Part II: The current situation and looking ahead

In yesterday’s post we looked at the past 20 years of Plutonic influences in the (Sibley) astrological chart for the United States leading up to the Pluto return: the period during which transiting Pluto returned to its place in the U.S. chart. Pluto is the planet of destruction and regeneration; Pluto’s placement in the charts of individuals or of nations describes where we meet the shadow, the place of our undoing. In the U.S. chart, Pluto is in the sign of Capricorn (position and status)  in the second house of money, values and resources. We can see here the correlation to an obsessive compulsion of Americans and the U.S. government to place financial gain above all other values.

This urgency to amass as much wealth as possible created the need for the institution of slavery which permitted cheap labor to build great fortunes, and the legacy of slavery and its descendants is a major cause of the strife we see now during the Pluto return. Pluto’s role is to dig up the darkness and expose it to light so that it may be transformed and transmuted, and under the Pluto influences of the past 20 years we have seen the racial conflicts in the U.S. emerge at a level most of us never knew existed. Racial conflicts aren’t the only issues that arose under the Pluto return, but the fevered war against “woke” is certainly rooted in the fight for racial justice and its backlash. This war has filtered into other areas of post Piscean Age evolution such as gender issues.

Technically there were three exact hits from transiting Pluto to U.S. Pluto beginning in early 2022 (February 20, July 11, and December 28), but this summer and fall transiting Pluto will be within one degree of U.S. Pluto and completing the work which began in 2022. 

The rise of Donald Trump and the MAGA/QAnon ideologies arose under these Plutonic influences which will begin to subside by the end of 2023. It’s hard to imagine that the rage which gave rise to and fed these ideologies will continue in a post Pluto return world, especially with Pluto having moved into Aquarius. (Pluto will briefly dip a toe back into Capricorn in 2024 but will likely not significantly affect the U.S.) Aquarius disdains strong emotion of any kind and prefers reason and intellect, which leads me to believe (and hope) that the dialogue in the country will turn towards greater objectivity in solving the problems facing the nation. Second house Pluto problems in this country include the power of lobbyists to use money to fuel and feed conflict that results in gridlock and prevents real solutions. The ever-increasing problem of homelessness as a lack of resources (adequate housing, mental health care, and employment), and the ever-worsening health of Americans (government funded junk food poison and a profit-driven sick care system that is more concerned with medicating illness than preventing it). Okay I’ll step down from my soap box now…

Looking ahead…some good news.

Neptune sextile Pluto. Softening the effects of the Pluto return is a two-year harmonious dance between Neptune and Pluto. Neptune which begins in the spring and summer of 2025. In a harmonious Neptune transit we are blessed with the positive traits of Neptune: Greater compassion, spiritual values (as opposed to religious ideologies), acceptance of the intangible. After 20 years of challenging Pluto influences, I believe that this will be a wonderful balm to soothe some of the rage that has emerged and hopefully result in greater willingness to view the “other” with empathy and understanding

Pluto trine U.S. Midheaven. In 2023 there is a hint of a harmonious trine from Pluto to the Midheaven in the U.S. chart – the point of highest aspiration and lofty goals. The U.S. Midheaven at 1 degree Libra demonstrates the ultimate goal of the American government to achieve equality and harmony, and the Sagittarius ascendant in the U.S. chart likes to present a hopeful and optimistic appearance. In fact people in other countries often comment on how open and cheerful American tourists appear. The reality does not live up to these expectations, but under this Pluto trine there could be real changes in how the American government begins to transform its image in the world. This also signifies a potential improvement in the country’s global position and increased respect around the world. This planetary cycle will culminate in 2024 and will be supported by a harmonious Saturn trine to the U.S. Sun. I am very optimistic about what this combination will bring.

Uranus influences. Transits of Uranus often excite change and ignite rebellion against the status quo. In 2023 and 2024 there are both challenging and harmonious Uranus influences which will likely help to stimulate a different narrative in the U.S. and in the U.S. government. It’s pretty clear that something has to give in order to solve the problems facing the country, and since the fracturing that I expected under the Pluto return did not occur, perhaps these Uranian influences will facilitate the necessary vision to create a new dynamic in the U.S. that will work more efficiently in this new age we find ourselves in. Harmonious Uranus transits will kick off in 2023 (Uranus trine Neptune, sextile Mercury) followed by a more challenging alignment in 2024-2025 (Uranus square Moon).

The effect of 2025.  2025 will be a year for the history books. Both Uranus and Neptune will both change signs, and Neptune will oppose the U.S. Midheaven. This transit last occurred in 1861-1862 just before the American Civil War. That does NOT mean that we will have another Civil War; the past does not always equal the present. But if the necessary changes do not occur over the next couple of years, we could begin to see some breakdowns in the way the country is run.

Neptune can create confusion and obfuscate the truth, but we are also under the influence of Pluto in Aquarius which prefers to take the high ground. This is a complicated combination that, I believe, will take the flexibility of youth to navigate. I hope we will see the retirement of some of our gerontocracy (the median age of U.S. senators currently is 65) and the rise of a younger crop of lawmakers for whom the past is not a vivid memory.

Closing thoughts. I know people like to try to predict the future, but in my view the future cannot be predicted as the events of the future are dependent on choices we make in the present. However, as we clear the debris from the critical events of the past 20 years we can create a bright future, one which is more accepting and able to withstand and even embrace the transition into a radically new way of thinking and American life. ❤️

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