As Pluto enters Aquarius, analyzing and giving advice for the singular signs seemed like a good idea - and via birth chart, Pluto in the 10th house is always interesting. So, I figured I'd put both articles together for this: Pluto in the 10th, a force to be reckoned with: What will be revealed at a time like this – to you, or about you?
This article will reveal what to expect if you experience this placement temporarily or by birth, and also how to work with it in a productive way that aids you.
Before we jump in, here’s a quick explanation of Astro-terminology and a list of dates for Pluto in the 10th if you don't have it in your birth chart, but know you'll get it via astrological event. If you’d like to skip that stuff, click here for the main part of the article.
Astro-terms:
Pluto:
Pluto is a dwarf planet that rules power, transformation, secrets, and big changes in your life that happen from the inside out. It’s associated with intensity, the primal, and the taboo, as well as psychology, your life mission, and the underbelly of our societies/lives.
The 10th House:
Houses are areas of the sky that speak to different life areas. The tenth house is all about your career, your life mission, authority (you in authority/others who have authority over you), and your public image or reputation. It’s one of the strongest and most important houses in astrology.
Birth Chart vs. Event:
Being born with Pluto in the 10th house means that the themes described in this article will be ones that you live into throughout your entire life. They may be more important at some times, less so at others, but they’re always there. You can see your birth placement in your natal chart (feel free to come to say Hi in a consulting session with me & figure out not just where your Pluto lies, but also what it means and how to work with it).
However, as Pluto wanders through the sky in real-time, the planetary player may also enter your tenth house for a temporary stay. That event is called a transit. Pluto transits differ in length: the shortest is 12 years, and the longest is 32 years. So, as you can see, we’re talking about long frames of time – but ones that are still fractals of our lives rather than life sentences.
Dates:
If you’re wondering whether Pluto is in your 10th house currently, here’s a list of time frames for you! The overlaps between timeframes are due to something called planetary retrograde. In plain English, this means that Pluto “moves back and forth” as per our perspective from Earth.
Caution: This list ONLY works for your Rising Sign, it does not work for Sun Sign or Pluto Signs.
Taurus Rising: With this Rising/Ascendant, you’ll have a Pluto 10th house transit from May to June 2023, January to September 2024, November 2024 to March 2043, and September 2043 to January 2044.
Aries Rising: January to June 2008, November 2008 to March 2023, September to November 2024. (For you, Pluto is currently here.)
Past:
Pisces Rising: Jan-Apr 1995, Nov 1995-Jan 2008, Jun-Nov 2008.
Aquarius Rising: Nov 1983-May 1984, Aug 1984-Jan 1995, Apr-Nov 1995.
Capricorn Rising: Oct 1971-Apr 1972, Jul 1972. Nov 1983, May-Aug 1984.
Sagittarius Rising: Oct 1956-Jan 1957, Aug 1957-Apr 1958, Jun 1958-Oct 1971, Apr-Jul 1972.
Scorpio Rising: Oct-Nov 1937, Aug 1938-Feb 1939, June 1939-Oct 1956, Jan-Aug 1957, Apr-Jun 1958.
Future:
Gemini Rising: Mar-Sept 2043, Jan 2044-Jun 2066, Jul 2066-Apr 2067, Sept 2067-Feb 2068.
Cancer Rising: Jun-Jul 2066, Apr-Sept 2067, Feb 2068-Jun 2095, Sept 2095-Apr 2098, Nov 2096-Mar 2097.
Leo Rising: Jun-Sept 2095, Apr-Nov 2096, Mar 2097-Jun 2127, Nov 2127-May 2128, Jan-Mar 2129.
(Virgo Rising: Jun-Nov 2127, May 2128-Jan 2129, Mar 2129-Aug 2157, Nov 2157-Jun2158, Jan-May 2159.)
(Libra Rising: Aug-Nov 2157, Jun 2158-Jan 2159, May 2159-Aug 2183, Jan-Jun 2184, Apr 2185.)
And then, it’s Scorpio Rising’s turn, then Sagittarius’s, Capricorn’s, and so on. Want to find the article for you for these times? Find it here!
Now, let’s get into the meat and potatoes.
Pluto in the 10th House: A Transformative Career
The biggest effect you’ll feel under Pluto in the 10th (by birth/transit) is beyond a shadow of a doubt in your career life. One, you may have an elevated effect on others through your occupation (or applicable public role or mission, etc.). Pluto in the 10th may bring people the opportunity to change the field they work in or have massive breakthroughs, some even that have a massive effect on the generations of people to come.
Two, you may feel a much bigger need to have a meaningful career under Pluto in the 10th (via birth or astrological event) that would actually make a difference to others. This may in some cases cause changes in your career or your career path, though that may not apply to everyone.
And three, you may become transformed via your career and the work you do in the world. But those will be changes for good.
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Public Life
Pluto in the 10th house brings an inevitable awareness (and the necessity to be mindful of) of the power of the public. On the one hand, this may mean that the world at large, the community at large that you’re part of, holds more power over you than you’d like. On the other hand, it means that you are one of the people with the power to shape public life in general.
One, reputation matters. Under this event/birth placement, it’s important to remain mindful of what is or should be for public consumption, and what would be better kept private. Under this influence, you’re more likely to be remembered… which can be good, or bad, depending on what you put out there. Right now, what other people think has a profound effect on your life, your success, your ambitions, and your happiness – in part because the people who pay attention to you may feel threatened and tempted to police you. If so, fight your battles – but pick them wisely, too.
Another aspect of this is that secrets, under Pluto in the 10th, tend to come to light on a much broader scale. So, if you’re about to do something you shouldn’t because you think no one will know… let’s just say I wouldn’t expect the skeletons to remain in the closet forever.
Two, you may have a heightened awareness at this time/through your birth chart of what is and isn’t working in the world (or your country) on a public level. This may mean the power to look behind the public persona other people like to project or to understand public life on a deeper level. Under this influence, you can become the influence that changes things.
Breaking Taboos and Affecting Change
Pluto in the 10th house via birth or astrological event brings a heightened necessity or temptation to break taboos on a public platform. This can absolutely be for an altruistic reason and have many positive effects: for instance, many people nowadays may choose to speak about trauma or break their silence on secrets to help others in similar situations not feel alone or get help. This is how we became so much more open to mental health issues as a society – so, it does have positive effects.However, people may also wash their dirty laundry in public in ways that are neither productive nor altruistic. I can not recommend this approach as the things you do will be remembered by others… and you’ll feel the effect in the future.
Some people under this influence may choose to get into activism, politics, or other fields where they can affect change and leave the world a better place, which leads me to…
Call to Power
Some people have to fight their way into positions of power. Others get pushed into them even if it’s against their will. But with Pluto in the 10th, by birth chart or event, you’ll be one of the lucky people who gets to be in charge… whether you choose the when and how, or not.
This also means that you’ll be intimately acquainted with the price of carrying the power you’re holding, and in some cases experiences that prepare you for said power. Be aware that being in charge changes everything: yourself, the way people around you interact with you, and your life in general. But sometimes, paying the price is worth it: and the changes you can bring to others can transform their lives for the better.
Remember, Pluto calls us to higher integrity and a level of truthfulness with ourselves. So, use your position wisely and don’t attempt to seize control for your own gain.
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Ambition, Status, and Success
Under Pluto in the 10th (by birth or event), it’s often possible to have bigger than normal successes, elevate your status in profound ways, and realize powerful ambitions against all odds. Of course, that’s only if you remain in any way, shape, or form, realistic… and herein lies the problem.
Pluto in the 10th can bring an obsession with and addiction to success and status and a near-impossible-to-manage inner ambition. This can lead to never feeling sated, no matter how much you’ve achieved, or even to making massive sacrifices for an outward success that doesn’t even matter to you. Pluto in the 10th can make ambitions and addiction to status and success so strong that they become detrimental to you and the things you’d like to achieve… even to the point that you’ll lose whatever you most wanted to have. If things get this far, you need to cool your jets and get down to earth before you’re swallowed whole.
Your mission, career, status, and goals aren’t the end-all, be-all of life. If you remember that, and if you remember to not sell your soul to gain prestige, you’re golden for Pluto in the 10th house via astrological event or birth placement.
Another side-effect here is that success, status, and ambitions can change you from the inside out – or change how the people around you treat you. Remember that sometimes, people’s actions towards us say little about our characters and everything about theirs. Also, remember that you are in charge of your life and how you let others treat you.
That being said, having the opportunity to be more successful and elevate your status/realize ambitions is a very good thing. Reach for the sky.
Inner Authority
Pluto in the 10th house (via birth or astrological event) deals with the right use and misuse of authority – and shows us a necessity for becoming our own inner authority first and foremost. That doesn’t mean that we can’t have (or shouldn’t have) bosses anymore, or that we need to get rid of any and all chain of command in our lives (that would be a bad idea). But it does mean that we become aware that very few people can force us into things if we stop playing the accomplice.
Your boyfriend doesn’t have the power to make you stop having friendships with the opposite sex: he can whine and put pressure on you, but that’s your choice.
Your boss doesn’t have the power to make you stay overtime every day. She can demand it, she can threaten to fire you (whether she will depends on the situation), but it’s up to you to play along.
Each choice has consequences – with the controlling partner, you could lose the relationship, with the demanding boss, you could lose your job. But you are still in control of your actions – and if you remember that, you suddenly have the key to creating more options and a more empowered life. This is specifically important in situations where someone tries to make you do something unethical or deeply damaging to yourself. But just in general: we are responsible for our own actions and choices. And under Pluto in the 10th house, you’ll encounter situation after situation that shows you the necessity to exert the power you have.
There are wonderful people out there in the world… but there are also people who will push past your boundaries just to see what happens, or because they’re unaware of what they’re doing to you. There are even people who will walk all over you because they like to hurt others. Under Pluto in the 10th, you’ll inevitably encounter many situations with people from the nastier categories – and see the necessity of having to stop them, rather than waiting for them to see the light.
To get back to the latter two examples: What happens if you let your boyfriend isolate you from male friends, or keep you from making new ones? Maybe nothing – and maybe, he’ll isolate you from everyone else next. Maybe he’s an abuser who wants no one around you that could stop them from hurting you. Maybe this is the start of a form of abuse that leaves you with nothing, not even your self-respect.
What happens when you let your boss consistently keep you way longer at your job than you need to stay? Maybe you’ll lose your primary partnership because you don’t have the time anymore to maintain it. Maybe the stress affects your health. Maybe your children needed you, but you were gone.
Going along with boundary violations can have as many negative consequences as rocking the boat and saying No. There’s a necessity for using your own power to stop people from controlling you.
Conclusion
There is so much more to say here - but unfortunately, we're coming to a point where we'd need to pay special attention to people's individual natal charts. If you'd like to go deeper, consider booking a session with me! Also, if this article helped you, please consider leaving a donation of your choice to support my work!.
Further Reading
Thanks so much for checking out this article! Let me know what you think! If you like it, send it to a friend :) See you soon, Alexandra
Astrology from the Soul