#35: Pluto in Capricorn & Aquarius Horoscopes

The Apple doesn't fall far from the tree

I found out a few days ago that a very large, very old tree in front of my house has to be cut down.

A massive branch from said tree fell over the holidays, and when a couple different “tree doctors” (be still, my heart) came to check it out, it was determined that the tree could no longer stand. It’s been slowly rotting from the inside, apparently, insidiously becoming more dangerous. The branch breaking was ultimately a warning sign…a symptom of a much bigger, long standing problem.

Which, conveniently, brings me to Pluto.

Pluto has been in Capricorn since 2008. Capricorn is an earth sign and it collectively relates to our financial systems– which in the United States, also points to capitalism and the patriarchy. Right on time in 2008, we experienced the financial crisis, and astrologers point to Pluto as the instigator in toppling (at least temporarily) that system. Capricorn is the old guard, the old man, the old tree. 

But now Pluto has decided its work is (almost) complete in Capricorn. It’s revealed a bunch of the cracks in the foundation and showed us the rotting bark, seemingly trusting us to finish the work from here. Pluto’s sights are now set on Aquarius– a fellow Saturn ruled sign, but in air rather than earth…making it much more fast, nimble, and futuristic.

If Capricorn is the bank that’s been in your town forever, Aquarius is the newest Apple store. And ahem, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree ;)

If you follow any InTeRnEt AsTrOlOgErS, you’ve likely been hearing about Pluto entering Aquarius. Pluto, the planet of decay, destruction, raw power, and ultimate transformation,  enters Aquarius next Saturday, January 20th.

There’s a lot of fear surrounding this transit, for better or worse, and it’s particularly been related to AI. It’s not surprising that this is the narrative the majority of astrologers are running with, but along with my colleague and friend Lucy Marr, I’ve been disappointed to see Pluto in Aquarius repeatedly pigeonholed.

While dark repercussions of AI are likely one accurate take on the way the energy might present itself…it’s still just one take, and if there’s anything Pluto in Aquarius desires, it’s to electrify the deep, varied voices of everyone in the room.

Pluto returning to Aquarius will undoubtedly instigate a MAJOR shift in technological influences, and they may very well be scary. If you haven’t seen Leave The World Behind, I highly recommend it. I watched it on Christmas Day (super cheery viewing) and was, in short, severely disturbed.

The movie is an unfortunately realistic way that Pluto in Aquarius could go for us in the U.S., specifically. And it’s very much in alignment with the running commentary on the transit. However! Aquarius is anything but predictable and it would be a disservice to both the stars themselves and us mere mortals trying to interpret them to suggest hellfire and brimstone (served up by robots) as the only way this thing is going to go.

Astrology like this transit can feel so big and overwhelming…in part because it is. But rather than generally catastrophizing, I find it helpful to dial in on the energy and look at it from a more personal point of view.

In an attempt to do that, I’ve written some Pluto horoscopes for you. These mini readings address Pluto in your chart for the past 15 years (in Capricorn) and where it’s now headed for the next 20 (in Aquarius). While these clearly aren’t exhaustive, if you know your rising sign, you’ll likely find resonant themes. I encourage you to reflect on what’s deeply transformed in your life over the past decade or so, and then shift into what feels ready to transform next.

If you want to get really witchy with it, there’s a little ritual idea for how to honor the changing vibes at the conclusion of the horoscopes.

TBH Horoscopes: Pluto from Capricorn to Aquarius

These horoscopes, and all horoscopes that you read here, should be read for your RISING/ASCENDANT SIGN. I work with the whole sign house system and wrote these horoscopes based on the houses that Pluto has transited while in Capricorn, and will be transiting once it enters Aquarius. If you don’t know your rising sign, consider booking a reading.

Aries

Pluto is departing your 10th house of reputation and entering your 11th house of collective consciousness. For the past 15 years, how you’ve been viewed on the world stage fundamentally changed. You likely became a boss of some sort (even if it was just of your own willpower) and might’ve faced a few public power struggles. If you were working during these years, your career might look completely different than it did before this period. Now that Pluto is entering your 11th house, you’re ready to share that transformative energy with larger communities. Whether you want to spearhead a volunteering effort for a cause you deeply care about, or create a coven where you can pretend you all actually live at Hogwarts, trust that the groups of people surrounding you now are your soul’s ultimate family.

Taurus

Pluto is departing your 9th house of travel and philosophy and entering your 10th house of reputation. For the past 15 years, experiencing beliefs and lifestyles that were somehow different than your own served to transform your perspective of the world. You may have moved around or traveled extensively, or completed a rigorous higher education program. Whatever the flavor of your exploration, what you know to be true radically expanded. Now that Pluto is entering your 10th house, your continuing evolution will take place for everyone to see. If you’re currently working, your career could drastically change and/or you’ll be meeting influential people connected with your work. You’re coming into your own power now, and the public’s opinion of you will change.

Gemini

Pluto is departing your 8th house of shared resources and entering your 9th house of travel and philosophy. For the past 15 years, the resources you share with other people have undergone a dramatic shift. Whether you got married (or the opposite), moved in with a partner (or the opposite) the support you receive in connection to your commitments looks different than before. Now that Pluto is entering your 9th house, your belief systems are ready for a similar overhaul. Notice if you suddenly become fixated on going back to school, or moving somewhere totally different. Whichever path you choose, the core desire is a need for deep, new perspectives. 

Cancer

Pluto is departing your 7th house of committed partnerships and entering your 8th house of shared resources. For the past 15 years, you navigated immensely intense relationship dynamics with the people closest to you. Some existing partnerships likely dissolved, while other powerful people entered your life to teach you profound lessons. Power dynamics within romantic relationships were likely fully explored. Now that Pluto is entering your 8th house, you’re ready for the next step. The support you receive from others: marriage partners, business partners, divorce attorneys, etc…is changing. You will be seen as a formidable adversary in this arena, but also a fiercely committed partner to those that have earned your mutual aid. 

Leo

Pluto is departing your 6th house of daily habits and entering your 7th house of committed partnerships. For the past 15 years, you’ve probably experienced your health transform. Whether you suffered from an injury, revolutionized your diet, or had a few confrontations with coworkers…you learned which mundane practices serve you, and which don’t. Now that Pluto is entering your 7th house, your closest relationships are in need of a similar transformation. This could relate to business partnerships, a spouse or best friend. Pluto wants you to get radically honest within your one-on-one  intimate connections, and will demand that both you and the other person show up with a vulnerability like never before. While your connections are likely to challenge you in the coming years– they’re also, finally, going to give you exactly what you need.

Virgo

Pluto is departing your 5th house of romance and creativity and entering your 6th house of daily habits. For the past 15 years, you’ve likely had powerful experiences around your inner-child, external children, or both! You might’ve brought creations into the world that you could’ve once only dreamed of and had transformative romantic relationships alongside them. Now that Pluto is entering your 6th house, this rebirth will shift to your routines. The next couple decades will radically alter your mundane life: from coworkers, to what vitamins you’re taking, to the people that provide maintenance on your home. Prepare to revolutionize your habitual patterns and empower your 9-5.

Libra

Pluto is departing your 4th house of home and family and entering your 5th house of romance and creativity. For the past 15 years, “home sweet home” might’ve felt like a cruel facade. Your foundations were likely repetitively shaken, showing you the honest truth about your home life and ancestry. You know your family on an entirely different level, now, and have grown because of it. Now that Pluto is entering your 5th house, you're ready to express yourself in ways you’ve maybe only ever imagined. Whether it’s from new romantic partners that have you writing intense sonnets or even having children that radically transform what “life giving” means to you– the way you tap into play and childlike wonder is ready to get weirder (in a good way!) than ever before.

Scorpio

Pluto is departing your 3rd house of perception and entering your 4th house of home and family. For the past 15 years, your local community, and the stories that define it, have come to alter the person you consider yourself to be. The places we frequent shape us and, looking back, you can probably tell that as your neighborhood changed over the years…so did you. With Pluto now entering your 4th house, you’re ready to create a new idea of home over the coming two decades. There could be a major move percolating that will entirely reset your foundations, and/or your relationship with your family members (your parents, specifically) could require extreme fortitude. Ultimately, you’re connected to this planet and more familiar than others with its depths. This is the soul work that you do best– and you’re now ready to focus your intense gaze on the home front.

Sagittarius

Pluto is departing your 2nd house of values and entering your 3rd house of perception. For the past 15 years, you likely experienced your finances completely transform. When you look deeper, you’ll probably recognize that your bank account changed because of a shift in your values (and vice versa). While you were getting more honest with yourself about what you needed intangibly, the fiscal 3D world showed up in tandem. With Pluto now entering your 3rd house, you’re ready to share your hard won values with your local community. There could be a move on the horizon, and/or a deepening in the way you communicate with your siblings, local barista, or community librarian. If you have any writing projects in mind– the next couple decades will have you plunging into them full force.

Capricorn

Pluto is departing your 1st house of self and entering your 2nd house of values. For the past 15 years, you’ve been on quite the roller-coaster! How you show up in the world was likely radically altered due to coming into your own power like never before. You might’ve experienced transformations of your physical body externally, while facing an internal reckoning that demanded vulnerability. With Pluto now entering your 2nd house, your focus is shifting to your bottom line. How does your bank account reflect what you care about, and vice versa? If you’ve been frustrated with your finances in any way, prepare for an entirely new relationship with the energetics of money. 

Aquarius

Pluto is departing your 12th house of surrender and entering your 1st house of self. For the past 15 years, you may have been toiling away behind the scenes. Your hunger for power may have been virtually non-existent as you instead let go of control (or were forced to let go). Now that Pluto is entering your 1st house…prepare for a complete makeover! While Pluto’s workings tend to be done underground or behind closed doors, this house, for better or worse, is one for public consumption. That means that the deep, probing emotional work you’re navigating over the next couple decades is likely to present externally. Whether black becomes your signature color or you keep hearing the remark that “you’ve changed” try to take it all in stride. The people intimidated by your new battle armor aren’t your people, anyway.

Pisces

Pluto is departing your 11th house and entering your 12th house of surrender. For the past 15 years, you very likely spent time finding “your people” and are now part of communities you once only dreamed of calling your friends. While you could’ve experienced upsets with certain groups, too, the transformations taught you about the collective visions that align with your ultimate desires. Now that Pluto is entering your 12th house, your intuition will be kicked into overdrive. You’re already an immensely psychic sign, but Pluto wants you to go even deeper. Over the next couple decades, you’ll be asked to release control. It’s important to protect yourself psychically/in the astral realm and pay close attention to your dreams. Your subconscious is steering this ship.

A great day to meditate on your horoscope is next Saturday, January 20th, when the Sun will conjunct (combine) Pluto at the final degree and final minute of Capricorn. This is the last time this will happen in our lifetime and signals the impending completion of your latest transformation.

If you have safe access to a fire, it’s a great time for a burning ritual. Write down the people, places, and things that you’ve worked (or more probably clawed tooth and nail) to release over the past 15 years. If you have any physical memorabilia of these people, places, things you’ve been holding onto…even better! Toss that into the fire as well. You don’t need it where you’re going next.

If a bonfire burning a lot of old shit isn’t accessible to you, gazing into a candle and speaking what you’re releasing into the flame is another way to honor this major transition. Pluto is entering an air sign, after all, so don’t underestimate the power of your own voice.

As we know about old trees, their root systems run far deeper than what we can see above ground. They’re part of an intricate web of connected pathways below the surface of the Earth. While we might not see everything they’re up to…trees communicate with each other and understand one another with a fluency far beyond human comprehension.

Whatever massive, old trees are toppling in your life right now are right on time. They’re ready to die– but what they grew, and their intrinsic network below the surface, will stay with you forever…and might just be ready for a rebirth of their own.

Happy New Year! Happy New Moon! I’m getting back into the swing of things after a lot of travel and my big move last year. I’m so thankful for 2023, but really glad it’s behind us. Between my clients, friends, and family…it seems like most of us are feeling more hope for the year ahead than we have in recent memory. I’m thankful for that and cautiously optimistic.

I haven’t sent horoscopes to y’all here before, surprisingly, but I’m trying out some different things. Please “heart” this newsletter or drop a comment if you enjoyed them…every engagement helps. You can also check out my year ahead horoscopes for Birthdate Co., and stay tuned for an article about the meaning of 2222 I was recently interviewed for by Women’s Health. I’ve been loving Kim Krans’ Archetypes Deck that was gifted to me recently and am anxiously awaiting Maggie Rogers’ new album.

How’re you feeling? Do you have a word for 2024 yet? I’ll be in touch again soon. Thank you for being you <3

Through time and space,

Erin River Sunday