Ah, Pluto

Today, March 23, Pluto enters the sign of Aquarius.This is an astro biggie.

I suspect that most astrologers learn interpretations by working with their own charts and the charts of family members and friends. For years, I wondered what might happen when Pluto conjuncted my natal moon at 29 degrees and 56 minutes of Capricorn close to the cusp of my 4th house.

Pluto rules the deep stuff – life, death, life after death, transformation, the psychic realm. It’s the snail of the zodiac, sticking around in a single sign for anywhere from 15 to 20 years, so it impacts generations. It rules the 8th house.

The moon represents intuition, Mom or the nurturing parent, our emotions, and rules the 4th house of home, family, our personal environments. It also rules how we nurture ourselves and others.

Since I have Scorpio rising, Pluto rules my chart because it rules Scorpio. So I wondered whether I would die during that conjunction. Or if someone I loved would die. Or if there would be some Dystopian event that would determine my future or that of humanity.

Back in  February, with  Pluto edging toward a change of signs on March 23, from Capricorn into Aquarius, I’ve been keeping tabs on Pluto’s excruciatingly slow movements. But the past couple of weeks had  been hectic and I hadn’t been as diligent about checking.

So this morning (Feb 12) when I got up, I noticed that Nika wasn’t her usual buoyant self. I went outside with Nigel, expecting to see Nika right behind me, but she was moving so slowly she looked like she was in pain. Once outside, she just stood in the sunlight, seemingly confused.

I got her back into the house and settled on a little bed I’d made for her in the family room. I went into my office to check my email and checked the day’s transits, too. Pluto stood at 29 degrees and two minutes Capricorn. My moon is 29 degrees 56 minutes Capricorn. The conjunction was here. It had sneaked in.

My birth time of 3 p.m. always has been in doubt. People are rarely born on the hour, it seems, and I was born in Venezuela, where time is an odd commodity. Mañana, mañana – tomorrow, tomorrow – is the usual litany. For all I know the actual time was 3:03 or 3:05 but whoever recorded the time on my birth certificate figured 3 p.m. would do. A minute later than three would have given me an Aquarian moon.

But today I discovered that the 3 p.m. birth time might be correct. There was a death – Nika’s. I wrote about the particulars here –  So if you have a copy of your birth chart and there’re any planets in the late degrees of Capricorn – from 26-30 degrees – pay close attention to events that unfold between now and March 23, when Pluto enters Aquarius.

Nika’s death impacted my home and family and personal environment in a huge way. She was the dependable dog, the wise one, the center of any animal pack that included two cats and any dogs who visited. She was the undisputed leader who refused to squabble over anything, unless you were a dog who sneaked up behind her to sniff her butt. She didn’t like that and set you straight real quick.

So now I understand the kinds of experiences I may have while Pluto is conjunct my natal moon. This aspect will happen again once Pluto turns retro on June 11 and slips back into Capricorn. June 11 is the repeat date. I’d like to say I’ll be ready. But the truth is that with this kind of aspect in the final degrees of Capricorn, I’ll be feeling anxious, waiting for some horror to surface.

My hope is that once Pluto enters Aquarius in early January 2024, we’ll be moving toward the age of Aquarius that was captured in the Broadway musical Hair.

When the moon is in the 7th house
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars

But for me, the jury on that one is still  out.