Mar 13, 202315 min read

Pluto In Aquarius: History Meets Future. Analyzing the Past 1,000 Years to See What’s to Come

Updated: Jan 29

Pluto In Aquarius: History Meets Future. Analyzing the past 1,000 years to see what’s to come.

The beginning of a 20 years transit. The start of an age of major scientific discovery, societal transformation, and technological revolution. Pluto, (dwarf) planet of renewal, destruction, death, transformation, birth, and the Underworld, enters Aquarius.

On March 23rd, 2023, Pluto enters Aquarius for the first time. Because the planet is so slow (and changes direction a couple of times), it’ll take a quick dip back into Capricorn on June 11th, 2023, to re-enter Aquarius on January 21st, 2024. Another quick trip backward into Capricorn on September 1st, 2024, before the (dwarf) planet enters Aquarius for the last time on November 19th, 2024. Pluto will continue its journey through the sign of the water bearer until 2043-2044. As with its entry to Aquarius, there will be a bit of back and forth between March 9th, 2043 – the first entry into Pisces – and January 19th, 2044, the final entry to the sign. The next time Pluto will enter Aquarius after that is in the year 2269. So… we have about 21 years of Pluto reforming the same themes this time around.

In order to prep for this article, I took months to research the last 4 times Pluto and Aquarius danced together, which happened 1041-1063, 1286-1308, 1532-1553, and 1777-1798. The essay on the past instances alone led to 12 pages of material (in a, you know, shortened form where I only focused on the most important things), which is when I realized that I needed to re-write the entire thing – because no one is going to read an article that long, plus I hadn’t even gotten to predictions yet due to lack of space. So… the next article was over 10 pages… the next also 10 pages, but with predictions… and now you have this, an article under 4k words.

Suffice it to say that this is not as thorough as I’d like it to be: not only did I have to pick mainly European history and cut out a bunch of interesting stuff I thought you might like (including references to the earliest timeframe). I also had to skip a bunch of explanations to stay under 4k words, so people would even bother reading this thing in the first place (there will be another article with some of the other stuff I think has to be mentioned, like personal themes, how Aquarius and Pluto even work… heh, I need to write books. More books, that is.)

Let’s look at the overarching themes of the past 3 transits and what we can, therefore, expect from this transit right now.

But before that real quick: This article took over a year to research and write. If you liked it, I would so appreciate you if you could donate a sum of your choice to support me in doing this work. Also, I'd love it if you could share this with a friend! Thank you so much - I appreciate you.

What is known now will be proven wrong

This is one of the main themes of the Pluto in Aquarius transit: new, extremely challenging knowledge (Aquarius) will be unearthed (Pluto) in a way that challenges the Powers That Be and transforms our lives.

To give examples, Copernicus introduced the heliocentric world model in the 16th-century pass of Pluto through Aquarius – what sounds like a No Big Deal situation today was actually downright heresy back at that time, and dangerous too. At that time, it was “known” in the Christianity-dominated world that God had made the Earth center of the universe and that all that was in the sky was perfect (I’m not stating my own opinion here, just reflecting the beliefs of people at that time). Copernicus directly challenged that in such a way that the authorities that decided what people were supposed to think were under fire. Because now, science (that was at the time in concert with and funded by the Church) said that all the religious authorities told was wrong – and if that one thing is wrong, then what else is wrong, too? Never mind that God was supposed to live in Heaven, which meant that the very seat of God’s power was seen to be challenged (again, not my opinion – trying to reflect what people at the time believed). This was part of the reason the Spanish Inquisition was founded – which also happened in the timeframe of the 16th century.

And it’s another part of Pluto in Aquarius: some part of “the known truth” gets massively challenged and changes the way people perceive all of life; some power structures are challenged that were deemed “unchallengeable,” so now there’s a countermovement that tries to suppress (Pluto) the knowledge through bloody and often extremist measures (Pluto in Aquarius). This in turn radicalizes the first group, and there we have a pretty explosive war of ideals. Another example would be that “a country needs a king or it won’t work” – and then, in the 18th-century pass of Pluto through Aquarius, the U.S.A. did it, anyway.

Whatever we truly believe is “obvious” in this world, we’ll learn that it was false. New information will come to light, either one that was buried or through scientific discoveries. It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out.

New Technologies and Discoveries

Pluto in Aquarius was always a time of radical new inventions and discoveries. In the late 13th century pass of Pluto through Aquarius eyeglasses were invented. In the 18th century pass, industrialization started with the invention of the power loom and the automatic flour mill. In all three, people started to discover the world in much more detail and understand the laws of physics in new ways. (I don’t have enough space to do all inventions and discoveries justice, so I won’t try).

This time around, it’s highly likely that we’ll see the impact of technology on our lives and probably see new inventions that we normal people can’t even think of, or things so outlandish that we always thought they were completely out of bounds… like teleportation, or something. I also think that we’ll see the shadow sides of all the technology, especially internet-based technology, on our bodies and psyche and be forced to deal with that in a much more advanced way.

There will likely be breakthroughs in the exploration of space and also the realm of quantum physics specifically. Plus, it’s likely that technologies around aging and giving birth are going to be under scrutiny, possibly even the subject of new inventions, etc. Medical discoveries could be a giant overall theme.

Education and Distribution of Knowledge

One of the absolute main themes of the past 3 passes of Pluto through Aquarius have to do with education and distribution of knowledge… and how those were completely transformed and radically changed. In the 13th-14th century pass, universities/colleges were built all over Europe (the first university/college had been built under Pluto in Capricorn’s influence just before this transit, now the idea spread). Under the 16th century, it became increasingly obvious that education had to become secular, too, and not just (in the Western Christian world) dependent on the pope’s take on the bible. At that time, Timbuktu established the first public library which obviously allowed anyone who wanted to have access to certain knowledge to get to that knowledge… and over 200 years later in the 18th-century pass of Pluto through Aquarius, public libraries then started to spread internationally throughout the world. The invention of the lithographic printing press made printing and distributing non-classical literature possible, which obviously made education more affordable. On top of that, the results of the American Revolution and French Revolution were that people outside of the aristocracy could a) get higher education because they were allowed inside places of higher education for the first time, or b) could demand to be let into fields of higher education and fight for their rights to learn.

So, education became available to the masses in a much different way in every single instance of the transit. It’s likely that this time around, we’ll see a similar phenomenon in the spaces where education is still limited or only accessible to people of a certain privilege. The 2020-2023 timeframe (of Saturn in Aquarius) definitely showed us where the systems are lacking and where kids and adults fall through the cracks. However, it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out in the spaces in the Western world where education is almost universally accessible… and how much education will become de-centralized away from the public sector and become part of the home. I could imagine that many more parents decide to stay home longer to educate their kids in different ways.

War of ideologies

One of the best-known timeframes of Pluto through Aquarius was 1777-1798, mainly because this was the time the United States of America defeated the Brits and officially became their own country – and based their country on the most Aquarian ideals of all: equality, liberty, independence, freedom of speech… and so on. It’s Aquarius in a nutshell, and it transformed the world. (Now, obviously the “equality” part had some exceptions, but we’ll get to that later.) The success against Great Britain led to a chain reaction that caused the French Revolution, a very bloody part of history that took the ideals of freedom and equality and a specific brand of humanitarianism and put them above other values, such as not killing children, or just persecution. This eventually led to the Grand Terreur, where the revolutionaries killed basically everyone that didn’t agree with 100% of their own values… even people who were 99% on their sides would be dead, the streets of Paris drenched in blood.

In the 16th century pass of Pluto through Aquarius (1532-1553), the translated versions of the bible had been spread enough for people to actually have a basis for questioning the reigning papal authority on a worldwide basis. This was the time of wars between Catholics and Protestants of various denominations, a time for people to die and kill for their beliefs in how the bible should be read and who should interpret them – ideology, in other words. It even got to the point that structures that helped the people, such as infirmaries and charities for the poor were razed down and destroyed, and the people who worked there were often murdered and even tortured because they were associated with the wrong denomination of Christianity… even though the things those structures did was work all Christians agreed was positive. Laws so sacred they were deemed untouchable (like not killing in Churches, etc.) were lifted in ideological warfare.

Under Pluto in Aquarius, we’ll always see extremism of ideals that leads to horrific results – but also changes that make the world a bit better. We also see people lose the core of their own beliefs in order to fight for ideals in extremist ways – as evidenced by Protestant Christians who destroyed hospitals for the poor in Medieval times, just because they were associated with nunneries. We also see radicalization in people of different beliefs in general.

Whatever makes you different from others and others from you, it’s being highlighted under this transit, and while this doesn’t have to mean that there’s persecution, people are quick to try and eradicate (Pluto) the differences (Aquarius) they see in others and the world at large.

In our nowadays world, we see some points of contention already through Saturn passing through Aquarius from March 2020 until March 2023, areas of society that become more and more radicalized. During Pluto in Aquarius from 2023 on, those rifts between people will then dramatically widen. Topics that come to mind are obviously the war, but also movements against discrimination that start to become to be massively discriminating themselves, a movement for equality between genders that’s become (in very loud fringe groups) more and more anti-one-gender. This of course fires up counter-movements that are then very much against the equality groups (and previously oppressed genders), even the ones that are actually still fighting for equality. Movements for political correctness have been accused of blatantly attacking freedom of speech or even opinion, while some of the counter-movements to that attempt to erase differences between human beings and make some people less than others.

The groups that questioned governments everywhere since and during 2020 and the people who didn’t have also in many ways been radicalized, and while that subject, fortunately, isn’t as violent of a debate as it used to be, the rift in society hasn’t closed in any way… Pluto in Aquarius is likely going to deepen the rift, even if it acts through different topics. Some governments also used the threat to safety over the past three years to strip people of their rights in ways that maybe weren’t completely warranted, which will likely have long-term consequences we’ll see throughout Pluto in Aquarius. (Others have managed to keep the trust of their citizens even within massive restrictions as they acted with respect and transparency.)

I could also see a renewal of the fights between New Agers (which I’m not a part of, btw) and established religions, and also fights between extremist religious and extremist anti-religious groups. Please note that I didn’t say “religious vs. science” groups because religion and science are often compatible. It’s just in the minds of some people that you can’t get them together, and I don’t support that worldview.

The good news is though that ideological or belief-based conflicts can also end during this time, too. For instance, upper Canada abolished slavery in the 18th-century pass of Pluto through Aquarius. In the 13th-14th-century pass, the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem fell… and thus, the age of the crusades ended, and with it a very violent part of history.

Another piece of good news is that often, humanitarianism does rear its head during those times – and not just in a hypocritical or incomplete way. For instance, in the 16th-century pass, people began a debate on the rights of American and native South American indigenous people. Obviously, that debate didn’t keep the horrors of colonialism from happening, but it did raise awareness and kept some brutality in check.

Societal changes

Major societal changes have always been subject of Pluto in Aquarius, but we’ll stick to just one example: 1532-1553, England. By the time of that 16th-century pass of Pluto through Aquarius, the bible had been translated into first German, then other languages of the people, including English (rather than being in Latin and therefore, incomprehensible for people of mediocre or no education). Those translations had also started to spread in the population of various European countries. However, up until this point (1532), the effects of that massive scale change hadn’t yet been as dire as they would become over the course of the transit, (1553). At that time of history, the ruling royalty of Europe was universally Christian, as it was said that they held their power position because of God (again – reflecting their opinion, not mine). They were also almost all Catholic, a.k.a. under papal authority (to some extent – and often much to their dislike, as they were often recruited to go to war on behalf of their religion, which they often didn’t want to do).

The beliefs at that time were that the people who ruled, f.e. England (Henry VIII for the most part) were sacred – if you were anointed to be king or queen, even touching your body would be a crime punishable by death. There was a time when Katherine of Aragorn, the first wife of Henry VIII, needed medical attention but couldn’t get to the doctor fast enough because her guard refused to take her arm or carry her, as he feared he’d be executed if he touched her. That’s how strong people’s beliefs were. At the same time, some things were absolutely iron-clad for anyone: you couldn’t set aside your spouse (unless the pope himself intervened, which he never did for the Average Joe… and he didn’t do it regularly for the aristocracy or regents, either). Someone who held onto the doorknob of a church had automatic asylum for a fixed amount of time. And part of the Church’s job was to take care of everyone in ways that we, right now, don’t associate with religion.

If you traveled (which was of course much more difficult and dangerous at that time), there were usually strategically placed nunneries, abbeys, etc. along the way that allowed for you to rest and sleep safely. If a poor person got sick, they got medical care from nuns and monks. If you were very poor, the nuns and monks would give you food and sometimes shelter, especially as a widow with children and no family to care for you. Clergy often offered education to people and also made medicine from herbal gardens, as well as ale or beer (which at the time was safer to drink than water, as most water was full of excrement and therefore, bacteria). The clergy also preserved knowledge and copied books (the printing press hadn’t been around for very long at that time). So, they had some pretty big social functions as well as religious ones.

Then came Henry VIII and, at the beginning of the transit, he decided to switch to Protestantism to publically divorce his wife, Katherine of Aragorn, after 20 years of marriage.

This was unheard of – and a huge problem for the general population and women anywhere, because a) women didn’t have any social or financial security beyond the fact that their husbands HAD TO take care of them, and b) now their husbands could legally divorce them. And c) if the king could do that to the queen, who was “anointed by God,” then what could the average wife expect from her husband? Big. Problem. Huge. Especially for people with kids and for women who were orphans or didn’t have enough family members to jump in and care for them if the husband went poof. This problem became even bigger when Henry VIII decided to behead his second wife, Anne Boleyn, though she claimed to be insane. 1) Insanity had always been grounds that made execution impossible, 2) you couldn’t even touch the queen physically before… and now you could chop off her head? Not good for the general wife. If the king’s allowed to do it… Drunkard Jeffrey is probably gonna do it, too.

But beyond, in order to be Protestant, Henry VIII abolished and/or destroyed all structures associated with the Catholic church: including but not limited to the places that cared for the sick, poor, the very old, that made medicine, and that provided education. The people who held the knowledge of how to prepare medicine died or were driven out of the country, so people didn’t even know how to make basic medicine any longer. Herbal gardens were razed as much as the nunneries and abbeys. Church asylum wasn’t sacred anymore so there was no safety for people who were wrongly persecuted, for women, or for children. Guess what all of that meant? The general public suffered in unimaginable ways, and the very structures that normally took care of the suffering weren’t there anymore to support them. on top of that, the aristocracy started to persecute anyone who was openly Catholic or had a problem with the political climate. And then came the Inquisition, which was founded in that timeframe, too.

To make it worse, the general public had to conform to the religious beliefs of their ruler, which meant that they had to keep track of Henry VIII’s ever-changing religious allegiance (he basically switched with every one of his 6 wives, more or less), quickly switch to the general ideas of the successor, and then become radically Catholic enough to make Bloody Mary happy, who was also the first Queen Regent in centuries. This whole spiel is the reason why so many people from England took the risk to try and get to America to build a nation where they could exercise their religion freely… Because this wasn’t just a topic in England, it was all over Europe, the problem is just that I don’t have time to get into detail here, so we’ll have to keep it short.

Anyway, this was all new to the people who lived at that time – that wasn’t their reality before 1532, it only all happened during. And these changes weren’t just ones in England, or this time frame – Pluto in Aquarius changes social realities everywhere in a similar level described here through the example.

So, how will this play out this time around? Pluto in Aquarius changes the very things we thought were unchangeable. To make matters worse, at this point Uranus transits Taurus – which is also a transit of changing the things we thought were unchangeable. The next 20 years will likely bring a complete restructuring of many worldwide societies that likely coincide with our perception of freedom, our rights, our education, and our power as the people.

There will likely be changes in how we deal with political systems and authority, and a complete transformation of the status quo. We already (at the time I’m writing) live in a pretty extreme worldwide society – humans have never been as disconnected from each other, even while we’re able to connect to people worldwide. We’ve never been as uneducated even though we have access to so much knowledge. We’ve definitely never been as disconnected from our bodies as we’re now… I would guess these things will change. But beyond, it’s going to be a wild ride to predict. I don’t think we’ll have enough information before the final ingress into Aquarius in November 2024.

Before wrapping up this article, please consider supporting my work with a donation. I appreciate you so much and this would go a long way!

Conclusion

In summary, Pluto in Aquarius has always been and will (this time) again be a time of many technological advancements, intense scientific discovery, and ground-breaking societal changes that transformed the way we see the world. It’s also a time where every difference (Aquarius) between individuals and groups in society is going to be amplified and radicalized. This isn’t a time where it’s easy for different people to live and let live, but it’s a time where knowledge, education, and life in general becomes subject of change. Often, people strive for and achieve liberty. Most often, the world is not the same ever again after the cycle.