Aries always brings excitement to the table. Being the impulsive, impetuous force of creation, it simply can’t help but to provoke and initiate. It is the cardinal fire sign ruled by passionate, adventurous Mars, and consequently has an imperative to poke, probe and pioneer. This three week cycle begins with the Sun’s entrance into Aries on the 20th, and a new Aries Moon on the 21st. The Sun and Moon are signaling that something entirely new is at hand, and their presence in groundbreaking Aries is a fitting welcome for Pluto’s initial ingress into Aquarius, on March 23rd. Though it will be moving between Capricorn and Aquarius through November 2024, Pluto’s transit of Aquarius will last for over 20 years, making this week’s sign change an epochal event. From March 23rd until June 11th, Pluto will give us the first impressions of its next endeavor.
Pluto’s last journey through Aquarius occurred from 1778 through 1798. During that time, revolutions, or wars for independence, were waged in America, Haiti, France and Ireland. The French call for “Liberté, égalité and fraternité” is well suited to the humanitarianism, innovation and lofty ideals that are associated with astrology’s 11th sign. Add a long, heavy dose of Pluto’s transformative power, and significant societal changes become very possible under this combination. 2024 for instance, will see presidential elections in Russia and the USA. Both countries are currently considered to be superpowers, so the results of these elections will have broad global implications. Their impact may well last throughout Pluto’s entire Aquarius visit. Are we moving toward multi-polarity? Will the US dollar lose its status as the world’s reserve currency? In the spring of 2023, only the first glimpses of coming events will be given. That said, clues about those larger geopolitical trends and what else this Pluto Aquarius transit may bring are most likely to surface from mid to late May.
On May 16th, Jupiter will enter the fixed earth sign of Taurus, and on the 20th, Mars will enter Leo, the fixed fire sign. With Pluto at 0° of fixed Aquarius, its square to Jupiter will be exact on the 17th, followed by its opposition to Mars on the 20th. Because Pluto is an outer planet, the influence of its interactions with the other planets lasts for days, weeks and, some would argue, months. The Leo Moon of May 24-26th should round out this t-square phase and close this particular window into the future. Pluto will retrograde back into Capricorn on June 11th and not return to Aquarius until January of next year. The Sun’s yearly arrival into astrology’s first sign always signifies new beginnings. In 2023, its import stretches well beyond the immediate solar and lunar cycles.