PLUTO IN CAPRICORN
2008-2023
Pluto was last in Capricorn in the 1770's during the first
American Revolution.
Is another on the horizon?

By Shelley L. Ackerman
[From Shelley's weekly 'Shimmering Stars' column in
The Westchester Guardian, © 2008]

Well, it’s finally here. The long awaited entrance of powerful Pluto into ambitious Capricorn officially takes place on January 25th at 9:37 PM EST. Why is this so important?

When a slow moving outer-planet (like Pluto) changes signs, it’s big news. With a 249 year cycle around the sun, Pluto has not been in Capricorn since the late 1770’s, when the American Revolution was underway. At that time, the three outer planets had not yet been discovered. (Uranus was discovered in 1781, Neptune in 1846, and Pluto in 1930), so in a way, we are in completely new territory.

To get a sense of the impact that an outer planet such as Pluto has on the collective, we need only to review Pluto’s transit through half the zodiac (from Cancer through Sagittarius) in the last 95 years: Pluto purges and transforms all that it touches. We are never the same after a Pluto transit to a personal planet:

Pluto in Cancer: the sign that rules family, security, and tribalism, from roughly 1913-1939. During those years, the family was everything. The Great Depression ensued, FDR was elected and implemented the New Deal and owning one's home became the goal and defined ‘The American Dream’. People had extremely deep psychological ties to their country of origin and their ancestry. Mario Puzo, who wrote The Godfather (so Pluto in Cancer) was born in 1925; All of Rose and Joe Kennedy’s children including JFK and RFK were born during this time and their clannishness is emblematic of Pluto in Cancer’s agenda, The "Power Family".

Pluto in Leo: 1939-1955/56. This was the ‘Me’ generation and many of the post WWII Baby Boomers have Pluto in Leo. The Beatles, Diana Ross, Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Jay Leno, John Travolta, David Letterman, Howard Stern, and Oprah Winfrey are examples of the “Forever Young” individualism of Pluto in Leo. This generation puts themselves first: Many have either delayed or forgone marriage and kids all together. Plastic surgery, anti-aging, fun, and ego-expression are crucial to this group.

Pluto in Virgo: 1956-1971. Health, service, cleanliness, and working-out on a regular basis are defining themes for the Pluto in Virgo generation. Tom Cruise, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Demi Moore, Halle Berry, Princess Diana, Brad Pitt, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Rachael Ray are examples of the workaholic/analytic aspect, and ‘obsession with perfection’ quality of the Pluto in Virgo group.

Pluto in Libra: 1971-1984. The social contract was rewritten. Lovers no longer necessarily got married, they lived together. Or if they did marry, and it didn’t turn out as expected divorce was acceptable. The ill-fated marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana (July 29, 1981) illustrated the power-struggle in relationships aspect of Pluto in Libra. Divorce rates rose and extended families became the norm. Gays and lesbians ‘came out of the closet’ and lived openly. The phrase ‘alternative lifestyle’ entered the vernacular. The Women’s Movement blossomed and 1973’s Roe v Wade decision gave women a choice to become a mother or not. The first woman (Sandra Day O’Connor) was appointed to the US Supreme Court. Monica Lewinsky, Drew Barrymore, Britney Spears, Clay Aiken, Kanye West, Prince William, and both Serena and Venus Williams have Pluto in Libra.

Pluto in Scorpio: 1984-1995 AIDS. Sex had consequences and the free-love sexual revolution of the 1960’s (pardon the pun) grinded to a halt. The culture of greed permeated the globe. Sexual child abuse gained exposure. The Oprah show went national and changes the world forever. Prince Harry, Jon Benet Ramsey, Haley Joel Osmont, Jamie Lyn Spears, and Virginia Tech gunman Cho Seung-Hui all have (had) Pluto in Scorpio.

Pluto in Sagittarius: 1995-2008. FUNDAMENTALISM, Violence in Schools/Universities, 9/11, “My God is Better than Your God”, the OJ Simpson trial and Anna Nicole Smith's death as entertainment, Tabloid TV, Outsourcing, Globalization, The Internet, Wi-Fi, Blackberries, Cell Phones, Red State-Blue State, Fox News, Court-TV.

Pluto in Capricorn: 2008-2023. Big Business, world governments, banking, finance, will go through an unprecedented death and rebirth. Entire economic systems will fall by the wayside. Earth changes, loss of privacy, government surveillance, and diminished personal freedom will rise. When Pluto opposes it's 1933 New Deal position in 2019/20 if unchallenged government may become the 'landlord' feudalism will return. Will the oppression give way to the next American Revolution before it’s all over?

ARIES: At last, your ruling planet Mars goes direct on Jan 30th. And while it’s tempting to say that the frustration of the past 10 weeks is over, it would be a bold face lie. A Mars station in Gemini is an oxymoron: It’s as absurd as trying to stand still when you have to go to the bathroom badly. And there’s another Mercury retrograde (through Feb 18) to deal with: This time, friends who said yes to you may be having second thoughts. But this is minor in comparison to the potent Pluto in Capricorn career upheaval that’s a foot. Stay focused and buy a designer skillet for those big fish you’ll be frying.

TAURUS: Normally it’s best to save the drama for your Mama, but she’s busy so you better handle this week’s soap opera on your own. Venus and Pluto at 29 Sagittarius will slam the door on old ways of dealing with an intimate once and for all. And though closing a chapter is tough, this is a classic case of “Out with the old and in with the new”. The shake-up in your 9th house of philosophy presents a deep revelation about why you are here. Go with it. Mars direct in your 2nd house brings word of the $$ you’ve been waiting on.

GEMINI: Have you recently given your word to someone at a distance that you can’t keep? Or have you signed up for a class or a trip that you won’t be able to take? Though it’s not the way you wanted this sequence to play out, flexibility has and always will be your forte. Mars going forward in your sign will start to bring your strength back to where it should be. Avoid making promises through Feb 18: Mercury (conjunct spacey Neptune in Aquarius) will make it hard to deliver on ‘em. Pluto in Capricorn rattles and restructures your portfolio and you’re forced to take charge. But heck, you’re good at it!

CANCER: The celestial activity this week presents you with a puzzling but exciting challenge: How can you maintain your sense of security while your primary relationship (or what you need from it and are willing to put in to it) is morphing before your very eyes? For the next 15 years, partnership will take on a whole new meaning. And to be perfectly honest, you’re about to get sober emotionally. This has been a long time coming, so congratulations. Stay away from bankers, stockbrokers, and insurance agents till March.

LEO: Say sayonara to silly dalliances and time wasting flirting: Pluto is leaving your 5th house of fun and games. Racking up numbers in dates, flings, conquests, and day trading just won’t do it for you anymore. It’s time to grow up and manage your time as the valuable commodity that it is. For the next 15 years, in order to be productive and go the distance you must put health first and keep to a tight schedule. The funny thing is- what used to be fun no longer is, and what was once drudgery now appeals to you. Go figure.

VIRGO: Your ruling planet Mercury is about to go retro for the first of three times in 2008 and this one falls in your 6th house of work, service, and health. Besides the usual electronic glitches, you’re especially sensitive to airborne infections so for now, an ounce of prevention is the way to go: Pluto in Capricorn unearths a lost love and/or demos a stuck relationship with a child of yours. Be willing to reinvent the wheel with him or her as the case may be. Revisit your creative self. He or she needs attention and will not take abandonment well.

LIBRA: Pluto entering your 4th house will change the way you’ve been living and the way you’ve related to your kin. Be alert and remain open to possibilities that you would have dismissed at another time. The world is your oyster. Mercury retro in your 5th house of creativity and paramours suggests that revising and polishing up an idea brings a lovely romantic surprise. You could meet someone from the past online. Stay away from ‘newbies’ till March.

SCORPIO: On a mundane level, Mercury and Neptune in your 4th house encourages you to check all vents and clean out anything that resembles mold. Buy a combination humidifier/purifier and you’ll breathe easier. NOW- your co-ruler is going from Sagittarius into Capricorn. For the next 15 years, it is imperative that you speak honorably, with clarity, and with integrity from the depths of your soul: It’s as if every word you utter is then used to instantly build precisely what you have just said. Imagine the power you have!

SAGITTARIUS:Kudos to you! You’ve survived your Pluto transit and are here to tell the tale. Now it’s time to take all that you’ve learned and experienced and align with the economic transformation that awaits you. It isn’t pie in the sky promises that turn you on right now, no sir. It’s the logical, tried and true approach to taking care of yourself and those that you’ve committed to that will work best in the next few years. Mercury retro in your 3rd house warns to not even consider a new car or vehicle till at least March..

CAPRICORN: You’ve been waiting in the wings so to speak for the past 13 years and your moment has arrived. Though Pluto in your sign and on your ascendant brings all of that hidden power to the fore, it can ravage your crusty exterior and make you feel raw for a while. Don’t let this dissuade you. During this period of adjustment, work with this new energy and see where it takes you. Mercury retro now through Feb 18 in your 2nd house encourages a thorough review of your ’07 finances before deciding on your approach for ’08.

AQUARIUS: Mercury retrograde now through February 18th in your sign seems to come at a most inopportune time, after all, who wants any part of their birthday month spent in ‘contemplative review’ mode? But this can be pleasant and it takes the pressure off. Pluto’s entrance into your 12th house of secret treasures can be misinterpreted as 15 years of ongoing psychic renovations, but don’t go there: Talented people do some of their greatest work while Pluto in the 12th- it provides the freedom to move mountains while under the radar. (Oprah has had it there for the past 12 years!)

PISCES: It’s strange, but Pluto in Capricorn could set in motion a complete change where you need it most. For the past 13 years, you have undergone one rigorous test after another in your professional life, and have weathered it better than anyone would have guessed. But therein lies the issue: who amongst your ‘friends’ really knows you that well? Pluto has an uncanny way of purging that which has outlived its usefulness. Prepare for an uplifting round of house-cleaning as you open yourself to being supported and celebrated by a much finer class of people.

Transits this week
Moon's Current Position: