Giving birth involves surrendering control, trusting the body’s innate wisdom, and embracing the mystery of life unfolding.
Labor demands complete submission, along with all the fear, anxiety, or panic that may arise – especially for those who struggle with letting go or facing unknown outcomes. There is no bypassing the discomfort.
Birthing can surface unresolved emotional wounds and past traumas. It’s something about the intensity of this process that reconnects us with the deepest, most vital, and vulnerable parts of ourselves.
Ultimately, birthing requires a shift in identity, which can bring unexpected grief for the loss of the old self.
Birthing is synonymous with transformation – new life emerges, but only by confronting fears and letting go of the attachments that once held us back.
Pluto Transits and Pluto Oppositions
Pluto transits are slow because the transformation process is slow. Transformation takes time because it takes us a long time to process the depths of our subconscious.
This is why we often struggle to understand our intense emotions or instinctual responses right away. It’s also why genuine apologies don’t come easily – they require integration, awareness, and the patience to fully understand our actions.
Oppositions are perhaps the most challenging aspects, even more so than squares.
Squares give us options. Think of a square as a crossroad, where you have the choice to go in one direction or another.
With an opposition however, there is no choice – there is one linear path, and whether you go North or South, you are confined by the ‘rules’ of that path.
You can’t go off course. You have to stay there, moving back and forth, exploring the tension of the opposites for as long as needed – for as long as it takes to have a breakthrough.
Pluto transits – especially oppositions – often strip away our innocence. The harder we try to escape, chase the light, or cling to a single answer, the stronger the underworld’s pull becomes, revealing secrets, shadows, and truths that challenge our sense of identity and disrupt our lives.
The more we try to move North, the stronger the gravitational force pulling us South. The higher we aim, the deeper we fall.
More than anything, Pluto wants us to own our shadow, rather than projecting it onto others, life circumstances, or external events.
Our ‘unowned’ Pluto may manifest as a fear of being weak, disguised by a defensive attitude. Or it could be a fear of our own power, causing us to overcompensate by shrinking back or playing small.
Mars Opposite Pluto – Inner Strength, Outer Alignment
Mars opposite Pluto wants us to own our power – and at the same time, be aware of the limits of our personal power.
“God, grant me the serenity to accept that which cannot be changed, courage to change that which can be changed, and wisdom to know the difference” —the Serenity Prayer.
The Age of Aquarius’ long-awaited promise of freedom is not a given – it must be earned.
It won’t happen automatically; it’s something that Pluto will help us create.
It’s not an action item on the world leaders’ agenda; rather, it’s the result of cultivating self-awareness and autonomy within each and every one of us.
There is a reason why Aquarius follows Capricorn. There is a reason why Leo follows Cancer. It’s only by putting in the work and learning the rules of the system (Capricorn), that we earn freedom (Aquarius).
It’s only by coming to terms with our vulnerability (Cancer) that we find the courage to reveal our true selves to the world (Leo).
This metaphorical birthing process WILL feel challenging at an individual level (Mars opposite Pluto).
However, at a meta level, there is divine harmony – Pluto is sextile Neptune and trine Uranus. There is perfect alignment in the cosmos.
No matter how intense this Mars opposite Pluto transit becomes, remember that everything is exactly as it should be. Everything makes perfect sense in the bigger picture. Trust the process, and remember that the only way out is through.
