Goodbye Pluto in Capricorn, Hello Pluto in Aquarius!

Patterns, cycles, and changes… I love talking about them. The astrological realm has gotten some attention this month with Pluto moving out of Capricorn, and it’s noteworthy because it won’t be back for another 230 years.

 

Now, before you get all “Courtney, I don’t believe in astrology”- that’s perfectly fine, you don’t have to. I don’t believe in god, but I still understand a Gregorian Calendar’s ‘holidays’. You can understand the bigger picture of what I’m about to explain without it affecting your personal beliefs.

 

Let’s think about astrology like an analog clock representing twelve hours, sixty minutes, with 5 markers between each number. Let’s pretend that the clock is named Pluto, and it is currently 11:59. The whole eleven o’clock hour has been represented by Capricorn. When the clock (Pluto) strikes 12:00, it is beginning the cycle all over again, but this time, the twelve o’clock hour will be represented by Aquarius. Is that a clear visual? Each time the clock (Pluto) gets to a new hour, it reaches a new zodiac sign. Once it goes through all of them, it returns to Capricorn again. Each ‘hour’ varies between 11.5 and 30.5 Earth years, by the way. This is because Pluto’s orbit is elliptical and tilted at an angle (that's science, not astrology).

 

With that said, the reason everyone is so excited about this is because it gives us a ‘marker’ or a ‘checkpoint’ to measure things within ourselves. I personally enjoy astrology because it allows me to focus on a different part of my growth per zodiac season. Just like how the Gregorian Calendar tells us roughly what weather to expect per season, the zodiac calendar tells us which personal characteristics to pay attention to.

 

If we continue this analogy, we know that Capricorn is often associated with grounded energies, purpose, and personal success (like how winter is associated with cooler weather- even in the hottest climates). The way I choose to reflect on ‘Pluto in Capricorn’ would be to reflect on those attributes and the patterns I recognize within myself over the last 16 years. You can do exactly this too, it just feels more powerful to me because I *am* a Capricorn.

 

So, go ahead, grab your journal…. or if you really wanna dive in, grab a journal from sixteen years ago, or if you really really want to have a spiritual ceremony, grab all of your journals from the past 16 years. You can fall down a rabbit hole pretty quickly,  so just do whatever is best for you.

 

Now that you have your journal(s), flip through them and notice what pops up. This is not the opportunity to re-read and put yourself back into that emotional headspace but rather; identify some keywords, subjects, people, or events. In your current journal, write down what you’re noticing, and then ask yourself- “how has my purpose, personal success, and stability changed since then?” “Where have I grown the most within these parameters?” Taking the time to identify and revel in the growth you’ve made is a huge source of self-validation. It also allows you build trust with yourself because now you have measurable proof of what you’re capable of.

 

I’ll get vulnerable with you:

 

Sixteen years ago was 2008. I had *just* graduated high school and moved to Philadelphia. It was my first time living outside of my family and hometown. For the most part, I was thrown to the wolves. I had no job, no money, no friends. Every person I met was new, and every introduction was an opportunity to be memorable and build a name for myself. I was confined to my class schedule, and my incredibly limited funds, but it was more than I had ever had before.

 

If you had asked me then, my purpose was to be on a stage, and I didn’t see anything other than the light at the end of my tunnel which was 4 years of college. I had no skills outside of raw talent, and no means to get there other than my own two feet. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I’m sure I did have some other skills, but I was literally a case of ‘doing the best I could with what I had’.

 

From 2008-today, I certainly explored and ventured in seeking my identify. I outlined the boundaries of who I choose to be, unlearned the worldview that was projected onto me, and continued to experience adversity amidst my own successes.

 

As I reflect on it now, I’d say that my plans were underdeveloped and narrow, although the drive and execution were definitely there. I could likely say similar things to myself today, in that my current future plans may be underdeveloped, but at the very least- the continual drive to push forward remains. In noticing that in the past I may have been ‘narrow minded’, I realize how much I have opened my eyes to new and different perspectives and opportunities. In noticing that I feel my plans were ‘underdeveloped’, I choose to visualize a bigger picture, and larger scale for my growth.  Ultimately, my personal success is measurable only by my own standards, and not meant to be compared to anyone else.

 

As Pluto moves into Aquarius, I now have the next nineteen years to focus on enhancing the patterns contributing to my growth. Aquarius is associated with innovation, so perhaps that means the change is in how I prepare for things, and how I can be more open to things that present themselves to me rather than a tunnel vision to a specific goal. Perhaps this also means making changes to the things that ‘have always been done this way’, by questioning whether or not those processes are still necessary.

 

When you’re entering a big timeframe for a pattern like this one, it’s best to keep your intentions simple. I want to learn to set bigger, detailed goals while remaining curious in my journey to manifest them. What will you choose for yourself?